This post will be a short detour from building material to talk about my healing from chemical sensitivities (MCS).
This is my journey through bringing down MCS from severe to moderate then to mild and finally gone completely.
At the most severe I reacted to the tiniest amount of 3rd hand smoke, scent-free detergent on other people, and lightly scented natural lavender deodorant on other people, it was hard to drive because if I was behind a diesel car it would be too much for me, even though I had an off-gassed scent-free car.
I could not stay in regular buildings due to the off-gassing and cleaning products, nor in tents or trailers for a few years.
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STAGE ONE, THE TINY HOUSE
When I first moved into my tiny house my sensitivities went way up. By going more extreme with chemical avoidance this is actually when I went from mild to severe and shows how more avoidance leads to higher sensitivities.
After it peaked, my MCS did start to come down, but this only caused my brain to transfer my sensitivities from chemicals to mold and outdoor air
I did take course of the most common binder for mold which did have some physical benefits.
At first being in my tiny house gave me a lot of relief emotionally and it was a time of some stability and a new relationship. So I briefly made some improvements because of that.
But when the house went moldy it was the beginning of the most stressful time period in my life where I was trapped in avoidance, stress, poor health, and scarcity for a while.
STAGE TWO, TINY HOUSE FAILS, I START TRAVELING
After my tiny house failed (went moldy) I went more even extreme with mold avoidance.
I spend time traveling for the so called Locations Effect. Which I no longer believe is a phenomenon based on pollutants in the air.
My MCS went down dramatically during this time but my sensitivities shifted into mold and what I perceived to be outdoor toxins.
I traveled to the Cuba where I had the biggest effect. But I now attribute this to the fun and fulfillment of the trip.
I also camped out in a tent, cargo trailer, and shelter in Canada.
I spent two years living in tents, shelters, and simple trailers (with a few BnBs and hotels in there too).
This overall revved up my nervous system and kept me hypersensitive to molds, which massively slowed down healing from CFS.
If I could have done this era again I would have found mold-safe indoor housing and stayed in one place. Now with Andrew’s intuitive testing this is possible for those who can’t find housing.
If that had been impossible at the time, camping in one stable place would have been far better than traveling.
The moving about was way too stressful and though it was a stage where MCS came down, other sensitivities went up, and it hurt my overall function so much that it was not worth it.
STAGE THREE, HELL TOXIN ERA
During this time of camping, I started to become HT sensitive.
MCS continued to drop, but my sensitivities had just transferred to something much worse.
Substack is the only place where I talk about what this is.
This was incredibly difficult.
When I broke from this substance, it was the moment I was able to make the leap into regular housing for the first time in almost a decade.
My MCS and mold sensitivity came down, but I then had this new substance I was hypersensitive to.
In order to heal from this HT sensitivity, I used brain retraining and some physical interventions.
I’m basically recovered from HT now. It’s a minor annoyance once in a while.
STAGE FOUR BRAIN RETRAINING/MIND-BODY WORK
I watched a few friends fully get better with brain retraining and many others make huge improvements.
My brain was very much stuck in hyper sensitivities when I started these programs I had severe CFS, only taking 10 steps a day.
Because of HT, I was still living in hotels and short term rentals when I started brain retraining.
I was still very sensitive to mold and had some MCS and reactive airway disorder (I still had a few things I was highly reactive to, one of those was essential oils.)
I was in sympathetic dominance all the time and I didn’t even realize that because I was not anxious, depressed, pessimistic or negative.
I had just become so used to sympathetic dominance that it felt like normal.
I had majorly repressed my emotions to the point that I had no idea they were repressed.
And all those years of being in life or death situations with mold avoidance made it so much worse.
I did the Gupta Programme and the last of my MCS sensitivities disappeared after only a few months of fully committing to the program.
Now in 2026, I’m still 100% recovered from MCS. I have not had a mold reaction in two years. HT is 99% at least better.
I’m about 80% recovered from CFS and still going.
See my review of Gupta vs DNRS vs Restore as well as everything that is in a brain retraining program, including the “rounds” and meditations that I do daily. (You can literally follow my exact routine based on that second Substack article).
After plateauing on Gupta, I then moved over to Mickel Therapy which has brought very fast progress towards full recovery from all my diagnoses.
I talk about that in the articles on free brain retraining resources on Substack.
