I Was Healthy Until I Wasn’t: Dr. Steph's take on Long COVID, Mast Cell & Stealth Infections

In this solo episode of What Happens in Vagus, Dr. Stephanie Canestraro gets personal about the health journey she has experienced over the last several years and what she has learned about long COVID, mast cell activation, dysautonomia, stealth infections and the complex cascade of symptoms that can happen when the immune system becomes dysregulated. Dr. Steph shares why someone can be healthy and functioning normally for years before an infection or another stressor suddenly brings underlying issues to the surface, and why symptoms such as unexplained anxiety, panic, tachycardia, brain fog, swelling, digestive issues, sleep disruption, fatigue and exercise intolerance may have deeper physiological drivers. She explains the connection between the spike protein, ACE2 receptors, mast cells, histamine, blood flow, endothelial dysfunction, microclotting, mitochondria, electrolyte imbalances and the nervous system, while emphasizing that calming the nervous system alone may not address the underlying problem. Dr. Steph also walks through some of the foundational strategies and tools that supported her own recovery, including electrolytes and minerals, compression, lymphatic support, nutrition, mitochondrial support, binders, nervous system regulation and addressing the infections and other factors contributing to the overall picture. Most importantly, she shares a message she wishes more people struggling with these symptoms would hear: this is not your fault, and feeling unwell does not mean you are weak. Your symptoms are messages from your body, and understanding the bigger picture can be an important part of finding a path forward.Let us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Dr. Steph sits down with Christina P. Kantzavelos Gameiro, LCSW, MSW, MLIS, an Integrative Lyme, Chronic Illness/Pain, Neurodivergent, C PTSD Psychotherapist and Coach.Christina brings a unique perspective to chronic illness because she has lived it herself.After years of unexplained symptoms, countless medical appointments and eventually becoming so sick that she could no longer work, Christina was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Her own healing journey led her to explore the nervous system, trauma informed care and the mind body connection, ultimately inspiring her to help others navigating chronic illness.In this episode, Dr. Steph and Christina dive into the often overlooked layers of chronic illness and Lyme, including:• Why the nervous system can become stuck in fight, flight, freeze or fawn• The connection between chronic illness, trauma and the window of tolerance• Why some people become incredibly sensitive to supplements, foods and their environment• Why building safety and nervous system capacity can be an important part of the healing process• The complicated relationship between Lyme, chronic illness, environmental stressors and the body• Why there is no single protocol or one size fits all approach• The emotional experience of losing your health and wondering if you will ever feel like yourself again• Learning to trust your body instead of living in fear of every new symptomMost importantly, this episode is a reminder that your body is not your enemy.It is constantly trying to protect you, adapt and keep you safe.As Christina says, we don’t get sick in isolation, and we don’t heal in isolation.This is a conversation about chronic illness, nervous system regulation, trauma, resilience, hope and learning to work with your body rather than constantly fighting against it.Let us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

