Healing My Brain| Concussions, Mold Toxicity, and More
Note: If you don’t want to hear my entire story, scroll down to the section titled Holistic Approaches to Healing Your Brain.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always felt like my brain doesn’t function quite like an average person’s brain. I have always had an extremely difficult time coming up with quick responses, and I would absolutely dread being called on by my teachers throughout my school years, all the way from elementary school to college because most of the time I could never come up with quick clever responses. Trust me when I say I would not be a great match for a debate team, as I often think of things I wish I would have said during an argument AFTER the argument is already over. It’s frustrating as hell. I’ve also never been able to (to my satisfaction) verbally articulate my thoughts and feelings into words that truly and fully express how I’m feeling or thinking. This is why my preferred method of communication has always been written communication; I have so much more time to compose my thoughts and rethink what message I’m trying to convey when I’m writing it down.
I know I’m not alone in this, but it can feel VERY lonely, isolating, and is a huge blow to your self-esteem when you have trouble explaining yourself verbally. I also get that many great speakers have trouble writing, so I get that I’m blessed to a degree, but I would love to be great at both written AND verbal communication.
Now why have I had so much trouble with my brain function? I’ll never know for sure, as there are so many factors that could be the reason why such as genetics, the health and diet of my mother prior to and during growing in her womb (she did tell me she drank diet coke the whole time she was pregnant with me and she felt sick most of her pregnancy so she probably wasn’t getting adequate nutrition), a possible brain injury when I was little (that I’m not aware of), vaccines I received as a child, or even my environment and/or diet growing up.
To add insult to injury, when I was in my mid 20’s, I sustained my first ever concussion (or first one that I’m at least aware of), and it took SEVERAL months for me to recover and feel close to myself again. One night as I was walking to my car after grocery shopping, as I was getting into the driver seat of my car, I hit the back of my head extremely hard on my car’s metal door frame. The pain was excruciating for the first 20 minutes, but I didn’t think much of it, nor did a concussion ever cross my mind.
The next morning I woke up feeling a bit off, but drove to work anyways. At work, as I was trying to do my daily tasks, read emails from customers, and respond to emails, it became incredibly hard for me to even comprehend what I was reading and it was taking me quite some time to respond to emails because I found myself typing the wrong word or typing words out of order. It was quite alarming to me when I realized I couldn’t function at work and do even the simplest work tasks without struggling. That’s when I knew I had a concussion. I then told my boss I needed to leave and I drove myself to the ER just to make sure I didn’t have a brain bleed. To be honest, I probably shouldn’t have driven myself, but to everyone else, I looked and seemed okay, but I really wasn’t.
The ER doctor ordered a CT scan, which didn’t show any brain bleeds. Nor did they see any brain swelling, but that didn’t mean anything to me because I had already done my research. Evidence of a concussion on a CT scan or MRI rarely show up on imaging. Traumatic brain injuries (or TBIs) do sometimes show, but because concussions are a milder type of brain injury, that’s why concussions can be difficult to diagnose. The ER doctors and nurses were not very helpful after they got the CT imaging back. They acted like I was fine and sent me on my way. But I was not fine. I knew I had a concussion and was going to do everything possible to heal from it.
When I came home, the lack of support I had made the situation far worse. My boyfriend of 6 years dismissed me when I told him I had a concussion (even after sharing all of the symptoms I was experiencing). He had experienced plenty of concussions himself in the past because he rode dirt bikes so I thought he would understand, but instead he told me there’s no way I could have gotten a concussion hitting the back of my head on my car’s metal door frame, and that everything I was experiencing was “all in my head”. Even my own mother had a similar reaction implying it was all in my head and that I might want to consider going on anti-depressants. I will never forget that. It felt like my heart had been ripped out and stomped on. And not only that, but it felt like I was being accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and I had to prove my innocence. My own mother and boyfriend were gaslighting me because on the outside, I “appeared” to be okay. What I don’t understand is why they thought my “concussion” was “all in my head” when the thought of any type of brain injury had NEVER even crossed my mind the night I hit my head. It hadn’t crossed my mind until I started feeling off the next day.
My brain felt heavy, clouded, and imprisoned and I couldn’t do anything about it. I just had to wait for my brain to heal and hope I would eventually be able to function in my day-to-day life like I used. I was sad, scared, frustrated, and had never felt more alone in my life. This was an extremely dark time in my life and the lack of support I had made things 1000x worse.
Not only was it hard to focus (whether I was reading or watching a TV show), but I was sensitive to light and noise too. The only thing that made me feel better was either lying down with my eyes closed or sleeping, which I did a lot of. However, when my brain could handle it, I would get on my phone and research ways to heal from a concussion. But just doing that was hard, and I would have to take a lot of breaks.
