Full Transcript Opening analogy and podcast intro 0:00 When the plant's starting to go south, it's starting to wilt and not look, you don't look at the plant and say, what's wrong with the plant? 0:05 You look at the, you know, the sunlight and it's the environment, right? 0:09 It's the nutrients in the soil. 0:11 How much water is it getting? 0:12 How much sunlight? 0:12 All that good stuff. 0:13 And then you fix those things and then the plant gets better. 0:17 So it sounds like that's the approach that you recommend for treating this condition as well. 0:23 Absolutely, it's the same. 0:24 Yeah, plants like require our care. 0:26 If you're trying to cultivate them like in your backyard, same as kids. 0:32 You've tried everything. 0:33 You've changed your diet. 0:35 You've detoxed. 0:35 You've even moved homes. 0:37 And yet, you still feel sick. 0:39 Headaches, brain fog, fatigue that no one can explain. 0:43 What if it's not you? 0:44 What if it's your environment? 0:46 Welcome to Mold Microtoxins and More. 0:48 I'm John Bode. 0:49 Each week, I sit down with experts uncovering how mold, microtoxins, and environmental exposures affect your health and what real recovery looks like. 0:58 Let's get into today's conversation. 1:01 The information provided on the Mold Pros podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, 1:07 diagnosis, or treatment. 1:09 Listening to the podcast does not create a doctor-patient or professional-client relationship between you and the podcast host, 1:15 guest, or the Mold Pros. 1:17 The content shared should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 1:22 And always seek the medical advice of your physician or qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding the medical condition, 1:29 potential mold exposure, or health concerns. 1:32 Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you heard on this podcast.
Andrea's eczema journey begins 1:38 And while we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, 1:43 expressed or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, or liability or suitability of all the information discussed. 1:49 A guest's experience and outcomes discussed on this podcast are individual cases and should not be considered typical results. 1:55 Your situation may differ significantly. 1:58 As always, if you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. 2:03 By listening to the Mold Pros podcast, you acknowledge that you understood this disclosure. 2:08 Good afternoon. 2:10 This is John Bodie, host of Mold, Mycotoxins and More, and today we're excited to have with us, Andrea McHugh, and she is the host of the podcast, 2:20 Exima Kids. 2:21 You're welcome to Mold, Mycotoxins and More. 2:24 Thanks, John. 2:25 I'm really excited to be here. 2:27 Fantastic. 2:28 I listened to several of your podcasts earlier and just really great work that you're doing. 2:33 Thank you. 2:34 I noticed that where you indicated that you're kind of a reluctant podcast host. 2:39 You said, hey, I wish I'd be doing other things, but here we are. 2:42 So share with us a little bit. 2:44 How did you come to start XM and Kids? 2:47 What's been your journey? 2:49 Sure. 2:49 Yeah, I would love to not be an eczema expert, but that's just like the cards that were in store for us because six years ago, 2:58 I just had my third daughter and she was basically born with eczema. 3:02 She was born with this neonatal rash. 3:04 They wrote in her discharge papers and it just got worse and worse and worse. 3:07 And then simultaneously, my two-year-old, she had this little rash on the inside of her thigh and then it just started growing, 3:13 growing, growing, growing. 3:14 And then I had two kids. 3:16 completely covered, head to toe, skin falling off, oozing, kind of eczema, like not sleeping one little bit. 3:23 And it just took us on a journey and then we went to the pediatrician, as one does when you have sick kids. 3:31 And you know, I had zero history with this. 3:34 you know, growing up or anything like that. 3:36 My husband didn't have any history with this. 3:38 And yeah, we went to the pediatrician and the pediatrician just was like, this is so bad. 3:42 You're going to need two steroid prescriptions for both of them. 3:46 Put gloves on yourself before you administer any of these medications because they're admittedly very toxic and you know you're just gonna have to manage 3:56 this unfortunately and I was like that's just not gonna work you know I was holding my my newborn baby she's a month old and I was holding the hand of 4:05 my two-year-old I was like It just can't be, that can't be the answer. 4:08 So I took the prescription and I just kept it in my back pocket and I just, I knew I had to find another way. 4:13 And so, yeah, it was, it was by force that I had to, I had to learn all these things and, and, and go on this journey. 4:19 And now I help other people learn the same because, oh my goodness, this is such a ubiquitous problem. 4:24 This is so, so big in our current pediatric population. 4:27 And then even with adults that never resolved it in childhood and they're still suffering.
