What are BioFilms?
Picture this: you blow your nose during a cold and notice that stringy, mucus stuff. Or maybe you’ve skipped brushing your teeth for a few days and felt that film building up. You’ve been looking at biofilms. They’re everywhere, and they’re not always bad news.
Think of biofilms as tiny cities where bacteria, fungi, and sometimes other microorganisms live together in organized communities.
They build protective walls around themselves using a complex mixture of sugars, proteins, minerals, and even DNA. It’s like they’re living in a gated community with security systems, shared resources, and excellent communication networks.
Your body is mostly water, which makes it prime real estate for these microbial neighbourhoods. They can set up shop anywhere there’s moisture: your gut, sinuses, airways, bloodstream, and even your brain.
The key thing to understand is that we’ve coexisted with biofilms throughout human history. They become problematic when our natural regulatory systems get overwhelmed or compromised.
This can happen in several ways:
• Chronic stress suppresses your immune system’s ability to keep microbial communities in check
• Long-term antibiotic use can wipe out beneficial bacteria that normally compete with harmful organisms for space and resources
• Environmental toxins like mould exposure can dysregulate immune function
• Infections like COVID-19 or Epstein- Barr Virus can knock your immune system off balance for months
• Poor sleep, nutritional deficiencies, or major life stressors can weaken the natural controls that keep biofilm communities from growing out of control
When these regulatory systems falter, previously harmless microbial neighbours can become
problematic tenants.
Why Biofilms Matter for Your Recovery
Here’s where things get interesting and sometimes frustrating for both patients and practitioners. The protective wall biofilms that build around themselves are incredibly sophisticated.
When antibiotics attempt to enter, biofilms can literally pump them back out through what we call efflux pumps. They can neutralize drugs, hide from your immune system, and even share genetic information to develop new resistances.
Some people have multiple courses of antibiotics for stubborn infections, only to have symptoms return. Often, we’re not dealing with treatment failure—we’re dealing with biofilms that standard approaches can’t penetrate effectively.
The bacteria inside biofilms also behave differently from their free-floating cousins. They slow down their metabolism, making them less vulnerable to treatments that target rapidly dividing cells. Some go into a dormant state we call “persister cells,” basically hibernating until conditions improve. It’s survival at its most clever.
Here’s an example of how this might play out: imagine someone gets strep throat and takes a standard 10-day course of amoxicillin. Their throat culture comes back negative, symptoms resolve, and everything looks good. But three weeks later, they’re back with the same symptoms. Another round of antibiotics, another apparent cure, and another relapse a month later. This cycle repeats multiple times over several months.
What could be happening? The free-floating strep bacteria were killed by the first antibiotic course, but some had already formed biofilm communities in the throat tissue. The dormant persister cells inside those biofilms weren’t actively dividing, so the amoxicillin—which works by disrupting cell wall formation during replication—couldn’t touch them. Once the antibiotic pressure was gone, these hibernating bacteria woke up, dispersed from their biofilm shelters, and re-established the infection. Standard testing missed them because they weren’t detectable during their dormant phase.
Breaking this cycle requires addressing the biofilm component, not just the active infection.
Biofilm Two Phase Development
Understanding biofilm phases helps us use these concepts practically for therapeutic purposes - knowing when to use certain treatments and how to prevent biofilms from becoming more complex.
Phase one biofilms are like small towns—simple, single-layer communities that are relatively easy to manage.
These respond well to natural approaches like the spices your grandmother used in cooking. There’s wisdom in traditional diets that incorporate things like cinnamon, black pepper, and various herbs.
Phase two biofilms are the major metropolitan areas of the microbial world. These three-dimensional structures look like mushrooms under a microscope, complete with channels for nutrient flow and waste removal. They’re the ones that cause real problems in chronic illness. The longer someone has been sick, the more likely we are to encounter these complex biofilm cities that require more sophisticated treatment approaches.
Often if you have seen several practitioners without getting better. It’s not that previous practitioners weren’t skilled—it’s that biofilms create a hidden layer of complexity that standard medical and naturopathic approaches weren’t designed to address. When infections are protected inside these microscopic fortresses, even the most appropriate antibiotics, both medical and herbal treatments may only provide temporary relief.
My approach is to recommend herbal antibiotics as they are also antifungal and mucolytic (break biofilm) and healing to mucous membranes. I also team them with an immune supportive herb, lymphatic and kidney support.
Understanding this biofilm component can be the missing piece that finally explains why you haven’t been getting better despite excellent medical care.
The “Notorious Three” in Tick-Borne Illness
I do see people with tick-borne infections, and three organisms stand out for their biofilm-forming abilities. Borrelia, the classic Lyme bacteria, creates elaborate structures where the spiral-shaped bacteria maintain the outside while dormant forms hide safely inside. It’s like having guards at the gate while the important residents stay protected in the centre
of the city. Bartonella prefers real estate along blood vessel walls, embedding itself in connective tissue where it’s partially hidden from immune surveillance. Babesia takes a slightly different approach, surrounding itself with fibrin —a protein your body naturally produces for clotting and protection. Ironically, Babesia hijacks your own defence mechanisms to create its protective shelter.
The Testing Challenge
One of the most common questions I get is: “How do we know if biofilms are causing my problems?”
The honest answer is that testing has limitations. Live blood analysis may give an indication; however, is not diagnostic. Bioresonance can give an indication by indicating numerous drainage (elimination) pathways blocked and inflamed. A big elimination pathway I look at is the lymphatic system.
The strategy here is to unblock the drainage pathways and reduce inflammation before using gentle biofilm-disrupting agents to see if previously hidden organisms create low grade symptoms.
