The #1 thing I think about when a woman isn’t tolerating HRT or herbal hormone support well?
Environment.
When I lived in Tacoma, I had a mold problem in the basement of my 1914 Craftsman home.
In Wisconsin, I discovered a problem in the basement cellar this spring when I started feeling off.
Mold messes with your hormone levels and hormone detox.
It upregulates inflammatory estrogen and can cause weight gain, brain fog, heavy periods, and breast tenderness, among other symptoms.
For me, periods became heavier and longer, and my ocular migraines flared up.
Most homes in the US have some level of mold issues, and newer homes are worse than 100-year-old ones!
This is because energy efficiency measures builders take decrease airflow in the home.
In the 1990s, it was popular to wrap homes in plastic to improve insulation. Sadly, this airtight intervention kept homes from breathing.
A guy in my neighborhood in Colorado died because his home didn’t breathe well and he was susceptible. So, when I realized my home in WI was wrapped, I made sure we added some vents to help airflow.
Unfortunately, I didn’t account for the concrete blocks in the cellar and poor water flow away from the home due to landscaping.
Which brings me to the outside home environment and the flow of water away from the home.
From gutters to drainage, these things matter.
I’ve learned so much in the last decade about the ins and outs of mold when it comes to homes.
What sucks is that there are so few companies that actually understand how to mitigate mold in homes that I’ve worked with clients directly to help them get the tools they need to do the work on their own.
This isn’t ideal, yet for some, that’s the only option.
So, when I found Jason Richards from PureHealth Mold Inspections, I knew I had to bring him on my podcast to talk about how he’s helping folks all over the US, and especially in the Midwest, get rid of mold in their homes.
Jason understands what functional medicine practitioners and naturopathic docs like myself are looking for when it comes to proper testing and remediation of mold in the home.
Most air testing isn’t sufficient. You need to do swab tests of your surfaces, and most mold remediation companies do not understand this.
What’s worse is many of the mold remediation companies out there do not understand how to protect you from the mycotoxins—toxins released by mold—when it is killed.
Mycotoxins are what make you sick in the first place and keep it going after the home has been remediated, as they hang around and can remain for decades.
There is so much misinformation and confusion in the mold remediation space, and so many folks have been told their home is okay when it isn’t.
Not being a specialist in this department, it’s hard for me to explain this to clients.
Jason from PureHealth Mold Inspections gets mold from both the environmental and medical sides of it, making him an asset who can help on a deeper level.
If you’ve seen or suspect mold is an issue in your home or workplace, this is the episode you don’t want to miss.
Because your environment messes with your hormones, this is often an overlooked topic. I’ll be discussing it and more in my new program, “Hormone School.” Stay tuned for more next week.
Here’s to a healthy home,
Dr. J
