Mold Related Illness – Everything You Need to Know
By Susan Tanner, MD
The following is a series of articles I’ve written for Sinusitis Wellness. Please email me directly if you have a question not answered in this material.
Toxicity-Induced Macular Degeneration
Any organ system can be targeted and impacted when the body’s threshold of tolerance has been exceeded by toxic exposures. The eyes and visual acuity are not spared. Most apparent, as far as vision is concerned, is the issue of macular degeneration, the leading cause of age-related vision loss.
How can you protect your eyes? Continue reading here.
The Lymphatic System and Detoxification
The lymphatic system and lymph fluid are important to address in patients who have been made ill by mold and mycotoxins as well as any other toxin accumulation, infection, or even cancer. When there is stagnation in the lymphatic tree, then overall body detoxification and healing are impacted. In other words, the “bad stuff” is not moving out of the body as it should, and illness or disease can follow.
There are several methods of reducing lymphatic stagnation, and they may be used in combination or one at a time. Typically, these are gentle in nature and may achieve very good results. Continue reading here.
What’s the Gallbladder Got to do with it?
Supporting liver function as one of the main organs of detoxification should be a priority for anyone and everyone and is especially important in patients with mold and mycotoxin illness. What is often not considered, though, are the roles of both the gallbladder and bile in assisting and optimizing liver function and the detoxification process itself.
Digging into the gallbladder and bile piece of the equation can often illuminate a forgotten essential of liver support. Continue reading here.
Is it Fungal Infection or Mold Illness?
I am frequently asked the question when it comes to mold illness whether it is an actual infection of the body or an illness caused by the mold itself. The simple answer is that mold illness can involve both but explaining what some of the tests mean may help allay some fears as well as support some of the subsequent treatment recommendations.
Continue reading here for everything you need to know.
Choosing the Right Probiotics for Healing the Mood and Mind
Neurotransmitters, the chemicals responsible for thought processes, mood, focus, and memory are largely produced in the gut lining. A growing body of research seems to confirm that if the gut microbiome becomes discombobulated with “bad actors”, so does the brain, becoming out of whack and often more confused and inflamed.
Learn the many ways in which the health of a person’s gut microbiome can directly affect their mental health or mood, and what you can do to support your gut health.
Mold, Mycotoxins, and ALL the Questions
Mold illness refers to the variety of health problems that can occur from any type of mold exposure. Although a mold allergy is a common and widely “accepted” health issue associated with mold, exposure to pathogenic molds and mycotoxins can cause illness, infections, and toxic reactions without an allergic reaction. This creates confusion and a multitude of questions about proper treatment, detox, testing, and more.
In this article, I address some of those questions.
The Prevalence of Subclinical Clostridial Infections in Mold-Injured Patients
The lining of the gut is the source of Immunoglobulin A, the first line of immune defense. Through a cascade of toxicity, mycotoxins from molds can both lower the defenses of and stimulate immune reactions in the gut lining, rendering the gut immune process weaker or less protective and simultaneously more reactive. Poor immune protection can then allow opportunistic flora to grow, such as some clostridial species as well as yeast.
What does C. Diff have to do with mold exposure/injury and what can you do about it? Continue reading here.
The Most Effective Detoxification Strategy
Emotional healing tools are a necessary part of recovery for many who have suffered both physically and mentally from mold and mycotoxin sequela. With the significant loss, not only of health but also of finances and belongings, and the frequent lack of empathy from family members or spouses who are not similarly affected, the emotional toll on sufferers is often significant and underappreciated for its contribution to the severity and duration of symptoms and ability for one to fully recover.
How to begin when hopelessness feels like your current reality? Start here.
A Deep Dive Into Immune Dysregulation From Mold
Mold and mycotoxin exposure results primarily from the inhalation of spores, but also from ingestion of mold-contaminated food sources. Spores serve as vectors for mycotoxins to enter the body and are pathogenic due to allergenic and infectious properties. Unfortunately for mold sufferers, according to popular medical opinion, there is not sufficient evidence that mold/mycotoxin exposure might directly cause autoimmune diseases, but what may not be taken into consideration are predisposing factors, which vary widely.
This brings us then, to what to do. Find out here.
Low Exocrine Pancreatic Enzymes and Mycotoxin Exposure
The production of enzymes by the pancreas requires a lot of energy from the body. When the body comes under severe and ongoing stress for any reason, and this includes the environmental stress of mold and toxin exposure, then in an effort to conserve energy, the pancreas may reel back its production of enzymes. Thus, in addition to all the other inflammatory effects of mold and mycotoxins, one may encounter additional problems or exacerbated symptoms due to maldigestion.
Is EPI an issue for you? And what are treatment options? Continue reading here.
Weight Gain, Insulin, and Leptin Resistance Post Mold Exposure
There are many people who gain weight and experience great difficulty losing it after mold or other environmental exposures. Toxins are stored in fat which can be part of the reason, but a hormone called leptin also plays a large role. As you will see, not only does leptin influence sugar metabolism and insulin levels, but it also controls hunger signaling, fat storage, and therefore overall toxin accumulation in the body.
Here are some steps that may help if you know or suspect high leptin levels are part of your health issues.
