Neuroveda Podcast for Complex Health

Thomas Mandel Clausen completed his PhD in Clinical Cancer Research at the University of Copenhagen and postdoc at the University of California in San Diego and has spent the bulk of his career thus far focused on cancer biology, malariavaccine development, and more recently COVID-19. His special focus was & remains cell & glycobiology which will be the focus of our discussion today. He’s presented at conferences all around the world and has over 40 published articles within the field of glycobiology focused on various molecular structures and functions and how they relate to human disease. He is currently matriculated at the University of Hawaii to gain his medical doctorate degree with estimated completion in 2026. 

We discuss:

The endothelial glycocalyx is a specialized extracellular matrix that covers the apical side of vascular endothelial cells, projecting into the lumen of blood vessels. The composition of the glycocalyx has been studied in greatdetail, and it is known to be composed of a mixture of proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans, and glycoproteins. Although this structure was once believed to be a passive physical barrier, it is now recognized as a multifunctional and dynamic structure that participates in many vascularprocesses, including but not limited to vascular permeability, inflammation, thrombosis, Mechan transduction, and cytokine signaling

Because vascular dysfunction is associated with a wide variety of diseases and because of the crucial role of the glycocalyx in maintaining proper vascular function,the significance of the glycocalyx in disease has become a topic of intensive investigation.

Chiropractor Kim Bruno furthered her training with the Institute of Functional Medicine, ILADS, Horowitz Lyme Master Classes and holds a board-certification as a Certified Clinical Nutritionist. She owned a private practice for 17 years and was the functional medicine medical director for the largest immunology clinic in Colorado. She comes to us today as the Senior Medical Science liaison for Vibrant Wellness Labs. Today we discuss their panel of 48 neurologically-oriented antibodies: the Neural Zoomer Plus.

We start by discussing the lab technology itself, which is somewhat unique in the testing world- it’s an 'Immunochip’, also called a protein-peptide microarray as viewed through chemiluminescence which can be more sensitive than historical Eliza testing. The sensitivity (the ability to find the needle in the haystack) ranges from 95-98% and the specificity (it’s definitely a needle, and not a pin or nail or something similar that is not actually a needle) is 96-100%. The range is because each analyte has its own metrics. Here, we take a tangent into describing the limitations of Eliza & Western Blot testing, especially in light of tick-borne testing for Lyme disease & co-infections. Then we touch on PCR- polymerase chain reaction testing and the use of glass beads to break up biofilms in test samples for even more accurate results.  

Our next chapter (around 14:30) focuses on the immune system itself. Listen in for some helpful analogies for the immunoglobulins-IgM for ‘marines vs IgG for ‘ground troops’, IgA with affiliation with mucus membranes like the gut or respiratory linings, and IgE for anaphylactic allergic reaction. This gives the total pool from which the Neural Zoomer Plus antibodies are pulling from as a sort of clinical calibration to weigh the presence of the specific antibodies.

At 22:20, we dive into the Neural Zoomer Plus test itself. Dr Bruno shares her brilliant ‘hierarchy of consideration’ for putting these antibodies into a context. While she states outright ‘this is not a diagnostic test’, the larger truth is that this test cannot be used for diagnosis by clinicians who don’t have the scope to make diagnostic conclusions, for example dieticians or health coaches. For our purposes at Neuroveda Health, we absolutely use this test for clinical decision making and diagnosis. Dr Bruno calls out molecular mimicry against pathogens or even foods or toxins that can confuse the immune system. We consider the Cunningham Panel (recently renamed the Autoimmune Brain Panel), which has been used longer for PANDAS evaluation. And we walk through each category of antibody included on this test.

We finish with a discussion about treatment approaches based on results from this test, including the Neuroveda Health approach to evaluating and addressing neuroimmune disease.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

To look at a sample report of this test:

https://hello.vibrant-wellness.com/hubfs/Sample%20Reports/MK-0072-01NeuralZoomerPlusSampleReport.pdf

To find out more about the Neural Zoomer Plus test: https://www.vibrant-wellness.com/test/NeuralZoomerPlus

To get testing, contact us to schedule an appointment with a clinician at Neuroveda Health:

- Phone: 206-379-1213

- Email Reception@neurovedahealth.com

To find out more about our clinic (and request a call back): https://www.neurovedahealth.com/

Description: Dr Todd Levine, with 20 years of experience as a clinical neurologist with specialty in disorders of the peripheral nervous system, shares with us about the Syn-One skin biopsy run by his company, CND Life Sciences.

Against a backdrop of clinical information about the divisions of the nervous system (central vs peripheral and sensory vs motor vs autonomic), we review the 3 tests in this procedure: small fiber nerve counts, synuclein and amyloid deposition.

Dr Levine notes that brain & skin both come from ectoderm tissue in the embryo, meaning they arise from similar roots soon after conception The skin, unlike the brain, is readily available for testing, and can offer insight to what’s potentially happening in the central nervous system without having to go there directly.

It’s also a fascinating conversation that one-half to one-third of all neuropathies end up classified as ‘idiopathic’, meaning we can’t identify a trigger, like toxic chemical insult or injury. Most likely, these neurons are injured by ‘an accumulation of small insults” which can include low but recurrent or persistent viral illnesses and environmental chemical exposure all further complicated with and by metabolic syndromes. His most exciting area of research is looking at the potential of this test to give predictive insights for diseases decades in the making (like Parkinson’s or Lewy Body Dementia), all work that we agree with & support at Neuroveda Health when we apply personalized medicine plans for your best health.

BIO:

Dr. Todd Levine has over 20 years of experience as a clinical neurologist with a sub-specialty in disorders of the peripheral nervous system. He received his medical degree from Duke University and did his residency and fellowship at Washington University in St Louis. He has served as Chairman of the Neuromuscular Division of the American Academy of Neurology. In 2010, he founded his first medical diagnostics company called Corinthian Reference Lab (CRL), and has processed over 50,000 skin biopsies, receiving specimens from over 4,000 different neurologists across the US and Canada. Dr Levine is one of the three founders of CND Life Sciences and serves as its Chief Medical Officer, playing a key role in the delivery of diagnostic services and ongoing technology development. Dr. Levine also serves currently as the Director of Neuroscience Research at the Honor Health Research Institute in Phoenix, AZ.

For more information about CND Life Sciences: https://cndlifesciences.com/