Mold, Mindset, and the New Meaning of Resilience

Opening on Love and Transformation 0:00

whether it's me with a patient or people in a relationship or a mother daughter or all these relationships we have. love, which is a commonality, even with our patients, right, is creating a space for the optimal transformation for another human being. And I love that definition because giving the space that you truly want what's best for them. There's not like this selfish intention. You're just like, well, how can I help you transform to be your best self? And in that kind of an altruistic way, it could be, you know, bosses or children or parents or employees or whatever.

It works to all of them, but in the Transformation happens. What if aging isn't about slowing down, but leveling up? I'm Dr. Izzy Jones. This is the Longevity Leaders podcast. Hi, I am Dr Ashley Beckman here with the longevity leaders podcast and I have Dr Jill Carnahan joining us today. How are you doing today? Wonderful. I always love the energy and excitement of conferences. Yes, it's always wonderful to be with people who have similar outlooks and who are looking to learn and just help other people get better.

Yeah, absolutely. So you have a new book out. I do. Can you tell us a little bit about it? So interestingly, I wanted to write about immune resilience and resilience in life. And what ended up happening is it's basically a memoir, but it covers stories, occasions, and myself. Um, overcame cancer at 25 years old. Oh my God. And then Crohn's disease and mold-related illness, which I know we share topics. So I go through giving the backdrop of my story, but really going deep on each topic and giving people just practical information on how to overcome chronic

Introducing Dr. Jill Carnahan and Her New Book 1:29

inflammatory illness and more related illness. And, um, inflammatory bowel disease, and all of those things. And I love resilience is one of my favorite words, right? Because I think most of our patients and clients do not feel resilient, they're stuck in fight or flight, They have chronic illness and the last thing they feel is resilient or strong. And that's so important, you're focusing on that. Yeah, I love it. Because even when I read the book, resilience I've really come to know is this definition of how do you bounce back after adversity, right?

Like we all have suffering, we have difficulties, probably now more than ever there's chaos. And so it's like, how did we take that? And in the realm of health and healing, it is like how you take a chronic illness like I had cancer and then chronic disease and mold related illness. And not just bounce back to your same original shape, but the new definition I call it, Resilience 2.0 is really how do we have this anti-fragility mindset where we bounce-back better than before? I feel like I'm living proof of like, how did we do that, right?

And always seeking ways to optimize and perform. And I definitely healthier now in my forties than I was in 20s, which is crazy. And I think, too, as we both see, the mindset is such a huge piece. It is. And if people are always talking about, oh, I have this or I had this diagnosis, and they're always looking for more diagnosis. So creating that framework that's all positive and kind of the trajectory of how you actually are, but recreating that so that we can live that way is

Resilience, Identity, and Reframing Illness 3:04

so important because there's so many people that are stuck in, Oh, my Lyme, XYZ and they're just keeping that ownership and that's not what we want, right? We needed to be let go and resilient. Yeah, that anxiety is so crucial. I remember having a patient with lupus that on her license plate was lupa. So I'm like, sweetheart, you're never going to get well because you are so identified with that. And even now I think about my cancer, I can tell the story, but sometimes like, oh yeah, did have cancer.

There's like this, and then attached to it. And I don't even like the word cancer survivor, because it's this thing of like who I am. I mean, sometimes I'll ask patients are like what is your illness doing for you? Exactly. And they just stop and look at me and like what, what do you mean? There's always, there's something. Yeah, they get out of it. Right. So when we go down to those roots and I feel like I've been doing functional medicine for over 20 years, but what now is more powerful than the old, you know, just supplements, nutrition, diet lifestyle is going to this deep roots of identity and trauma.

How do we see the world and how do live in the in our mindset? Yeah. Those are probably more than. And a big one too is on social media, right? A lot of people's Instagram handle has their disease in it. Yes, exactly. And I'm like, you have to change that. I would suggest changing that if and when you're healing journey, we want you to be well. So what are some of the top things that you've been speaking about or talking about that help people become more resilient? Yeah, so one of my favorite topics is environmental toxic load, right?

And we share that. And obviously with my own journey from mold-related illness, it is so much a hidden thing for many people. I mean, here we are in Southern Florida and it's like, my friend lives here and she was saying, Jill, I think every house in our neighborhood has mold. It's so common. So people don't realize it and they start to have autoimmune disease or dysfunction or cognitive difficulties and like I don' know what's wrong. That environment is crucial and unfortunately, you know, Clean air, clean water, and clean food is kind of the starting point, but people don't even realize that they're swimming in toxic soup.

So I get really excited. Bringing awareness to that topic, then also bringing solutions. Like what can we do about this? Because I think when we talk about environmental toxicity, it could be pretty depressing. It is. Because PFAs and mold and plastics and parabens and, you know, all these things, metals and then wildfires and there's smoke and so we have this huge load. And I think the U.S. sometimes is worse than a lot of other countries. Oh, for sure. But with that, then if I can bring someone the tools to be practical and actually kind of affordable, because like you can get a really good water filter for your fridge for 30 bucks, and it's not the best of the line, but it is good enough.

Environmental Toxic Load and Practical Solutions 5:49

Yes. Or air filtration or, you know, opening windows and some basic stuff that he will have access to. Yep. So, and you can just see the audience kind of light up when they see, oh wait, I can do that. Right. Yes, they, uh, feel like they have the agency. Because otherwise it's overwhelming. Since we've been doing it for 20 plus years, you know, but all my patients, I was like, well, what's wrong with that now? You know or something. It's like I feel bad you're ruining their life and they're taking away their prized, whatever it might be, air fryer.

