Episode Summary 

Today, I am joined by Melanie Shafranek, a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, as she shares her detailed experience from mold exposure and the unique routes she took in gaining her life back.

Key Takeaways 

Mold remediation can feel like it’s out of your  budget for the average household income. But you can start with simple tasks such as getting your HVAC system serviced twice a year and buying a moisture meter to test different areas before you sign the lease. Melanie’s story and recommendations inspire hope for how often we are exposed to mold spores and mycotoxins.

The Parallel of Hashimoto’s and Mold Symptoms 

Symptoms of mold spores and mycotoxins rank very similarly to those of Hashimoto’s. Melanie’s symptoms began with digestive issues with hummus and carrots and then constipation for days. She could not gain muscle mass even with daily weight lifting and proper protein intake. Later, functional doctors were able to steer her in the right direction and nail down her mold exposure and autoimmune disease.

Testing For Mold and Mold Remediation

Melanie already did the homework for us. On top of servicing your HVAC regularly, she lists different companies that help in taking control of your environment. Immunomedics has petri dishes for purchase to place around your home to test for mold spores in the air. Biocide enables you to purchase a DIY remediation kit that is very effective in eliminating mold in your home.

In This Episode 

Melanie’s Hashimoto’s journey [1:50]

Symptoms of mold exposure [5:50]

Detoxifying from mold exposure [8:13]

Fight or flight mode and breaking away from it [12:42]

Fighting mold with air filters [16:31]

Testing your home for mold [ 24:00]

How often you should have your HVAC serviced[26:30]

Mold remediation without the price tag, a DIY solution [27:54]

Losing muscle mass despite exercising daily [32:51]

Questions to ask about mold before signing a lease [36:10]

Quotes

“It’s very possible to escape and move forward. Just look for the warning signs.” [0:04]

“But ultimately any rental you're moving into, I would just recommend to fog the space if you can, because why not? If you're worried or nervous about it, just maintain that air in your home before you move in.” [39:24]

“it is possible to get through it and find your way onto the other side of things.” [43:22]

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Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

Topics Covered:

• Symptoms of being exposed to mold and the long-term effects
• Detoxifying from mold and how long it takes
• Rewiring your neuro pathways to break away from the flight or fight mode
• Helping your body deal with mycotoxins
• Mold remediation on a budget
• What renters need to know about mold and questions to ask before signing a lease 

Guest Info: 

Connect with Melanie Shafranek on Instagram, TikTok, and her website.

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I want people to know it's very possible to escape and move forward. And just looking out for some of those warning signs of maybe this is a root cause issue for me. And if you woke up if you were healthy and like just living your life one day, and all of a sudden, like things started changing and shifting out of nowhere, I always, always jump to mold because things don't just start happening. Like I mean, it's either a big stressful time of your life that's gets your dominoes moving, but your environment and where you live can be a huge trigger as well, because we spend so much time there, we're sleeping there. And so just listen to those warning signs and trust your gut because it can save your life. Big time.

What's up lovely ladies, Dr. Emily hybird. Here with thyroid strong podcast. I am a chiropractor, a mama to Elvis and Brooklyn and I have Hashimotos what is currently in remission. On this podcast. I share simple, actionable steps with a little bit of tough love on how to lose that stubborn weight. Get your energy, getting your life back and finally learn how to work out without burning out living with Hashimotos. Melanie shiftronic Welcome to thyroid strong podcast. I feel like we have lived very much parallel lives and our Hashimoto journeys.

Oh, gosh, yeah. Which is unfortunate. And I'm, you know, I never wish this on anybody. But I'm always happy to find a fellow Hashimotos mold warrior.

So can you share a little bit about your story about how you were diagnosed with Hashimotos? Yes, it's

actually a strange story, because I am still not entirely sure I have Hashimotos the only way I got diagnosed was with an endocrinologist in 2015, after tireless doctor's visits, trying to figure out why I was so exhausted and in pain, and they did a sonogram of my thyroid, and it showed scar tissue on my thyroid glands. So at that point, he was like, it's Hashimotos. And so I took that diagnosis, I ran with it, right, I was like, I have Hashimotos. This is it. And for years and years, I was prioritizing thyroid health and working with doctors on that. But without ever really specifically doing tests for Hashimotos. And I always was a little misled in regard to my diagnosis, which I think for a lot of people navigating autoimmune and like finding the right doctors can probably sympathize, because it's a tireless process trying to get diagnosed. And I feel like auto immune is one of those issues that really just takes a lifetime to pin down. So I finally started working with functional doctors. And after years and years and years of getting to the root cause, we did a full panel trying to figure out which autoimmune I currently had. And the only thing that popped up was collagen related. So I have kind of an early onset rheumatoid arthritis, but nothing in relation to thyroid came up. So either I had it in the past, and it's fully in remission, but it's still kind of one of those strange, like, did I do I questions that I still have, which I love your insight on because I often associate myself with the Hashimotos. Still, because I feel like that was a huge part of my story. But essentially, I don't have it at this point, which is good news, but also very confusing.

