Nutritional Genomics Institute, Chesterfield, VA (2026)

We transform complex data into precision care through advanced diagnostics, genomics, and applied pathway analysis.

08/13/2026

🌽 CORN SHOULD BE ALPHA-GAL SAFE… RIGHT?

Corn is a plant.
Glyphosate is synthetic.
So where could a potential mammalian exposure come from?

The answer may be hiding in the herbicide formulation — not the corn itself.

Some herbicide formulations historically used on conventional crops have contained **POEA (polyethoxylated tallow amine)** as a surfactant.

And yes — **“tallow” can mean exactly what you think it means: animal fat.**

Here’s where the nuance matters:

🌽 Corn itself does not contain alpha-gal.
🧬 Being GMO does not make corn an alpha-gal food.
🧪 Glyphosate itself is not a mammalian-derived molecule.

But the *formulation* applied to a crop may contain surfactants, adjuvants or other ingredients whose starting materials can be **animal- or plant-derived**.

That raises an important question for people with Alpha-Gal Syndrome:

**Could mammalian-derived agricultural ingredients contribute to reactions in highly sensitive individuals?**

Right now, we do not have evidence proving that tallow-derived surfactants leave clinically meaningful alpha-gal residues on the finished food. So I would not tell someone with AGS that conventional corn is automatically unsafe.

But I also wouldn't dismiss the question.

This is exactly why some people with Alpha-Gal Syndrome tell us:

*"I can eat organic corn, but conventional corn bothers me."*

There may be variables upstream that aren't visible on the food label.

🌱 Why organic may be worth trying

Certified-organic corn cannot be produced using most conventional synthetic herbicides, including glyphosate. Choosing organic therefore removes one potential exposure pathway involving these herbicide formulations.

That doesn't prove glyphosate or its surfactants caused someone's symptoms, but it gives us a reasonable variable to eliminate when we're trying to identify a hidden trigger.

The ingredient label doesn't always tell the entire supply-chain story. For highly sensitive Alpha-Gal patients, mechanisms matter!!

08/11/2026

HILLS I WILL DIE ON: HRT EDITION 🏔️

You should not be prescribing—or taking—HRT based on symptoms alone.

For women AND men.

Blood tells us what hormones are circulating.

But that’s only part of the story.

Urine metabolite testing can help tell us what your body is actually DOING with those hormones.

For women, I want to know:
→ Estradiol + progesterone exposure (lcms aka sensitive only! + urine metabolites)
→ Testosterone + SHBG (blood)
→ How estrogen is moving through the 2-OH, 4-OH + 16-OH pathways (urine)
→ Whether catechol estrogens are being appropriately methylated (urine)

For men:
→ Total + free testosterone LCMS
→ Estradiol + DHT
→ SHBG
→ LH/FSH when appropriate
→ CBC/hematocrit + PSA monitoring

Because “your testosterone looks great” or “your estrogen is in range” does NOT tell the whole story.

Two people can have similar blood levels and very different downstream hormone metabolism.

That can mean different symptoms—and potentially different risk profiles.

HRT should never be guesswork.

Symptoms + blood + appropriate urine metabolite testing + medical history + ongoing monitoring.

If we’re going to manipulate powerful signaling molecules, we should measure what we’re doing.

🏔️ That’s a hill I’ll die on.

08/06/2026

Did you know that even after a successful myomectomy or fibroid removal, it’s still possible to develop new fibroids, adenomyosis, or even endometriosis later on?

Here’s why.

Fibroids are often driven by estrogen and progesterone—but they aren’t just a hormone problem. Genetics, inflammation, growth factors, stem cells, and the local uterine environment all play a role. Removing a fibroid doesn’t change the biology that allowed it to develop in the first place.

In fact, depending on your age and the number of fibroids present, new fibroids can develop over time because the underlying hormonal and molecular signals are still there.

Adenomyosis is a little different. It’s a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows into the muscle of the uterus. While the exact cause isn’t fully understood, researchers believe that prior uterine surgery—including procedures like myomectomy or cesarean section—may increase the risk in some women by disrupting the normal boundary between the uterine lining and muscle. It’s one proposed mechanism, but certainly not the only one.

Endometriosis is also influenced by hormones, inflammation, immune function, and genetics. It can coexist with fibroids and adenomyosis, and many women have more than one of these conditions at the same time.

