What Dr. McCullough's Long COVID Protocol Is Missing with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

What Dr. McCullough's Long COVID Protocol Is Missing with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

00:00

Did you try Dr. McCullough's base spike detox and it did not work? Or maybe it helped a little, but then you hit a wall? Hey, welcome back to the EnergyMD Podcast, where we help you resolve your Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome naturally so that you can get back to living your best life. I'm Evan H. Hirsch, MD. So you are not alone. Dr. McCullough's protocol has received a lot of attention in the Long COVID community and for good reason.

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The idea is simple. If the spike protein is still persisting in your body after infection or vaccination, you need to clear it out. His protocol uses three over-the-counter supplements: nattokinase, bromelain, and curcumin. Nattokinase and bromelain are proteolytic enzymes, meaning they break down proteins. The research shows they can degrade the spike protein directly. Curcumin helps reduce the inflammation the spike protein causes.

00:57

You take these for three to 12 months or longer, and the goal is to clear the spike protein so your body can finally heal. And here's the thing, this is not a bad protocol. The science behind it is reasonable. Nattokinase has been shown in lab studies to degrade the spike protein in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Bromelain cleaves the spike protein at different sites and also helps block it from binding to your cells. We use both of these products in our Long COVID protocols.

01:25

Curcumin downregulates the inflammatory pathways that spike protein triggers. Dr. McCullough has published this in peer-reviewed journals, and he reports that thousands of his patients have seen improvement. I have no problem with any of that. But here is what I have seen in my own practice, working with hundreds of people with Long COVID and chronic fatigue over the years. Some people try the base spike detox, and they feel better. Maybe their brain fog lifts a bit. Maybe their energy improves, but then they hit a plateau.

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The progress stalls, or the symptoms come back, and they are left wondering, why did it not last? The answer is that the spike protein is only one piece of a much bigger puzzle. In my experience and according to the research, all of us have the Toxic 5 to some degree, and we have to address all of them to increase our chances of full resolution. Now, the Toxic 5 are heavy metals, chemicals, molds, infections, including the spike protein,

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and neurological lock. That last one is what my friend, Dr. Patrick Porter, founder of BrainTap, calls it: when the nervous system gets stuck in survival mode and cannot access the restorative states it needs to heal. Dr. McCullough's protocol addresses one part of the Toxic 5. It goes after the spike protein, which falls under infections. And that is very valuable, but it does nothing for heavy metals like mercury and lead that have been accumulating in your body for decades.

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It does nothing for the chemicals from pesticides, plastics, and personal care products that burden your detox pathways. It does nothing for mold toxicity, which is incredibly common and produces symptoms that look almost identical to Long COVID: the fatigue, the brain fog, the joint pain, the respiratory issues, et cetera, the neuropathies. And it does nothing for the nervous system dysfunction that keeps your body stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, unable to digest, unable to rest, unable to heal. Think of it this way.

03:19

If your body is a bucket and the spike protein is one of several things filling it up, removing the spike protein might lower the water level a little bit. But if the bucket is also full of heavy metals, chemicals, and mold, and your nervous system is keeping the drain closed, you're still overflowing. You might feel a little better, but you're not going to get all the way better. Let me give you a real example. So I worked with a client. Let's call her Sarah.

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She had Long COVID for about two years. She found Dr. McCullough's protocol online and did it for six months. Her brain fog improved maybe 30% and her energy was better, but she still had post-exertional malaise. She still had joint pain. She still could not work full-time. She came to me frustrated, saying, "I cleared the spike protein. Why am I not better?" When we looked at what was driving her symptoms, it was clear she was dealing with more than just the spike protein. She had signs of heavy metal toxicity. She lived in an apartment with mold.

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She had chemical sensitivity. She had chronic infections she didn't even know she had. And her nervous system was completely stuck in fight, flight, or freeze. She had not addressed any of these. So even though she had done some good work on her own, she had only found one piece of the puzzle. We addressed all the Toxic 5. We supported her detox pathways. We used binders and natural chelators for heavy metals, chemicals, and molds. We used herbal tinctures to address the chronic infections.

04:40

We managed the die-off that she had so that she could go through the process as gracefully as possible. We added vagus nerve stimulation and nervous system retraining practices to help her nervous system stay calm while her body healed. And it took the full 12 months. You know, that's the honest truth. My program is 12 months because that's generally how long it takes to address all of these real root causes. It's not quick. It's not easy, but it is worth it. And we provide tons of support to help you along the way.

05:08

And at the end of those 12 months, she was back to working full-time and taking walks with her kids again. So the spike protein was real, is real. Clearing it helped, but it was not the whole story. It never is. If this is making sense to you and you're interested in learning more about how I address the Toxic 5, head over to fixyourfatigue.com and watch my latest masterclass. That's F-I-X-Y-O-U-R-F-A-T-I-G-U-E.com.

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So here's my take on Dr. McCullough's protocol. I think it's totally reasonable. If you have done it and you felt some benefit, that's great. But if you've done it and you're still sick, please hear this. It's not because you're broken or because nothing will ever work. You know, I see this time and time again in these Facebook groups and these Reddit groups of people who feel so hopeless and they haven't addressed all the Toxic 5. It's because the spike protein was never the only thing making you sick. It was just the straw that broke the camel's back or the

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cause that pulled the trigger. You still have heavy metals, chemicals, molds, other infections, and a nervous system that is stuck in survival mode. And until you address all of these, relief will not last in my experience. So overall, you know, according to the research and in my experience, you have to address all of the Toxic 5, not just one, not just the one that happens to be in the headlines, all of them.

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When you address 99% of all the known causes of Long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmunity, neuropathies, fibromyalgia, success is significantly more likely. So head on over to fixyourfatigue.com, watch my free masterclass. I walk you through how to identify what is still driving your symptoms, how to address all of the Toxic 5 so the relief actually lasts. It's free and it could be the thing that makes your treatments finally stick. Thanks for watching, and may you be blessed with true healing.

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and is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. It is provided with the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. Thanks for listening and have an amazing day.