Rejecting standard steroid treatment 4:32 So, so that's why I do what I do. 4:35 Very good. 4:36 Well, we don't want to gloss over this, but the standard of care was to apply a steroid to your newborn's skin that you couldn't have it touch your skin. 4:48 You had it been on gloves because it was so caustic. 4:51 Yes, I know. 4:52 Isn't that sad? 4:52 He said also throw in a couple capfuls of bleach into their bath. 4:57 I know. 4:58 It's just suppress and kill is what they have as tools in allopathic medicine. 5:03 And then there's also scratch tests, which just exacerbate the problem a lot of times. 5:09 And then the dermatologists really say the same thing. 5:12 And so, yeah, it's really sad. 5:15 And I just didn't want my kids to be reliant on anything, but especially pharmaceuticals that I knew had pretty deleterious side effects. 5:24 And so, yeah, I just didn't want to go that route. 5:27 Yeah, no, it makes a lot of sense. 5:29 So, so you went down this, this path to your kids and obviously you've had great results. 5:34 And so you're trying to share that with, with other parents who are going through the same thing. 5:40 What, what hopes are you trying or what is your hope to, to make an impact and the way that we, we treat our children with this type of condition? 5:49 I just want everyone to know, I mean, there's so many, you hear all these like preventative things and especially us as parents like, 5:55 oh, dang, you know, I wish you could have done all this, but now we're here now and we're in this problem and we're not sleeping and our children are miserable. 6:02 I just want, you know, I just want everyone to know that this is 100% reversible. 6:06 And the, what's great about, you know, tackling this when, when they're kids, even when they're older kids, you know, in their teens, 6:14 it's just, they still have, you know, the most, most of their life ahead of them. 6:18 their cellular turnover is so quick that you know they just regenerate cells so quickly and once you start you know bringing down the inflammation and 6:26 you start making each you know round of cells just a little plumper a little healthier a little more you know like increase the health of that mitochondria 6:35 you can see results so so quickly and it just changes the entire trajectory of their lives and so yeah it's just it's it's it's it's that's the silver 6:45 lining yeah When someone gets that diagnosis for their children, I mean, that's a heavy diagnosis to have, but I think you touched on something that's 6:55 really important. 6:55 It's not just that. 6:56 It's the, if you can imagine having that condition and as you age, it's your social interaction.
Why eczema affects more than skin 7:02 And then as a parent, the weight of trying to get your child on their path to wellness, can you talk a little bit about some of those additional rings, 7:14 if you will, that occur when someone has eczema. 7:19 Like the bigger effects? 7:22 Yeah, yeah. 7:23 It's not just the fact that we have this of skin condition, right? 7:29 It's much bigger than that. 7:30 Yeah. 7:31 Yeah. 7:32 It's much bigger than that. 7:34 I mean, like, as you said, this is when you're not sleeping and you're going through it and your kid is itchy and you can't set your baby on the floor 7:41 because they're just scratching themselves to death. 7:43 that's a problem and it's that's real suffering and there's certainly worse things right there's childhood cancer and there's there's things like that 7:49 that are just like even scarier diabetes you know and but what you know scared me when i was researching and treating my own kids it's like that's just 7:58 not too far away eczema is an autoimmune conditioning and so it has to be you know dealt with it has to be considered really serious and know, 8:10 even just like a little bit, it's just showing you, oh man, there's something bigger going on inside. 8:15 And so if you leave that unchecked, if you, you know, go with the hope and a prayer methodology, just like, hopefully this will get better, 8:24 hopefully they grow out of it, you know, that's tossed around a lot. 8:27 And in a lot of pediatrician's offices, it's like, when you don't deal with that inflammation, it just triggers, I mean, 8:36 either molds into something else, like asthma or hay fever, you know, that's the atopic triad and, and Western medicine, 8:43 you know, definitely acknowledges that but or it I read the GAPS diet by Dr. 8:51 Natasha Campbell when I was researching and trying to teach or treat my kids. 8:55 And she put eczema and autism on this same path, on the same line, like that inflammation is happening inside the body and there's a dysbiosis happening 9:08 inside the body and it can just manifest in different ways. 9:12 That inflammation can start to mess up your brain. 9:15 It can start to mess up all your other organ systems. 9:17 And so that's what was scarier than even what we were actually dealing with. 9:21 This is like, okay, if I leave this unchecked, it's just going to get worse and worse and worse. 9:26 And so we got to deal with this now. 9:29 And that's getting, getting, we work with a lot of functional medicine practitioners. 9:33 And I really, the thing I admire about that approach is really getting to the root cause, right? 9:38 I think I heard on one of your, your podcast, you had the quote that essentially that's not a skin condition. 9:45 That's a message from your body. 9:47 And that's certainly sounds like that's the case. 9:51 What type of conditions have you been able to identify? 9:54 Is it food intake? 9:56 Is it environmental? 9:57 Is it all the above? 9:58 Is it genetics? 9:59 What have you come to learn? 10:01 You've cleaned, repainted, and replaced filters. 10:04 And still, you're not getting better. 10:06 Headache, fatigue, brain fog? 10:09 The doctors can't explain it, but your environment can. 10:12 At The Mold Pros, we specialize in uncovering what's hidden in plain sight. 10:15 Our environmental testing looks beyond surface mold, identifying bacteria, volatile organic compounds, and even micro toxins in the air that you breathe.
