🍃 Why Liver Detox Fails for So Many — And How MTHFR, Lyme, and a Congested Detox System Keep You SickA

A Resource Article by Wendy Jean, Functional Genomics Practitioner (FGP)

Most people think detox is about “taking something” — a juice, a cleanse, a supplement, a binder, or the latest trending protocol.

But after working with hundreds of clients, studying genetics and detox pathways, and surviving my own battle with Lyme disease and decades of medical trauma, I’ve learned one universal truth:

Detox fails when the body can’t regenerate.

Detox fails when the liver is overloaded.

Detox fails when the pathways aren’t open.

And detox always fails when we try to bypass the actual root problem.

I know this because I lived it.

My body has been screaming for help since the day I was born — even when doctors told me it was “normal.”

🌿 My Story: Eight Failed Protocols, Lifelong Surgeries, Misdiagnosis & a Liver That Couldn't Keep Up

My healing journey didn’t start with Lyme — it began long before that. I was born to an ill 19-year-old, mother who was forced to leave me as an infant to battle her unknown root cause at Cleveland Clinic.

At age 7, I had my first surgery.

In high school I was thrown on birth control (toxic to estrogen dominant girls) and I was told I would never have children.

I had early cervical cancer removed twice before finally becoming pregnant in 2010.

But even during childbirth, my body fought for its life —my uterus began to rupture a week before delivery, and yet even then, doctors minimized my pain and symptoms.

I also faced the unknown status of my unborn child, would he be born terminally ill with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease, I watched my sister-in-law bravely battle until her death at age 24.

That became a theme in my life:

My body screamed.

ER visits became normal

Medicine shrugged....

Even when I became unresponsive - I was a rare mystery

Before college, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed, followed by a gallbladder removal in my early 20s. I later underwent an experimental at the time, Nissen fundoplication wrap and hiatal hernia repair, permanently altering digestion and detox capacity.

Then I learned I had a congenital defect: my right vertebral artery never formed, which caused severe neurological symptoms and even threatened my driver’s license in my 20s.

I also developed lung nodules and thyroid nodules — and still, I was told “your labs are normal.” I was told I have BAD GENES, given a pain script and told my heart may explode and I would probably be wheelchair bound and die before my son graduated elementary school.

But EVERYTHING in me refused to accept that answer.

📄 How I Became My Own Advocate

Swap to non-toxic candles and support my Lyme Disease Advocacy

Before I entered functional medicine and deep researched Lyme Disease, I worked in medical records, where I learned how to analyze charts, labs, imaging, and patterns that most patients never get to see.

When doctors dismissed me, I turned to the data myself.

Just like my Woodland Rebel Art Therapy Friends, I WANTED TO BITE PEOPLE! 👉

Being frowned upon to not be kind and as God fearing women, I taught myself to:

• read lab markers

• understand inflammatory patterns

• interpret imaging

• track symptoms

• connect timelines

• question “normal ranges”

• and follow what my body was telling me instead of what I was being told

---

Then came the breaking point:

Lyme and COVID forced my pivot.

Lyme made me sicker than I had ever been — tremors, neurological symptoms, crushing fatigue, cognitive decline.

My cells layered with co infections, inflammation, and systemic stress on top of a body already drowning.

The more I researched, I knew the traditional system could not save me.

During covid lockdowns in Pennsylvania my alternative health practitioners were "unessential". Not able to wear a mask and I read the studies that they no not really work but the medical community was too conditioned and scared to remove them, I was not allowed in my grocery store, nor could I work without having vaccination paperwork...

YES that happened in PA!

God made me perfect in his own image, and I truly believed God is greater than the highs and lows, so I became my own Doctor.

God is greater ~ Glass Serving Platter

From$79.00

Buy Now

Art therapy and self-advocacy became the foundation of everything I am now as a practitioner.

I knew I needed answers that didn’t exist in a 10-minute appointment.

So I went deeper:

• Functional medicine

• Genetics

• MTHFR

• Mitochondrial repair

• Liver detox pathways

• CD57 immune markers

• DNA testing for tick-borne infections

• Nutrition

  
  

That research saved my life.

And it led me to Dr. Rahm and Jill of Detox Girls in October of 2024— the first people who explained why everything I tried had failed.

💚 My Son’s Journey: Why His Body Responds to These Tools

My 14-year-old son has also battled Lyme in elementary school, and watching his body respond to the right support has been one of my greatest teachers. This meant detox foot baths, magnesium soak baths nightly, and searching for answers through nutrition.