C
Your story and contributions are inspiring. The brain retraining (neuroplasticity exercises) and meditation all sound potentially helpful to some, but my concern with them has been, and likely will continue to be, that these modalities are not unique or true treatments “for MCS”-but for any disorder/illness in which you actively try to exert more control over the illness-even if it’s just over the mental element of how you experience the illness. It’s tricky because every illness (including cancer) has a “mental” component. You sometimes hear of folks who “cure” various illnesses with mind-body work. Maybe it was the treatment, maybe it was luck, or maybe it was something else. And maybe it’s cured (long-term), and maybe it’s not. I’m not sure we’ll know for sure anytime soon (unless AI can crack the code). But I feel that the emphasis on brain retraining (because that, detox supplements and avoidance are all we MCS’ers really have as options at this point) keeps those of us with a true physiological condition catalyzed and exacerbated by toxicants/toxins, relegated to the bin of having a “merely having a psychosomatic disorder.” Having a mental health condition is perfectly fine/acceptable, but it keeps the focus off addressing the environmental contaminants that I believe are fundamentally keeping us in this state or pushing us back into it if we are not very careful about our overall toxic load. For my part-I do old fashioned “brain retraining” and meditation-I get out in nature and hike/walk (a lot) in the best air I can find. It helps, but I’m nowhere near cured. My main triggers (pesticides, flame retardants, fire retardants) impact me just as much today as they did 15 years ago when I went down very hard (had to leave a job I loved and flee the city I loved) with severe chemical sensitivities. I developed severe, chronic pancreatitis at the same time (and I’m a non-drinker, non-smoker who eats well). My reactions to certain other chemicals has ebbed-but not to the trigger/catalyst chemicals that brought me to my knees. Not at all.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
i recently did a review of the research on MCS and it was super interesting. I had never gone deep into the research before.
The literature and recovery shows:
– There isn’t evidence that people with MCS cannot detox or have impaired detox. “Chemicals get stuck halfway through the process” was a theory based on proposed genetic polymorphisms which did not not turn out to reliably show in up in people MCS. Nor was that process demonstrated in the body. There is evidence against that theory.
– There isn’t evidence that each exposure does damage to the detox system or the immune system. This was also a hypothetical from older studies.
– the genetic theory (that there are genetic differences that lead to some people not being able to detox well) did not hold up in more recent studies
– Continuing and upping avoidance does not increase the chances of full recovery because it generally leads to an increase in sensitivities. Avoidance of chemicals helps some people catch a break, but in the long-term it is, by definition, the opposite of a recovery that involves going to normal places and being around people.
– There is substantial evidence that reactions are not tied to toxicity.
My review of the literature is in substack
Sarah
Corrine, I just read some of your substack articles including your story which was deeply moving…. Among other things. I was thrilled to see you tip your hat to John Sarno. His work was, and remains, groundbreaking and transformed so many lives for the better. If the gist of his vision resonates with you, I highly recommend a couple of folks who are part of the next generation who have moved his work forward including Howard Schubiner, MD, and Alan Gordan, mental health professional who started the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles and who has a incredible 18-part program that walks people through, with very short amounts of text often coupled with short videos, the gist of mindbody syndrome and how it takes hold. There’s a lot of neuroscience now that wasn’t available when Sarno was alive. Sarno was so smart, intuitive, and brave bucking the going (non) wisdom. But now there’s hard evidence to support his work…
In any case, again, what you wrote was truly special. Your journey has been, and continues to be, quite something and your willingness and ability to share it with others is so impressive and valuable… You are a gift to this world!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
thank you so much. I am familiar with Schubiner and Gorden as well and I think they are great. Right now Im almost fully recovered from all diagnoses, Im following Mickel Therapy as far as it will take me, until I am better 100% or until I plateau. But for me right now he is the one.
Sarah
I just did a quick drive by of the website for Mickel Therapy. It looks very interesting. A compelling view that resonates. It had a note to it that was similar to a person on one of the threads at TMS Wiki who said repressed emotions weren’t so much the issue as how we handle stress every day. It made sense because how we function and relate to threatening stimuli (or those we perceive as threatening) every hour of every day will continue to drive physical expressions… In any case, I’m eager to check out this resource you found and am so glad to know you’ve landed in a place that speaks to you and is working! … The things you write and the ways you lay bare very vulnerable and personal journeys for others to learn from really is amazing.
Ruby
What are HT, MCS, DNRS, etc.? All the capital letter acronyms? Thank you!