Root causes and environmental triggers 10:25 Then we correlate those results with your clinical data, showing how your space may be affecting your health. 10:32 Next, we use our patented remediation process to safely remove toxins, restore balance, and prevent them from returning. 10:39 It's more than just a cleanup. 10:41 It's a science-based system designed to help your body heal by healing the environment first. 10:47 If you're ready to breathe freely again, visit TheMoldPros.com and schedule your free consultation. 10:54 Because wellness doesn't start in the doctor's office, it starts where you live. 11:00 Yeah, I mean, we know that, like, as you just said, it's not a skin condition, there's a dysbiosis happening, and their little, 11:07 you know, if it's child, their livers are overwhelmed, their inflammation buckets are full. 11:12 And so, no matter the reason, and some of my just, training as a parent, it's like I had to let go of that why. 11:21 I had some, I had cesareans, I've had four cesareans. 11:24 I used to work in the dental industry. 11:26 There's been a lot of exposures. 11:27 There's been a lot of things that I wish, you know, I had done differently, but their bucket is full. 11:35 Our job now is to decrease the amount of inflammatory assailants that are coming at them 24-7, be that via food, be that their environment. 11:47 EMF is a thing that we have to now deal with. 11:51 There's just So many things. 11:53 And, and thankfully, good news is we have control over a lot of them, a lot of them, way more than we think, especially when we're treating our children, 12:01 right? 12:02 Like you're buying the groceries, you're preparing the food, you're, you're paying for the environment and you're cleaning that environment and you're, 12:11 you know, there's so many things that are within your control. 12:15 And if you just start to line those things up and start to get those inputs back into, you know, more a more of a healthy, 12:22 more aligned circadian rhythm type of way, they will fare so much better. 12:30 Very good. 12:31 So as opposed to, I think you said initially it was bleach baths with sounds just extremely awful, just terrible. 12:40 And then it was this caustic steroidal topical treatment, it sounds like. 12:46 Obviously you've been able to come across a better path. 12:51 And so can you share a little bit about what that looks like? 12:53 And maybe do you have some stories of success where, hey, other than obviously your children, but others where they've been able to go down this path and 13:03 find a road to wellness. 13:04 Yeah. 13:05 Yeah. 13:05 Every single, I've been doing this for four years and it's, I mean, everyone's gotten better. 13:11 Every single person, every single person, because once you like do the things that we just spoke to, once we get the environment under control and we get 13:19 the diet under control and we just like lower that systemic inflammation, everything gets better. 13:24 The skin gets better. 13:25 The sleep gets better. 13:26 The behavior gets better. 13:27 Like every, you know, the allergies get better. 13:29 Every single thing gets better. 13:30 And so that's, what's so promising and exciting. 13:35 But to get there, as mere mortal parents, no matter who you're working with, you're the one that's doing it.