Yeah, some of our guests who have come on have mentioned that when they tested to thyroid antibody tests, even on themselves, even though they have all the symptoms of Hashimotos, thyroid antibodies don't come up. Like everything else lines up. Yeah. So it's interesting. And I think it's important for women who are listening, like take your symptoms, take your blood work, take all the pieces, like you're not just your numbers on a piece of paper.

Exactly. And I mean, everything lined up with Hashimotos. And in relation, I know I have autoimmune. And I feel like autoimmune is ever evolving, especially if you've not fully addressed the root cause, which is why now I feel like I do have multiple, and that's definitely a part of my mold journey where I was living in it for five years. And things just got worse and worse and worse and worse. And I know that's something that I see often with people coming in like, I'm doing everything right, I'm doing everything right, and like I just keep getting worse and things keep getting worse and I'm confused. So it's really, really difficult to kind of trying to find exactly the reason and that's what I'm most passionate about is like, let's find answers. Let's find new answers. Let's figure out what the priorities are and what we can really dive into

together. Where were you living when you got diagnosed with mold exposure?

I was living in Dallas, Texas, which Texas is a very dry state but at the same time, the foundation of my Most of the homes are built on pier and beam Foundation, which creates a crawlspace underneath the home, which is basically just a huge mud pit cave. And there's a lot of moisture that can live down there. If there's not proper ventilation, it's just a moldy mess and the air that's underneath your home takes up 30% of the air in your living space. So that was the unfortunate thing is that so many homes and rentals are built on that foundation that just really promotes mold grows. And so I lived there for five years. I was there a very long time I was in my early 20s. And it was a cool part of town and the rent was really cheap. So I thought I was getting a steal. But throughout those years, I just got worse and worse. My health just really deteriorated.

What were some of your symptoms that came up because I think Hashimoto symptoms, like you look at Hashimoto symptoms, you look at mold symptoms you like, wow, those are almost parallel.

Yeah, the first thing I noticed, seemed not to out of the blue or crazy, I just started having a lot of digestive issues. And I felt like all the food I was eating what I thought was healthy coming out of college, it was like hummus and carrots and a lot of raw salads and doing my thing, but started getting bloated and constipated. And at one point, I couldn't use the bathroom for like four days at a time and was just so frustrated. Like, my boyfriend bought me a Squatty Potty as like a birthday present one year, and I'm like, true love. But that was my wife. And basically, that was really the first thing I was like something's going on. But I started getting progressively more and more tired. And I would get out of bed, and my feet would hurt. As soon as they would hit the ground. I was inflamed. I could barely stay awake, driving home from my job. And some of the doctors that I went in to see. Were like, Well, it seems like you're probably having a hard time adjusting to adulthood, because I had just come out of college started my first full time job I know. And I'm like, Well, I don't know, I was perfectly healthy about six months ago. And now all of a sudden, things are just falling apart all around me. And the thing that really I noticed was that I started having alcohol intolerance. Like I would drink one glass of a mimosa brunch and with my friends and I get dizzy, I get nauseous, my stomach would hurt, I'd get headaches and then hangovers would just prolong longer and longer and longer. And it's like the last time I got drunk was probably 2016. And I had a two week hangover. Like it just didn't go away. Gosh, wow, yeah, your

poor little liver.

I know my liver was wracked. And I started relying on coffee, I was drinking three or four cups of coffee just to try and stay awake on my commute home. And it just hit a tipping point. I mean, I started seeing doctors and doctors and doctors and like couldn't figure anything out until I wandered into functional medicine. And thank goodness for

it. So what was your What did the healing process look like? Because detoxing from mold is no joke. Like it is almost as painful as living in bold.

Yeah, so it was a lot of antifungals anti microbials. But really, the biggest stressor was moving or getting out of the environment. Because for so long, I felt like I was a prisoner in my own body. And then to feel like I was a prisoner in my own home on top of that was probably the most stressful experience I've ever had. And I didn't have anybody to really lean on throughout that experience. I had a doctor who diagnosed me with it. But I tried to ask her like, do I have legal rights? Like what tests do I use? To find out if the mold is coming from my home or my workspace or my car? Do I hire a remediation company? So many questions?

