Is your home making you sick? Ours was.
From 2009 to 2012, Nick was suffering from a whole range of unexplained symptoms like lethargy, allergies, chronic fatigue, inflammation and more. It was only when we discovered an outbreak of toxic mold in our Bondi apartment in 2015 that we realised what was happening — his body had been invaded by toxic mold spores, and his immune and nervous systems were going haywire.
This discovery sparked a giant deep dive for us. We moved out of our apartment that afternoon, and went on to learn everything we possibly could about toxic mold and how to rid it from our living spaces and our bodies. Along the way, we were horrified to discover that toxic mold illness is alarmingly common, and yet so few people — including health experts — understand this devastating disease, and how to avoid and treat it.
To help shed light on this situation, we’re joined on the show today by Dr Sandeep Gupta, MD — a specialist general practitioner, a member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), a recipient of multiple fellowships (including from the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) in 2008 and from the RACGP in 2010), and creator of the flagship online program, ‘Mold Illness Made Simple’.
Dr Gupta’s story starts out very similarly to ours. He first became interested in mold illness when he and his partner were exposed to a water-damaged building after the 2011 Brisbane floods and began developing a variety of serious and unexplained symptoms. He wanted to understand the root cause of mold illness, so sought out the research of Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, MD — a pioneer and leader in the field — and became Surviving Mold certified in 2014. He now works to give patients and practitioners a way to understand this complex topic and teaches them how to utilise proven, effective, holistic treatments and healing strategies.
This episode is one that’s very near to our hearts. The data, research and strategies that Dr Gupta shares here contain the exact kind of info that could have saved us from months and months of symptoms, frustration, questions, and heartache back in… so we’re very passionate about getting this message out as far and wide as possible! If you or someone you love suffer from unexplained symptoms that you’ve never been able to heal or trace to a source, I implore you to listen to this conversation as soon as humanly possible to see if YOUR home could be the source of your heartache too.
So if you want to discover the surprising ways that mold can invade your living environment without you even knowing, the different symptoms that can signal mold toxicity in the body, and the best ways to break the cycle of illness and return to peak health, then pop in those earbuds… this one’s for you.
In this episode we chat about:
The healing power of juice — including our go-to recipe for delicious vegetable juice to promote peak health and digestion (03:57)
Dr. Gupta’s personal experience with mold toxicity, and the inside story of Nick’s struggle with toxic mold exposure (07:45)
The 3 types of mold-related illness and why they are almost always misdiagnosed (this part is both fascinating and scary) (14:26)
What is Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and how to tell if you have it? (Plus the amazing natural compounds that can kick start the healing process) (21.06)
How to test your house for toxic mold — including the top things to look out for, the surprising places mold hides, plus the crucial professional tests to get done (27:08)
What to do if your house is mold ridden and you can’t move (33:46)
The 3 different types of fungi and how they can embed themselves in soft materials and your body (39:48)
Why eating living foods will nourish you like no other diet, and why you want to fill your plate with foods containing biophotons and enzymes for their amazing detox properties (47:57)
Episode resources:
Lotus Holistic Medicine (website)
Toxic by Neil Nathan (amazon)
Neil Nathan MD (website)
Bulletproof (website)
MitoZen (website)
Ritchie Shoemaker, MD (website)
Fungi Perfecti | Paul Stamets (website)
ERMI Test (website)
Air Oasis | Love The Air You Breathe (website)
Amino Acids | Better Health (website)
Veganism, Whole Person Enlightenment And Spiritual Nutrition With Dr. Gabriel Cousens (podcast)
Conscious Eating By Gabriel Cousens (amazon)
‘Mold Illness Made Simple’ program — get 10% off with code Melissa (buy)
Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be SO grateful if you could leave me a review on Apple podcasts, that way we can inspire and educate even more people together.
P.S. Please seek advice from a qualified holistic practitioner before starting any new health practice.