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What if one of the biggest reasons people stay stuck in chronic illness recovery is mold?

In this episode of Never Been Sicker, Michael Rubino sits down with integrative medicine practitioner Michelle McKeon to talk about the overlap between mold exposure, Lyme disease, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), long COVID, immune dysregulation, and personalized treatment.

Michelle shares why more patients today need customized care, how mold can suppress the immune system and complicate recovery, and why treatment order matters so much for sensitive people. Michael also explains why proper home investigation and remediation are essential if someone wants real, sustainable progress.

In this episode, they cover:
- Why mold is often a major missing piece in recovery
- The connection between mold, Lyme, and MCAS
- Why some people flare from supplements and detox protocols
- How long COVID and environmental exposure may overlap
- Why generalized testing and treatment often miss the full picture
- How personalized care can help sensitive patients move forward
If you’ve been dealing with mold illness, chronic inflammation, Lyme, long COVID, or MCAS, this episode connects many of the dots.

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:31 Michelle introduces her background and work
2:54 Personalized medicine and personalized remediation
4:16 Why some patients need a more customized approach
5:16 FMT and gut microbiome support for sensitive patients
7:08 Blood cleansing therapies and lingering inflammatory burdens
11:28 Michael asks about long COVID and indoor air quality
13:10 Toxic bucket theory, mold exposure, and MCAS
15:16 Why mold is a major factor for so many chronic illness patients
16:58 The problem with poor inspections and bad remediation
18:42 Why drainage pathways and sequencing matter in recovery
21:18 Michael explains why center-of-room air sampling is flawed
24:08 Why thorough remediation matters
26:25 Why more patients now understand mold is serious
28:13 Michelle shares her own experience with humidity and VOCs
30:48 Looking at the body and home holistically
31:14 The Lyme and mold connection
34:47 Why aggressive treatment can backfire in sensitive patients
36:58 Nervous system regulation and trauma in chronic illness
37:23 The emotional cost of getting dismissed by doctors
38:42 Do you need to treat mold before Lyme?
40:38 Mold’s impact on psychiatric symptoms and brain inflammation
42:56 Mold, anxiety, depression, and root cause medicine
47:00 What MCAS is and why it matters
53:24 Michael asks the biggest lie Michelle has uncovered
54:25 Michelle says the biggest lie is that mold is not that serious
55:58 Michael explains why “mold is everywhere” is misleading
1:05:22 Wrap-up and where to find Michelle

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🔵 About Michelle :
Michelle McKeon is the owner of The Lyme Specialist, a Licensed Integrative Nutritionist, and Certified Mold Practitioner specializing in tick-borne infections, environmental toxins, gut health, and inflammatory conditions. After overcoming her own severe battle with Lyme disease and co-infections, Michelle went on to earn her master’s degree in Human Nutrition and now helps clients address root causes including mold mycotoxins, infections, genetics, and detox challenges. She is also an author, speaker, and advocate for people navigating complex chronic illness.

🔵 Follow her:
Website: https://thelymespecialist.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelymespecialist/

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