Emily
Hi Corinne. Your info is absolutely invaluable. Question— the embedded link to supplements you used to help recover from MT/HT takes me to a facebook post about lab testing and theories around what MT is. I’d love to know what else you did specifically in addition to brain retraining and mineral balancing to help lower your sensitivity. Thank you so much.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
thank you, I fixed that link. It should be this https://corinnesegura.substack.com/p/treatments-for-mcs
Katharine
Hi Corinne,
Best of luck with the launch of what looks like a fabulous new book.
Thank you for putting that info out into the world!
And thank you for the article above.
I’m highly mold-sensitive, and cannot currently enter most buildings without migraines. I’m searching for a Chicago-area apartment or house rental that’s as mold-free as possible, and it’s super challenging. (Leaving this area isn’t an option at the moment due to employment, but it might be in the future).
Do you have info (maybe links) or other tips to share on how to identify and avoid anything over a trace amount of the outdoor air contaminants you mention (HT, cyanobacteria, FRAT, and MT) when renting/buying (or evaluating your current home)?
I’ve read https://paradigmchange.me/wp/outdoor-toxins/, but it’s over 10 years old and doesn’t give much info on how to reduce exposure to these outdoor toxins.
I ask because I’m eager to heal the debilitating over-sensitivity to mold, and you wrote: “I became sensitive to the substance known as “HT“. This was incredibly difficult, but breaking from this toxin was the moment I was able to make the leap into regular housing for the first time in almost a decade.”
I need to be able to tolerate regular housing!
I also ask because, in a recent Substack, you wrote “However, my true opinion on that is that the only real priorities for outdoor air (apart from extreme examples like being next to an oil refinery, or really specific things that are unbearable to you) are
cyanobacteria in any amount over trace,
areas that have been sprayed with flame retardant for forest fires often have disrupted biome we call FRAT, and
“MT” a term that comes from crowdsourced experience in the extreme mold avoidance world, this feels like outdoor mold toxins and is akin to being in a low level moldy house based on experience and observation in that world for 10 years. I avoid anything over trace.”
Thanks so much for considering providing any tips!
Warmly,
Katharine
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
Hi, yes the substack article on finding safe housing goes over the step by step process. (As for HT if you don’t have that sensitivity you don’t need to worry about it at all apart from avoiding other people who are carrying it).
Katharine
Thanks Corinne!
1) Are you saying this article has the info on how to avoid MT, cyanobacteria, and FRAT? https://corinnesegura.substack.com/p/how-to-find-housing-for-the-chemically.
Does it also talk about how to avoid HT?
2) I think the challenge with HT is I don’t know if I’m sensitive to it or not. As you wrote “many people are living in it and are masked to it”. Is there a way to find out if one is living in HT?
Thanks again!
P.S. I saw that you have done DNRS, Restore, & Gupta brain retraining programs. So glad to hear this approach helped you. I just started Primal Trust, and like it very much so far. In case it’s helpful to you: This is also a nice calming tool (background when working, cleaning etc): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkEKJV1FSiw&t=16458s.
Thanks again for your kind help.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
yes and there is an article on HT there too
Katharine
OK. Thank you. I will also look for the HT article on your Substack. Thanks again.
Katharine
Hi Corinne,
Thanks again for all this helpful info.
I’ve now read your paid substack articles & bought your PDF:
Finding a Good Location (Part 1) – by Corinne Segura
Locations Effect Part 3 – by Corinne Segura
How to Find Housing for The Chemically Sensitive
15 page Healthy Home Inspection Checklist
Other than sending pictures to Dr Andrew (which is sometimes possible and sometimes not), I’m still wondering if you might have any additional info on how to identify and avoid areas with MT, cyanobacteria, and FRAT.
For example, you sometimes write things like “[x location] is chock full of MT and [y location] has MT and cyano in some areas but not all.” How can you tell which areas have these toxins?
Thanks so much for considering weighing in.
Warmly,
Katharine
Coco
Hello Corinne,
thank you for this article, and also the articles on your substack.
Why are you writing some words like this, M-lybdenum, is that for legal reasons?
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
Yes sort of, for the google algorithm. There is a detailed substack article for a detailed and non-censored overview of treat-ments for MCS
Coco
Oh, you mean if kookle sees you are vvriting about such M@xicaments, it throws you out of results, because no Tokter?
😉
Lee
What is HT? Link doesn’t work.
Krista S
Thanks so much for sharing this helpful info about your recovery journey. It’s wonderful to hear how much better you are now. Would love an update if you ever feel inclined.
