When you’re a high-performing entrepreneur with successful companies travelling around the globe, mold is the last thing on your mind!
But, unfortunately, mold does not discriminate.
In 2021, my client temporarily lived in London, unaware that his seemingly beautiful apartment concealed a silent health adversary: mold.
While we suspect that mold had been an underlying issue throughout his life, this specific moment in 2021 marked a significant turning point in his health journey.
At this point, the symptoms my client experienced were predominantly centred around his testosterone levels, central nervous system, and motivation.
He reported feelings of numbness, particularly in his relationships and in environments that required risk-taking, such as casinos.
He was not a gambler by any means, but having fun with friends in casinos came with no thrill anymore.
His drive and focus also began to wane, starkly contrasting his prior self.
Alongside these struggles, the typical symptoms of Mold Illness persisted, including fatigue and brain fog.
Fortunately, his condition was not as severe as some of the other cases I have encountered, enabling him to continue managing his business and daily responsibilities.
Before we crossed paths, my client had already undergone an exhaustive battery of blood tests, with results consistently returning as "normal."
However, there was a nagging concern.
His hormonal profile displayed slight deviations that couldn't be attributed to a clear cause.
This left him perplexed and disheartened as he searched for answers to his deteriorating health.
My client even visited a testosterone replacement therapy clinic in Miami in the spring of 2022, looking for a solution.
He was put on a 'cookie-cutter' dose and cocktail of drugs at the clinic to boost his testosterone levels.
Unfortunately, this decision led to a worsening of his symptoms, exacerbating his already challenging condition.
After eight weeks of feeling progressively worse, he discontinued the treatment.
We recognise this period as an added stressor on his already compromised health due to Mold Illness.
The systemic inflammation caused by the mold was further exacerbated by the side effects of the testosterone treatment and accompanying drugs.
You are probably wondering how something like mold can impact men’s health and hormones, and that is exactly what this case study is about.
Mold can manifest in many different ways, and it’s scary!
I have a great diagram on my Got Mold? page which explains how mold and mycotoxins lead to a knockout in alpha-MSH which ultimately tanks the sex hormones, including testosterone, and can cause an increase in estrogen.
But I’ll explain more here.
The knockout of alpha-MSH in mold causes a decreased production of Luteinising Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) from the pituitary, which has the downstream impact of lowering testosterone levels.
Furthermore, testosterone level falls even further due to increased aromatase levels in Mold Illness.
Aromatase is an enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen, so men often see elevated estrogen levels alongside decreased testosterone.
Mold quite literally causes hypothalamic dysfunction.
Furthermore, if testosterone replacement is given to a moldy male, it can further suppress natural testosterone production, making matters worse (as seen with my client).
Low Vasointestinal Peptide (VIP), low alpha-MSH and high inflammation will only cause the exogenous testosterone to be rapidly converted into estrogen.
But it doesn’t stop there, mold and mycotoxins also directly affect the Leydig cell’s enzyme pathways and can actually cause apoptosis (death) of these cells.
In men, the testes' Leydig cells produce the highest testosterone levels.
Leydig cells are susceptible to mycotoxin contamination due to their high lipid content, and mycotoxins are fat-soluble toxins.
Soon after contacting me we ordered an Organic Acid Test for my client which came back in 2 weeks with an answer that shocked both of us: mold!
We also found some moderate gut dysbiosis (as shown below).
High glycolic oxalates were also found, further confirming mold as Aspergillus mold will naturally produce oxalic acids (as shown below).
After discovering that mold was the core issue of my client's mystery, everything fell into place.
The strange part about all of this is that if you were to look at his standard blood work for any other marker, you’d think everything was all normal.
Seriously.
Besides a skewed but unexplainable hormonal axis, everything looked ‘just fine’.
Which is the scary part.
If he had not run into a mold literate practitioner then who knows how long this would have gone on for.
The longer the mycotoxins in the system, the worse things become.
Yes, Mold Illness has compounding effects.
After we had identified that mold was the culprit for my client’s symptoms, we began moving up the Dr Shoemaker protocol together, slowly but surely.
For every client, I put together a personalised plan of supplements, lifestyle changes, peptides, bioregulators, and anything else they may need to overcome Mold Illness.
Whilst, of course, I stick to the clinical standard when eliminating mold, I also add a blend of regenerative, integrative and holistic medicine to the time we spend together.
For more information about working with me to overcome Mold Illness you can visit my page Got Mold?
Or, please feel free to reach out at jessica@jessicalana.com if you have any questions or book a call through the link: Book Here
Your journey to recovery can start here.