He LOVES the Xoted powder — we cook with it, blend it, add it to meals — because his body recognizes what nourishes it. As a homeschool mom, I use these as part of his education. He knows more about genetics, nutrition, and "rare disease" than my combined 20+ western medicine doctors.

For his acne and his turf burn from middle school football, I mix Restore and Clean Slate, and the difference in his skin and inflammation has been incredible.

We NEVER tested positive for "LYME" on a QUEST Diagnostic test.... No Doctor understood testing for co-infections...but...

I knew the TICK we pulled off him on Mother's Day, carried Lyme and I knew through my years of misdiagnosis that there were Doctors in the USA who had advanced tick-borne illness testing.

It was expensive and it was our greatest fear - I was on a few years in on my own Lyme treatment but I had to stop and invest my time, energy, and money into my son.

Children with Lyme and MTHFR burn through nutrients quickly.

Often times schools are full of toxic mold adding to their toxic load.

Their detox pathways are overwhelmed.

Their hormones shift while their immune systems fight infection.

So when they finally receive:

• liver support

• mineral restoration

• cellular repair

• gentle binders

• gut support

• anti-inflammatory tools

  
  

…their bodies respond almost instantly.

His energy stabilizes.

His mood evens out.

His skin clears.

His cravings normalize.

His detox pathways finally OPEN.

Watching my child heal reinforced what functional genomics already shows us:

Click to join and learn about safe detox

When detox + regeneration work together, even a teenager’s body knows the difference.

🧬 MTHFR: The Gene That Changes Detox Forever

If you have MTHFR, your body does NOT detox like everyone else.

MTHFR impacts methylation — responsible for:

• glutathione

• liver detox

• hormone balance

• neurological quieting

• alcohol metabolism

• inflammation control

  
  

When methylation is slow:

✔️ toxins recycle

✔️ detox organs inflame

✔️ Herx reactions worsen

✔️ fatigue skyrockets

✔️ supplements backfire

This isn't failure — it’s biology.

🦠 Lyme Disease: The Ultimate Detox Disruptor

Lyme releases neurotoxins faster than a congested liver can process them, causing:

• neurological flares

• skin issues

• joint pain

• fatigue

• emotional swings

• tremors

  
  

This is why detox must be strategic, slow, supported, and regenerative — not aggressive.

I was once tremoring daily.

I am now 6+ months tremor-free.

🍃 Why Most Detox Fails (Especially for People Like Us)

❌ They remove, but don’t regenerate

The liver MUST be rebuilt.

❌ They ignore genetics

MTHFR, COMT, GST, CYP450 — they matter.

❌ They overload the liver

You cannot detox through a clogged organ.

❌ They ignore missing organs

No gallbladder = different detox rules.

❌ They push without preparing

This is why most people get worse before better.

The Breakthrough: Detox + Regeneration With Dr. Rahm’s Patented System

Dr. Rahm’s formulas support:

Symptom Tracking & Journaling can help you put the pieces together!

• liver enzymes

• alcohol metabolism

• methylation

• micro-toxin removal

• cellular regeneration

• mitochondrial repair

This system is why people with:

✔️ Lyme

✔️ MTHFR

✔️ Missing organs

✔️ Acne

✔️ Tremors

✔️ Detox overwhelm

finally begin to heal.

My Services: Precision Detox for Real People With Real Trauma & Real Bodies

As a Functional Genomics Practitioner, I offer:

• Genetic analysis

• Root protocol strategy

• Liver + methylation plans

• Concierge support

• Root U access + education

• Family detox support

  
  

You do not have to do this alone.

🌱 Let’s Take Back Your Health — Starting Now

If you’re overwhelmed…If your labs are “normal” but your body is not…

If you’ve been dismissed, ignored, or gaslit…

If detox always makes you worse…

If you live in a petrochemical or toxic area....

I see you.

I lived this.

And you do not need to stay here.

Let’s rebuild your detox pathways — the RIGHT way.

👉 Schedule a call

Your healing begins the moment you stop accepting “normal” and start listening to your body.

I’m here when you’re ready. 💚

Clicks to use my Practitioner Referral link - upload RAW Data or order Saliva test kits

CHRONIC

LYME

IS

REAL

---

FREE to Root Members - Ambassador referral required.