If you've been doing everything right and still not getting better, this episode was made for you.Dr. Stephanie Canestraro sits down with her colleague and friend, Dr. Christine Schaffner, a naturopathic doctor, bioregulatory medicine expert, and founder of the Sensitive Stack.  She has spent her career on the cutting edge of what it actually takes to heal the patients who fall through every crack in conventional and even functional medicine.At the center of this conversation is a concept that changes everything: sensitivity is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The rising epidemic of mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), histamine intolerance, long COVID, and chronic multisystem illness isn't happening in a vacuum. It's a signal from the terrain, the extracellular matrix, the autonomic nervous system, the fascia,  that the body's innate intelligence has been blocked. Dr. Christine explains the foundational principles of bioregulatory medicine, which emerged from Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, and why its approach to regulation, terrain theory, and interference fields offers a roadmap that functional medicine alone often misses.One of the most overlooked and most impactful areas they cover is the dental connection. Root canals, amalgam fillings, cavitations, and hidden jaw infections are among the most common interference fields Dr. Christine sees in chronically ill patients. A dead tooth is a chronic infection, and that infection has direct access to the vagus nerve, the lymphatic system, and the organ meridians mapped on the dental chart. Dr. Stephanie shares her own experience supporting a close family member who went from severe anxiety and heart palpitations to calm and functional — simply by removing one infected root canal. Both doctors discuss how to approach dental interventions safely, why preparation and the right biological dentist matter, and how to mitigate the healing response that can follow.The conversation goes deep on hormones, the menstrual cycle, and chronic illness, territory that rarely gets the clinical attention it deserves. Dr. Christine explains what she calls the "luteal phase flare," the week before a woman's period when progesterone drops, prostaglandins rise, and the immune system wakes up to everything it suppressed during the potential implantation window. For women with Lyme disease, mold illness, parasites, or MCAS, this is often the hardest week of the month and it doesn't have to be. They also cover estrogen dominance, beta-glucuronidase, zearalenone (the mold mycotoxin that mimics estrogen), and the liver's central role in hormone metabolism and detoxification.Dr. Christine also shares her own deeply personal journey, navigating a lawsuit, rebuilding her practice, and facing a diagnosis of a 3.2 centimeter pituitary macroadenoma that required brain surgery. In the two weeks between diagnosis and the operating table, she leaned entirely into energy medicine, coherence healings, meditation, and intention work. Her surgeon later told her he'd be studying her tumor for a long time because for its size, it came out unusually easily. Her story is a testament to what's possible when you apply everything you teach.✦ In this episode:• Bioregulatory medicine explained and why it goes beyond functional medicine• Terrain theory vs. germ theory, and what Louis Pasteur said on his deathbed• The extracellular matrix, lymphatic stagnation, and where disease actually begins• Interference fields: scars, hidden infections, and dental toxicity blocking your healing• Root canals, cavitations, and amalgams as chronic infections connected to your organs• MCAS, histamine intolerance, and why sensitivity is a symptom, not a root cause• The luteal phase flare: why women with chronic illness feel worse before their period• Estrogen dominance, zearalenone mold toxin, and beta-glucuronidase• Long COVID, post-vaccine immune dysregulation, and TH1/TH2 immune imbalance• 5G, EMFs, voltage-gated calcium channels, and cell membrane destabilization• Motherwort, hawthorn, and lemon balm as natural calcium channel stabilizers• Dr. Christine's pituitary tumor diagnosis, brain surgery, and healing journey• The Sensitive Stack: Dr. Christine's new program for sensitive, hard-to-treat patients✦ Find Dr. Christine Schaffner:Website: drchristineschaffner.comThe Sensitive Stack: available at her website and on InstagramInstagram: @drchristineschaffner✦ About Dr. Stephanie Canestraro:Dr. Stephanie is a chiropractor, functional medicine practitioner, and chronic illness survivor. What Happens in Vagus explores root-cause healing through the nervous system, bioregulatory medicine, and the extraordinary intelligence of the human body.Let us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

What if your body already has everything it needs to heal and unresolved trauma is the only thing standing in the way?In this episode of What Happens in Vagus, Dr. Stephanie Canestraro sits down with Peter McLaughlin, a certified hypnotherapist who put his chronic lymphocytic leukemia into remission in 2003, without chemotherapy. Peter's journey began in the wreckage of a life running on pure adrenaline: a demanding Wall Street career, a two-hour daily commute, three young children, and an office one block from Ground Zero on September 11th. When his body finally gave out, his leukemia diagnosis became the catalyst that set him on a path toward subconscious healing, hypnotherapy, and a complete understanding of the mind-body connection.Together, Peter and Dr. Stephanie explore one of the most overlooked truths in chronic illness: that emotional trauma, including small, seemingly insignificant moments from childhood, gets stored in the subconscious mind and continues to drive the body's stress response for decades. Because the subconscious has no concept of time, a humiliating moment in third grade or a cry left unanswered in a crib can still be activating a fight-or-flight response in your body today. This chronic activation of the autonomic nervous system suppresses immunity, disrupts hormones, stalls digestion, and creates the environment in which disease takes root.Dr. Stephanie also shares her own healing journey from a Lyme disease and Bartonella infection that attacked her nervous system and went undiagnosed for over a decade, to the functional medicine interventions, precious metal IVs, and reconnection with her body's inner wisdom that finally brought her back. Together they connect the dots between nervous system dysregulation, frequency medicine, and the extraordinary capacity of the human body to heal when given the right tools.✦ In this episode:• How chronic stress and emotional trauma directly contribute to serious illness• Why childhood events your conscious mind has "forgotten" are still running your nervous system• What hypnotherapy actually does and how it clears emotional toxins from the subconscious• Why you cannot heal in fight-or-flight mode and how to shift into rest-and-digest• How cortisol signals your body to hold onto fat• 432 Hz healing music, binaural beats, and frequencies that regulate the nervous system• Applied kinesiology, muscle testing, and pendulum work as tools for inner wisdom• Peter's work with professional athletes and how childhood trauma shows up on the field• Precious metals (gold, silver, platinum) and their role in healing chronic infection• The placebo effect as proof of the mind's power to heal the body✦ Find Peter McLaughlin:Website & healing tracks: blueskyhypnosis.comYouTube: @blueskyhypnosis✦ About Dr. Stephanie Canestraro:Dr. Stephanie is a chiropractor, functional medicine practitioner, and chronic illness survivor. Her practice and this podcast are rooted in one belief: that the body is designed to heal, and that the vagus nerve is the master key to making that happen.Let us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

