Episode 54: ENCORE: How Do You Know If You Have Breast Implant Illness?

Breast implants have been used for a relatively long time now. However, there is not enough research studies or discussions based on its effects which is why Breast Implant Illness (BII) is quite a new topic especially in the medical community and is not yet widely recognized. Because of the lack of information and awareness with regard to the long-term effects of breast implants, many women suffer from breast implant illness. In today’s episode, we’ll be talking about the different aspects of breast implant illness. When you have multiple things contributing to inflammation, it’s even more complicated. Breast implant illness is already challenging to treat on its own. And so, it’s already a given fact that when a person has multiple factors contributing to the inflammation, it makes everything more complicated including the diagnosis and treatment. Since experiences with breast implants vary, the symptoms also vary widely. Some people may experience only mild symptoms, while others may experience more severe symptoms that badly affect their way of living. Personally, I’ve done more than a thousand consultations regarding breast implants and they have helped me understand breast implant illness more comprehensively. There are those who suffer from memory problems, brain fog or mental health problems whereas some experience symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitations. Other symptoms of Breast Implant Illness There is also a tendency that you’re going to experience problems in your gastrointestinal (GI) system. The common symptoms are acid reflux, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, overall swelling, and other digestive problems. And for some, they get aggressive skin symptoms like body acne and full body rashes. Usually, people have already gone to several healthcare providers or other specialists before they have found me. Their concerns generally boil down to the fact that no one knows what’s wrong since their blood tests, medical tests, and everything else look normal. At present, there is limited awareness of both allopathic and functional medicine practitioners but the good thing is that there is more work being done both at a basic science level and at clinical research levels to help expand our knowledge and understanding. The immune system plays a role in breast implant illness which is why we conduct some provocative tests to help the patients have a better understanding of their own immune system and how it relates to their illness. There’s a glutathione challenge with liposomal glutathione and more often than not, it's really enlightening to folks that something as simple as that can help them understand how they don't really detoxify well. Everything plays a role in breast implant illness – where we live, where we work, what we eat, what we drink, and the air we breathe. People are all at risk to have leaky gut, which further exacerbates this problem. There are many people at risk of having a leaky gut, which further exacerbates the problem. That’s why it is important to identify what stimulates your gastrointestinal tract. If you successfully accomplish that, you’ll be able to know your food sensitivities and everything else in relation to your digestive process. I’m sure we are all aware of the different kinds of diet from plant-based diets, keto, and others. However, these dietary lifestyles don’t work for others. Maybe that's just not what they're supposed to do because they don't have the correct enzymatic makeup genetically to handle those types of diets. My whole testing program involves functional genetics, total toxicity, inflammatory markers, and complete blood work including hormones. Once you add everything up, you'll be able to see the pattern of symptoms. And so what we want to do is to first identify the symptoms and correlate these to breast implant illness in order for us to provide the appropriate plans and treatment to get the patient back on the right track. The importance of genetics in the treatment of breast implant illness. Overall, genetics along with the standard tests conducted are vital in the treatment of breast implant illness. As time goes on, we'll focus on that even more as a specialty of medicine and a personalized approach in using someone's genetics to identify and explore toxicity and to optimize patients so they can live their best life. In conclusion, the implant is a big generator of the problem in most cases and the good news is that we have a program for those patients faced with such problems. Many of our clients under our Holistic Accelerated Recovery Program (HARP™) are doing extremely well in terms of recovery. All thanks to the whole team who has been working hard and really devoting their hard work to help patients live their best life. Links and Resources Dr. Robert Whitfield’s Website Follow Dr. Rob on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drrobertwhitfield/ For more information on Virtual and In Person Consultations, we always answer our messenger personally: https://www.drrobertwhitfield.com/contact/ Let’s Connect... Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/breast-implant-illness/id1678143554 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SPDripbluZKYsC0rwrBdb?si=23ea2cd9f6734667 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drrobertwhitfield?_t=8oQyjO25X5i&_r=1 IG: https://www.instagram.com/breastimplantillnessexpert/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/DrRobertWhitfield Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-robert-whitfield-md-50775b10/ X: https://x.com/rob_whitfieldmd Read this article - https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction/types/implant-reconstruction/illness/breast-implant-illness Shop: https://drrobssolutions.com SHARP: https://www.harp.health NVISN Labs - https://nvisnlabs.com/ Get access to Dr. Rob's Favorite Products below: Danger Coffee - Use our link for mold free coffee - https://dangercoffee.com/pages/mold-free-coffee?ref=ztvhyjg JASPR Air Purifier - Use code DRROB for the Jaspr Air Purifier - https://jaspr.co/ Echo Water - Get high quality water with our code DRROB10 - https://echowater.com/ BallancerPro - Use code DRROBVIP for the world's leader in lymphatic drainage technology - https://ballancerpro.com Ultrahuman - Use code WHITFIELD10 for the most accurate wearable - https://www.ultrahuman.com/ring/buy/us/?affiliateCode=drwhitfield