Believe it or not, mold toxicity issues are pretty common. I’ll be honest, back when I worked in mainstream medicine, I was one of the skeptics. But I’ve since learned I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Mold can mess with your health in ways you’d never imagine. It can throw your hormones out of whack, cloud your thinking, trigger headaches, make breathing a chore, sap your energy, disrupt your sleep, make you feel nauseous, lead to hair loss, and even mess with your body’s normal functions. It often starts with just feeling that something isn’t quite right.
Understanding Mold Toxicity
When we talk about mold toxicity, we’re referring to conditions arising from mold toxins – not to be confused with mold allergies. Yes, mold can trigger allergic reactions like sneezing and a runny nose, but that’s not quite the same as falling ill due to mold toxins. The symptoms differ considerably; we’ll be discussing them shortly.
Many of you may argue that mold is everywhere, even in nature, so does that mean everyone is sick due to mold? Well, it’s a yes and a no.
When mold enters the picture, our bodies usually know what to do. They kick into defense mode to clear it out. For most, this means mold doesn’t pose a big issue. Their bodies handle it, and they move on without even realizing they’ve encountered mold.
But, for some, and maybe you’re one of them, the body doesn’t manage as well. When mold toxins build up, it can overwhelm our system. That’s when mold becomes more than a mere annoyance. It can lead to ongoing health issues, symptoms that make you feel constantly under the weather, and more serious conditions if not addressed.
Our Body’s Defense Against Mold
When most people encounter mold, their bodies’ defense mechanisms kick in. The immune system recognizes the mold and works to eliminate it. The lungs produce mucus to trap and expel it while the liver and kidneys metabolize and detoxify mold toxins. The toxins are then excreted via urine, feces, and sweat. As a result, for many people, mold exposure doesn’t cause significant disruption since their bodies efficiently eliminate it.
Nonetheless, for some individuals, the detoxification process isn’t as smooth. For some people, exposure to mold might exceed their body’s detoxification capacity, leading to toxic mold accumulation. As the immune system reacts, the consequential response ultimately leads to a mold-related illness. The build-up of toxins and the body’s inflammatory response can trigger a slew of symptoms. It might start with fatigue or an odd sensation and advance to cognitive impairment, respiratory problems, or even more debilitating conditions.
Why Some People Are More Vulnerable To Mold
Why do some struggle with mold while others don’t bat an eyelid? For some, it’s down to prolonged exposure. Think of people working in a mold-infested office for years. Initially, their bodies can detoxify, until they can’t. For others, pre-existing health conditions such as asthma or autoimmune issues can render them more susceptible. These individuals’ systems are already preoccupied with other health battles and thus can’t detoxify mold efficiently. Still, others may be genetically predisposed to detoxify mold less effectively.
This uneven response is why five people in the same family or office exposed to mold for an identical duration may respond differently. The person with the susceptible gene or other underlying health condition will struggle to detoxify, making it difficult for others to understand their predicament.
The Symptoms To Lookout For
Wondering what signs to look out for? Mold illness can manifest as:
- Fatigue and weakness,
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), nausea, vomiting (NV), diarrhea, stomach pain,
- Rashes and hives,
- Chronic allergies, congestion, sneezing, persistent sinusitis,
- Headaches and migraines,
- Chronic exhaustion, cognitive dysfunctions including brain fog, memory loss and confusion,
- Joint and muscle stiffness,
- Ringing in the ears, hearing loss,
- Unusual sensations like piercing “ice pick” pains, sensitivity to light, skin hypersensitivity, numbness, tingling, night sweats, frequent urination, irregular periods.
As a rule, never diagnose yourself. While these symptoms could indicate mold illness, they could also point to a multitude of other conditions. Always seek a diagnosis from your primary care provider (PCP) before jumping to any conclusions about mold.
Identifying the Problem: Do I Have Mold Illness?
Now, you’re wondering if you’ve got a mold illness, right? The first thing you need to know is that even considering mold as a possible cause is a huge step forward. I won’t lie, as a healthcare provider, I overlooked it for many years. But now, I’ve seen how it affects many of my patients, even when they’re dismissed by other providers.
We confirm mold illness suspicion through objective testing, specifically urine testing. We confirm mold illness suspicion through objective testing, specifically urine testing. I tend to use a lab called Real Time Labs. They’re not paying me to say this, I just really like working with them. Depending on your situation, you might be able to order a kit from them directly, or you’ll need a healthcare provider’s assistance.
Preparing for the Test
So, you’re planning to do this test? There’s something you should do first to ensure accurate results. People suffering from mold illness often struggle to detox from mold. This means that the mold doesn’t show up clearly in the urine. To tackle this, we take on what’s called a challenge test.
This means we’re going to try to push as much mold into your urine as possible before the test. Sounds strange, right? It’s straightforward, really. You’ll need to take glutathione twice a day for a week before your mold test. This can maximize the mold content in your urine. But a quick heads-up. Since the mold will be exiting your system rather fast, you might feel a temporary worsening of your symptoms. Plan accordingly!
What’s Next? Find the Mold Source
If your mold test comes back positive, you’d want to figure out your exposure source. Note that you could have been exposed years ago and no longer in direct contact with it. But determining current exposure is crucial. If you’re in a moldy environment, daily exposure will prevent your recovery.
You’d need to test your home, workplace, or anywhere else you spend significant time. I use a company named ImmunoLytics. They provide Petri dishes to distribute around your spaces, and when sent to them, they’ll test and identify the molds you’re exposed to.
How to Treat Mold Toxicity
Once we confirm the mold and its source, our next question is, “How do we treat it?”
Step One: Getting Rid of Mold Exposure
The first thing to do? Clear your spaces of mold. Improving your health is tough when you’re constantly exposed to mold. All treatment efforts will be counterproductive if you’re still taking in mold.
Step Two: Detoxifying Your Body
Next, we’ll focus on getting rid of the mold toxins in your body. The key here is a supplement regimen tailored to you, considering the mold type and your health level.
These supplements generally help your system detoxify well, supporting your hard-working liver. For example, there’s a blend of herbs and roots product called Beyond Balance Toxic Ease GL. Once your body responds positively to it, we’ll add on ‘Binders’. These binders like chlorella, bentonite clay, and activated charcoal can be carefully selected based on your test results to assist your body in eliminating mycotoxins.
Treatment duration varies. Some can handle a full-throttle treatment and see betterment in 3-6 months, while others react strongly to even a tiny dose, lengthening the process.
Additional Steps for Long-Term Illness
For those who’ve been sick for a long time, we may add a few more steps like anti-fungal sprays. There are also helpful IV treatments like Phosphatidylcholine, commonly known as Plaquex.
Monitoring Progress: Retesting is Key
After three months of treatment, you should retest. Don’t be surprised if this test shows a higher result than the original—this is due to your body actively detoxifying for the first time. Improvement is usually noticeable by the time you retest six months later.
You can stop the treatment when your test results are close to zero. How long this takes depends largely on your body reaction, whether you’re doing the whole protocol or taking it step-by-step with supplements.
Final Word
To wrap up, if you have a lot of unexplained symptoms and your PCP and specialists aren’t finding answers, it might be time to consider mold. You can test for it, there is a treatment for it, and most importantly, you can feel validated that this is not just in you head. You’re not alone in this.
If you want to learn more about mold toxicity, I made a video deep diving into it, so you can understand what it’s all about. Check it out here.