Maintaining Compliance With Lifestyle Changes and the Hard Work Required to Heal From Mold
Treating mold-related illness is anything but simple which makes strategies for healing more complex. The commitment required of the patient can be overwhelming as it spans indoor environmental changes, air quality improvements, diet, exercise, and other significant life alterations. Patients need support and tools to believe that, indeed, they will get better, and that they are capable of taking the necessary and sometimes difficult steps to make it happen.
You can recover and live a “normal” life. Continue reading here.
What Steps to Take After Finding Out Your Home Has a Mold Problem
Patients suffering from mycotoxin-related illnesses are already struggling with a multitude of symptoms and hearing that their home may be a major contributor to these can be a devastating blow. And, while clean air is an absolute necessity for recovery, attaining that goal can be difficult and expensive.
Continue reading here for some action steps to get started on a path to healing.
A Precision Approach to Preventing and Treating Cognitive Decline
There have been attempts made to identify the underlying drivers of Alzheimer’s disease, but most treatments only focus on drugs to reverse the pathology, not on causation and prevention. Advanced research findings, however, give us a different approach with 35 recognized contributors, 6 subtypes of the disease, and many personalized programs for treatment and prevention. Inhalational toxicity from mold and mycotoxins happens to be a key causal component and driver of the disease.
What are the goals of treatment and prevention? Continue reading here.
Getting Mold and Mycotoxins Out of the Body Both Successfully and Safely
When one becomes ill from mold and mycotoxins, it is due to a tipping point being reached in which the mechanisms to remove these substances have been damaged or overwhelmed and cannot work effectively or efficiently. The statement, “Genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger,” is spot-on when it comes to how mold and mycotoxins impact the body–it is never just the mold. Thus, a successful detoxification strategy takes a multifaceted approach.
Continue reading here as I begin to answer the question of how to detox the body of mold and mycotoxins.
Why Mold-Triggered Illness Can Make You Soooooo Tired
Chronic fatigue syndrome has been recognized as a diagnosis for many years now and has been attributed to such underlying causes as viral infections, allergies, imbalanced gut flora, and neurochemical imbalances. However, what doctors may be missing is the possibility of toxicity- or exposure-induced fatigue and how that very important factor can impact the system from the very basics of cell biology.
Fatigue starts at the cellular level. What are the simple rules for mitochondrial health? Continue reading here.
What You Should Know About Mold Toxins and Kidney Functions
The kidneys, even though they are effective at filtering out many toxins, including mycotoxins, from the blood, may, at times, have difficulty excreting those toxins into the urine. Over time, if these toxins accumulate, they can damage the parts of the organ responsible for filtration. Without proper filtration occurring, waste products build up in the bloodstream and create symptoms like blood pressure changes, fluid accumulation in the extremities, a vague sense of feeling unwell and fatigued, increased urinary frequency, and constant thirst.
Continue reading here to learn how to evaluate and protect your kidneys.
How to Know if Mold is Causing Your Health Problems
When I have a patient seeking out my services, especially one with multiple symptoms affecting multiple organ systems and who has been to many doctors before me, I ultimately start to screen them for mold. It is not because mold is always the cause of their symptoms. It is because mold and mycotoxins can impact individuals in many ways, and there is no one absolute symptom, so mold should be ruled out before we start digging deeper. If we move on to attempting to treat other causes or symptoms without ruling mold out, we often will not be successful and symptoms will continue to worsen.
Which symptoms point to mold? Continue reading here.
The Benefits of Combination Therapies When Treating Mold-Related Illness
Many patients who suffer from mold-triggered illnesses are extremely sensitive. Mold is a master antigen and tends to cause the body to counter all other antigens and sometimes even safe substances with an overreactive immune response. Combining gentler, homeopathic formulations with nutritional supplements can help to lessen the cell danger response and ease the body into healing mode without Herxheimer reactions and discomfort.
Continue reading here to learn how to heal in the safest way possible.
The Impact of Moldy Homes on Children
Because of a child’s smaller body mass, robust immune reactivity to an antigen like mold can manifest faster and with more obvious symptoms than in adults. Indoor air quality should never be discounted when a child starts to have recurring or chronic health issues.
Which symptoms may indicate that mold might be a culprit in your child’s health problems? Click here to find out.
11 Steps You Can Take to Keep Mycotoxins at Bay
The importance of living in a clean air environment cannot be overstated. In the case of mold-related illness, it must be revisited time and again, as regaining health depends on it. Addressing some of the common areas of contamination and the sources from which a mold problem can arise helps to keep the inflammatory response minimized.
Mold maintenance and prevention start with the little things. None of the items on the list are necessarily time-consuming or expensive but can go a long way toward keeping you safe from mycotoxin-induced inflammation. Click here for my mold maintenance/cleaning list.
The Complicating Factors of Viruses in Treating Mold-Injured Patients
A significant influencing factor in how sick a patient gets when exposed to environmental pathogens, like mold and mycotoxins, or even to a virus, like COVID-19, is their viral history. Viruses, especially those that hang around in the body in some form after the initial illness has passed, can have a very deep and lasting impact on the immune system and how efficiently and effectively it responds to other invaders.
What can be done? Continue reading here.
Mycotoxins, Histamine, and Inflammation
Mycotoxins can target and negatively impact the brush border and lining of the gut. The widespread effect can be that of inflammation involving body parts and organ systems that are seemingly unrelated. One manifestation of this immunity dysregulation is referred to as mast cell activation syndrome or histamine intolerance.
