Breaking News: RFK Jr. Speaks Up About Mold Illness After His Family's Misdiagnosis

On Sept. 18, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared something deeply personal at an HHS Mold Surveillance Roundtable. His family once lived in a mold-infected house that eventually had to be torn down, and one of his sons saw 89 doctors before anyone properly diagnosed him.

I'm not here to talk politics. I'm here because that story sounds painfully familiar. I lived it. For years I bounced from doctor to doctor, and one even asked if I was diabetic (I wasn't), while the real driver, mold toxicity, went completely unchecked.

In this article, I'll break down what Kennedy actually said, why mold illness so often gets misdiagnosed, the symptoms worth paying attention to, and how I tested for and healed from mold toxicity.

What RFK Jr. Said at the HHS Mold Surveillance Roundtable

Kennedy said he has wanted to address mold-related disease since his first day as Secretary. He described how nearly all of his children were affected by the moldy house, and how his wife suffered in ways doctors couldn't make sense of. His son now lives in Phoenix, in a home designed to combat mold. You can watch the full roundtable here.

He also warned that invasive mold disease can carry a 50–70% mortality rate. According to Kennedy, misdiagnosed patients often get antibiotics when they actually need treatment for a fungal infection, and misusing antibiotics can contribute to drug resistance.

Why Mold Illness Gets Misdiagnosed

Eighty-nine doctors. I wish that number shocked me, but I hear a version of it every week. Standard blood work won't check for mycotoxins, and most doctors are trained to treat symptoms one at a time rather than look for what's driving them.

While you're working on the exposure, your body needs support too. The Mold Detox Supplement Kit brings together the supplements I lean on for your gut, nervous system, and sleep, so you're not piecing it together on your own.

Mold Illness & Toxicity Symptoms: The Quick Version

The clue isn't one symptom. It's symptoms across several body systems at once:

• Brain and mood: brain fog, memory issues, anxiety, depression
• Energy and sleep: chronic fatigue, insomnia, waking exhausted
• Body: frequent urination, constant thirst, blood sugar swings, unexplained weight changes, hives or flushing

These have many causes, so please don't self-diagnose. Use them as a reason to dig deeper with a practitioner, especially if symptoms flare in a certain room or building. For one of the most common culprits, see my guide to Ochratoxin A symptoms, testing, and how to detox.

Step One: Find Out If Mold Could Be the Root Cause

If you're wondering whether mold is behind your symptoms, testing is where I'd start, not guessing. An at-home urine mycotoxin test like the Mycotoxin (Urine) Test can help show which mold toxins your body is currently excreting, and it's exactly how I found my answer. For the full comparison, see how to test for mold toxicity: urine vs. blood.

How I Healed From Mold Toxicity

For years I struggled with symptoms nobody could explain: extreme chronic fatigue, brain fog, waking in the middle of the night with my heart racing and pounding, vertigo and dizzy spells, red irritated eyes, flushed cheeks, recurring gut infections like candida, and really bad anxiety.

I saw a hormone doctor and a primary care doctor. One said it was stress, another said adrenal fatigue, another said long COVID or anxiety. I'm an integrative health coach. I was eating clean, exercising, and managing my stress, and none of it added up.

Then I noticed a pattern. Everything started after I moved into a new apartment. I felt better when I left and worse when I came home. I saw no visible mold, but behind the drywall there was black mold and a roof leak that had gone unrepaired for years. My urine test showed ochratoxin A and citrinin, plus a little gliotoxin.

How Mold Affects the Brain and the Body

Mold is airborne. You breathe in the spores, and mycotoxins can then affect your sinuses, gut, brain, liver, and kidneys. Think of it like invisible secondhand smoke: you may never see it, but it can build up and affect your health over time.

In the brain, mycotoxins are associated with inflammation that can show up as vertigo, brain fog, headaches, and even intrusive thoughts. They can also keep your limbic system stuck in fight-or-flight, which helps explain the anxiety, panic, sleep problems, and sensitivity to light and noise. That's why so many people wake up in the middle of the night with a racing heart.

Mold can also stress your adrenals and hormones, which is why it's so often misread as "adrenal fatigue," and it can burden your liver, kidneys, and gut. One sign I see often is frequent urination with constant thirst, because the kidneys may struggle to hold onto electrolytes.

The Steps I Took

1. Get out of the environment. Nothing else works if you're still breathing in mold every day. Even if it means breaking a lease or moving out for a while, this comes first. Porous items like curtains, blankets, sofas, and papers can hold onto mycotoxins, so a certified mold company or specialty laundry products may be part of the plan.

2. Go low and slow. When you start pulling mold toxins out, your body can push back. My first detox gave me a rash all over, likely from histamine release. I started with the gentle basics: sweating (sauna or exercise), hydration with quality electrolytes, clean anti-inflammatory nutrition with enough protein for your liver to do its job, and calming my nervous system with breathwork and meditation.

3. Support your gut and liver, but personalize it. Probiotics and liver, kidney, and gut support all matter. Everyone reacts differently, though. NAC gave me insomnia and made me feel wired, and it's a great example of why I don't hand out a one-size-fits-all list.

Healing isn't fast. Depending on your toxic load, some people notice big improvements within 3 to 6 months. For me it took almost two years. Binders in particular should be matched to your type of mold and your body, so please work with someone who is mold-literate.

My Results

A year after starting my protocol, my mycotoxin numbers had gone up, not down. My ochratoxin A went from 15 to 56, my citrinin from 25 to 127, and a new one, gliotoxin, appeared at 391. That scared me at first. But in my case it was a sign my body was finally releasing what it couldn't excrete before.

At the same time, my hormone panel came back into a healthy range, my inflammation was low, and my energy crashes and sleep problems were gone. Today I only notice symptoms if I walk into a moldy building. My results are my own, and everyone's timeline is different.

One more thing: a test can come back negative even when mold is the problem. I've worked with clients whose tests were negative until they got out of the moldy environment and started a protocol, then their results began to show. That's why your symptoms and your environment matter as much as the test.

Where to Start

Kennedy said he worries about the people who never figure it out and live with brain fog and other symptoms without answers. Those are the people I talk to every day. It is possible to heal from mold. I am proof of that, and so are my clients.

The hardest part isn't knowing something is wrong. It's knowing what to do first. That's why I created The Mold Detox Blueprint, my step-by-step blueprint to detox, heal, and rebuild your health after mold toxicity. It's the protocol I used to heal and have used with hundreds of my clients.

Ready to Stop Guessing?

If you've been dismissed, bounced between specialists, or told your labs look normal while you feel anything but, let's find the root cause together. Book your 1:1 consultation here. Virtual appointments are available worldwide.

Healing is possible when you focus on healing the root cause. I'd love to help you get your health back on track! - Ashley Drummonds