Today’s Mold Talks guest is Dana Childs, Intuitive and Energy Healer. In 2009, Dana Childs left her corporate job behind and bought a one-way ticket to India in search of self. There, her intuitive gifts opened. Today, as an intuitive, energy healer, and teacher, she delivers grounded spirituality with heart, humor, and unabashed truth through private healing sessions, workshops, online courses, and retreats.
Her passion is helping others learn to access their trues selves and open their intuitive gifts. Dana is a favorited intuitive with Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand Goop, having been featured on their podcast. In 2019, Goop named Dana’s classes as one of their highlighted programs for intuitive development. When not helping others on their search for personal and professional fulfillment, Dana can be found writing articles, working on a book, or playing and hiking with her dog, Sufi, in North Carolina.
Our chat touches on Dana’s personal experience with mold, her long journey to diagnosis, and her newfound understanding of the relationship between health and mold. She recommends steps to follow for those also suffering from mold-induced symptoms and explains her next steps in building mold awareness to others.
Today’s Talk:
“I’m really passionate about mold because I’ve had the most horrific experience with it.”
As an intuitive and energy healer, Dana deeply felt the hurt of her mold diagnosis. A healer by profession, not figuring out how to heal herself for seven years frustrated her beyond belief and instilled self-doubt in her own talents and abilities. “It was maddening,” she said.
Eight doctors, a naturopath, and an acupuncturist later, she was ready to throw in the towel. Her immune system constantly failed, headaches came and went, joint pain became the usual, and bloating and digestive issues plagued her daily. That, she said was the worst part. She’d often spend days fasting just to seek relief which led to severe weight loss and malnourishment.
Her internal struggles compounded her persistent health issues. With constant low energy, her feelings of depression grew as the days wore on. Doctors rolled their eyes when she came to them for help, pointing to psychological diagnoses instead of physical aid. At one point, she said she laid on her couch and felt like she’d reached her limit.
“I said, ‘God, I’m happy with what I’ve done with my life this far and I’m ready to be done.’ I wasn’t suicidal, but I was just giving up.”
Relief came when a client suggested her problems could be connected to mold. Ironically, she said, someone mentioned mold at the beginning of her health decline but she brushed it off. Being around mold her whole life, she didn’t think it was a big deal; bleach it and there goes the problem. Which she now knows isn’t quite the case.
With only one mold specialist in North Carolina (who had already misdiagnosed her), Dana finally got the validation she waited for with a simple urine sample that showed her toxin level off the charts. A second opinion later, she had a prognosis and a treatment plan- both for her body and her home.
“It was such a relief to be diagnosed.”
Dana eventually realized though that mold remediation isn’t always as simple as a one-time fix. With her house treated and health improving, she moved back in and immediately began feeling sick again. Her mold specialist tried feeding her the “I think it’s psychological” line, but by now, Dana wasn’t going to be fooled by mold again. Her epiphany came after and a nap on the couch with a blanket she cleaned in vinegar during her home remediation stage. The mold in the house might be gone, but it was still in the fabrics all over her home.
“When you’re sensitive to mold, it distributes to everything in the home.”
That fact, she said, is what many people don’t talk about but need to know. You have understood everything mold can affect and how to properly clean each and every surface. It’s exhausting and can cost money, but personal health and well-being are worth it.
Her focus now rests on taking the time to heal and starting discussions about mold and health, not only in humans but also in pets and children.
Dana’s recommendations for those suspecting mold sensitivities are:
- Find a practitioner that will listen to you and help you. If you’re not fine, you’re not fine.
- Get a support system that will listen and help you. It’s so much harder to do it alone.
- Believe that you will get better. Keep faith that you’d find a “cocktail” that will work for you
- Make sure your partner forms a support system as well. They may not have sensitivities but are there for you while you’re sick- that can be exhausting and confusing for them.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DANA AT:
https://danachildsintuitive.com/
https://www.instagram.com/danachildsintuitive/
