Episode 300- Could Mold Be Sabotaging Your Metabolism, Hormones & Nervous System? with Ariana Thacker of MoldCo

300 EPISODES! 🎉 After more than six years behind the microphone, I am so grateful to every one of you who has listened, shared an episode, learned alongside me, and supported the evolution of the Optimal Metabolism Podcast. I couldn't think of a more fascinating topic for this milestone episode!

Today I'm joined by Ariana Thacker, founder of MoldCo, whose work in the mold space began after her own devastating experience with mold exposure. Ariana became extremely ill, was dismissed by eight different doctors, and ultimately discovered mold was at the root of what was happening to her health.

This conversation also became very personal for me. I have long suspected mold could be an issue in my son's apartment. He has struggled with frequent illness, coughing and mucus, along with anxiety and nervous-system symptoms. MoldCo sent me one of their home testing kits, so we tested his apartment—and his results came back with a HERTSMI-2 score of 18, which MoldCo categorizes in its highest warning range and recommends further investigation and remediation.

Ariana and I unpack what those results mean, why mold-related illness can be so difficult to recognize, symptoms you may never think to connect to your environment, and how mold exposure may intersect with inflammation, hormones, your immune system, nervous system, and metabolic health.

If you've been doing "all the right things" but continue to struggle with unexplained symptoms, your environment may be another piece of the puzzle.

WHAT WE DISCUSSED:

• Ariana's personal experience with mold exposure and being dismissed by eight different doctors
• How her own health crisis ultimately led her to create MoldCo
• Why mold exposure and water-damaged buildings can be overlooked when investigating chronic symptoms
• Common and surprising symptoms associated with mold exposure
• Why someone can feel chronically sick even when conventional testing continues to come back "normal"
• The connections between mold exposure, inflammation, hormones, the immune system and nervous system
• How environmental exposures may interfere with metabolic health
• Why certain people can be much more sensitive to mold than others
• My son's ongoing coughing, mucus, frequent illness, anxiety and nervous behavior—and why I finally tested his apartment
• What we discovered when his MoldCo home test returned a HERTSMI-2 score of 18
• What HERTSMI-2 testing measures and how to interpret the results
• What to do when testing reveals elevated mold levels in your home or apartment
• Testing versus guessing: where to begin if you suspect mold
• Practical next steps for addressing both your environment and your health

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

🏠 MOLDCO

Learn more about MoldCo, home mold testing, and their approach to identifying potential mold exposure:

Explore MoldCo

💨 AIR OASIS AIR PURIFIERS

After learning more about mold exposure—and seeing the results from my son's apartment—I decided to take another step toward improving the air quality in our homes. I ordered Air Oasis air purifiers for my entire family.

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If you're working on blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides, appetite, or overall metabolic health and are looking for a natural approach, check out the Feel Great System.

The system combines a concentrated yerba mate drink used in the morning to support energy, focus, and appetite control, plus a clinically studied fiber-based drink mixed with water and taken before meals to help moderate the glucose and insulin response to food while supporting healthy lipid levels.

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❤️ READY FOR A COMPLETE METABOLIC HEALTH RESET?

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LET'S GET IN TOUCH

🎙️ Optimal Metabolism Podcast:
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🌐 Shana Hussin Wellness:
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📲 Instagram: @shana.hussin.rdn