Mold: How to Identify and Heal From Mold Exposure
Mold is everywhere; is it the cause of your symptoms?
We have a problem. Medical providers aren’t asking the right questions and talking about it with their patients.
Identify and Naturally Heal from Mold Exposure
Common Symptoms of mold and mycotoxin exposure include:
Nasal or sinus congestion
Runny nose
Sore throat
Constant throat clearing or dry coughing from throat congestion
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Headaches
Eye irritation: burning, itching, eye fatigue
Lightheadedness
Blurred vision
Ringing in ears (Tinnitus)
Dry, scaly, or itchy skin (eczema or similar)
Brain fog
Body fatigue
Mental fatigue
Abdominal discomfort
Poor digestion
Poor memory retention or word recall
flu-like symptoms: body aches, chills, nausea
Autoimmune disease with unknown cause
If you experience any of these symptoms, mold may be the cause of your symptoms.
What is mold and how does affect my body?
There is a whole universe of mold species that we see but even more that we cannot see. Herein lies one of the biggest issues in health today.
Molds are a type of fungi. Not all fungi are molds though. For example, yeast, such as Candida albicans, is a type of fungus but it is not a mold. The same goes for Athlete’s foot. Athlete’s foot, aka tinea pedis, is caused by various fungi, not mold. They may be different in appearance and classification but most yeasts, molds, and fungi love similar environments: moist and warm.
Molds are living organisms and part of our natural habitat. They break down organic, as well as, non-organic materials. They are actually essential to our ecosystem and we would not be able to survive without many of them. Molds naturally grow on foods, such as blue cheese, but also in water-damaged buildings, and moist environments like bathrooms or air conditioning units.
Different molds look different and some are not even visible! Molds are not always that typical black slimy stuff we are taught to look out for in bathrooms. They can appear white, yellow, green, blue, black, and even orange. They can appear in patches, small individual spots, web-like, or even dust-like.
We can visualize molds in spaces but the most dangerous aspect of mold is that they make non-visible spores and mycotoxins that freely move through the air, water, or soil to inhabit and grow in other areas including our bodies.
Mold spores are essentially what seeds are to a flowering plant or tree. Mold makes spores in order to survive and thrive.
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites to fungi. Mycotoxins are made by mold as a byproduct to protect themselves from being killed off. They are odorless, tasteless, and invisible to the naked eye. Many different molds make different mycotoxins and each mycotoxin can be made by different molds.
When mold counts are at a certain level, multiply that by 1000 and that is a closer count of mycotoxins in that given environment.
These tiny spores and mycotoxins are so small they can inhabit the smallest and most inaccessible parts of the planet as well as in our bodies.
When mold spores or mycotoxins go into our warm, moist bodies, they do anything they can to survive and thrive.
One of the big reasons symptoms of mold exposure or toxicity are so vast, broad, and nonspecific is that they affect so many organs and types of cells in our body.
At a cellular level, mycotoxins inhibit mitochondrial function (our energy-producing cells) which ultimately results in early cell death and oxidative stress. They also are immunosuppressive by inhibiting the ability of certain immune cell functionality. They can also cause an increase in mast cells and thus may trigger mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Mast cells are all over our body but a large number reside in our respiratory tract and lungs.
Mycotoxins also freely cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and are considered neurotoxins. Mycotoxins are known to degrade the protective myelin sheath around nerve cells throughout our entire body that we similarly happen in many neurodegenerative diseases. Mycotoxins have been studied and connected to conditions such as multiple sclerosis, autism spectrum disorder, and Parkinson’s disease.
Why mold and mycotoxins are becoming a bigger issue
Humans have increasingly poor bacterial balances (dysbiosis) in the body, not just in the gut and mold is taking an advantage of us.
We have bacteria everywhere; on our skin, in our mouths, our throats, lungs, and even our urinary tract. Without them, we could not survive and many bacteria actually protect us. This colony of bacteria on us is called our microbiome. We drastically alter our microbiome when we use antibiotics or other medications. We also cause dysbiosis, when we eat poorly and expose ourselves to chronic stress.
Poorly managed open wounds can lead to opportunistic mold infections (not just bacteria) systemically.
