Dr. Kevin Passero Dr. Kevin Passero Lead Medical Director
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Dr. Passero completed four years of post-graduate medical education in Portland, Oregon at one of only four accredited Naturopathic Medical Schools in the country. His Naturopathic training consisted of classroom study equivalent to conventional medical school and included extensive exposure to patients under the guidance of MD’s, Chiropractors, Naturopaths and Acupuncturists. While there, Dr. P...

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Hi, I have been dealing with the after affects of Lyme disease for several years. After stopping the antiboditics I have lingering side affects including nerve tingling in my legs in the morning. Pain on the bottom of my feet, inability to loose weight and fatigue no matter how much I sleep. A friend of mine has been taking your serrazimes for a number of years and swears by it. Do you think it would help me? I have Hasimotos disease and trust me the doctors have checked me for lupus, sgrogrens, small nerve studies, pituitary tumors, and mris of the spine. All is good. But the pain and the fatigue is there. I wonder if I too have fibro like my friend or if it damage from the lyme. I am taking thymex by Standard process and that appears to have helped with the nerve tingling. My friend said after starting the serrazimes she didnt need the pain meds they wanted her to take for the fibryo. I see it has a warning about blood thinners. Is that anything I need to be concerned about and lastly will it interact with my thyroid medicine I am taking. The reviews all seem positive.. are there any side affects? Thanks
Thank you for your great question. I work with many patients that suffer from lyme disease and many patients that suffer from hypothyroidism. There are many things to consider when it comes to your case and much of it should really be flushed out with a health care provider who is well versed in both of these areas but I will review some key concepts to review and think about. It sounds like you have been treated for lyme disease but you may n...

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Category: Allergy/Immune
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
In the hope of having a baby I take prenatal vitamins daily. Could this cause excessive urination?
There are no ingredients in a standard prenatal that I would expect to cause excessive urination. However, urinary frequency can be increased even in early pregnancy so make sure you are not pregnant already. During the first 6 weeks of pregnancy your blood volume will increase significantly leading to more fluid being filtered by your kidneys which ultimately results in more urine. Frequent urination is the most common early sign of pregn...

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Category: Women's Health
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
Vitamin B12 Toxicity – I understand that vitamin B12 generally is safe even in large doses, however with more and more supplements coming to the market with extremely high doses, does one need to worry?
Thank you for your great question about B12. It is true that many supplements contain B12 because of its impressive benefits for the brain, nerves and energy/metabolism. However, as you point out it is important to consider possible downsides of taking too much of any nutrient. You are correct in stating that B12 is water soluble. This reduces it’s potential for toxicity because it can be easily flushed by the body but does eliminate all...

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Category: General Health
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
Hi. I had shingles earlier this year and am on a regime of vitamins. I am taking 6000 mcgs of vitamin a as I had shingles in my eye. Some cornea damage left but not where the light passes thru.
Shingles can be a very tough condition and very serious when it involves the eye. I am glad you are recovered and that your vision was not permanently damaged. Vitamin A is an excellent natural anti-viral but due to its fat soluble nature it can also be toxic. It also has a drying effect on certain secretions in the body which may be why you are having some eye irritation when you take it....

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Category: General Health
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
Dr.Passero, I have, which I believe to be IBS. I want to get rid of this. I’ve been saving money up to get a supplemental colon cleanse as well as a hydrocolontherapy.
Most multivitamins are safe. The real question to ask is which multivitamins are potent enough and pure enough to actually be effective? One of the most important things you can do to assess the purity of your multivitamin is to check the label. Look in the area where "Other ingredients" are listed. If there is a long list of ingredients such as; titanium dioxide, BHA, artificial...

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Category: Digestion
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
I read in a book that Llysine 500mg is needed to make ferritin, an ironstoring protein that maximizes hair growth. I bought Llysine at a GNC store but it does not say anything about hair growth
If L-lysine has a role in the production of ferritin I am unaware of it, however a limited amount of clinical data does suggest that L-lysine does enhance the absorption of both iron and zinc.  One European company is citing a study that showed L-lysine was able to reduce several types of hair loss in both men and women and even applied for a pate...

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Category: Women's Health
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
Hi there. Ive recently started taking some evening primrose oil pills to help with a skin condition. I was just wondering, is there any chance these could be reacting with my PCOS pill metformin? Thanks

I do not foresee any potential interactions between the Evening Primrose Oil and your Metformin.  There is nothing in the literature to suggest that this is a possibility.  In fact, Evening Primrose Oil is something I commonly prescribe for women with PCOS.  It is known to naturally help improve the balance between progesterone and estrogen.  An elevated ratio of Estrogen to Progesterone is commonly seen in women ...


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Category: Women's Health
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
I have heard that fenugreek can increase your production of breast milk is this true? If not is there anything I could take to increase my supply?
It is true that many women report that fenugreek can help improve breast milk production.  Fennel is another herb widely thought to increase breast milk production.  The reality of the situation is that other very important hormonal process in your body need to take place to ensure adequate milk supply.  In addition the feeding behaviors of your baby are also a major contributing factor that will determine your milk supply. Both of these he...

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Category: Women's Health
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
I started taking Wild Yam pills for various reasons. I have heard this can make your breast size increase is this true? My mother uses wild yam cream and she says her breast size never changed but she is 52 years old and I am 28.

Wild Yam can be helpful for balancing certain issues related to female hormones.  It is thought to do this by gently stimulating certain receptors on cells that are related to hormones like estrogen and progesterone.  Although this herb can have gentle hormonal like action on the cells it is not likely strong enough to influence cellular activity enough to change breast size.

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Category: Women's Health
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
Is it safe to take a daily dose of 5000 mcg of Biotin for the sole purpose of improving the quality of hair and nails?
Although this dose is way above the RDA for biotin it is a common and often effective recommendation for the support of hair and nail growth.  No significant toxicity has been documented in the oral use of biotin even in doses much higher than 5mg.  It is rapidly metabolized and excreted in the urine....

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Category: Women's Health
Answered by: Dr. Kevin Passero
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