Chronic Fatigue and Mold with Julie Rehmeyer
Chronic Fatigue and Mold with Julie Rehmeyer » Listen
Date: January 22, 2018
Episode Description
Science journalist Julie Rehmeyer was so sick she sometimes couldn’t turn over in bed. The top specialists in the world were powerless to help, and scientific research on her disease was at a near standstill. She was running out of money. And she was all alone, with no one to care for her. Leaving behind everything she owned, she drove into the desert, testing the theory that mold in her home and belongings was making her sick. She is sharing her story with Dr. Risk in this important interview.
Dr. Risk’s Thoughts
When I picked up Julie’s book, I couldn’t put it down. Her story of a chronic, undiagnosed illness not only mirrors my own, but is the reason I do this show. I feel our Medical system is ignoring these issues, leaving thousands (if not more) bed ridden with no help. I was in Julie’s place, suffering with pain and multiple symptoms, and my health care system could not help me. Whether it is Mold toxicity (like Julie), Chronic Lyme (like me), or anything else I discuss on this show, I want everyone to find the reason, and get help.
Guest Information
Julie Rehmeyer is an award-winning freelance math and science journalist and contributing editor at Discover Magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Oprah Magazine, Discover, Science News, Aeon, Wired, and many others. Her memoir, Through the Shadowlands: A Science Writer’s Odyssey into an Illness Science Doesn’t Understand was published by Rodale Press in May 2017. It describes navigating the science and politics of poorly understood illnesses, based on her experience with chronic fatigue syndrome. She has also written several articles on the topic.
Much of Julie’s writing has been about mathematics, a passion of hers. Before she became a science writer, she earned a master’s in math from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After her time at MIT, Julie became a professor at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. During that time, between 1998 and 2001, she built her own strawbale house. She now lives there with her husband, John, their hound mix Frances, and their cat Lao.