After much research, I had concluded that any time you have a blow to the head, you need to ice the injury ASAP to reduce inflammation and swelling in the brain. Why is this? Because when your brain swells, it puts pressure on your skull, and that pressure on your skull can unfortunately lead to further brain damage. So although it was already a bit too late, I decided to start icing my head in intervals to see if that could help reduce any remaining swelling in my brain. I also purchased some coenzyme Q10, tried to eat foods rich in omega-3, and did one session of acupuncture because I couldn’t afford frequent visits. I honestly can’t tell you if any of those things helped me because it wasn’t until 3 long torturous months that I finally started to feel almost back to normal again. And I had to tough it out all while still going to work, interviewing for a job that I really wanted, and starting a new job learning a completely new workflow. Needless to say, this was one of the toughest times in my life, and I am impressed that I even managed to get that job offer.
Since then, I’ve learned about so many other natural healing modalities that could have helped me heal my brain faster and more efficiently back then, but many of them either weren’t easily accessible for purchase, or they hadn’t been invented yet, or I just couldn’t afford to spend the money on it. I will mention what these are further down this article.
Since healing from my concussion, I noticed that my attention to detail isn’t anywhere close to what it used to be and it likely never will be, but I am extremely grateful for how much I did heal. Additionally, I still do this day type the wrong words, or put words in the wrong order, and often have to go back to correct my writing. About 5 years after my first concussion, I sadly got a second concussion after a metal shower curtain rod fell on my head as I was bathing my baby boy. Luckily my son wasn’t injured, and this time my concussion wasn’t as bad as my first one; I recovered within a few weeks possibly because I had iced my head immediately this time.
Now let’s fast forward a few years to another situation that caused me a significant amount of brain damage. This time, it wasn’t from a concussion. It was actually from (unknowingly) living in a moldy home for approximately 10 years.
In 2013, I purchased my very first home. It was an older home and I loved it so much. After just a few years of living in this home, I started experiencing some minor health issues including post nasal drip, bad breath, a caffeine intolerance, and some serious acne. I always wanted to get to the root cause of these issues, but I didn’t know where to start so I just dealt with it by doing neti pot to clear my sinuses every day, avoiding coffee, and purchasing special skincare to treat my acne. As the years went on, I started feeling very foggy headed. My memory was lapsing and I often caught myself saying the wrong words out loud. I felt like I was getting early dementia, to be honest. My boyfriend suggested it was because I needed to start eating meat again. I wasn’t so sure about that, but decided to incorporate fish back into my diet. After a few months of doing this, I hadn’t noticed any changes. I felt exactly the same. I was also taking CoQ10 again, but hadn’t noticed any big changes from using it.
As the years went on, I developed even more alarming health issues, one being extreme anger and irritability, which I later learned was actually something referred to as MOLD RAGE. Additionally, my 5 year old son was having trouble focusing on his school work and had totally forgotten the alphabet. That’s when I knew something was incredibly wrong.
I won’t go into all the details about how I figured out that my home had copious amounts of hidden mold in it, but after my son and I moved in with my parents (while I had my home remediated for mold), we started feeling so much better once our bodies had a chance to detox.
Now do we have permanent brain damage from living in mold for so many years? I really don’t know. My son is doing so much better with his school work, but sometimes he does struggle understanding certain concepts. It’s hard to say whether or not this is because of the mold we lived in for so many years. I do think my son had an early onset of PANS (or Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome), which is a very serious inflammatory disorder in the brain that can be caused by mold, lyme disease, chickenpox, mycoplasma, varicella, influenza, and the herpes virus. I’m just glad we got out before his health got worse.
As for me, a significant amount of my brain fog went away after moving in with my parents, but I still struggle to this day with memory issues, trouble focusing, and saying the wrong words when I actually mean something else. Some days I feel like my brain functions better than others, but I am so grateful for the improvements I’ve seen thus far. Interestingly enough, when I was 18 years old, my boyfriend gave me cold sores (or herpes simplex 1) after he kissed me on the lips, and I often wonder if this has contributed some to my brain malfunctions as well after learning that herpes can affect the brain too.
So as you can see, brain injuries can be caused by a variety of factors including:
Concussions
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Strokes
Lack of oxygen
Aneurysms
Brain tumors
Cancer
Brain infections
Meningitis
Mold, Lyme Disease, Chickpox, Mycoplasma, Varicella, Influenza, Herpes
Drug Overdoses
Pharmaceutical Drugs (including anti-depressants)
Alcohol Poisoning
Heavy Metals
Vaccines
Pesticides
Radiation
Environmental toxins in Air and/or Water
Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis - An autoimmune disease popularized by the book/movie called ‘Brain on Fire’
Now here is what I’ve either already done, currently doing, or plan to do to continue healing my brain.