Want to join the community - text ROOT U to 814-282-5505

12.9.2025 - Liver Detox Training with Dr. Rahm and Root HQ - Join LIVE or get the replay

🍷 BONUS SECTION: Alcohol Metabolism & Why Clean Spirit Changes Everything

Most people don’t realize that alcohol metabolism is one of the most intense detox processes the liver ever faces —

and for those with Lyme, MTHFR, gallbladder removal, past surgeries, chronic inflammation, or slowed detox genes, the impact is even greater.

Alcohol doesn’t just leave your body.

It must be broken down through two major liver enzyme pathways, converted into new compounds, neutralized, and then finally cleared through methylation, glutathione, and cellular repair cycles.

Here’s what really happens:

➡️ Step 1: Alcohol → Acetaldehyde (A VERY toxic intermediate)

This is where flushing, headaches, anxiety, nausea, inflammation, and “I only had one drink” reactions come from.

➡️ Step 2: Acetaldehyde → Acetate → Water + CO₂

This step requires:

• glutathione

• liver enzymes

• methylation

• aldehyde dehydrogenase

• strong antioxidant reserves

  
  

For many people — especially those with MTHFR — this pathway is slow, overwhelmed, or genetically compromised.

This is why you can have alcohol sensitivity, anxiety after drinking, severe hangovers, neck stiffness, migraines, skin flares, tremors, or next-day inflammation.

Your liver isn’t “weak.”

It’s overloaded.

🍃 Why Clean Spirit Works Differently

Clean Spirit was formulated using patented technology designed to support:

• aldehyde metabolism

• glutathione pathways

• liver enzyme activity

• inflammation reduction

• cellular repair

• antioxidant recycling

  
  

It doesn’t mask symptoms.

It helps process the metabolites alcohol leaves behind — the ones that cause the worst symptoms.

For people like me…For people with MTHFR…For Lyme patients…For anyone with missing organs or sluggish detox…For people who “feel” alcohol even after one glass…

Clean Spirit becomes a supportive bridge — not permission to drink more, but protection when life happens.

Why I Recommend Clean Spirit for My Clients

I don’t recommend alcohol for healing.

But I DO recommend supporting the body realistically.

Because the reality is:

• people attend weddings

• people go to holiday gatherings

• people celebrate milestones

• people have social lives

• people don’t want to suffer for three days after one toast

Clean Spirit helps by:

✔️ Supporting liver enzymes

✔️ Targeting aldehydes (the real source of misery)

✔️ Calming inflammation

✔️ Backing up methylation

✔️ Providing antioxidant defense

✔️ Reducing oxidative stress

✔️ Helping with facial flushing, headaches, nausea, and fatigue

✔️ Supporting recovery the next day

It is liver support with science, not folklore.

And when combined with Clean Slate, Restore, and the CS Value Pack…It becomes part of a full liver regeneration system, not just a “hangover product.”

🎁 If alcohol hits you hard… your liver is telling you something.

And this is one of the most effective, gentle, regenerative ways to support it — especially during the holidays.

If you want to try Clean Spirit or build a liver-support protocol personalized to your genetics, detox pathways, and symptoms, I’m here to help.

Use my Ambassador referral: WendySchell and receive my Root COFFEE inspired cocktail and mocktail recipes ☕

🌱 Ready to Take Control of Your Health? Let’s Begin.

You’ve read my story.

You’ve seen the science.

And you know now that detox isn’t about suffering — it’s about support, regeneration, and doing it the right way for YOUR body.

If you’re ready to stop guessing…If you’re ready for clarity, support, and a personalized roadmap…If you’re ready for healing that finally makes sense…

Here are your next steps:

👉 Text me directly: 814-282-5505

Send your full name, state, ZIP, and email and I’ll get you set up personally as part of my Root Ambassador community.

👉 Schedule a concierge call

Let’s talk through your symptoms, your history, and what your body needs.

Concierge Starter Experience

15min

Book Now

You do NOT have to do this alone.

This is your season to reclaim your health — with precision, support, and hope.

I’m here when you’re ready. 💚

⚕️ Medical Disclaimer

This content is for educational and informational purposes only.

It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and does not replace medical advice from your personal physician or qualified healthcare provider.

Always consult with your doctor before:

• making changes to medications

• starting supplements

• beginning any detox or wellness protocol

• making decisions regarding medical conditions

  
  

Statements regarding Root Brands products or functional genetic insights have not been evaluated by the FDA. Individual results will vary based on health history, genetics, environment, and personal factors.

Your health journey is unique — and your decisions should be made with professional guidance and informed consent.

Best in health, Wendy Jean Schell, FGP, HHC, FN & Global Lyme & Detox Advocate