Every patient is an individual and there are no hard and fast rules. Continue reading here.
Distractions, the HPA Axis, and Healing from Mold
The distraction-stress loop created by modern life and social media can impair the body’s ability to withstand immune system threats. Distracted brains impact the HPA axis by staying in a stressed mode which can then lead to fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and suppressed immunity.
In this article, I offer some additional support strategies and a few natural, safe remedies that might be added to your current protocol to provide vital hormonal balance.
Wired but Tired and Not Recovering?
The HPA Axis controls everything from cortisol, adrenaline, and sex hormone secretion to how the body synthesizes hormonal shifts to how it responds to those shifts–the digestive tract, temperature regulation, and even growth patterns are impacted. What does it look like when things aren’t functioning properly in that axis? And how can you get to the root of the problem and help correct it, rather than just mask the symptoms?
FAQ’s to Help Make Sense of Mold-Triggered Illness
With all of the conflicting information on indoor air quality and mold, sometimes a straightforward FAQ is in order. Please continue reading here as I answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the health impacts of mold and mycotoxins in hopes that a wider audience may find benefit in their journey to healing.
Mold, Mycotoxins, and the Microbiome
While the microbiome plays an important immunologic and pathophysiologic role in humans regardless of disease state, we are just now learning about the role of environmental factors in developing and changing the function and diversity of the microbiome.
How do you treat a microbiome disruption? Click here to find out.
The Search for Mold-Free Real Estate
As a prospective home buyer in a hot real estate market, you may be forced to make quick and not as well-vetted decisions. The number of days a listing stays on the market is historically low right now, and many homes are selling above the asking price. If you are in a situation where you want or need to make a home purchase and are having to do it quickly, then there is a strategy in doing so to remain as safe from mold as possible.
Continue reading here to find out how to “quickly” assess a home for mold.
Toxic Burden and Weight Loss Resistance
Throughout my 39 years of medical practice, the one non-emergency medical question that is presented to me more often than anything else is, “Dr. Tanner, how can I get this weight off?” Now granted, the societal expectations of what “normal” weight looks like must be understood and keeping one’s desires and goals within reason is very important. But, in general, it always seems that weight loss as we age, or simply maintaining a healthy weight as the years pass, has been a daunting task for many. And, while holding onto extra pounds and weight-loss resistance may not seem to be problems related to mold and mold exposure, I can assure you that there is an intimate and often unrecognized connection.
It is not just for weight loss that I want to address this topic, though, because some of the same issues that cause weight gain can impact undesired weight loss too; therefore, I hope that the steps outlined here help both sides of the issue even though my focus will be more towards those with higher body mass in this particular article.
Is Mold Causing Your Skin Problems?
Because skin covers our entire body, we tend to look at it as an envelope, a protective barrier of sorts, instead of viewing it for the organ that it is. Skin is actually THE largest organ of the body, and as such, it can become the target and displayer of internal health conditions.
When thinking of how mold and fungi relate to skin, we often think of topical skin infections such as athlete’s foot, ringworm, and jock itch. These conditions are actual infections of the skin by fungi. There are other skin manifestations that are NOT infections but that are induced by exposure to mold and mycotoxins. These issues can plague mold sufferers if not properly addressed. Continue reading here.
DNA Methylation and Addressing Cellular Aging From Mold and Mycotoxins
Biological or cellular aging is a predictor of illness and not simply a process and a valuable marker in assessing health and recovery in environmentally stricken patients.
How can you control cellular aging and live the healthiest and most energetic life possible? Click here to find out how.
Does Mold Exposure Impact Seratonin Levels?
While mold exposure does not automatically result in low or high serotonin levels, when we think about the organs that are impacted by toxic mold, we might then find some of the underlying reasons for the dysregulation of the mood-boosting neurotransmitter, serotonin, in the body.
In this article, I explain my thought process to allow you to make your own conclusions.
Mold-Safe Homes from a Real Estate Perspective
Several years ago, I decided to obtain a real estate license. At the time, my goal in doing so was to help some of my patients find “healthy homes” as this quest seemed to be a needle in a haystack endeavor–especially for those patients needing to find a mold-free home to properly heal. Needless to say, my real estate journey became quite the interesting one as it gave me the opportunity to see first-hand what the real estate market was like as well as the ability to meet and learn from home and property inspectors of all types.
The quest to find a “healthy home” can be a needle in a haystack endeavor–especially for those needing to find a mold-free home to properly heal. Here are suggestions for discerning when to walk away or when to call an expert if you are buying, renting, selling, or evaluating a home.
Thinking Mold Until Proven Otherwise
With its uncanny ability to disrupt every system in the body, mold can be hard to spot and can be masked by many of the “bigger” more obvious symptoms that it ignites. Thus, the reminder to “think mold”, especially when nothing else is working, is the reason for this article.
Testing for mold when all else fails.
When Mold Puts Food Allergies, Sensitivities, and Intolerances on the Menu
Mycotoxins from molds, whether ingested or breathed, become part of the burden on the gut by suppressing normal immunity and decreasing pancreatic enzyme production. The result is that certain foods, particularly those eaten frequently or on a regular basis, become triggers for a number of reactions.
What food issue interventions will help you? Find out here.