Everything. And they think they are doing something positive and helpful. Unfortunately, we know a little too much and everything is kind of often a bit of a burden. So it is very important to make it easy and doable and then again not so expensive that it's just out of everyone's reach. Exactly. Do you have certain things besides those foundations, right? The clean air, water, food. What about on the kind of either mindset or nervous system side do you work on or talk about in your book? Yeah, a lot.

Um, cause it goes from, you know, the, uh, cancer, then the Crohn's and the mold. But then in the last card of the book is all about, I went through a divorce that was kind of sudden after 20 years. And what happened in that. Was I always say that like, whether it's me with a patient or people in a relationship or a mother, daughter, or all these relationships that you have. love, which is a commonality, even with our patients, right, is creating a space for the optimal transformation for another human being.

And I love that definition because giving the space that you truly want what's best for them. There's not like this selfish intention. You're just like, well, how can I help you transform to be your best self? And in that kind of an altruistic way, it could be, you know, bosses or children or parents or employees or whatever, It works to all of them, but in the transformation happens. And I think that for me it happened through a sudden divorce that I wasn't expecting. But looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened.

Yeah, looking for the gift in everything. Because I had to go deep and like, who am I and what am i, you know, doing and all that. Then in that transformation process, I learned a lot and I did a little healing and i think some of the healing around identity. For me, It was like do I trust myself? Can I Trust my intuition? Do I love myself Yeah, do I take care of myself? Do I set boundaries and all those things around that? But in that, I felt like some of the most profound healing happens way more than all the protocols for mold or all protocols.

Even now I feel like talk about resilience, like I can go into a molding hotel and I don't love it. I could tell I get a little congested, but I'm okay. Right. And there's no longer a trauma response to that. Yeah. To me, that's another way to think about resiliency is how do we teach patients to own that resilience and actually practice it in a way that transforms their life, no matter if it's a financial calamity or a health crisis or divorce or whatever. Yeah. And it is really, really the central thing, right?

There's some There's a beautiful book about that.

Mindset, Trauma, and Healing Through Divorce 8:55

And it's basically like, you have to learn to love yourself and yourselves and that will transform everything. It's really the center of all healing. Yeah, it is. Even though we love all the toxins and are so fascinated by it, addressing that, but also the emotional side of everything. And again, that everything that comes into our life is here to teach us and as a gift and find that so that you can grow from it. Exactly. It's like reframing. What is the gift here? And so you worked on a lot with mold as well, right?

And do you, one thing I think that is interesting to people is they're usually not aware that they have it, and that's the thing that I people just, or they downplay it. Like, oh, but everybody, everyone's house has some mold. It's everywhere. And are you still seeing a lotta clients Formal toxicities. Yes. Okay. It's increasing. Unfortunately, I think a couple of things. I mean, building materials and how things are being built are poorly constructed or left out in the, you know. elements, so more likely they're getting moisture actually put into their walls without them even knowing it.

Yeah, and even the brand new build. Exactly. Sadly, many times the branding builds. And then I think radiation, Wi-Fi, actually, there was a study with two petri dishes of mold and one of them under the router, House of Router, produced 600 times of microtoxins. So because of that, you see that there is this effect, this living organism can sense it, as we have more and more impulse inputs in the environment. I think that, oh, even solar panels, which great because it's, you know, amazing, but the electromagnetic radiation that you create when you put solar panel can actually make a home that may have had a little mold problem, way worse.

And I don't know how many places. So that's how catch 22. It's all about efficiency. But then if someone has mold in their home, they probably have to think about how does that work? And so there's a lot of things playing into that. And then our natural disasters and hurricanes and storms and water intrusions. Um, and so to your point about people wonder, not really knowing, I think many people just start to go downhill or they might see, one of my questions is always like, do you remember when you last felt well?

And tracking back to that and then say, well, what happened since then?

Mold Toxicity, Testing, and Hidden Exposure 11:16

And it might be a move or it may be something changed or whatever. And then as we ask the questions, really, it's most of the time, I will test to confirm, which is like urinary microtoxins, Sears labs and the blood work or the home testing, like a dust sample. However, history is so good because if you're really asking those questions, you can kind of make a timeline and figure out when they felt well and then when didn't. And then, oh, there was a move, right? And your dog got sick and your cat got like, and you son got second.

You're like okay, well, it's environment, process of elimination. Yeah, and it's tricky because a lot of the times too, I think a lots of us maybe had a childhood home with mold and you were maybe okay, but had maybe headaches or something. And then the next home in college and then schools and gyms, it just... Absolutely. At some point you're tippled at this. Yeah. I say that's the bucket analogy, right? Of the toxic loading. You hit this capacity and the water spills over the top. The three things that most commonly present are neurodegenerative disease, autoimmunity and cancer.

Yes. Yep, it's very serious, right? I think we have that delicate balance of reiterating to patients and clients that they have the capability to heal. And yet this is something you really need to work on and focus on because it will snowball into some bigger issues. So you have your book, is it out and available? Yeah, this is available on Amazon anywhere books are sold. Um, so you want to sign company, you can go to drjillhealth.com, but otherwise anywhere, books. And anything else you'd like to share with us?

Just, I mean, the reason I wrote this was to give hope. And I think the thing I have to end on always is like, no matter where you are, whether you're a practitioner or dealing with very complex patients and overwhelmed, or whether your patient that's dealing something that is unexplainable or mysterious, there's always hope, and that why I always love getting out in the world,

Hope, Healing, and Closing Remarks 13:09

just sharing that message that healing is possible. Agreed, definitely. Well, it's such a pleasure and I look forward to reading your book. Thanks for listening to the Longevity Leaders podcast. A Lungevity leaders community is on mission to transform a hundred million lives by 2040. If you enjoyed the show, please share this with somebody that you know, especially another doctor or physician, but also click that follow button. Until next time, stay strong and live long.