Mycosis (mold infection) can be more life-threatening than bacterial infections.
We consume moldy foods. (yup, coffee is a very mold food too!)
Washing our fruits and veggies isn't just about cleaning off dirt, wax, or chemicals sprayed on them; we also need to remove any mold or mold spores.
Poor home building practices: poor ventilation or air movement in homes lead to the buildup of mold.
We have since moved on from lath and plaster walls to a more updated drywall material which is good for strong construction but the downside is our walls cannot ‘breathe’. If any moisture gets between walls during construction or during water damage, there is very little chance it will dry without intervention. Many builders and contractors do not actually think about allowing materials to dry before finishing projects and will unknowingly cover up or enclose moist environments during routine construction without full dehumidification.
Poor mitigation practices of water-damaged areas or buildings
Mold grows in walls too and can and will cause illness. This is why hiring someone who knows what they are doing is VERY important. More on this is below.
Poor maintenance of AC/heating or humidifier units. Filters and ducts need to be cleaned regularly to prevent moisture from building up and introducing mold into ducts and thus into all areas of the home.
When you suspect mold, get started here.
4 steps to best practices for body and environmental testing and treatment.
It does not matter if you start with body or environment testing, you must identify WHERE the mold is coming from and mitigate the exposure before treating your body.
1. Identify Mold in Your Environment
If your symptoms come and go, it is really important for you to start taking note of when you feel worse. Is it at home? At work? In your car? Can you identify any particular room that makes you feel worse when you spend time in it?
If your symptoms are always consistent, consider testing all places you spend the most time in.
Places to make sure you check (yes, removing some carpet or wall may be necessary)
Bathroom: Under sinks and tubs
Window sills and corners of rooms with higher moisture
Around/behind your refrigerator
Around heating/AC units and all ducting
Carpets/rugs
around/behind/inside Dishwasher
around/behind/inside Clothing washing machine
In the walls of any water-damaged walls/floors
Vehicle: A/C units
Behind/between insulation in walls or attic spaces
Crawl spaces
Plant soils in your home
Remember, just because you cannot see it does NOT mean it does not exist!
If you are unable to visualize it but suspect it is present, perform environment testing.
There are a number of indoor mold testing companies and labs and, unfortunately, there is no gold standard or standard of testing in the US for it so we have to be knowledgeable on testing methods or people we use to test.
I recommend We Inspect for mold testing. They test for and identify the molds, and spaces they are living, and then guide you through a custom mitigation process or help find a mitigation team for you.
2. Mitigate Mold in Your Environment
If you are able to visualize the mold, mitigate it. Always make sure you get ALL of it otherwise your efforts will have little benefit. For mold that is only on the surface, using food grade 35% hydrogen peroxide is one of the best ways to mitigate visible mold on surfaces. (3% hydrogen peroxide at the grocery store will NOT cut it)
You MUST remove mold from your environment otherwise you will not heal from mold. Not all mold mitigation professionals are the same and there are many different mitigating companies depending on where you live. I recommend TheMoldPros for finding an inspector and mitigator in your region.
You can mitigate mold yourself but if the mold has been chronic in your home for a long period of time, hiring a professional is advised.
Remember mold spores will inhabit any cloth as well so when you mitigate in the moldy spaces, you either need to replace all the cloth or use best cleaning practices. Mold spores love to live in bedding, clothing, carpets/rugs, pillows, towels, and couches. Either replace these items or clean them effectively.
In order to effectively clean cloth materials, using a bleach or white vinegar solution is advised. Please note that many online DIY solutions are not a guarantee for complete elimination! TheMoldPros and YesWeInspect can also support you with this process as well.
3. Identify Mold in Your Body
The scientific discoveries and research in mold and mycotoxin testing have resulted in astounding advancements in recent years. While we have learned a lot, we still have much to learn as research continues in this area of health.
If you know the exact species you have been exposed to: proceed with a more direct blood serum testing and/or a urinary mycotoxin test that directly tests for your known exposures to assess total body burden.
If you do not know the exact species you have been exposed to: start with urinary mycotoxin testing.