So I think and I have very similar challenges because we lived you know, I lived in Lower East Side in the old Chinatown building where every year like the pipes would burst and the ceiling would drop out in my bathroom. And then I lived and like my Chinese neighbors would run down and be like, is it you? Or is it someone else's shower leaking? And then I moved into a condo where there was water damage, and we brought in mold inspectors remediated twice and just couldn't get to the source for whatever reason. Yeah, I moved out to Colorado bought a house that we pulled up the floors had water damage. I was like Is this my karma? and think, Oh, it feels like it's everywhere. So to feel like you're trapped in your body but you're also trapped in your home and people who are extra sensitive. It feels like where do I go? Do I just go in a tent in my backyard?

Yes, and I felt desperate. I felt desperate. The only time I'd feel good was when I was like on vacation on a beach like in an air conditioned concrete hut. You know like it was so exhausting and let alone like the stress that you experienced with your A family right that like my boyfriend at the time, we had lived together all those years I was sick. And of course, he was so excited that we found answers. But like now we have to leave the home that we love that we've built together over five years. And there's just so many stressors that play into mold. And I cannot even express to you the feeling I felt when I got into my new place. And I took a shower, I had just like, used laundry detergent on all of my clothes on all of our bedding our pillows to get rid of all the mold spores I laid in that bed. And no feeling was ever as great as it was when I took a deep breath in my bed in my mold free home for the first time. And I just felt like the way you do on vacation. And I knew like okay, oh my gosh, I finally made it through this. But then the detoxification had to start right. And it probably took a year. I mean, I'll be honest, before I started noticing, like huge changes. I was going through an infrared sauna every day, I was taking Epsom salt baths, I was doing coffee enemas, I was taking all of the supplements, I was probably on like 20 to 30 supplements at that point, not just for the mold toxicity, but also for the autoimmune, the inflammation and the lack of nutrient nutrient deficiencies. Yeah, all the cocktails. And it was work, it was a full time job, essentially, like I was constantly struggling with how to maintain balance. And at that point, prioritizing self care, trying to remove myself from social situations, I just needed to focus on it. And so it really, it takes home much away from you. And that's something I really tried to focus on with clients. Because by the end of that experience, I realized I had gone through trauma, that entire experience was traumatic, it was chronic stress. And I also needed something to help me mentally through that. So I don't know if you have used tools in regard to that. But that's something I really love talking about, as well as in regard to the healing process with mold.

Yeah, no, I haven't talked about that. And I probably need some tools myself, because I feel like if I see a water damage spot, I'm like, immediately triggered and flipping out at a management company and calling the Mold Inspection Company. I'm like, I should just become a mold inspector myself. And but like, I think part, at least for me working through it, I'd love for you to share some tools is okay, I've done this before. And I've gotten to the other side. And I know I do it. So if I have to do it again. Maybe picking it up early will be to my benefit.

Yeah, I mean, but I was even nervous to travel. Like what if the Airbnb I rent has mold

that yes, that is deeply ingrained in there. I'm sure for a lot of women who have Hashimotos that have mold exposure.

Yeah, and because mold is such a trigger. I mean, it's toxicity and I'm constantly talking about like making sure your toxicity cup isn't too full. And you're, you know, everything in regard to stress and external, whether it be food or lack of sleep, or alcohol and, and like it's all a balance and mold is such a huge, it takes up so much space that it does trigger a lot of reactivity in the immune system. I mean, you're constantly being exposed to toxicity. And so what that does, your brain tells your immune system, that you're in constant danger, you're in constant danger every single day, you're living in that moldy environment, your limbic system in your brain is telling your immune system to protect you. And over time, your body just creates those neural pathways to expect that toxicity and reactivity. It's ingrained, it becomes your subconscious. So whether or not you are aware of it are in control of it, you're in fight or flight. And once you move out of mold that doesn't just go away. And that is something I had to learn and was gifted with the incredible course called the dynamic neural retraining system that Annie Hopper created that she actually was dealing with chemical sensitivity to the point where she was living on a houseboat that she was so reactive at one point and I listened to all of these reviews from people who had gone through the program that I just cried every time I heard people like talking about it because wow, this is what I need. And something that really set made it concrete for me it was about a year after we had moved out of mold. I was feeling better. I feel like some of the mold weight had kind of died down I had more energy, more mental clarity. The brain fog had kind of gone away. I wasn't as reactive to all my products. And I went into a used bookstore just on a casual Saturday and walked in and of course it's a clean store. I'm not blaming the store, but there's a lot of books and vinyl records and things that have been in people's basements and attics that obviously are moldy and I went in and within minutes I got dizzy, my vision blurred. My legs went weak, and it scared the hell out of me like I had a full on flare up in the matter of minutes. And I tried to get out and start, I grabbed my boyfriend, I was like, take me out of here, something bad is happening and went back and talked to my doctor about it. And she's like, that's your limbic system. That's your brain's way of saying you're still in fight or flight in relation to that mold. And those neural pathways that your brain created when you were in that toxic space, are still very much going down the same trauma loop. And I had to break out of that. And it requires a lot of work. It's basically a series of meditative exercises and things you have to do every day for six months. But it fully fully changed my life. I felt like for so long, when I was sick, I was living on pause, like I just felt like my life was on pause, like I couldn't move forward. And it was so frustrating and exhausting. And I just felt stuck. Stuck in a rut is what they constantly say in the program, because I couldn't find a way past taking the 20 to 30 supplements or going to the infrared sauna every day. It's like, I just thought I was going to be living that fear forever. And that's ultimately what helped me move forward. And yeah, it's a lot.

