All In The Family…

She had always been strong.

Independent. Health-conscious. A hard worker. The kind of woman who takes care of everyone else before herself.

But something shifted.

It started subtly — anxiety that felt different. Not her “normal” anxiety from years past. This felt biological. Physical. Out of her control.

Then pregnancy made it worse.

She described feeling like she was dying. Freezing chills. Internal tremors. Heart palpitations. Breathlessness. Massive headaches. Hyperthyroid swings so severe she was losing weight rapidly. Doctors told her it was postpartum depression.

But she knew something wasn’t right.

The Spiral

Over the next few years, her health became a roller coaster:

• Hyperthyroid → then hypothyroid

• Hair loss

• Smell sensitivity

• Panic attacks

• Bronchitis every winter

• Positive autoimmune markers

• Recurrent infections

• Gut issues

• Unrelenting fatigue

• Weight gain that wouldn’t budge

Her labs were “weird.”
Her immune system markers flipped.
Her ANA stayed positive.

And the anxiety? It was no longer just emotional. It was inflammatory.

The House

There was a home purchase years earlier.

After moving in, her health changed:

• Chronic bronchitis every winter

• New chemical sensitivities

• Weight changes

• Smell hypersensitivity

They renovated.
They replaced flooring.
They changed HVAC.

But ductwork remained for years.

Later, a building biologist found mold in the crawlspace of a connected property.

The question that lingered:

Was this ongoing exposure?
Or was the damage already stored in her body?

The Ticks

During pregnancy, she pulled off a tick with a strange white marking.

She didn’t think much of it at the time.

Years later, she saw a Lyme specialist.
Antibiotics made her feel amazing.

When she stopped them… she crashed again.

She has been managing with herbs ever since.

The Hormones

Her anxiety worsened in perimenopause.

Estrogen swings.
Low progesterone.
Low testosterone.
Thyroid instability.

The week before her period, she feels like she has the flu.

Her body doesn’t regulate well anymore.

Hormones don’t cause illness like this — but they amplify underlying inflammation.

Then Her Son

Her son began having panic attacks.

Severe ones.

Agoraphobia.
Stomach pain.
Fear of vomiting.
Ten weeks unable to leave the house.

His symptoms began after prolonged exposure to a school building with a strong mold odor.

Mother and son.

Same thought patterns.
Same anxiety.
Same immune sensitivity.

Yet he had no awareness of her internal struggles.

This wasn’t learned behavior.

This was biology.

The Pattern

When we step back, the pattern becomes clear:

• Mold exposure

• Tick exposure

• Autoimmune markers

• Thyroid dysfunction

• Hormone instability

• Gut dysfunction

• Recurrent infections

• Anxiety that responds to antibiotics

• Immune modulation helping labs normalize

This is not “just anxiety.”

This is immune dysregulation.

This is biotoxin illness.

This is likely mold + Lyme + hormonal vulnerability layered together over time.

The Hopelessness

When she came to us, she said:

“I’ve seen so many people. I feel hopeless.”

That word — hopeless — is one I hear often.

Because when inflammation lives in the brain, it creates fear. Panic. Catastrophic thinking. A sense of doom.

But inflammation is treatable.

And immune systems can be retrained.

The Plan

We are beginning with:

✔️ Full immune and inflammatory workup
✔️ Targeted binder therapy to reduce toxin load
✔️ Lymphatic and drainage support
✔️ Omega-3 support for brain inflammation
✔️ Careful thyroid and hormone evaluation
✔️ Possible Lyme and co-infection reassessment
✔️ Environmental strategy

No chaos.
No 20 supplements at once.
No overwhelm.

Step by step.

Why This Matters

So many women in their 40s are told:

“It’s just perimenopause.”
“It’s anxiety.”
“Your labs are fine.”

But when the immune system is dysregulated, hormones become unstable. The brain becomes reactive. The gut becomes inflamed. The nervous system stays in fight-or-flight.

This is not weakness.

This is inflammation.

And inflammation can be calmed.

The Warrior Spirit

What moved me most was not her symptom list.

It was her strength.

She cooks her son three fresh meals a day.
She researches.
She fights for answers.
She refuses to give up.

That is a warrior.

And warriors heal.

If this story feels like yours — anxiety that feels physical, thyroid swings, weird immune labs, mold exposure, Lyme history, perimenopause chaos — you are not crazy.

Your body is talking.

And we are listening.

— Dr. Tamara Lyday
The Lyday Center for Wellbeing 🕊️