Michael McKee ND, LAc

01/11/2025

My heart goes out to all those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. I offer some resources linked in comments regarding recommendations to mitigate the potential health effects of smoke inhalation. Toxicant Induced Loss of Tolerance or TILT refers to the potential of acute and/or repeated exposure to environmental toxins leading to a cascade of immune dysregulation that may become longstanding. Specifically, triggered alterations in the genetic material within the immune sentinel cell known as Mast Cells leads to permanent overactivity of Mast Cells, whereas individuals develop prominent immune and allergic-type reactions to substances as benign as foods, natural supplements, fragrances, and medications that appear to shift inconsistently and are unpredictable. This falls under the umbrella term of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, a difficult to diagnose and poorly understood condition. This condition is treated by Mast Cell Disease specialists, which may include some Allergists/Immunologists, and Environmental Medicine specialists such as me. Please read over the attached materials to learn how to prevent this disease, and also screen for the effects

02/14/2024

EDIT: This survey is now closed, thanks to all who took part.

Researchers at Boston University are undertaking a study to understand better what types of barriers prevent patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danos syndrome (hEDS) from accessing specialist care in the USA.

They are looking for participants (children and adults) diagnosed with hEDS and would like to help researchers document your challenges in obtaining specialized medical care in the USA.

This survey aims to assess the path to care for individuals with hEDS as they access specialized care, provide insights into the specific difficulties this population faces, and reveal disparities in healthcare access.

First, the survey will list specialists commonly involved in the care of hEDS; participants will select the subspecialties they had appointments within the past three years and those they have yet to see. This information allows the researchers to gather current data on the specialty care landscape, where it thrives and is lacking. People may create a list of the specialists they are interested in meeting with from the group of providers they have yet to see.

The final aim of the study is to help identify the barriers to care that have prevented hEDS patients from meeting with specialists.

The survey will take around 20 minutes to complete. Click here to learn more and take part: https://bostonu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4SfrfozRnXY3IFM

02/10/2024

http://www.tigersplayastrology.com/tigers-play/the-laughter-of-the-universe-qi-in-the-year-of-the-yang-wood-dragon-jia-chen-year-20244722

*湯之問棘也是已。窮髮之北，有冥海者，天池也。有魚焉，其廣數千里，未有知其脩，其名為鯤。有鳥焉，其名為鵬，背若泰山，翼若垂天之雲，摶扶搖羊角而上者九萬里，絕雲氣，負青天，然後圖南，且適南冥也。斥鴳笑之.....

01/12/2024

Heads up to any patients with BCBS insurance - Providence will no longer be in network

UPDATE: Providence and Regence reach agreement to continue care delivery services together. Read more: https://blog.providence.org/regional-blog-news/providence-and-regence-agree-to-contract

Patients with Regence health insurance: Do you have an appointment, procedure or surgery scheduled for Jan. 15 or later at a Providence hospital or facility? You might be out of network if you have Regence health insurance. Call 1-888-675-6570 to discuss your options.

For months, Providence has been negotiating with Regence for fair and sustainable reimbursement rates to pay our doctors, nurses and caregivers for the services they provide to our patients with Regence insurance.

Patients with Regence health insurance might be out of network at Providence hospitals and clinics after our commercial contract expires on Jan. 15, 2024, and our Medicare Advantage contract expires on Feb. 15, 2024. Patients are encouraged to contact Regence directly with questions about their insurance at 1-888-675-6570.

Information for patients with Regence health insurance: https://blog.providence.org/regional-blog-news/information-for-regence-patients.

05/31/2023

Rethinking our relationships with concepts of pathogens vs beneficial flora

First we learned to fear germs, then we learned to love our microbiome. But both sides get the biology basically wrong

04/25/2023

The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of 13 heritable connective tissue disorders. The conditions are caused by genetic changes that affect connective tissue. The genetic cause(s) of the most

04/23/2023

https://capitalandmain.com/disability-denied-unable-to-work-covid-long-haulers-face-barriers-to-benefits

The long COVID crisis exposes a disability claims system in disarray.

04/16/2023

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/15/scientist-stefano-mancuso-you-can-anaesthetise-all-plants-this-is-extremely-fascinating-tree-stories

An advocate of plant intelligence, the Italian author discusses the complex ways in which plants communicate, whether they are conscious, and what his findings mean for vegans

01/17/2023

Eating just one serving of freshwater fish each year could have the same effect as drinking water heavily polluted with “forever chemicals” for an entire month, a new study finds. The equivalent mo…

10/13/2022

🌿This herb nerd is very excited🌿
What is this you see?
Fresh Szechuan Peppercorns gifted to me by my acupuncturist who is originally from Szechuan Province.
Aside from imparting the numbing flavor many Szechuan food dishes are famous for, this is a very important medicinal herb I use often in my practice.
川椒 - Hua Jiao warms up digestion, treats diarrhea, alleviates pain, kills parasites, and also breaks up biofilms seen in chronic infections. I frequently use this in formulas for my Lyme patients.
Have you seen this is your formula??

08/18/2022

It is good to see research science catching up with and confirming what many Naturopaths have been seeing in our long COVID patients since the start: low levels of cortisol, reactivated past viral infections, and immune dysfunction. These are things I typically would screen for in my patient population - even before the pandemic. I also see a lot of inflammation in long COVID patients driven by a condition called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Think of it like allergies and food intolerances gone completely haywire. I also commonly see Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS - which causes dizziness, lightheadedness, palpitations, and racing heartbeat with changes in body position and activity. All of these conditions are manageable.

https://www.science.org/content/article/blood-abnormalities-found-people-long-covid

Study implicates lack of key hormone, battle-weary immune cells, and reawakened viruses