When and Why to Use GI-Specific Products to Strengthen Immunity Against Mold
The gut is easily damaged by toxins (like mold), and poor diet. Mold-injured patients often sustain considerable GI damage and present with symptoms that run the gamut from bloating and constipation to diarrhea and malabsorption. Thus, incorporating protocols aimed at detoxing the system and supporting a healthy immune response becomes an integral piece of their healing.
Where do you start? Continue reading here.
Patient Stories of Chronic Fatigue, Mold, and Heavy Metals
The discussion of chronic fatigue and its many causes challenges patients and doctors alike. Sometimes turning over one stone, illuminates a deeper, more substantial trigger for the debilitating symptoms, and other times, finding the cause is more nuanced and complicated.
It is not an easy or straight road, but never stop looking for answers. I encourage you to dig deeper into your history and health. Do the things you know that you can do to lower the burden on your system.
Fall Weather and Mold Illness Issues
The fall weather brings a respite from the summer heat and humidity and would appear to be a much better time for mold-injured patients. In many ways, this is true, but there are a few caveats to be aware of; more time spent outdoors, the changing of our HVAC settings from air conditioning to heating, and the shifts in daylight time can sometimes make mold-illness symptoms worse.
What steps can you take to set yourself up for optimal wellness? Continue reading here.
The Neurologic and Psychiatric Impacts of Toxicity
Pro-inflammatory cytokines circulating in the body (like what happens with the chronic inflammation induced by mold exposure) induce not only symptoms of sickness, but also true major depressive disorders in physically ill patients with no previous history of mental disorders.
Once we know, then what do we do? Find out here.
Are Trauma and Chronic Illness Related?
Trauma is often thought of as being caused by a horrific event or a direct physical injury. But trauma can also evolve from the experience of chronic illness. Dealing with mold and mycotoxin illness can be additionally traumatic for sufferers because it can be a misunderstood and isolating diagnosis of exclusion.
Experiencing trauma of any kind causes a change in the neurological wiring of the brain and nervous system. Continue reading here to find out how to help yourself heal both inside and out.
Learning to Live Mold-Free and “Normal” after Mold Illness
Mold is ubiquitous and seems inescapable, especially when one is hypersensitive to it. Thus, the question of being able to lead a “normal” life in a moldy world is very understandable. Is normalcy after mold illness ever truly possible? And, if so, what does “normal” even look like?
My tips for your new normal here.
Are Dietary Supplements Necessary for Mold Recovery?
Vitamins and supplements can certainly help to bridge the gap between daily nutrition and what is lacking, but do dietary supplements really matter when it comes to illness, namely recovery from mold toxicity or healing from chronic illness?
I can answer that question with one word, “Absolutely!”—with a few caveats, of course. Continue reading here.
The Role of Beta-Glucans in Mold Illness Treatment
In mold-related illness and chronic candidiasis, mounting an effective defense against fungal pathogens helps the body become strong enough to protect, defend, and heal itself. Decades of study show that beta-glucans act as immunomodulatory agents that help to regulate the immune system, making it more efficient.
What are beta-glucans, how do they work, and how may they be added to an existing treatment plan or into any health regimen to assist in the prevention of illness and disease? Find out here.
The Gluten, Yeast, and Mold Feedback Loop
Gluten and yeast overgrowth (mostly Candida albicans) are often mentioned together in relation to immune dysfunction and mold illness. But if yeast is able to propagate on a variety of substances in the gastrointestinal tract, what is it about gluten, a single group of proteins attached to certain grains, that seems to make yeast become pathogenic? As is typical in the realm of integrative medical treatment, several causative factors are at play.
Find out why gluten can sometimes extend or worsen symptoms for those suffering from sickness triggered by environmental mold exposure. Continue reading here.
When to Use Natural, Whole-Body Antifungals
When using antifungal medications, it is important to remember that yeast and fungal cells are quite like human cells; therefore, it is difficult to create a treatment that just targets just the “bad guys” and not also the “good guys” at the same time. For this reason, natural antifungals may be easier for the body to tolerate and, in some cases, work even better than their prescription counterparts.
What are a few good examples of commonly used natural antifungals? Click here to find out.
Answering Reader Questions About Mold and Health
I receive many questions from readers about specific situations and symptoms regarding mold-triggered illness. While every question is different and has its nuances, there are some basic rules when it comes to mold, like looking at indoor air quality, addressing diet, and considering other contributing environmental factors, that can help anyone whose health may be suffering.
If you suspect mold is damaging your health, continue reading here for next steps and helpful interventions.
The Influence of Mold on Sex Hormones
The presence of environmental toxins can cause a twofold problem for sex hormone balance in the body: 1.) The toxins interfere with the natural breakdown through the liver of estrogen; and, 2.) Some of these toxins are estrogen mimics.
Continue reading here to understand the role these hormones play in the body and what happens when they fall out of balance and health suffers.
A Deep Relaxation Technique to Relieve the Stress Impacts of Chronic Mold Illness
Not only can tension in the body contribute to aches and pains, but it can also worsen feelings of stress and anxiety, especially when it comes to dealing with mold illness. Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a natural (and free) way to calm the body and cope with the effects of stressful thoughts and feelings.
What exactly is Progressive Muscle Relaxation and what is it used for? Find out here.
