Decoded Podcast: Is It Really Mental Health? How Mold & Histamine Intolerance Mimic Anxiety & Depression

Host: Bizzie Gold
Guest: Dr. Stephanie Peacock (Functional Health Consultant)
Date: October 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode unpacks a growing and often overlooked phenomenon: what appears to be psychiatric illness—anxiety, depression, panic attacks—may actually be rooted in biological triggers, such as mold toxicity, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and histamine intolerance. Host Bizzie Gold and guest Dr. Stephanie Peacock shine a light on the link between environmental factors and mental health symptoms, critiquing mainstream approaches that dismiss or medicate these patients without exploring deeper root causes. Listeners are offered a roadmap to disrupt these often-misdiagnosed patterns, access relevant testing, and finally start healing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Hidden Code: Physical Illness Masquerading as Mental Health

• Misdiagnosis Epidemic: Many people on psychiatric medication may actually be experiencing symptoms from overlooked biological factors—such as immune or environmental triggers—that no one tested for.
  • "There are a lot of people that are medicated for psychiatric illness that are probably actually in need of healing. An immune or environmental trigger that nobody even bothered to test for." — Bizzie Gold [00:00]
• Dismissal by Mainstream Medicine: Clients are often told their symptoms are “in their head” and urged to use medication, while the actual physiological root is left uninvestigated.
  • "Most of the clients that I work with, after they start working with me, they had been working with multiple practitioners before and had been dismissed by multiple of them because their symptomatology just comes off as if they are dealing with [problems] all in their head." — Dr. Peacock [02:27]

MCAS, Histamine Intolerance & Mold: Beyond the DSM

• Mechanisms at Play: Mast cells, which exist throughout the body (including the brain), release histamines and other mediators in response to environmental triggers, creating widespread inflammation—sometimes breaking down the blood-brain barrier and contributing to psychiatric symptoms.
  • "When we start to see mast cell degranulation...that can actually start to break down the blood brain barrier and then allow more of those mediators to cross through, resulting in that inflammation in the brain." — Dr. Peacock [03:13]
• Symptom Clusters: Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, hormone-related mood shifts, gut disturbances (IBS, SIBO), skin rashes, chronic UTIs, interstitial cystitis, and neurological symptoms may all point toward MCAS or histamine intolerance, not just mental health issues.
  • "I usually will see anxiety, depressive, panic attack type symptoms also simultaneously occurring alongside gut-related symptoms too like IBS." — Dr. Peacock [03:57]

Changing Environments & Rising Toxins

• Modern Triggers: The rise of airtight building codes, poor air circulation, unchecked humidity, increased use of chemicals, and electromagnetic fields (Wi-Fi) have made mold toxicity and MCAS more prevalent.
  • "The way homes are built now, they're more airtight...so we're seeing mold on the rise, mold in higher accounts." — Dr. Peacock [07:20]
• Trauma and Immune Overload: Persistent stress and unresolved trauma further dysregulate mast cells and the immune system, contributing to vulnerability.
  • "When we're getting constantly exposed to some type of trigger, stress, trauma, etc, [mast cells] don't shut off, and they're constantly releasing this histamine and inflammatory response." — Dr. Peacock [07:20]

Not Just Autoimmune, But Related

• Relationship to Autoimmunity: MCAS is not technically an autoimmune disease but can act like one and often coexists with other immune conditions.
  • "It's not considered an autoimmune disease, but it acts like one...People have autoimmune conditions kind of coexisting alongside [MCAS]." — Dr. Peacock [09:45]

Personal Testimony: Mental Health Autopilot

Bizzie shares her own journey—how MCAS symptoms began in childhood, were misread as psychiatric, and how fear of panic attacks created a self-reinforcing mental health loop. She discusses how depersonalization can be intensely distressing for sufferers.

• "MCAS could trigger a panic attack...but then the way that mental health cycles work is then you start to anticipate having a panic attack." — Bizzie Gold [11:37]

Mold Exposure—Why Now?

• Airtight Homes & Knowledge Gap: Modern homes trap mold and mycotoxins. Lack of education on home maintenance and building issues further exacerbates the risk.
  • "We weren't really taught how to...check for if there's paint peeling or little cracks...that can indicate some form of water damage." — Dr. Peacock [17:00]
• EMFs/Wi-Fi as a Trigger: EMFs can stress mold, prompting it to release up to 600x more toxins.
  • "In the presence of electromagnetic fields and radiation, mold feels like it's getting threatened...we've seen it produce up to 600 times the amount [of mycotoxins] in the presence of EMFs." — Dr. Peacock [19:11]

Testing & Professional Help

• Building Biologists & ERMI Testing: To properly assess home mold, engage certified building biologists + use ERMI/HERTSMI tests to quantify exposure.
  • "My two things are working with, again, the building biologist combined with an ERMI test. That is the best combination." — Dr. Peacock [23:46]
• Human Testing:
  • Urine Mycotoxin Panels (RealTime Labs, Vibrant Wellness, Mosaic Diagnostics) for mold illness.
  • Stool Tests for gut health.
  • Genetic Testing for detox pathway assessment (e.g., MTHFR).
  • Total Toxin Tests for a broader environmental picture.
  • Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) for heavy metal burden—even if hair is colored.
  • "If I'm suspecting mold illness, I will definitely be running a urine mycotoxin panel." — Dr. Peacock [31:36]
• Limitations: Testing for MCAS is tricky—only a few mediators can be tracked, and reactions may need to be induced.