Also,did you ever try and benefit from safe, very low EMF infrared sauna? Is there any support group for MCS (& possibly related stuff – I also have an ME and Hashimoto’s diagnosis) that you know of/might recommend?
Thanks again 🙂
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
I am still recovered from MCS. And am just about 50% recovered from CFS now from brain retraining. Mold avoidance and brain retraining is a combo that works for everyone with MCS. Dont get stuck in the support groups, they do not help people heal imo. Don’t worry about EMFs.
Caroline Repetta
Good Morning Corinne:
I am so thankful I discovered “My Chemical-Free House”. I have severe MCS and presently am out of my condo because of mold growing in the walls from cracks in the stucco causing water intrusion. I read your healing protocol and is there any binder that I could use instead of cholestyramine. Biocidin has one. I am so reactive to even supplements plus I have difficulty swallowing pills. Thank you so much for sharing you valuable information to all of us. God bless you.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
I can’t provide m@dical advice here, but yes there are alternatives to CSM
Sara
Microchitaosan is a natural alternative to CSM. Research Allergy Group is a good brand of it.
Danielle
Did you do a detox after removing your amalgams?
Corinne Segura
i didnt have any negative effects after removing amalgams but I have done some light ch-lation over the years.
Danielle
So did you do no detox after removal? And when you did light chelation what did you do?
Corinne Segura
I did some ALA but not immediately after, later I did what would be considered a full course of ALA by the cutler group. I also did ze-bind, Enter-sgel, high silica water and modified c-trus p-ctin.
Danielle
Sorry I’m just asking about amalgams—really appreciate your prompt replies!! How many did you remove at once? And how many quadrants of your mouth were they in?
William Jessie
nice
Unknown
Thank you for your information. Much appreciated. When you say CSM was intense, what do you mean exactly?
Corinne
You have to be carful with that one it's really powerful and I had to carefully up the dose I never made it to the full dose in one day.
nivchek
I did many of the above things. Nothing worked completely until I did calcium gluconate. It got my liver working again and I am no longer sensitive to traces of anything, but only prolonged and heavy exposures.
Corinne
Awesome, that's great to hear. D-tox helped me with that too.
cathy bliss
thank you for your site and great info. i am doing many of binders and supps you mention. still have DDS to do as have some metal still mouth. i am looking at getting a fifth wheel trailer that is a few years old so i think the out gassing will be done. i will hire mold evaluators to look at it. then i can start CSM
Lisa
What is HT? The link was inactive and I am very curious what this is. Interesting article!
RachelDLS
Thank you for this list. 🙂 I am already doing a lot of the things you mentioned here, but it is good to see it, not only as confirmation, but to see the why's as well.
I am living in my tiny toxic free homemade camper trailer, though I started in my car a couple years ago. It is by far the best move I made to help me regain my health. I am still on my journey towards health, but I am so much better than I was two years ago.
I have been seeing Dr Michael Gray, who has me on many of the protocols that you have listed. I am quite certain that he saved my life.
I hope others can benefit from the information you have listed. It is good to see it all in one place. 🙂
Corinne
that's great. good to hear it is working for you too.
RachelDLS
Thank you for this list. 🙂 I am already doing a lot of the things you mentioned here, but it is good to see it, not only as confirmation, but to see the why's as well.
I am living in my tiny toxic free homemade camper trailer, though I started in my car a couple years ago. It is by far the best move I made to help me regain my health. I am still on my journey towards health, but I am so much better than I was two years ago.
I have been seeing Dr Michael Gray, who has me on many of the protocols that you have listed. I am quite certain that he saved my life.
I hope others can benefit from the information you have listed. It is good to see it all in one place. 🙂
Miyushi Izumisa
Good Sharing, as I know free radicals have also been implicated in atherosclerosis, liver damage, lung disease, kidney damage, diabetes mellitus, and ageing. Antioxidants, present in many foods, are molecules that prevent free radicals from harming healthy tissues. There are ways to avoid or minimize free radical damage, you can find more at:
Sandra Sawyer
What worked for me…incredible results overall health. Protandim Nrf2 synergizer…some incredible research too. It’s the safest and most effective way to eliminate oxidative stress and ROS (free radicals)…to that of a newborn or young child level …. Really incredible.
Joseph Jandrokovic
Hello Sandra,
I couldn’t tell from your comment in the My Chemical-Free House if you also suffered from MCS. If so, did the Protandim Nrf2 synergizer assist any with this issue?