What's interesting, because molds everywhere, right? Like you go to the bodega. There's like a water stain. You go like, even in my kids school, I walked into the classroom and there's a water stain. I was like, Are you kidding me? Yeah. So I think it's interesting. Do you think it's possible to quote unquote, heal, but maybe feel 80% while still living in mold?

It's a good question. It depends depends on your genetics. I feel like mold affects everyone differently. But ultimately, I don't think it's possible to heal. I mean, when you're still being exposed to that toxicity, especially the mycotoxins present, because not all mold is created equal. If you have plants in your home naturally, like there's gonna be a little mold, it's wet, and it's dirt. And it's the level of toxicity present, and you won't know what kind of level you're dealing with until you get it tested. But it is possible to take supplements to really help your body deal with that toxicity better. I mean, you can get an air filter, make sure it's an ultra HEPA because HEPA is don't quite filter, mycotoxins but there's a lot of things you can do to feel better while you're living there. But you're still going to be inflamed, you're still going to be dealing with immune reactivity, ultimately, that weakens your immune system in general. So it's just going to negatively affect you, I highly encourage making sure to test your space, clean your space, and I had a tick tock recently that blew up in regard to mold, which was the craziest thing, because then suddenly, I have 1000s of people leaving comments, sharing their experience, which everyone has had such a different experience with mold in regard to how it's affected them and their lives and their health. And some people have lost their pets who have gotten so sick living in the house that they couldn't survive. Kids with chronic attention issues or allergies that can't communicate, you know, what's going on. And it's just this constant issue at play that is detrimental. It's very detrimental.

So I think this is a challenge that I struggle with. And I'm sure probably some other women who are maybe in a situation where they're living in it, and they don't maybe necessarily have the financial means to get out of their space, or what is it it's like 85% of buildings have potential water damage, and could be considered like a sick building, right, which is like very high. So even if you're moving through your world, you're living in your space, you go to the grocery store, you go to the school, like you're still getting potential exposure, right, and you can leave it but you're getting exposure. So it's like delicate balance of minimizing exposure, but also strengthening your own terrain, right of like gut health, right, doing things to get you out of fight or flight. And it's kind of like always this dance that sometimes feels paralyzing. Mm

hmm. And it is a dance. And I think it's mainly it's always prioritizing your health, right? I mean, if you've especially had symptoms in the past, or are still dealing with autoimmune, and I find that we have to create freedom from our symptoms, if we're not able to find that freedom. It is paralyzing. I mean, you can drown. Like, I constantly felt like I was trying to keep my head above water. And I didn't feel like I could even be a health advocate for others at that time, because I was dealing still with my own symptoms. And I want to spread hope in regard to it because it is a long process. I mean, we're always saying healing is not linear. It's a one step forward, two steps back experience at all times. But knowing that it's possible if you have the right team. If you have a team who is helping you put those puzzle pieces together even if the finances are concerned I will say I was As an entry level right out of college, I was not making that much money. I was renting. I've learned a lot about the legal rights. Right. And I mean, it is possible to sue like, do I recommend getting into a more stressful situation? I don't know. But like, there's paths you can take in regard to your rights, but there are a lot more accessible resources to get rid of mold than I ever expected. And that's something I've really dug into about like, do you have to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars remediating? No, you don't like if you have the right tools, and the right support, and I'm right, before we hopped on, you mentioned, you're about to test your new rental, which I do kind of want to dive into a little bit because I did the same, I just recently moved back from New York to Texas and was terrified. I'm like, every home here is old and has crawlspace is like how am I ever gonna find a place that's mold free, but I have worked with a couple of amazing companies that have really given me a lot of more accessible resources to either test or treat. And that's something I've been really lucky to learn about. So I'd love to share some of those resources with you. Yeah, so

let's dive into those resources. Because I think it's important, especially for renters, some of those resources super quick. Did you feel like New York was super moldy? Because everything has like a flat roof that no one checks for leaks ever?