So here’s the question I always encourage patients to ask:

If a fibroid isn’t causing significant symptoms, growing rapidly, or affecting fertility, is surgery the right first step—or should we first ask why the fibroid developed and whether there are opportunities to address the underlying drivers?

Sometimes surgery is absolutely the right decision. But sometimes, slowing growth, optimizing hormones, correcting nutrient deficiencies, reducing inflammation, and monitoring carefully may help delay—or even avoid—additional procedures.

The goal isn’t simply to remove a fibroid.

The goal is to understand the biology that’s driving it in the first place.

08/01/2026

I built GenMedx because I kept seeing the same frustration: patients with identical blood estrogen levels getting wildly different results on the same HRT dose. The missing piece? Their metabolism.

Blood tells you what's circulating. Urine tells you how fast you're clearing it. Genomics tells you your genetic capacity. Most practices pick one and call it a day-I couldn't live with that gap.

If you're already skeptical of one-dimensional testing, you're right to be. Your HRT strategy should be built on the full biomarker story, not the headline. That's what actually changes outcomes.

Curious how your body's actually processing hormones? Let's talk.

07/30/2026

After 18+ years... I’m finally trying SAAT for Alpha-Gal Syndrome.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I don’t jump on every new therapy.

I read the literature. I look at the mechanisms. I weigh the evidence.

But sometimes...you also become the patient.

Long before Alpha-Gal Syndrome was recognized, I knew something wasn’t right. Nearly two decades ago, I developed what we simply assumed was a beef allergy—because back then, Alpha-Gal wasn’t even on the radar.

Fast forward to today, and not only have I been living with Alpha-Gal for over 18 years, but my husband has a severe case as well. As a woodworker who spends countless hours outdoors, he’s had repeated tick exposure, and we’ve both experienced firsthand how life-changing this condition can be.

So today, we’re trying something new.

SAAT (Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment).

Is it a miracle? I don’t know.

Will it work? I honestly don’t know.

There are published reports and clinical case series suggesting high success rates in some patients with Alpha-Gal, but we also know that more rigorous research is still needed before we can draw firm conclusions.

That’s exactly why we’re documenting our journey.

No hype.
No promises.
Just honest experience backed by science and careful observation.

If it helps—even a little—you’ll hear about it.

If it doesn’t, you’ll hear about that too.

Because that’s how medicine moves forward.

Follow along as we document the process, the changes, the challenges, and—hopefully—the progress.

Have you tried SAAT for Alpha-Gal? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

FunctionalMedicine GenMedx FoodAllergy MCAS MastCellActivation LymeDisease HealthJourney MedicalResearch EvidenceBasedMedicine

07/20/2026

🕷️ Sometimes the trigger isn't obvious.

You've changed your diet.
Seen multiple specialists.
Had "normal" lab work.
Maybe you've even been told it's just stress, IBS or anxiety.

But what if the missing piece wasn't another medication...
..it was a tick bite that changed how your immune system works?

Alpha-Gal Syndrome is far more complex than "a red meat allergy."

It can affect reactions to:
✔ Foods
✔ Medications
✔ Gelatin
✔ Medical products
✔ Hormones
✔ Exercise
✔ Alcohol
✔ Even seemingly unrelated symptoms hours after exposure.

At NGI | GenMedx, we don't stop at a positive Alpha-Gal test.

We ask:
🧬 Why are you still reacting?
🧬 What's driving your inflammation?
🧬 Are mast cells involved?
🧬 Are hidden mammalian ingredients keeping your immune system activated?
🧬 How do your genetics, microbiome, hormones, metabolomics, and biochemistry influence your recovery?

Because the goal isn't simply to avoid triggers.

The goal is to understand them.

Our Precision Alpha-Gal™ Program combines advanced diagnostics, clinical pattern recognition, personalized medical care, and systems biology to help patients move beyond symptom management toward a more informed, individualized path forward.

If you've been searching for answers, you're not alone.

We're here to help connect the dots.

🌐 NGIGenMedx.com

Address

Chesterfield, VA
23832

Telephone

+18043379820

Website

http://www.nutritionalgenomicsinstitute.com/, http://www.ngigenmedx.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Nutritional Genomics Institute posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Nutritional Genomics Institute:

Nutritional Genomics Institute