Holistic Approaches to Healing Your Brain…
…after you have already identified, addressed, or eliminated one of the root causes mentioned above
Holistic Approaches to Healing the Brain
Getting adequate sunlight everyday (meaning sunrise, UVA rise, solar noon for vitamin D synthesis, and sunset) - I recommend downloading the apps “Circadian” and “Dminer” on your phone. I also recommend subscribing to Carrie B. Wellness’ YouTube Channel or following her on Instagram. She is a wealth of knowledge. Start here for her sunlight education. Keep in mind that Vitamin D is super important for your brain health, and it’s best if you’re getting it from the sun, not supplementation.
Putting your bare feet on the ground every day (aka “earthing”)
Getting adequate sleep every night for 7-8 hours and going to sleep by 10PM
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) - There are soft and hard chambers when it comes to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and from my understanding the soft (or mild) chambers are actually better for brain injuries. If you don’t know where to start, or are thinking about purchasing your own mild hyperbaric oxygen chamber and oxygen concentrator, I highly suggest joining this Facebook group. I personally have a Summit to Sea mild hyperbaric oxygen chamber, and I am pleased with it, other than with how small it is. If you are claustrophobic, I do not recommend purchasing their smallest chamber. I realize these hyperbaric oxygen chambers are pricey, so don’t feel like you HAVE to purchase one. The only reason I have one is because I purchased it for my husband (at the time) who had sustained a very severe traumatic brain injury. He was extremely stubborn and only got in a total of 3 or 4 times, so when we separated, I got to keep it. I used it numerous times while (unknowingly) living in mold and the very last time I “dove”, I felt incredibly ill. Later I learned this was because my body was exceedingly toxic from mold and it was best for me to stop diving until I got into a safer environment. I was able to keep the oxygen chamber because I thoroughly cleaned it before bringing it to my parents’ house. I have not used it again since then for two reasons - I need to purchase new tubing for the air pump, and there is not really anywhere in their house to set it up. Once I move back home, I plan to start “diving” a couple times a week.
Ozone therapy (specifically ear insufflation) - There are some clinics that offer this service or you can purchase your own ozone therapy generator for use at home. This is not to be confused with an ambient air ozone generator that people put in their homes and cars to remove odors and kill biotoxins. This is a medical grade ozone therapy machine which requires pure oxygen from an oxygen tank, not ambient air. You will have to separately purchase an oxygen tank (either industrial or medical depending on if you can get a prescription from your doctor or not). This is the ozone therapy generator that I have. You can use code HEALINGFROMMOLD to save 10%. I recommend always using the “bubbler system” for ear insufflation. If you need help getting everything set up, Simply o3 can help walk you through the process after you purchase one of their machines.
Ozone IV therapy done at a clinic - You’ll need to do a google search for ozone IV therapy clinics near you. If there aren’t any, I recommend purchasing the ozone therapy generator mentioned above so you can do ear insufflation at home.
Ozone water detox bath - You can use this ozone bubbler to ozonate your bath water. Use code HEALINGFROMMOLD to save 10%. I also recommend filtering your bath water as best as you can before using the ozone bubbler. There aren’t a lot of great bath water filter options out there, but something like this is better than nothing.
Hydrogen peroxide bath - You need to make sure you are using 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide because the traditional hydrogen peroxide sold in stores is a very weak solution. ‘Chris the Healer’ has a lot of great information about hydrogen peroxide baths on his Instagram page. I recommend filtering your bath water as well.
Lifewave Phototherapy Patches (specifically the X39 and Carnosine) - Wearing these phototherapy patches is one of the EASIEST things you can do to improve your brain function and overall health. These patches are non-transdermal, meaning absolutely no ingredients in the patches enter the body. Instead, the patches utilize a very advanced form of phototherapy technology (not to be confused with red light therapy). How do they work? The patches are activated when they come in contact with your body’s infrared light. Your body’s infrared light shines on the patch’s nanocrystal pattern , and that pattern (or light code) reflects back into your body with very specific healing instructions for the body. The X39 patch is considered their general wellness and anti-aging patch because it can increase GHK copper peptides in the body and stimulate cellular repair. The carnosine patch (which has no actual carnosine in the patch) instructs the body to make it’s own carnosine. If you didn’t already know, carnosine is a great defender of the brain and is amazing for brain health. To learn more, I recommend watching this interesting video on carnosine by David Schmidt, founder and scientist of Lifewave. I personally have been using the X39 patch for a little over 6 months, and I have definitely noticed I have less brain fog (on top of many other amazing benefits) since using it. But what’s even more exciting is - when I started wearing the carnosine patch, my brain function heightened even more! After using the carnosine patch just a number of times, it was like a light switch turned on in my brain and everything is so much clearer for me. Is my brain functioning perfectly now? Absolutely not, but the difference I have noticed after using the carnosine patch is like night and day. And just so you know- this isn’t a brand new company. Lifewave has been around for a little over 20 years and the X39 patch took TEN years of research to develop. Read about my experience with the X39 patch here.