In this episode, Dr. Stephanie Canestraro sits down with building biology expert Ryan Blazer to unpack the hidden dangers of mold exposure and how it can impact your health, especially for those already dealing with chronic conditions like Lyme disease or long COVID. The conversation is sparked by Dr. Steph’s recent experience in the Dominican Republic, where unexpected mold exposure in a rental villa triggered intense neurological and physical symptoms, despite the space appearing “safe” at first glance.Ryan explains what actually happens when mold is disturbed, comparing it to a hornet’s nest being shaken. Once disrupted, mold releases spores, mycotoxins, and microbial gases into the air, which can quickly spread throughout a space if proper containment isn’t used. The episode breaks down the difference between mold spores and mycotoxins, and why mycotoxins are especially harmful.Dr. Steph shares the symptoms she experienced, from anxiety and neurological inflammation to muscle twitching and a heightened stress response, along with the tools she used to recover, including binders and detox support. They also discuss practical steps for handling exposure, including how to deal with contaminated clothing and furniture, and why some items may need to be discarded entirely.The conversation also touches on how certain environments, like tropical climates or poorly maintained air conditioning units, can be major sources of mold exposure, even in high-end spaces. They explore the connection between mold and EMFs, and how environmental stressors may amplify symptoms in sensitive individuals.This episode is a must-listen for anyone dealing with unexplained symptoms, building a healthier home, or wanting to better understand how your environment can impact your health.Check out Test My Home hereLet us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

In this episode of What Happens in Vagus, Dr. Stephanie Canestraro sits down with Leigh Ann Lindsey, founder of The Accrescent and creator of Healing Alchemy, to explore the powerful connection between the unconscious mind, emotional patterns, and physical illness. Leigh Ann shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 25 and how that experience led her to discover and ultimately dedicate her work to EVOX therapy, a modality focused on the emotional and energetic contributors to illness.Leigh Ann breaks down what EVOX therapy actually is, explaining how voice mapping identifies imbalanced emotions through vocal tones and how biofeedback frequencies help regulate the nervous system and support emotional release. She discusses why nervous system regulation is critical when working through trauma and chronic illness, and why talk therapy alone can sometimes feel slow or incomplete when the body remains in a stress response.The conversation dives deep into unconscious narratives, safety, and how early life experiences can shape belief systems that quietly run our behaviours, health patterns, and even our ability to heal. Leigh Ann explains how unmetabolized emotions, looping thought patterns, and displaced pain can manifest as illness, and why healing requires more than positive thinking or affirmations. Together, they explore how illness can sometimes serve as a messenger or coping mechanism, offering insight into what the body and psyche may be asking for beneath the surface.Throughout the episode, Leigh Ann emphasizes a “no stone unturned” approach to healing, blending EVOX therapy with depth psychology to help clients move through emotional blockages, rewire old neural pathways, and create a sense of safety within the body. She also shares how her Healing Alchemy membership and resources make this work more accessible for people navigating cancer, chronic illness, and long-standing emotional patterns.This episode offers a compassionate, grounded, and deeply insightful look at healing that honors the mind, body, and spirit as an integrated whole.Find Leigh Ann Lindsey on instagram hereLet us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