Mold and Mycotoxins in Food and Their Role in Mold Illness
While breathing clean air, especially in indoor environments, should be at the top of the list for addressing mold-related health concerns, assessing exposure to mycotoxins in foods and their possible role in illness and disease is also very pertinent to the discussion.
Before embarking on a project to eliminate mold exposure from food, it is imperative to take in the entire clinical picture as individual reactions vary widely. Continue reading here.
Mold, Chemicals in Our Products, and How They Tell Our Bodies to Pack on the Pounds
Our largest organ is the skin, and products we are using for cleaning or personal care or surfaces we are consistently in contact with that have been treated by chemicals or that are contaminated by mycotoxins can really make an impact on our health and ability to heal. Skin is not simply a covering of our bodies; it is a vital organ, and we cannot live without it. What touches the skin is absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream and cells. Exposure to environmental molds can be part of the absorption picture (if you are sleeping on a moldy mattress or in mold-contaminated sheets, your body can absorb those mycotoxins), but most commonly and of equal concern should be skin absorption of toxic chemicals from cleaning and beauty products. These everyday exposures contribute to the total body load, and when your immune system has been challenged in any way, they can quickly add up to be a toxic tipping point.
How can chemicals contribute to obesity and which to look out for? Continue reading here.
Detox Strategies for Safe Weight Loss When Environmental Toxins Are Present
When a person is exposed to environmental chemicals, the toxins get stored inside of their body, mostly in adipose/fatty tissue and fatty organs. These pesky pollutants are difficult to get rid of and accumulate over time, which is one reason that age can be a primary determinant of environmental pollutant concentration in humans. Patients who have had exposure to mold are particularly susceptible to this phenomenon; mold toxins are airborne and unseen, thus accumulation can be great over time.
There are two strategies to take depending on where you are in your life. Find out more here.
Antifungal Medications and Mold Illness Treatment
The answers for healing from mold-triggered illness are not always as straightforward as being able to take an antifungal medication to “kill” the invading pathogen. And, while Rx antifungals DO have a place in mold treatment, they are not the be-all and end-all remedy. If certain steps are not taken in conjunction with these medications, they may not help or may even make some symptoms worse.
Individual assessment and treatment are always best! There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Continue reading here.
When Histamine Goes Haywire
Chemicals and toxins that pass through the bloodstream by inhalation or skin contact are absorbed and can hit the gut lining just as an ingested food does. When this occurs, increased permeability of the capillaries is stimulated to produce more histamines as an immune response. When exposure continues, histamine intolerance can occur.
What are the signs and symptoms and how can histamine intolerance be addressed? Click here to continue reading.
Liver Detoxification and Mold-Injured Patients
The liver is constantly in the process of detoxification as toxins are not only ingested, breathed in, or absorbed through the skin but are also formed naturally inside the body by the breakdown of hormones and digestive processes. If the liver is overburdened or detox is not working well, then toxic mold exposure can cause even greater health impacts and symptoms.
The active support of liver detoxification is not a gimmick or a health fad; it is a necessity, especially in today’s world. Continue reading here about the processes of liver detox and how to best support it.
Mold, Memory, and Dementia Risk Factors
Many health and lifestyle risk factors have been identified as catalysts for memory loss and environmental exposures are a BIG one. These factors account for 40% of dementia cases worldwide. Knowing how to address these risks could possibly delay or help you to avoid dementia altogether.
What things can you do – starting today – to heal and protect your brain? Click here to find out.
Vitamin C, Immunity, and Mold Recovery
While there is no one universal remedy for any illness or disease, supplementing with Vitamin C can lessen some of the extreme symptoms from stress, inflammation, and immune system suppression that occurs when mold or other toxic insults are in the picture.
How does Vitamin C benefit the human body and how do I know which supplements to take? Read more here.
Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis for Mold-Injured Patients
Successfully healing from mold toxicity can require some out-of-the-box thinking and digging into other potential sources of inflammation and immune suppression to get the body to return to homeostasis and health.
The gut is the beginning of the immune system and holds clues to what ails the body. Since gastrointestinal symptoms are often some of the most stubborn mold symptoms to finally resolve, I have quite a lot of patients ask me about stool testing, also referred to as comprehensive digestive stool analysis, to get further help with this area.
Why is stool analysis helpful? Click here to find out.
A Deeper Look at Phosphatidylcholine
Phosphatidylcholine has many advantages when used to counter toxicity-triggered illness and disease. It can help regulate cell communication, assist in releasing more toxins from the brain and the liver (both of which are dense is fats), and speeds the process of healing by countering any oxidative stress that has occurred.
Find out who can be helped with phosphatidylcholine supplementation here.
Cell Membrane Dysfunction in Toxicity-Related Health Conditions
Understanding the huge impact the cell membrane has on your body is necessary if you want to understand health and healing. Every part of the membrane is constantly active in regulating body function for energy, for fluid regulation, and most notably, for proper neurologic and brain function. Exposure to mold/mycotoxins or other toxins causes a disruption in this electrical signaling resulting in many symptoms, some of which may progress to present as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cancer, and many others.
How do we foster cell membrane health? Continue reading here.
The Impact of Chronic Lyme Disease on Patients Also Dealing With Mold Illness
The topic of why Lyme disease (or other stealth infections) can hinder healing from mold toxicity is a loaded one. To even begin to unpack it, one must first look at what it is – and its particular health impacts – to better understand why it can create such a problem in mold-injured patients.
