Another Year of Change

Improving the Health of our Home, part one

I’ve been busy the last year, healing myself and my home. I’ve written about memory loss, brain fog, anxiety, and depression. By the beginning of 2024, I realized I needed to get serious about healing. I couldn’t do it all by myself. Something was missing. Because testing showed that the prime suspects for my brain issues were under the umbrella of toxicity and my diet was clean, I ruled out pesticides. I didn’t test positive for heavy metals. I knew my gut was a mess, and my life was a struggle. The links in this post will give you additional information if you want a deep dive into these topics.

I started having issues as early as 2014 and living on our farm. By 2018, my symptoms were troubling enough that, in addition to our climate extremes, I felt the need to discard my very physically demanding lifestyle for a simpler life with neighbors, hospitals, and medical complexes nearby. My functional doctor informed me about Dr. Dale Bredesen and his protocol for reversing cognitive decline. I read his book and filed it into the back of my mind. By 2022, I became aware of an online program, Apollo Health, that guided people remotely to follow his plan. I joined it in February 2023. My dietician, trained in the protocol, was extremely helpful. She works remotely, so let me know if you could use this support in your journey and I will give you her contact information. She works in conjunction with a functional M.D.

After spending a year in this program and continuing to struggle, I joined one of Apollo Health’s support groups—one on toxicity. Dr. Bredesen documents several types of risks for Alzheimer’s, and my greatest risk was toxicity. Over the next three months, I discovered that toxicity group members frequently discussed mold issues. While I knew that my functional doctor was monitoring mycotoxins, I did not realize that mycotoxins in the body are evidence of and caused by mold. Mold can be absorbed into the body by inhaling spores in the air, eating moldy food, and through skin absorption when touching dust.

I received some great tips in the toxicity support group, and the leader shared many helpful books. These included Prescriptions for a Healthy House, 4th Edition, Neil Nathan’s Toxic: Heal Your Body, and Dr. Jill Crista’s Break the Mold. Note that Neil Nathan has a Toxic: 2nd Edition being released on April 15th, 2025. It is currently in pre-order status on Amazon. The 2nd Edition is light blue. Dr.Nathan released The Sensitive Patient’s Healing Book nine months ago in 2024. It’s great to know that more and more information is being written on this topic. Podcasts and Facebook Groups are dedicated to mold and other toxic illnesses.

Mycotoxins can be eliminated through detoxification, but they are sometimes trapped by biofilms that hold onto them. Detoxification channels include perspiration and elimination. Biofilms can be treated with specific enzymes taken between meals. I had and remain to have much to learn! People in the toxicity group talked about ERMIs or Dust Tests. I ordered a home dust test. I sensed that there were some serious issues in the upper rooms of our home. While I waited for the dust test, I signed up for a Mold Mastery Class through Apollo Health.

Time for a diversion. The spring wildflowers in my native plant garden allowed my heart to soar, but the fog in my brain made most tasks seem incredibly difficult. I felt dizzy and disoriented. I tripped and fell frequently. I injured my knee and used a cane for a period. I curtailed activities. I missed the Nature Rambles at our local Botanical Garden while I delved into this new learning and working with contractors.

After a month, I received my test results. They were not good. The dust I collected from two unfinished rooms and bedrooms in an “attic” space revealed a moisture problem in our home that contributed to mold growth. Our results were in the 51st to 90th percentile compared to other homes where mold was suspected. The report analysis stated, in part, “Your sample detected 30 of the 36 most prevalent molds found in homes according to the 2006 Housing and Urban Development’s American Healthy Homes Survey. It also detected 18 mold species that require either damp or wet conditions to grow. Please note that this does not indicate current active water sources.”

I looked at our unfinished spaces on the second floor in a new light. We had mainly used the pictured room for storage. Jon used the other room as a “laboratory” for tinkering, inventing, and exploring mechanical things. I could never imagine what to do with those rooms in the way of cleaning. They were a hot mess, covered in only OSB plywood, a toxic, moisture-holding wood (look-up oriented strand board). The aluminum windows condensed next to them because one of the rooms was completely unconditioned. We had ignored the “lungs” of our house, and now we were living with the results. The first owner of the home, after building it and living here for 30 years, passed away recently in an Alzheimer’s facility. I feared a similar fate if things did not change.

Having storage space came in handy. In 2022, when we remodeled four rooms on our first floor, we used it to store our downstairs furniture. This room and angle are close to the one I took this week at the top of the article. It’s easy to see the transformation.

Here are close-up photos of other areas of this room. It was unconditioned and unfinished from 1990 to 2024. The temperature in the eaves reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and was always chilly in winter. The thirty-four-year-old furnace condensed, as did the aluminum windows. Dark areas on the wood and rust in the HVAC attested to a history of moisture in this room. There was nothing to control the Georgia humidity here. The window air conditioner was installed in March to allow us to clear storage items and remediate the problems. That unit ran up our power bill dramatically! Here you can see the eastern bonus room from both ends, orienting west-east and east-west. These rooms are quite roomy!

I also added some photos of my lovely wildflowers. I love our beautiful outdoor space and am so grateful for it. (I’ve developed a habit of returning to nature when I begin to feel anxious. Remembering to feel gratitude is quite helpful.)

We had a clone of this room on the other side of our home. It had ducts but was just as unfinished, with only OSB, exposed falling insulation, and an aluminum window.

By that time, I realized that the method people found successful was to 1) find a good inspector to determine the origins of the mold and develop a plan to remediate it, 2) locate a remediating company that will guarantee results and employ zero VOC botanically-based products that are non-toxic and will remove offending materials from the home safely, and 3) rebuild the house better. Some people DIY, but this can be dangerous because of exposure to mold and making serious mistakes.

Jon and I spent June discussing the situation. I did lots of heavy reading and research. I was not impressed by our local inspectors and remediators’ understanding of our situation. I was experiencing health issues due to problems involving poor airflow, construction, and faulty air conditioning. Most contractors focus on a specific flooding event, drying it out, and applying biocides, which are toxins of a different kind.

We hired a company that trained and deployed technicians with the right tools to find our problems. The method included inspecting every part of the home, using technology to register moisture, heat, and visual mold or evidence of moisture damage. In retrospect, this firm collected excessive information and expensive samples. We were required to wait weeks for a phone consultation. Then, during the call, we determined which samples to send for testing before waiting longer for the results and another consultation to review their plan. I’m becoming weary with the memory of this. It took a large portion of our final expense and was quite stressful.

I received a note that I am “near email length limit.” Therefore, I will cut this short and continue my tale in a future post. At least I gave you the happy ending visually, right up front!

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