I'll say, you know, what strange is that, that was kind of like my big turning point of like, moving forward in my life, because I had always wanted to live in New York City, and I didn't think a chronic illness person could. So it was a big like, lesson for me to just throw myself out of my comfort zone, try something new. And I loved living there. I only lived there eight months, which was hilarious. I mean, it went by really fast, but also very, like slow at the same time, because it feels surreal. But I moved out, I moved upstate to Hudson Valley, and live there for a year and every time I would come back into the city, I would not feel well. And I didn't notice it until after I had lived there and then moved out and then kind of come back and visited. And I spent the night in a friend's apartment at one point and woke up and my heart rate was like, pounding. My mouth was dry. I had a headache, my body hurt. After one night of like living in this one building. I was like, Oh, no. Because I do think there are probably a lot of issues. And so many older buildings that just aren't quite being properly maintained. And it's not even like 60 years old. Like I have a friend that just bought a townhouse. That was like 1890 years

old, like in the West Village. I'm like, wow, okay. I mean, dream. Yeah,

I mean, and not everybody's going to be as affected Right. Like, I think that is I don't want to incite too much fear in people but like, it is really difficult dealing with the idea that there is something potentially that could be affecting your health, but like if it's not affecting you that much. It's not like you need to completely change your lifestyle right. And just having a good quality air filter. I love the molecule and air Doctor air filters. I think it's a priority for anyone and everyone, especially living in a city like New York City, there's so much so much in the air. So it's just always a good thing to have around whether or not you need to completely fully worry about it is up to the consumer. Right. It's up to like, Are you experiencing detrimental health issues? If you are let's figure it out. If not, keep moving about your life.

Just keep doing live. Yeah, I really love air doctor. I also really love Intel up here. We have probably one of one of those and every single room in our house. Oh, cool. Yeah, I've not heard of like, eight air filters. I'm like, because we mean it.

We need it. We need it.

So let's talk about some resources for testing because I know testing conceal, like a beast financially.

Oh, yeah. And I was not about to hire a specialist. Like I couldn't afford it at the time. I mean, I was spending 1000s of dollars with my functional doctors. I didn't have any money left. So I was kind of like DIY DIY. Let's figure this out. And I learned about a lot of really great tests. I'm sure you've heard of them. But there's a couple from a company called Enviro biometrics, they're called an ErmI and a hertz me to, which are probably the most widely. There's a lot of information that you can get out of those tests. They are a little bit pricier 200 to $400. So I ended up going with petri dish test from a company called immunomedics. That cost about $33, a petri dish and I liked it because I could basically put these dishes around in every room, I would put them around every room. And then you can really figure out where the problems coming from, which is something that as my like detective brain really wanted to specify where the problem was. so that I felt validated in my thoughts. And so I put one in my office, I put one in my car, I put one in my kitchen in my laundry room and ultimately was able to figure out okay, are the mycotoxins that are present in my body coming from the mold that's in my home. And if they are, either I need to move or to talk to my landlord about potentially getting rid of the problem. So by the time I tested, I did realize Aspergillus and things like that can create the mycotoxin, okra toxin A, which was present in me. So I knew it was in my home than it was, where is it in my home, and I found a lot in my air ducts. And a lot of people don't know, if you do not get your HVAC system serviced two times a year, the drip pan underneath the coil can fill up with water and potentially create condensation on the coil, which can put moisture into your ducts and mold grows where moisture is. So mold can start growing in your ducts and essentially blowing out into your apartment. So first things first, I would just recommend like taking a little you know, screw and an opening your ducts just see what's going on in there. If they look dirty, you know, your landlord can come in and clean it. But ultimately, you might have to pay to get that HVAC system service because like, landlords don't really do that.

And I don't know anyone that gets sir each bag service twice a year. So that's a good tip.

Yeah, yeah. And I mean, you know, at least once a year, but like, twice a year preferred. Most people like the people that are really trying to find mold maintenance, 100%, winter and spring or winter and summer. And if your landlord's not going to do it, just hire somebody to do it yourself. Like, it's important. It really goes a long way. So I found that validation, I found the mold. I was lucky that that happened. But I also knew there were a lot of critters coming up from underneath our home or crawlspace, we had roaches, we even found a baby possum in our bathtub at one point, which was very interesting. But like, that's something I know long story, Texas, very weird. But we knew there was an issue underneath the home the crawlspace. Most of the time, if you have critters like there is a dirty, damp environment kind of under your home. And one of the petri dishes that came back from our laundry room came back are really high in mold. And there's a duct that runs from your, you know, washer dryer into your crawlspace. And that's why my little laundry space was much higher, because I believe the crawlspace was really nasty down there. We couldn't find access to the crawlspace. So we never actually went down there, which I still wonder about. I'm sure it's disgusting. But we had a pipe burst about a year prior to that. And I think that's when a lot of issues got worse is because it just never dried out underneath the home. So once you test that's when you have to figure out okay, can I talk to my landlord about fixing this issue? Or should I just move? How do I find a mold free rental and I didn't feel safe in that place anymore. I just was like it'd be better to have a clean slate just move out. I need a fresh start. But for somebody who owns their home, I would probably recommend talking to a company called biocide labs that has a DIY remediation kit that they sell. It's a combination of mold bombers, so they have these they're called mold bomb particulate foggers. So they're like these little DIY foggers that I use now when I move into a new space because that fog can get into the cracks and crevices of the home. And it eliminates that mold. It basically brings all of the mold spores, if any, from the air to horizontal surfaces, and then you just wipe it all down and it completely gets rid of it. You do ultimately want to check and make sure the crawlspace is not moldy. I have seen a lot of rentals and ultimately opened a lot of crawlspace doors and there is mold visible mold, there's moisture underneath the home, it's always going to be a problem and you can find a dry crawlspace that exists the one I live in now it's dry as a bone so I feel safe. But using those foggers is a really great way if you can't afford to remediate doing it yourself. And then they also have something called an air scrubber that actually cleans the air as well. A lot of mold remediation companies use things like that. But biocide Labs has like a whole team you can speak with about proper planning, and I've worked with them and they have told me that 95% of the cases that come to them dealing with mold are able to remediate themselves without hiring remediation companies. So it is very possible to feel safe in your own home without having a construction team come in and rip up your walls like it is possible. So there's a lot of options and I think that's something I want to give people is Like, if you can't afford to spend all that money, there are ways to get rid of it. It's possible. And nobody really

