PSA! Being exposed to a toxin (poison) and experiencing symptoms from that exposure does NOT mean that something is wrong with your brain, and therefore you need to retrain it. In my opinion, working at turning off or lessening the body’s natural response to dangerous toxins is not the answer. I’ve said this for many years now, but this trend just keeps growing.
Please don’t shoot the messenger. All I am trying to say is that Brain Retraining should NOT be a replacement for living, working, or studying in a safe environment.
I feel a need to address this because I’m seeing brain retraining being recommended left and right by Holistic “Mold Consultants” as a way of reducing the effects of toxic mold exposure on the body while someone is living in a toxic environment.
This is dangerous, especially when you have consultants telling a mother with a child with brain inflammation caused by mold that they need to retrain their child’s brain to lessen symptoms.
A child living or studying in a moldy building who is experiencing nosebleeds, confusion, tics, tremors, learning regression, cognitive decline, and seizures doesn’t need to work on brain retraining. They need to get out of the environment causing these symptoms or, at least, significantly reduce their exposure to said environment.
The following is an example of the point I’m trying to make. There is a family I worked with last year with a child who has had seizures every hour for years, along with rage, delayed speech, and other symptoms. This kiddo was labeled as autistic, given anti-seizure meds, recommended to an occupational therapist, and sent on their way.
No one thought to ask about the child’s home and school environment, not even the top doctors and neurologists they took their child to see. Meanwhile, once the mother became curious about the environment, she did what many worried moms do, check social media for help. As she reached out for help, some people in the Holistic “Mold Consultant” space were pushing brain retraining and a gazillion supplements on this mother and child.
And guess what?
Despite the meds, supplements, and mantras, this poor kid kept having debilitating seizures and other awful symptoms.
When the mom reached out to me, she was tired and frustrated.
I went out on a limb and told her that I didn’t believe autism was the root cause but based on the history given and the progression of symptoms, I asked her to do a simple experiment. I asked her to leave her home, get new clothes and stay away for over a week with her child.
The mom called me ecstatic about two weeks later. She kept a notebook and wrote everything down as I instructed her to. As we spoke, she read from her notes, and I smiled amidst tears because, for the first time ever, this child stopped having seizures. Can you imagine that for a second?
It wasn’t brain retraining or supplements that this kid needed; it was a safe environment—a place where her little body could self-regulate and stop being so inflamed.
After hanging up, I cried that day. Actually, I sobbed. Mostly in anger because of all the children who are experiencing symptoms due to an inflamed brain and instead of addressing the root cause they are misplaced by the medical system and drugged.
We must do better.
One last thought. As silly as this seems, recommending brain retraining for a child or adult that is suffering symptoms due to toxic mold, and not addressing the environment is like ingesting something toxic every day and then reprogramming your brain with the hope that the toxin/poison you are ingesting won’t cause injury to your body.
It doesn’t make sense. Try calling Poison Control and asking them what happens if a healthy person ingests bleach or any other household product that is toxic. Its common knowledge that anyone who ingests bleach or similar household chemicals will experience the effects of poisoning and damage to organs. We don’t need a doctor or highly trained professional to tell us that.
Toxic mold, namely Stachybotrous is neurotoxic. genotoxic, carcinogenic, hepatotoxic, and the list goes on and on. Exposure can cause damage to all organs and systems in the same way that ingesting or rubbing poison on yourself would. I’m not here to argue with anyone, point fingers, or make anyone feel bad. My heart and passion in writing this post is to share vital information because, in the work I do, I see families getting taken advantage of, and children suffering needlessly. And that breaks my heart.
We must do better!
With Love,
Chemical Free Gal – If you enjoyed this post and would like to support me so that I can continue to provide valuable resources and help to people in our community, click here.
Note: I’m not saying that supplements don’t help aid the body in healing. As an herbalist, I understand that healing properties are embedded in thousands of plants and trees around this beautiful world that God gave us. Supplements, herbal medicine, and other holistic practices have their place, but until the environment is fully addressed, it’s like slapping a bandaid on a gaping, bleeding wound.
I completely agree with you! It is all a scam when it comes to TOXIC chemical and TOXIC mold exposure. There is NOTHING in our brain that should be altered to accept exposure to toxic substances. Why would we want that?Do we want everyone to be able to ignore toxic substance exposure until it causes cancer? Well isn’t that a pharmaceutically profitable way for humans to exist!
It is also amazing to me that the same environmental regulating government groups, who are responsible for labeling a substance as toxic to ALL humans, act completely surprised when someone actually experiences the harmful effects of exposure that THEY listed on the SDS sheet.
I almost died from toxic substance exposure at the hospital where I worked. They conducted demolition of the room next to my office wall with NO OSHA required barrier in place. The vibrations caused the 1965 drop ceiling tiles to shear across the t-bars. Toxic airborne particulates from the ceiling tiles as well as demolition dust from the adjacent room, rained down on me for 6 hours. The overload of toxins in my body created systemic inflammation that almost killed me. It is only by the Grace of God that I am alive.