Avoidance vs. OCD: Balancing Awareness and Quality of Life

• The Line Between Caution & Obsession: Education should empower, not paralyze; prioritize short-term avoidance for severe cases, but aim to rebuild nervous and immune system tolerance.
  • "There's definitely a fine line to take...almost comes at a cost when we become too hyper compulsive about trying to learn about too many things and throw away all our belongings." — Dr. Peacock [26:35]
• Nervous System Focus: Regulation is half the battle; nervous system and mast cells signal to and escalate each other’s responses.
  • "The common denominator with all of it is we gotta really focus on the nervous system and mast cell activation syndrome and histamine intolerance is really the body feeling unsafe." — Dr. Peacock [29:58]

Hormones, PMDD & Social Media

• Symptom Amplification in Women: Hormonal surges (rising estrogen) can trigger MCAS/histamine bursts, exacerbating PMDD and other reproductive system symptoms.
• Histamine Blockers for Relief: OTC antihistamines can work for some PMDD sufferers; combining them with herbal stabilizers may help.
  • "Sometimes even just taking an over the counter histamine...can actually work really well." — Bizzie Gold [37:26]
  • "I see that be very beneficial." — Dr. Peacock [39:01]

The Future of Chronic Disease Work

• Momentum is shifting toward environmental/biological root-cause medicine and increased awareness among practitioners.
• Importance of stabilization, nervous system regulation, proper detoxification, and personalized protocols.
  • "Focus on stabilizing through nervous system regulation...using herbal supports...gentle detox to clear these toxins out of the system is really important." — Dr. Peacock [40:06]

The “Die-Off” Phenomenon & Detox Pathways

• Overly aggressive detox (e.g., parasite cleanses) can release too many endotoxins, overwhelming bodies with poor detox pathways (MTHFR, etc.), leading to flares/weight gain/“die-off.”
  • "If we're taking away the [biofilm] protection they get mad and it creates this fiery reaction." — Dr. Peacock [47:07]

Peptide Therapy: New Hope

• Peptides offer rapid symptom reversals for some with chronic inflammation, autoimmune, or residual symptoms from MCAS/mold.
  • "Absolutely, yes...in some cases...I'll refer out to utilizing peptides...for that last 20%...it's, it's quite amazing actually, what's occurring in that world." — Dr. Peacock [49:54]

Final Thought for Mental Health Professionals

• Integrative Perspective Needed: Encourage exploring environmental/biological testing before assigning psychiatric labels.
  • "There is so much more beyond the symptoms and treating the symptoms. There's a reason why that's happening." — Dr. Peacock [52:14]
  • "The body has the blueprint to heal. It knows how to do it. We just have to understand why, like why it's happening. And if we can understand that part, there's so much that we can do for that person to get them better." — Dr. Peacock [53:30]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "Your brain is wired for deception. But here's the truth. Patterns can be broken. The code can be rewritten." — Bizzie Gold [00:41, 55:04]
• "It makes total sense. And I know...a lot of my audience has struggled with autoimmune and chronic conditions...it can be confusing when it feels like there's a correlation." — Bizzie Gold [12:30]
• "We know our gut is basically second brain." — Dr. Peacock [03:57]
• "Having people on your team that are a certified building biologist and indoor environmental professional are really important..." — Dr. Peacock [22:05]
• "Mast cell activation syndrome and histamine intolerance is really the body feeling unsafe. That's really what it all boils down to." — Dr. Peacock [29:56]

Timestamps for Key Topics

• 00:00–00:41 – Introduction: Hidden Physical Causes of Psychiatric Symptoms
• 03:13 – MCAS, Inflammation & Mental Health Symptoms
• 05:27 – Broad Symptom Clusters and Widespread Effects
• 07:20 – Environmental & Lifestyle Changes Causing MCAS Increase
• 09:45 – MCAS and Autoimmune: The Overlap
• 15:50 – Modern Homes, Airflow, Education, and Mold Growth
• 19:11 – Wi-Fi/EMFs and Mold Toxin Release
• 22:05 – Building Biologists & Proper Mold Investigation
• 23:46 – Mold & Mycotoxin Testing Protocols
• 26:35 – Avoiding OCD-Like Reactions to Awareness & Mold
• 29:56 – Nervous System Regulation is Central
• 31:36 – What Tests Are Worth Running?
• 35:59 – PMDD, Hormones, and MCAS/Histamine Connections
• 37:53 – Are Antihistamines Helpful for PMDD?
• 40:06 – Future of Chronic Disease Management
• 46:19 – Parasite Cleanses, Detox Blocks, Flare-Ups
• 49:54 – Peptide Therapy for Refractory Symptoms
• 52:14 – Message for Practitioners: Go Beyond Labels
• 54:17 – Where to Find Dr. Peacock’s Work

Resources & Further Learning

• Dr. Stephanie Peacock: stephaniepeacock.com
• Instagram/TikTok: @Dr. Steph Peacock
• Podcast: Holistic Hub Podcast

Check show notes for links to testing labs, building biologist referrals, and more resources mentioned in the episode.

This detailed summary highlights how environmental and immune factors can hijack the mind-body system, masquerading as psychiatric disorders, and offers a thorough framework for assessment, testing, and root-cause healing. If mental health feels “unexplainable,” this episode offers a vital lens—and hope—for true recovery.