knows that. Let's say there's a water stain, right? And you test it. Maybe you do like an air cavity sample or you do a swab, and it comes back with something right? Like positive for mold. Do you feel like you could leave that building material in? Or do you think it's essential to cut that piece out? And like, get rid of it properly?

Yeah, I think if there are water stains and things like that, it is probably something you want to get patched just because water in wood, you know, it's not like that really goes away. It does kind of affect a lot of those materials, especially long term. And as long as you get rid of that link, and just kind of patch that one spot. But I mean, if it's like a massive, massive water leak issue, I do think that's probably something you might need to hire somebody for. But, but in general, if it's like, you know, mold in your basement or mold in your attic, or mold in your docks, those are the kinds of situations where it is possible to do it on your own. Does that mean every case is going to know I mean, unfortunately, I've seen a lot of hurricane survivors and victims where their homes are. So water damage that like it's just impossible to do on your own. So that is the one situation where I do think it could behoove people to really hire professionals. But if it's just a general rental problem, it's definitely fixable.

What was your Tiktok? That blew up? Was it the What's it look for in your rental? That's all that one.

Now, it was like my mold story. It's it has like 600,000 views or something. And I mean, it was just sharing my experience about how mold ultimately made me gain weight. It made me gain weight, it made me develop autoimmune disease, which was the case, you know, I was living in that mold for so long that my immune system was so heightened, and I started developing food sensitivities, and I gained 40 pounds over the course of like five years. And I had so many haters on that video, like mold doesn't make you gain weight, like eating does. And like, bro, if you only knew like I was eating chicken and like five vegetables, and that's pretty much all I could tolerate at the time. I mean, I was so sick. And yet I was still gaining weight. And like that's I mean, a big issue. And reason I think so many people can find the thyroid connection with the mold as well, because weight gain is such a concern. And you're like, I'm doing everything right, I'm eating right. I'm managing stress, I'm getting sleep, I'm drinking enough water, I'm doing the foundations like why am I gaining weight, it doesn't make any sense, especially when I was going to the gym like every day and not seeing any progress whatsoever. Like my body was just angry at me for working out at that point, which was so confusing.

So you had mentioned before we started recording that you had a hard time maintaining your muscle mass during those years, you share that story? Yeah, so

I lost a lot of weight. When I was in college, I lost about 100 pounds. At one point, it was a huge moment in my life, no longer the thing that defines me after mold. But in general, I was so passionate about the gym and working out and eating well and maintaining that weight loss. And so I was going to the gym every day. I mean, I would work out hard lift weights, do cardio, I was doing the whole thing. And as I got sick, I felt exhausted from the gym, like nothing I would do would make me feel good. And I dialed it back. I did yoga, I really tried to maintain that exercise, but I just slowly start realizing it was hurting me. And no matter what I did, I was gaining weight, but losing muscle mass. And it's like I could barely lift weights. At that point. I didn't feel strong, I no longer felt strong. And that's something I'm still working on honestly, because especially with autoimmune and I'm so glad you know there are doctors like you that really discussed this, that it's possible to get fit with autoimmune because I think it's such a huge challenge, especially when people are dealing with inflammation and stress triggers that trigger the auto immune and for me taking a step back from working out ultimately helped me heal. And now finding your way back into it is a journey in and of itself. But I just was gaining weight. And then as I got out of mold, I lost weight but couldn't put on muscle mass. All of my bloodwork came back showing that I kept losing muscle no matter how much protein I was eating. It's like it just wouldn't stick. I couldn't gain that muscle back and feel strong. And I think it's just because I was in that chronic fight or flight my body wouldn't really let me focus and relax into that exercise process. Again,

there's a Dr. Andrew Campbell. He's a medical doctor right. He's published some research around like mycotoxins and muscle protein synthesis and how it's actually harder, like you said to maintain your muscle mass when you've had exposure to mycotoxins.