Blood testing: There are limited mold and mycotoxin species we can test for in the blood but the good thing is that testing advancements in this area grow each year. There are different aspects we test for in the blood regarding mold. We can test for immune reactivity such as immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin E, or other antibodies to specific mold or mycotoxins. There is also specific mold specie DNA testing. Depending on your provider’s approach you may see either or both tested. Depending on your insurance, the lab used, and the number of analytes tested, costs can vary anywhere from $40-$800.
Urine testing: Most labs that test for mycotoxins do so with first-morning urine sample testing. These are good tests to also run before and throughout treatment to ensure the efficacy of any given treatment. A few labs used for urine mycotoxin testing are Great Plains Laboratory and Vibrant Wellness. Depending on the lab used, there are around 10-31 molds and mycotoxins that are tested for and the pricing varies from about $250 to $400.
These are tests you should NOT be ordering on your own. It is very important you have a provider that knows how to interpret, summarize your results, and create the right treatment plan for you.
4. Mitigate Mold in Your Body
Treating different molds and mycotoxins often looks different from person to person. No one treatment approach is the same for each of my patients as not every person’s health and exposures are the same. The level of education and experience your provider has with the mold or mycotoxin(s) you have tested positive for is VERY important and can and will make or break the success of your treatment. Be aware of any providers online that sell “Mold testing and treatment packages”; they likely have one set protocol and it is likely not specifically tailored to you.
Key highlights when treating mold or mycotoxin burden in the body:
ALWAYS keep away from known exposures and have them mitigated.
Use a supplement or pharmaceutical that kills the mold or mycotoxin
Use a supplement or pharmaceutical that aids the body in eliminating the mold and mycotoxins as you kill it off.
Support the body and its detoxification pathways as you kill and eliminate mold.
Especially your digestive tract: test for or treat any inflammation and balance your microbiome. You are what you absorb and digest (not what you eat).
Have a plan in the event of a Herxheimer reaction. This is what happens when you kill (die-off) and try to eliminate mold and mycotoxins too quickly and you experience symptoms from the die-off.
Make sure everything you are taking does not interfere with any medications or any existing medical conditions.
Support the main body processes which you are activating through healthy diet and lifestyle choices.
Eat mold-free foods (Coffee has a lot of molds too!)
Be sure you are sweating, pooping, and moving during treatment to support organs of detoxification.
If you need support in any of these areas, Naturopathic Doctors have the knowledge and training to support you on your health journey.
As always, here to empower you with the knowledge of health,
Dr. Meg Holpuch, ND
References:
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Dai C, Xiao X, Sun F, et al. T-2 toxin neurotoxicity: role of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Arch Toxicol. 2019;93(11):3041-3056. https://doi. org/10.1007/s00204-019-02577-5 PMID:31570981
Theoharides TC, Kavalioti M, Tsilioni I. Mast Cells, Stress, Fear and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(15):3611. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijms20153611 PMID:31344805
Patel R, Hossain MA, German N, Al-Ahmad AJ. Gliotoxin penetrates and impairs the integrity of the human blood-brain barrier in vitro. Mycotoxin Res. 2018;34(4):257-268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12550-018-0320-7 PMID:30006720
Ménard A, Amouri R, Dobránsky T, et al. A gliotoxic factor and multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Sci. 1998;154(2):209-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-510X(97)00231-1 PMID:9562313
De Santis B, Brera C, Mezzelani A, et al. Role of mycotoxins in the pathobiology of autism: A first evidence. Nutr Neurosci. 2019;22(2):132-144. https://doi.org/10. 1080/1028415X.2017.1357793 PMID:28795659
Ratnaseelan AM, Tsilioni I, Theoharides TC. Effects of Mycotoxins on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Immune Processes. Clin Ther. 2018;40(6):903- 917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2018.05.004 PMID:29880330
Theoharides TC, Kavalioti M, Tsilioni I. Mast Cells, Stress, Fear and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(15):3611. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijms20153611 PMID:31344805
Disclaimer: The educational information provided in this article is intended only as educational information and is not meant to substitute medical advice. The information provided is not meant to, nor claims to, diagnose, treat, or cure any medication conditions. It is the responsibility of the subscriber to consult their qualified healthcare professional regarding their personal health.