Healing through diet and home changes 13:41 You're implementing this, and you're in charge of the healing path, and it's your responsibility. 13:46 So you start in the kitchen, at the next meal, and you're just ensuring that every meal is nutrient-dense. 13:55 comprised of whole in-season foods, ideally, prepared properly, prepared for digestion. 14:03 These kids aren't assimilating the nutrients from their food. 14:07 They're not absorbing what they need to absorb. 14:09 The whole reason that we eat is for nutrients and to grow and thrive, and these kids aren't doing that. 14:16 We're soaking the beans and we're soaking the grains and we're using pressure cookers and we're, you know, pairing foods properly. 14:25 We're not eating meats with fruits, like as an example, because the digestive enzymes for those types of things are completely different, 14:32 right? 14:33 So if you eat those two things together, then some is left in your stomach and then it starts to ferment and it's increasing that systemic inflammation. 14:39 So we start there. 14:40 We start in the kitchen. 14:43 with some basic principles, number one being real food. 14:47 Very good. 14:48 So it's more of a, it was a Hippocrates that said, you know, let, let food be thy medicine. 14:52 So you, you start there. 14:54 Is there any sort of testing or diagnosis or is it that someone can say, how could we have this? 15:02 They've been to their doctor. 15:03 The doctors has prescribed these more traditional you know, standard of care treatments that they typically get kind of the canned approach. 15:14 Is there any sort of testing or what's the path for them to get on a different approach that's more holistic for their children, 15:23 I guess? 15:24 Well, like you, like you start with the diet, right? 15:28 And so then, then we're I leave testing for last and the majority of the people that I work with don't have to go there at all because it's expensive and 15:42 it's invasive. 15:43 For some kids, it's pretty traumatic and it's hard. 15:47 Anyone under 12 months old, they can't do any testing and even school tests aren't made for them. 15:55 So we just, we just do the things that we can do inside our four walls. 16:00 And that's a lot. 16:01 So you do that. 16:03 You make sure that everything that touches the skin is bioavailable. 16:07 That's edible is basically our standard. 16:09 Not that it would taste good if you ate it, but that, you know, anything that you put on your skin, it's absorbed. 16:16 And your body, it circulates throughout your body and is digested by your liver, just the same as anything that you would eat. 16:20 So everything has to be of that standard, right? 16:24 And then, you know, everything in your environment, like you do what you can to, for mold, you open your windows, you purify your air, 16:32 you you know, ideally get rid of carpet, things like that, that are just exacerbating your child's symptoms at this moment of time. 16:43 And then, and then, and we supplement because there's going to be some key nutritional deficiencies that are happening for anyone that's, 16:51 that has eczema. 16:52 There's certainly a dysbiosis going on. 16:54 There's certainly a backup in their detox pathways. 16:57 Like when we're seeing eczema written skin, we're looking at those, those toxins coming out through the skin, right? 17:02 They're not coming out through the proper detoxification channel. 17:05 So we're opening that up. 17:06 We're getting their lymph system move in and go in and through enough cycles of that, through consistency, that's when you start to see the change. 17:17 And so when you've got all those things dialed in, those four sections for a period of time, a couple of months, and then you're most definitely better.
Testing, coaching, and recovery path 17:27 in a better place, but if it's not completely resolved, that's when we jump into testing. 17:31 Because then, without a doubt, then there's some pathogenic bacterias or things like that that are living inside that we have to eradicate, 17:39 but we have to know what it is before we start to. 17:43 treat that. 17:43 Go down that path. 17:45 It sounds like there's, I was talking with a practitioner that we do a lot of work for their patients. 17:53 And they use the analogy of a plant. 17:55 When the plant's starting to go south, it's starting to wilt and not look, you don't look at the plant and say, what's wrong with the plant? 18:01 You look at the, you know, the sunlight, it's the environment, right? 18:04 It's the nutrients in the soil. 18:06 How much water is it getting? 18:08 You know, how much sunlight, all that good stuff. 18:10 And then you fix those things and then the plant gets better. 18:13 So it sounds like that's the approach that, that you recommend for treating this condition as well. 18:20 Absolutely. 18:21 It's the same. 18:21 Yeah. 18:22 Plants like require our care, you know, if you're, if you're trying to cultivate them, like in your backyard, the same, same as kids. 18:28 Yeah. 18:29 Do you have, it's been four years you've been down this journey and obviously you have the podcast with a lot of great information on your podcast, 18:35 which is fantastic. 