Yeah, it makes sense. I mean, and I think that it's something I see time and time again and either you're gonna gain a lot of weight or lose a lot of weight. It really It's so frustrating and it can really just make A lot of stress in life like this mold problem, girl, like, it's just, oh, it's everywhere. It's such an issue. And I want people to know, it's very possible to escape and move forward. And just looking out for some of those warning signs of maybe this is a root cause issue for me. And if you woke up if you were healthy, and like just living your life one day, and all of a sudden, like, things started changing and shifting out of nowhere, I always always jumped a mold, because things don't just start happening. Like I mean, it's either a big stressful time of your life that's gets your dominoes moving, but your environment and where you live can be a huge trigger as well, because we spent so much time there were sleeping there. And so just listen to those warning signs and trust your gut, because it can save your life big time.

So what are some things I saw tick tock that I really, or maybe it was an Instagram girl that I really loved? And we're making recommendations for people who are who are looking for apartments, like before you signed the lease? Like what should you like conversations you should have or things you should be looking for before moving into hopefully a mold free space? Right? Good question,

I would have loved to prioritize a place that was built on concrete slab Foundation, just because it takes the issue out of it, right. It's like I don't even want to have to worry about what's in a crawlspace. But I always ask people how recent or new the HVAC system is at a place I'm living now it's about a year old, he does get it serviced, he checks on the cleanliness of the air ducts, I actually had a landlord one time send me pictures of the air ducts, because I asked him about them. And he's like, clean as a whistle sent me a picture. I'm like, I want to live here. But in general, I always bring a moisture meter with me to a place that does have a crawlspace. Because you can kind of put that anywhere. And if there's a lot of moisture in the wood of you know, the hardwoods that make up the floor of the home, or if there's even moisture in the wood underneath the home too. That's a concern. So just having a moisture meter really helped make me feel more comfortable, especially if there wasn't a crawl space store that I had access to.

And they're like 40 bucks, like they're totally affordable. Yeah, yeah,

you just get one on Amazon. It's super easy. Yeah, it's a trusty trusty tool I highly rely on. But oftentimes just listening to your body as well. I mean, I've walked into some rentals, and it there's like a bit of a weird smell. Or you can just look around in the corners and see that they're a little dirty or dusty or older. And the quality of care in a rental like goes a long way. If you can tell that a landlord is like cares about maintaining the space, you can feel a lot more confident that you're going to be in good hands, especially if something pops up. But the number one question I ask, which often is really difficult for renters is if they've ever had a mold issue in the past, and it's very telling. And I think a lot of people are nervous, especially in competitive real estate environments to ask those questions, because they could easily just go to the next person that's not going to care at all about mold. But I like to wait a little while before I ask the question. If I can tell that, like things are going well, and you're probably going to get it I'll jump in and just see if they have knowledge around mold. And most of the time, the realtors are like, Oh yeah, we did have one issue like 10 years ago, we had a bit of a flooding, we ripped everything out, renovated the whole space. And he's like, we haven't had any issues since then. I've never had any renters complain about allergies or issues at all, but it's something that I'm on top of. And that just makes me feel so much more comfortable compared to somebody that's like, oh, no, I've owned it for 20 years never any issues, you know, it's like, yeah, like, Are you sure, but the people that go into those details, I think are the people that are aware of it, because not everyone's aware that mold can be a big problem. And my current landlord, they just renovated about a year and a half ago, they ripped out the bathtub, they ripped out the kitchen, no mold anywhere behind the walls or in the floors. And he's like, I've never had any issues on the place for 13 years and, and it's on a really great they have like a they have a drainage system underneath the home as well. He showed me like the runoff system to make sure that the water is well maintained. So the more info these landlords know, the better I feel. And so that's something that I think makes me really comfortable. But ultimately any rental you're moving into, I would just recommend to fog the space if you can, because why not? If you're worried or nervous about it, just maintain that air in your home before you move in. And a lot of those foggers and machines can keep your space safe for upwards of a year or two. And so at least you won't have to worry about it during that time.

What's the fogging, what is it? Is it ozone or is it something else?