In many cases, clinical judgment guides my approach. If someone has been sick for months or years, has failed multiple standard treatments, and shows patterns consistent with chronic infection, I often assume biofilms are involved and treat accordingly, only once drainage or elimination pathways are open, the immune system is supported, and inflammation is down.
Treatment: From Kitchen to Clinic
The good news is that we have tools to address biofilms, ranging from things you might already have in your kitchen to specialized approaches. For phase one biofilms, nature provides excellent options. The spices used in traditional cooking around the world often have biofilm-disrupting properties. These include things like cinnamon, black pepper, garlic, and countless others depending on your cultural background.
For more stubborn phase two biofilms, we use targeted approaches like silver preparations, which have antimicrobial properties, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) helps thin mucus and can penetrate biofilm barriers. Nattokinase and Serropeptase pulls biofilm from the blood.
The art is in knowing when to use what, and how aggressively.
I have also learned that breaking up biofilms too quickly can cause significant reactions as toxins, heavy metals, and inflammatory material get released all at once. We call these “die-off” reactions and managing them properly is crucial for your comfort and treatment success.
Real Results from Clinical Practice
Some of our most straightforward successes have been with sinus biofilms. We can measure this objectively using a Marcons swab. Many clients with chronic sinus issues lasting five to ten years, resolve their infections so well using targeted treatments that combine colloidal silver for antimicrobial action, antihistamine herbs and xylitol to prevent reformation.
Gut biofilms are more complex because the digestive system has multiple ecosystems—upper GI, small intestine, and large intestine—each with different microbial communities. These cases typically require three to six months of comprehensive treatment that addresses biofilms while supporting healthy microbiome restoration. It takes patience, but we see
significant improvements when we stick with the process.
For systemic infections involving the bloodstream, we often integrate biofilm protocols into broader treatment approaches for conditions like Bartonella or Borrelia. When standard treatments aren’t working, adding biofilm considerations frequently makes the difference between continued struggle and genuine improvement.
Managing the Process
I want to be straight with you about something: treating biofilms isn’t always comfortable.
When these structures break open, they can release toxins, heavy metals, and inflammatory compounds that have been building up for months or years. Patients might feel flu-like symptoms, experience digestive upset, or have temporary worsening of their original symptoms. However, it is temporary and we can often prevent and manage these symptoms
with binders and herbal anti- inflammatories such as turmeric and resvertrol. This is why we emphasize gradual approaches, adequate detoxification support, and sometimes pulsing treatments rather than going full throttle continuously.
This level of complexity is exactly why you need to work with a qualified practitioner who understands biofilm protocols—managing these reactions safely requires expertise and individualized treatment plans. Staying hydrated, supporting your body’s elimination pathways, and sometimes using binding agents to capture released toxins all help manage
this process.
Your Questions Answered
Q: Do biofilms play a role in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome?
While these conditions aren’t traditionally defined by infectious disease, I believe biofilms often contribute to complex chronic illnesses. In most stuck cases, there’s dysbiosis or microbiome imbalance happening.
Even if the original trigger was viral reactivation or environmental toxins, when immune systems become dysregulated, biofilm communities can proliferate unchecked. If someone has been struggling with treatment-resistant symptoms, especially if they have gut issues, sinus problems, or relapsing flu-like episodes, biofilms are worth considering as part of a larger puzzle that needs unwinding.
Q: What’s the connection between Long COVID and biofilms?
This is particularly relevant since Long COVID can look remarkably similar to chronic fatigue or even Lyme disease. The virus appears to disrupt immune regulation and knock down beneficial gut bacteria like Bifidobacteria.
When your microbiome gets disrupted and your immune system isn’t functioning normally, it creates opportunities for biofilm communities to become problematic. I’ve seen many patients who were managing their infections well before COVID, only to have multiple organisms reactivate afterward—the three B’s (Babesia, Bartonella, Borrelia) along with things like Epstein-Barr virus and Mycoplasma. The immune dysregulation from Long COVID seems to remove the natural controls that were keeping these communities in check.
Q: Are there everyday strategies to prevent biofilm problems?
The best prevention is using your spice rack. Traditional diets around the world incorporated ingredients that naturally prevent biofilm overgrowth—black pepper, cinnamon, garlic, and countless others depending on your cultural background.
These aren’t just for flavour; they help maintain biofilms in their beneficial, regulated state rather than allowing them to become problematic.
I have thyme, sage and rosemary growing in my garden and will chew on them neat. For additional support, gentle supplements like occasional N-acetylcysteine, xylitol nasal sprays, or periodic use of silver preparations can help without being overly aggressive. The goal isn’t to eliminate all biofilms—that’s impossible and unnecessary—but to keep them
balanced and regulated.
Recognition is Key for the Future
The recognition that biofilms play a major role in chronic illness is growing throughout medicine. Even the medical system now acknowledges their importance in antibiotic resistance.
Over the last 20 years, I have learned that successful treatment of complex chronic illness often requires this biofilm perspective. It’s not about being afraid of these microscopic communities but understanding how to work with your body’s natural regulatory systems to restore balance. Sometimes that means targeted intervention, sometimes it means
supporting your immune system and microbiome, and often it means both.
The future of chronic illness treatment is moving toward this more sophisticated understanding of our relationship with the microbial world.
Healing isn’t just about eliminating harmful organisms—it’s about restoring the complex ecological balance that maintains health. When we approach biofilms with this perspective, we often see breakthroughs in cases that have been stuck for months or years.
Your health challenges may feel overwhelming, but understanding biofilms gives us new tools and new hope for getting you back to feeling like yourself again.
And that brings me to my final point, your nervous system being supported through this process is always at the top of the list.
If you believe biofilms need resolving in your health journey, I would love to empower you to overcome them with patience and consistency.
The outcomes expected are improved energy, vitality, brain clarity, sleep and less illness.