18:37 Is there a website that people can go to? 18:39 How can someone get more information or maybe get in contact with you to have a more natural holistic approach that really gets to the root of the problem? 18:50 Yeah. 18:51 So eczema kids is a site you can listen to the most recent episode there. 18:56 And I have a line of skincare and some probiotic tea and some just extra tools and support to help you through this journey, 19:04 help you treat the outside while you're. 19:06 remediating the inside really. 19:08 And then I have a coaching program called the eczema elimination method. 19:13 And that's when we walk you through all these things. 19:14 We get a one-on-one coaching call and really create an in-depth plan for you to execute. 19:20 And then we're talking along the way and making adjustments as needed. 19:24 And we're just going through that protocol until your child is healed. 19:31 Okay, fantastic. 19:32 So is there a website that we could direct folks to? 19:35 Or is there a phone number? 19:36 How do we get in contact with you? 19:38 XMAKids.com is where everything is. 19:41 All right. 19:41 And for those that are, you know, challenged with spelling as myself, it is going to be... 19:49 ECZ. 19:50 Go ahead, go ahead. 19:53 Yeah. 19:54 ECZ, E-M-A, kids, K-I-D-S, dot com? 19:59 Yes. 20:00 Yes. 20:00 Everything's there. 20:01 All right. 20:02 Perfect. 20:02 Any other thoughts that or success stories you'd like to share with our audience today? 20:10 I just want parents to know even if you've gone down that steroid rabbit hole or if you've been taking biologics or that's just on the table, 20:18 it just doesn't have to be your child's permanent story and it's okay. 20:23 Whatever has happened in the past, they can overcome it. 20:28 They're very, very resilient. 20:29 Our human bodies are meant to be resilient. 20:33 And we're just, that's what we're doing is like creating this resiliency so that they can handle life with ultimate food freedom and without pharmaceuticals. 20:43 That's our goal. 20:44 And no matter what situation you're in now, you can absolutely get there. 20:50 That's fantastic. 20:51 One other thought and listen to what you have to say, you know, we're talking about how resilient the kids are, but also as a parent, 21:02 You have children, I have children. 21:03 I think there's probably a certain amount of weight that as a parent you carry, right?
Parent support and closing remarks 21:09 When your child is suffering and you can't get them better, it's what did I do wrong? 21:14 Or in the past making these judgments or using these, you know, these steroids and bleach baths and that kind of thing, you're making the best decision 21:24 that you have with information you have at the time. 21:26 Does your website have any support for the parent as well? 21:32 Yeah, like I said, you're the one that's doing it, right? 21:34 You're the one that's implementing. 21:38 You know, one, we give you a plan and we give you the information so that you know what, so you understand the why. 21:45 Why are you doing each of these things? 21:47 We give you a rhythm, like we'll make it so that you can actually do it in your life, given the age and whatever is going on in your, 21:55 your family. 21:56 Like we can make this possible. 21:58 I have four kids run a business. 22:00 I mean, you know, everyone's really, really busy. 22:02 And so, yeah, it's gotta be doable and consistent. 22:06 And I think just. 22:08 It's stressful, right? 22:09 It's stressful to watch your child be miserable and not really know how to pull them out of that well. 22:17 And when we were really going through it, the best thing for my mental health was, because I was never going to be okay knowing, 22:27 you know, my kids were not okay. 22:28 Like, I'm just not evolved enough to be there yet. 22:32 So, but, you know, when I laid my head down on the pillow, and I know that I did everything that was within my power, you know, 22:41 to help my kids. 22:42 That is what kept me going. 22:45 It's like, okay, like I could not have done any more for them. 22:49 So that is what gave me solace like during that time. 22:53 And then as they started to improve, I mean, certainly then it becomes much more, you know, self-fulfilling, but it just is that if you can just keep that 23:03 little nugget in you are, if you're listening to these type of podcasts, you are the parent that is doing every single thing that you possibly can and just, 23:11 you know, keep going. 23:12 Like there's no other choice. 23:14 Yeah. 23:15 Well, that's, that's fantastic. 23:17 Thank you so much for sharing your personal journey for investing and learning and be able to help others and make an impact on families. 23:26 It's really important work that you're doing. 23:28 And I'm so glad to have carved out time and, and visit with you today. 23:33 So thank you very much. 23:34 Keep it going. 23:35 Thank you, John. 23:36 Likewise. 23:36 Thanks for having me. 23:38 All right. 23:38 We'll talk to you soon. 23:42 You've been listening to mold, mycotoxins and more with John Bodie. 23:46 If you're ready to take the next step towards a healthier home, follow the show and visit TheMoldPros.com for your free consultation. 23:53 Because clean air is the first step to true healing.
Comments