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.com The Sensitive Stack: available at her website and on Instagram Instagram: @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 here For any further information, feel free to email us at info@vagusclinic.com. Our team is happy to help. We offer 20-minute complimentary health calls, and you can sign up for one here.