Oh, good question. It's not ozone. So there's a couple of different varieties of the fogs there's one called Haven fog that he's made up of Have a lot of essential oils, which I think is really cool. But you have to buy like the actual fog machine to use it in as well. But if that's something that that makes sense to you, I think that that's always a good idea. But the mold bomb particulate foggers, I believe are made from certain types of like antiseptic, like chemicals and things that like ours, technically non toxic, but like, do you want to be in the home when you're fogging it? No. So it's just a fine line, it's not going to be toxic chemicals that linger after time. And that was something that was really important to me. So the words that are on that product, I do not know what they mean or what they are. But I mean, if you're into the essential oils and things like that, I would recommend Haven fog because they're, they're a really, really cool product as well. Typically,

when I go into a rental, I think, okay, like I'd like do like the what could be okay, and then usually cross it out. So like usually, and I know Texas is probably harder, but if it has a crawlspace I won't rent it. Now if you're living in New York, if it has like a flat roof like some of those like designer homes that's like flat roof, I'm like, not interested. And then when I go and look at a rental I look, I like open every door under the sink, and I get a flashlight and look around, haven't brought a moisture meter, but I should. And then I check like every single where the wall meets the ceiling. So like when I walk into a room, I'm like, looking up, which I'm sure the homeowners like for it. And I just looked at like water damage or bubbly paint or peeling paint? Or where the molding meets the wall? Is it separating away like molding This isn't separate away. Or if it's two sheets of drywall. And you can see the seam a lot of contractors will tell you oh, well the house is settling. No, that's probably water damage. Those are the things I look for. And it's very challenging. You know, it's hard, like a lot of the newer buildings aren't necessarily built better quality wise. And like I just looked at a I had looked at last year and apartment and two years old already had like water damage around the windows. And I was like, okay, in my limbic system now.

I know. And that's really, I think, a huge, huge piece. Because otherwise, all of this is so stressful. I mean, it's so stressful. And like trying to find a rental outside of when I was living in mold since then, has been a lot easier since I've done DNRs I don't think that I could have successfully moved to New York City without ever even seeing the rental like my brother toured a space in the city. And I never saw it before I moved in. Like I could not have ever done that until I did DNRs. Because you know, I mean, it's terrifying. You're like, I don't even know what it looks like. But it's I think about really telling your brain to communicate to your body that you're safe. And that like even if you do end up in a moldy environment, again, like you know what it takes to get rid of it. And you know how to support your body's through that it's never going to be as bad as it was in that first instance, when I was living in it for five years without the proper support and my liver and my gut. And you know, just having the tools we have now, after that experience and working with people, you know, like you or me who have the tools and provide the tools because ultimately, I'm a support system just as much as I am a resource. So everything you need to get through it in one piece and find a way to move forward because it can feel paralyzing. And it is possible to get through it and find your way onto the other side of things. Melanie, where can people find you?

And how can they work with

you? Oh, yeah, so my website is www dot everybody by mel.com. I'm on Instagram and Tiktok as everybody by Mel and I do have a mold ebook, if you're just looking for something simple and cheap to kind of get you started. All of the resources I mentioned in this podcast are in my ebook, it's on my website. I also have a course called everybody program. That's a three month long course that basically outlines everything in anything I learned throughout the eight years of my healing journey to try and make it in simplistic terms so that you don't have to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars working with doctors the way that I did, because everyone's financial situation is so different. And as long as we have all those tools, we can heal ourselves. And that's something I want to empower people to know. And as long as you have the right people guiding you anything is possible. So always like DM me on Instagram or contact me through my website if you ever want to work together. Well, thank you so much for sharing not only your journey, which can feel very isolating, but also making it to the other side.

I think it really allows a lot of hope for some of us that can feel like our world is so small and isolating.

Yeah, for sure. And just having the community I think and I appreciate you for your podcast and I look forward to having you on my podcast which I didn't mention I have a podcast called sick in the city, which is so fun. We kind of make light of chronic illness and a comedic and kind of fun girlfriend way you know like it's a good time because ultimately I think this space can feel really, really heavy. And you know we talk about like the bachelor sometimes you know we try to have fun and just know there's a community of people out there that are in the same space. You are awesome.

Thank you Lady. Yeah,

thank you so much.

If you enjoyed this episode, or even learned just one new piece of information to help you on your Hashimotos journey, would you do me a huge favor? rate and review thyroid strong podcast on iTunes, Spotify or whatever platform you used to listen to this podcast and share what you liked. maybe learn something new. And if you didn't like it, well shoot me a DM on Instagram Dr. Emily hybird. I read and respond to every single DM I truly believe all feedback is good feedback. Even the ugly comments if you're interested in joining the thyroid strong course a home workout program using kettlebells and weights where I teach you how to work out without the burnout. Go to Dr. Emily clyburn.com forward slash T 's waitlist. You'll get all the most up to date information on when the course launches and goes live special deals in Early Access bonuses for myself and my functional medicine doctor friends again Dr. Emily khyber.com forward slash T s weightless hope to see you on the inside ladies