The Dental Connection Between Mold Illness and Unresolved Symptoms
More than a pretty smile, the teeth and gums are areas where health may be augmented or greatly decreased, depending on many factors. When mold/fungus triggers inflammation and sickness, teeth that are sub-clinically infected or compromised, have had root canals, or areas, where teeth may have been extracted, can become problematic and impede recovery.
If you are a patient who is not getting better from mold-related illness, do NOT forget to think about your mouth, your gums, and your teeth. Continue reading here.
The Role of Heavy Metals in Preventing Mold Illness Recovery
What happens when treating the mold is not enough? What about those times, and they do happen when the environment has been cleaned up, the internal mold has been treated, hormones are back in balance, yet recovery remains elusive? Today we launch a series of articles that may help explain. We begin with the role of heavy metals in preventing full recovery.
When treating mold is not enough.
Organic Acids Testing for Mold-Injured Patients
Of all functional medicine tests that are available, hands down, the most helpful to me as a clinician is the Organic Acids (OAT) test done through first-morning urine. When results are paired with a patient’s specific history and the whole picture is interpreted, no other diagnostic gives as much “bang for the buck” as the Organic Acids test, in my opinion.
Continue reading here to discover what an OAT test measures and why this information is so helpful for mold patients.
Is It Mold That Is Making Me Sick?
How do I know? A definitive “yes” or “no” is not always easy when it comes to mold – the presentation of mold-related illness can mimic many different illnesses, and there is no “positive/negative” lab test to be done. Over time spent working with patients and sorting through the many and varied ways in which mold can present, I’ve found that a combination of observations, tests, and evaluations can lead to an accurate, health-saving diagnosis.
Biofilm and Binders in Mold-Related Illness
We have discussed often the many forms and roles of detoxification in the body after one has been injured by mold. The resultant production of inflammatory cytokines can produce many symptoms which can include disruption to the circulatory system, neurological difficulties and impairments, digestive issues, psychological presentations—anxiety, OCD, depression, and orthopedic indicators. In this article, I want to take a step further down the path of treatment to discuss the formation of biofilms and the use of binders, and how and why binders may be helpful in the healing process.
Everyone’s body and situation are different, so treatments are really quite individual. Continue reading here to understand what may be helpful for you.
When Chronic and Mold-Triggered Illness Ignite PTSD Symptoms
Not much has been written about PTSD symptoms in patients who suffer from chronic medical issues, which include those affected by mold and mycotoxins. As I write about this topic, I want to emphasize that I myself am a person who was made very sick by mold. Thus, I understand intimately the trauma it can cause.
My point in writing this article is not to trivialize PTSD symptoms or to use the term as a catchphrase for all trauma-ignited nervous system reactions. Rather, it is to illuminate the fact that the multiple and sometimes more subtle, continual brain reactivities from chronic illness and toxins can also produce a biochemical and neurological response that is similar to that of other traumatic experience survivors.
Mold, Candida, and Hormones – What You Need to Know
The belief in Environmental Medicine is that the body’s immune system can become imbalanced after the accumulation of a “load” which may be comprised of viruses, toxicity (including mold), and genetics. When the threshold of the individual is exceeded (this is unique to each person), then immune reactivity can occur.
Both mold and candida need to be considered and addressed in all the ways we have mentioned in prior articles in order for treatment for hormonal autoimmunity issues to be successful. In this article, we will concentrate on reactive presentations specific to female hormone problems.
Making Your Home a Mold-Free Sanctuary
Minimizing your mold exposure at home and from your indoor air is key to preserving good health. As so much time is spent in the home environment, I have heard from many patients noticing new symptoms or an exacerbation of existing symptoms that seem to be tied to where they are living and trying to keep themselves safe from the novel coronavirus in our midst.
Further, if you are someone who has already been made sick from mold and mycotoxins, you know that it is all the more essential to make sure that the air you are breathing in a contained space, i.e. your home, is as clean as possible. Continue reading here to find out how to find out if your home has a mold problem and what to do if you find one.
Hormone Imbalances and Syndromes in Mold-Injured Patients
One of the far-reaching impacts of mold-related illness is the disruption of multiple hormonal functions throughout the body. It is quite common for mold to knock more than one body system out of balance so that many things begin operating abnormally or suboptimally at best. Part of the reason for this is that our hormones are linked to one another by various feedback mechanisms such that under or overproduction of one system causes an imbalance in another and so on down the line.
Learn how mold is the great hormone disruptor and what to do about it.
Optimizing Liver Function and Detoxification to Avoid Illness and Disease
The liver, second to the skin, is the largest organ in the human body. At any one time, over one-third of the total blood volume is in this organ. The liver has multiple functions and plays a major role in metabolism, including glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, hormone production, and detoxification. It is also one of the very few organs that have the ability to repair and regenerate.
It is important to understand how good the function of this amazing organ is essential to health in all areas. Click here to read more.
The Damaging Effects of Oxalates and Their Role in Inflammation and Disease
Oxalic acid is an organic acid formed in cell metabolism and is the most acidic organic acid in the body. It is also referred to as “oxalate”. When not made by the body, oxalate is commonly found in plants which include leafy greens, berries, fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.