Cryotherapy- Boy do I wish I had access to cryotherapy when I had my two concussions YEARS ago. This probably would have helped my brain heal so much faster. The sooner you can do cryotherapy after a concussion or TBI to reduce swelling in the brain, the better. This is like “icing” your brain on steroids. When a biohacking clinic opened up nearby my house a few years ago, I decided to give cryotherapy a try just to experience what it was all about. I only had two or three cryotherapy sessions, but after each session, I would always feel so good and full of natural energy. I highly recommend giving it a try.
Cold plunging - I know that cold plunge tanks can get very pricey, but here is a very affordable cold plunge tank. When you use this link you’ll get $10 off. Additionally, if you would rather not purchase a tank, or want to get acclimated to the idea of cold plunging, some people do mini cold plunge sessions by dunking just their head in a bowl full of ice water. As an alternative, you could take cold showers.
Sauna - This is the non-toxic portable sauna that I plan to buy made by Sauna Space. Originally I purchased a Therasage sauna, but had to return it because it had a strong chemical smell to it no matter how many times I tried airing it out. Not everyone notices this smell, but I am extremely sensitive to smells and have MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity). Therasage is a great company and has wonderful customer service, but the sauna just wasn’t a good fit for me. If you want to purchase a Sauna Space sauna, you can use code HEALINGFROMMOLD to save 5%.
Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acid
Supplements such as CoQ10, Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail Mushroom, Reishi, Ginseng, Gingko Biloba, B Vitamins - Please do not purchase your supplements on Amazon where knockoff products are often sold, and where the products are kept in non-climate controlled warehouses. Supplements can go rancid sitting in hot warehouses for weeks/months/years. I recommend purchasing off of websites like iherb, Mountain Rose Herbs, and Fullscript if you have a practitioner who can give you access.
Meditation and Positive Affirmations
Reading any of Dr. Joe Dispenza’s books - Becoming Supernatural is one of his books that I’ve personally read and loved.
Reiki
Acupuncture
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) or Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT)
Chiropractor adjustments
Heavy metal detox
Parasite cleanse
Working with a holistic health practitioner who does bioresonance or bioenergetic testing - My practitioner uses the qest4 machine.
Rife machine - I haven’t tried this yet, but I have heard good things about the Spooky 2 machine.
EE System / scalar wave healing system - The EE System and EE centers were popularized by Jason Shurka, but the EE System was invented by Dr. Sandra Rose Michael. Learn about it here.
Reading
Listening to Podcasts
Learning a new task or hobby to create new neural pathways in the brain
Physical Activity / Exercise
Obviously this is not a one size fits all approach, and as a matter of fact, I am still working on healing my own brain. What has helped me the most thus far is: getting out of my moldy home and into a safer environment, grounding/earthing, getting daily sunlight, getting adequate sleep, meditation, working with my holistic practitioner on a parasite and heavy metal cleanse, and last but not least -the x39 and carnosine phototherapy patches. Additionally, I plan to start incorporating ozone therapy (ear insufflation) soon, and when I move back home, I plan to regularly use my hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Another very important thing to note is, before you start trying to detox, you need to be 100% sure ALL of your drainage passages are open.
Did my story resonate with you? Have you experienced a concussion, TBI, or been exposed to mold or any of the elements that I mentioned above… that have may have led to a brain injury? I would love to hear from you.
I know first hand that dealing with a brain injury can be traumatizing and isolating, but with time AND some of the tools mentioned above, our brains CAN heal. Will we be 100% back to normal? Likely not, but it IS possible.
Happy Healing.
xAshley
Disclaimer:
The information on this page is for educational purposes only. This is not medical advice.
Some links posted on this page are affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission should you make a purchase using my link.
If you are interested in the Lifewave patches, have questions about the patches, and are not currently working with another Lifewave Brand Partner, please reach out to me at ashley@thatholisticgal.com. I would be happy to assist with you helping you make your first purchase. Please also note that if you try to make a purchase directly on Lifewave.com, Lifewave will automatically assign you to a RANDOM Brand Partner. There is not a way to make a Lifewave purchase without being assigned to a Lifewave Brand Partner. So with that said, if you would like for me to be your Brand Partner and want 1:1 support, advice, or help from ME when when it comes to making purchases or even signing up as a Brand Partner and building your team, please make sure you are using my Lifewave link. It will say you are “shopping with Ashley” at the top of the page.