In this episode of the What Happens in Vagus podcast, Dr. Stephanie Canestraro sits down with nurse Emma Robertson to explore her journey from high functioning perfectionism to a full nervous system crash and eventual recovery. With a background in human anatomy and frontline healthcare, Emma shares both the clinical and deeply personal realities of living with dysautonomia and chronic nervous system dysregulation.Emma’s symptoms began after graduating university and starting an intense nursing job that left her overworked, under fueled, and ignoring early warning signs like gut issues, rashes, and anxiety. Over time, a combination of stress, restrictive eating, nutrient depletion, and environmental and immune stressors pushed her system past its limit, leading to a sudden and frightening escalation of symptoms.She describes experiencing hyperadrenergic POTS, heart rhythm disturbances, constant panic, severe digestive dysfunction, blood sugar crashes, insomnia, dizziness, and exercise and heat intolerance. Many of her symptoms were misattributed to anxiety, leaving her feeling hijacked by her own body.Emma and Dr. Canestraro discuss the tools that supported her healing, including adequate nutrition, frequent meals, electrolytes, binders, gentle movement, lymphatic support, nervous system regulation, and mindset shifts rooted in safety and trust. Emma also shares what did not help, including extreme diets, fasting, and electrical vagal nerve stimulation, which worsened her symptoms.This episode offers insight, validation, and hope for anyone navigating dysautonomia, chronic illness, or nervous system overload, and emphasizes that healing often begins by slowing down, nourishing the body, and learning to listen to its signals.Let us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

This episode dives into the world of women’s hormonal health with Dr. Prudence Hall, who shares how her career shifted from gynecological surgery to integrative medicine after realizing how poorly menopause was being addressed in conventional care. She breaks down why individualized treatment matters, especially when it comes to bioidentical hormones that mirror the body’s natural chemistry. The conversation explores the underrated role of testosterone in women’s health, from supporting muscle and bone to protecting mental clarity, and how environmental stressors, toxins, and chronic stress can disrupt hormonal balance. Dr. Hall also highlights the importance of vitamin D, thyroid function, and comprehensive testing - hormones, antibodies, genetics - to get a full picture of what’s really going on in the body. Throughout the episode, she emphasizes the power of collaboration between patients and practitioners and the need for a more thoughtful, personalized approach to navigating menopause and beyond. Learn more about Dr. Hall - Dr. Prudence Hall is an integrative medicine pioneer and founder of The Hall Center in Santa Monica, specializing in regenerative and hormone-based medicine. A former gynecologic surgeon, she’s spent over three decades helping patients restore vitality, balance, and longevity through root-cause healing. Dr. Hall’s approach blends modern science with holistic wellness, focusing on the powerful mind–body connection and the role of the nervous system in overall health.Find Dr. Hall on Instagram hereCheck out The Hall Center here.Let us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

In this episode of What Happens in Vagus, Dr. Stephanie Canestraro is joined by Dr. Leah Barbaro for a deep dive into the hidden health challenges affecting athletes today. Together, they unpack why so many professionals struggle with lymphatic stagnation, gut dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and the growing burden of environmental toxins. They explore the rise in mast cell activation, the overlooked role of parasites, and why standard nutrition and supplement protocols fall short for high-performing bodies. Throughout the conversation, they highlight the importance of holistic care, strategic detoxification, mitochondrial support, and building a resilient system from the ground up. Whether you’re an athlete or someone navigating similar symptoms, this episode empowers you to understand your body, make informed choices, and take control of your long-term health. Let us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.

In this solo episode, Dr. Steph dives deep into the complex world of mast cell activation, histamine intolerance, and anxiety that isn’t really “just anxiety.” She explains how toxins, infections, mold, and even environmental factors like 5G and chemicals can hijack your body’s immune and nervous systems, creating a cascade of symptoms that often get mislabeled as anxiety or panic. Dr. Steph breaks down what mast cells actually do, how chronic inflammation starts, and why so many people feel “electric,” overstimulated, or stuck in fight-or-flight mode. Through a recent real-life case study, she reveals how everyday exposures (like an epoxy garage renovation) can re-trigger old health patterns, and she outlines how to calm the system using binders, nutrition, lymphatic support, and vagus nerve regulation. This episode is equal parts science and story, helping listeners connect the dots between their symptoms and their biology, and reminding them that true healing starts when we ask: Is it anxiety… or is it toxicity?Let us know your thoughts on this episode hereFor any further information, feel free to email us at [email protected].  Our team is happy to help.  We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.