While it is common to have some oxalate in a normally-functioning system, too much can lead to several negative effects or health symptoms.
Why are oxalates problematic? Learn about them and how to diagnose and address symptoms here.
The Power and Benefits of Oxygen Therapy
One of the most helpful and relatively fast-acting treatments for patients affected by mold and mycotoxins and those suffering from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is the use of oxygen therapy at home or hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a center providing this service. One might question the benefit of this if a patient’s heart and lungs are all healthy and in good working order, but the reasons and rationale for both forms of oxygen therapy are explained in my article here.
Unpacking the Neurological Piece of MCS
Understanding the limbic system’s role in the symptoms and treatment of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is key to treating for a full recovery. MCS affects the wiring of both the brain and the nervous system and is often overlooked as part of a treatment plan.
Learn about different treatments for MCS that address “rewiring” the limbic system. Read more here.
Shining a Light on Diagnosing and Treating Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, or MCS, is a controversial medical condition characterized by an adverse physical reaction to low levels of many common chemicals that have been reported and acknowledged, although not formally classified as an illness, for some years. MCS has been placed under the umbrella of many different symptom categories, including environmental toxicity and most unfortunately been deemed a “psychological problem” by medical professionals and laypeople alike.
How do you diagnose it and then what are your treatment options? Click here to find out all you need to know.
Part 3: The Chronic Inflammatory Response Caused by Mold and Mycotoxins
In this Part 3 of articles about inflammation, I would like to address mold exposure as a cause of inflammation, as well as what far-reaching impacts it can have on the mind and body. Bottom line… mold illness is more than an “allergy to mold.”
There is not a single “one-size-fits-all” treatment plan, but it is hoped that by explaining how the body reacts to mold that some of the treatment methods will begin to make sense! Continue to read here for clarity, how to diagnose and treatment options.
New Year’s Clarity for Better Health
When you are focused on getting through the day-to-day or are adjusting to not having as much energy or vibrancy as before, you don’t need the added pressure of entering into a new year, and especially a new decade, with a list of resolutions. In fact, the word “resolution” has become a term I don’t particularly like. When dealing with a chronic illness, set intentions for positive change.
Developing good routines and habits are what can help us sustain lifelong, rather than adopting transient processes that ultimately do not work. Here are some tools to help you get your mind and health in a positive place for better everyday living.
Part 2: Finding the Cause of Inflammation to Stop the Disease Process
In Part 1: The Basis of Illness, Understanding the Causes and Health Consequences of Chronic Inflammation, we discussed at length what inflammation is, how it can present, and the cascade of issues that can arise throughout the body when inflammation is prolonged and is left untreated. Now, let’s look at how we can determine what caused the inflammation and the ways we can detect its origin.
Part 1: Understanding the Causes and Health Consequences of Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation is a term we hear applied to almost every body part when function, performance, or overall wellbeing is impacted in a non-positive way. It has almost become a buzzword these days for the cause of all sickness and medical problems. We hear about inflammation-induced obesity, or inflammation causing autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and diabetes. And, while it is true, inflammation is at the core of much of what ails us, it can be a difficult concept to navigate.
To learn more about what causes inflammation in the body, and it’s impact and treatment, click here.
Explaining Yeast Overgrowth: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions for Candida
Yeast overgrowth can have an effect on all of the body’s systems. Often, when Candida comes up with my patients, I am asked questions like, “Is all yeast bad?” “What does yeast overgrowth do to the body?” “Is Candida just in the gut?”
This article answers those questions and explains Candida’s basics, symptoms, and treatment so you can better understand how to keep yeast in check for improved health and sustained wellness.
Managing Chronic Illness During the Holidays
Holidays can present their own challenges for health and heart. The “norm” portrayed on television of the happy, healthy family, and generous, kind-natured neighbors are not always the case. Chronically ill patients know this only too well, especially if suffering from an illness that is poorly understood by the masses, such as mold-related illnesses. Conscious self-care is absolutely essential and the holidays may actually require more of it! I try to remind my patients that it is never selfish to be put yourself at the top of your priority list. Addressing your physical and emotional needs first will ease holiday stress and safeguard your health.
How can you do this? Let me help you here.
Exercise As Medicine When Dealing With Chronic Illness
Exercise is as important to our health and longevity as food and water. Our bodies are meant to move—it is true if you don’t use it you lose it. Far more than that, however, are the huge positive impacts that regular exercise has on boosting and strengthening the immune system, increasing overall metabolism, mitigating stress and negative thinking, enhancing bone and muscle health, improving quality of life, and lengthening life span.
What kind of exercise should I do and how often? Find answers here.
Glutathione, the Master of All Antioxidants
Antioxidant therapy in treating and preventing damage from mold exposures and resultant oxidative stress (rusting) is one of our mainstays in treatment. There are many nutrients that are considered antioxidants, but one that is very powerful and effective is glutathione. Yet most people have not even heard of it!
What is glutathione? And how is it used in treating mold-related illness? Read here for detailed info.
Mold Illness, Chronic Lyme Disease, or Both?
When it comes to mold illness and patients who also have been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, separating which illness is causing what symptoms can be quite difficult. Additionally, just as there are many physicians who do not believe that mold and mycotoxins can make you ill, the medical knowledge and beliefs about Lyme disease are, unfortunately, equally lacking.
Is it Lyme disease or mold? And what is the difference? Find out here.
The Role of Thyroid in Mold Illness Recovery and Overall Wellness
There are many misconceptions and misunderstandings as to what the thyroid gland does and how and when it may be improperly functioning. Unfortunately, just as prevalent among traditional health care practitioners is an incomplete manner of testing to determine if the thyroid is doing its job and operating optimally for recovery and overall health.
Why do I have thyroid symptoms and chronic fatigue when my doctor says my labs are normal? Read more here to find out how to correctly assess thyroid function and treat any issues accordingly.
Can You Diagnose Mold Illness With a Lab Test?
One of the most frequently asked questions that I get from those seeking answers for mold-related illness is, “Is there a lab test we can do to confirm that I have mold illness?” Oh, how I wish it were that simple! Diagnosing and treating mold illness would be much easier for us all if there were a quick and easy positive/negative test that told us conclusively all we needed to know from the start! Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Read here to understand how and where to begin testing for and diagnosing mold illness in a clinical setting.
The Effects of Mold-Related Illness on Families, Marriages, and Relationships
Mold-related illness often falls into the realm of disabling, yet not overtly evident disorders. As we discussed in a previous article about the total body load, the threshold at which patients become ill can vary widely depending on genetics, previous illnesses, accidents, and other toxic exposures. This is the reason that, at times, only one family member is ill, and the others have not yet succumbed, even though they all live in the same moldy house.
However, the illness affects everyone in the family in some way. Why is mold illness so hard for others to understand and how do you work through conflict and find support? Find out here.
Gastrointestinal Symptoms Caused by Mold Toxins
Many times patients mistakenly think that only foods or substances that are ingested can impact the gastrointestinal tract and digestion, but that is not the case. In fact, gastrointestinal symptoms from mold exposure can be multiple and far-reaching and must be recognized and addressed for a patient to recover. Much like the air that you breathe, if the GI tract is not as free of toxins as possible, it cannot maintain proper function.
Understand how your “gut” protects your health and how to address and heal gastrointestinal issues caused by mold toxins. Read more here.
Could Mold Be the Cause of Your Health Issues?
What do headaches, dizziness, brain fog, chronic sinus infections, odd numbness and tingling, fatigue, abdominal gas and bloating, mood swings, itchy skin and rashes, and thick, crumbly nails have in common? These, among myriad other symptoms, MAY indicate that you are suffering from the effects of elevated levels of mold or fungus in your indoor environments.
The harmful effects of mold cannot be overstated, and the recognition of environmental causes of chronic illness is often not considered, much less addressed, in a traditional doctor visit.
Find out what steps to take if you think mold might be causing your illness. Continue reading here.
Adrenal Fatigue: More Than Just Being Tired
Our bodies were not designed to experience long-term physical or toxic stress. This is actually the original “fight or flight” reaction in the body, essential for survival. Unfortunately, when physical or mental stress becomes chronic or long term, the “fight or flight” response stays switched on, and the result can cause anxiety, nervousness, and sleeplessness. This adds to the devastation when one is ill. The “I’m safe, now I can rest and recover” signal is never given, so the body is not allowed to focus efforts on healing.
Click here to read about the effects of mold on the adrenal system.
Brain Fog Can Be a Symptom of Mold Illness
A complaint that almost every mold patient has experienced is “brain fog”. The term is fairly self-explanatory, but we are going to dig a little deeper to explain why, if you are suffering from mold illness or toxicity, you may feel as if your thoughts and emotions may be blunted, stunted, or simply “off”.
Click here to read the rest of the article. Brain Fog and Other Frustrating Cognitive Symptoms of Mold Illness.
How Mold Impacts Sleep
Mold-related sleep problems are common, but difficult symptoms to address.
We all know sleep is essential for good health and healing, but in a mold injured-patient, getting quality sleep is even more imperative. During sleep, especially deep sleep, the brain repairs itself to some extent. The liver and kidneys are actively processing so that detoxification can continue unopposed by usual daytime activities, and the musculoskeletal system has a chance to repair and strengthen connective tissues. In addition, hormone levels have the opportunity to normalize and “rest”. Lack of restorative sleep has been linked to high blood pressure, heart rhythm problems, obesity, and fatigue.
Read here about how mold impacts your sleep.
My Personal Journey with Mold Toxicity
Even medical doctors are not immune to the devastating effects of environmental toxins and mold illness. A stressful medical career combined with a busy life collided with a moldy home to create debilitating symptoms and mold toxicity.
Click here to read my story from signs and symptoms to confirmation, treatment, and recovery.
Mold Allergy vs. Mold Illness
Often patients seeking my clinical help for their puzzling and debilitating health symptoms are dismayed to find that the mold in their homes is the cause of their illness. Many are in disbelief initially, as they had already been through traditional allergy testing and told that they had either no allergy to mold or very mild reactions to mold on skin testing. In addition, the extreme, allergy-like symptoms that some of these patients experienced when exposed to fragrances and chemicals were explained away as “vasomotor rhinitis,” (when an irritant causes the blood vessels in the nose to dilate and expand, producing swelling and congestion) which is not an allergy.
Click here to read more about how mold makes us sick and why ruling out an allergy to mold does NOT rule out mold toxicity.
