Personal Relationships & Mold
An important thing to note when dealing with mold is that its going to be real hard to get people to understand what you are experiencing.
In our story, we found that most people were quick to label us, even when we tried to explain.
Its been our experience that community, empowerment and empathy are words that are just thrown around for buzz-worthiness and ego in many ways. I dont say that to come off as being bitter, . I say it because its the truth, and I dont feel its beneficial for anyone to sugarcoat mold.
Its my hope that someday, people will really embrace things that they do not understand, but for now, try not to waste too much energy to try to convince people who refuse to be convinced.
How Do You Test For Toxic Mold Exposure
All in all, there is no simple way to diagnose mycotoxin illness, says McElroy. But testing is typically the first step. She prefers to start patients with at-home tests and also recommends a home inspection by a certified mold inspector. should only be ordered, in my opinion, once the environment is evaluated for the source of mold, explains McElroy. The most direct way to test for mold toxicity is a urine test that measures for metabolites of mold and mycotoxins as well as glutathione levels . That said, as McElroy explains, I never place the entire diagnosis of mycotoxin illness on tests alone. Why? Because mold tests have some major drawbacks, including:
- False negatives and false positives are common
- They are not covered by insurance
- You cant test all toxins there are hundreds
- The levels found on tests dont necessarily correlate with the severity of symptoms
These tests clearly arent perfect. In fact, McElroy says she has seen patients who were really sick have almost nothing show up on the test while the healthy spouses of those same patients register values off the charts, so having a clinician thats willing and able to do some extra investigation into symptoms of mold and toxic mold exposure is key.
What To Do If Mold Is Gettin You Ill
If mold is causing your illness, the first thing you can do is reach out to your doctor about testing for mold exposure. A routine blood test will indicate whether you have antibodies that confirm an immune reaction to mold, and a urine test can be used to measure any mycotoxins in your system.
One test I use is the Cyrex Labs Array 12 Pathogen screen, which tests for antibodies to common mold species and other pathogens.
Ultimately, the most important factor in mold toxicity is the environment. If you dont remove your exposure to the mold, you cant beat it. No supplement is going to be able to counteract constant exposure.
Whether or not you are able to remove the exposure, its important to improve your immune tolerance and maintain the integrity of your pulmonary barrier. Vitamin A, antioxidants like acai and pomegranate extract, and glutathione or supplements that raise glutathione are all key parts of protecting yourself from barrier breakdown. Therapies like UBI + ozone and Neuromodulation Technique have proven to be very helpful for many people.
Another important aspect of strengthening your immune system is improving your microbiome diversity and strength. The microbiome is an important part of the immune system and the gut microbiome, often called the second brain, communicates with the microbiome of the lungs to help assure that the right kinds of organisms are present and that they are doing their job of defending the lungs.
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Treating Asthma Chest Pain
Before treating your symptoms, your doctor will want to make sure your chest pain is caused by asthma and not any other conditions.
If you experience chest pain due to asthma, your physician will probably prescribe an individualized treatment plan. Follow their instructions carefully to lessen your chances of developing symptoms.
When youre having an asthma attack, you may be told to use an emergency or rescue inhaler to relax your airways and improve your symptoms. In one study, using inhaled albuterol resulted in improvement in 70 percent of children and adolescents with asthma-induced chest pain who performed exercises on a treadmill.
What Can I Do To Heal My Gut After Mold Exposure
Healing your gut is an important step in eliminating mycotoxins from your body to reverse the root cause of your chronic condition. You can work to heal your gut by:
Before you begin a detox and healing protocol, however, its critical you address the source of your exposure to toxic mold. You may even have to move out of your home or work from a different location for a time if mold caused by water damage needs to be remediated. This is called avoidance. Some people can overcome mold-induced illness by practicing extreme avoidance alone.
Avoiding Mold In Your Diet to Heal Your Gut
Avoiding mold in your diet as well as your environment will help eliminate continued exposure to mycotoxins. The best approach is an anti-inflammatory, low-mold diet, reducing the number of inflammatory agents and mycotoxins entering your gut. While there is a science to adopting a low-mold diet, general guidelines include avoidance of all foods that worsen your symptoms.
If you havent made a correlation between what you eat and an increase in your stomach problems, start by eliminating these inflammatory and mold-prone foods from your diet:
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Researchers At Case Western Reserve University Found The Fungus Works With Two Types Of Bacteria To Cause Symptoms Of The Disease
CLEVELAND, Sept. 21 Researchers at Case Western Reserve University identified a fungus that works with two types of bacteria to cause symptoms of Crohns disease, according to a new study.
The study is the first to find a fungus plays a role in development of the disease, and the discovery may lead to new ways of treating Crohns, according to researchers involved with the study.
Crohns disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive tract leading to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and fatigue, and is one of the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disorder.
We already know that bacteria, in addition to genetic and dietary factors, play a major role in causing Crohns disease, Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, a professor and director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University and lead author of the study, said in a press release. Essentially, patients with Crohns have abnormal immune responses to these bacteria, which inhabit the intestines of all people. While most researchers focus their investigations on these bacteria, few have examined the role of fungi, which are also present in everyones intestines.
For the study, , the researchers analyzed fecal samples from 20 people with Crohns disease and 28 of their Crohns-free family members, as well as from 21 people who did not have the disease and neither did their family members.
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Reason Why Women Are More Affected By Mold Than Men:
Biologically men feel a strong urge to provide and protect and may feel personally responsible for the possibility of the home having mold, therefore defensive and quick to be in denial when his partner is suffering.
Pregnancy, birth trauma and breastfeeding deplete essential vitamins & minerals like magnesium & thiamine which lowers the immune system making women more vulnerable to environmental toxins and infections.
Chronic inflammatory responses from mold toxicity upregulate aromatase. Aromatase is an enzyme that converts androgens like testosterone into estradiol. This process causes testosterone levels to drop, often causing the body to hold onto estrogen, therefore causing estrogen dominance.
Higher testosterone levels are associated with less autoimmunity.
Mycotoxins either mimic or block the receptors for hormones including estrogen, testosterone and thyroid hormones. Women are in a metabolic crisis long before women are even exposed to a water damaged building, and they likely already have some estrogen dominance and thyroid problems.
CBS & COMT Pathways are critical for clearing toxins & all estrogens, via proper function of the liver and cytochrome P450 enzymes. Mycotoxins are major disruptors of these detoxification mechanisms. Aflatoxins are actually activated by P450 enzymes, catalyzing them to be carcinogenic.
Most women with mold toxicity, dont just have mold. There are many toxins that are endocrine disruptors: glyphosate, BPA, heavy metals, etc.
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How Can Mold Affect My Health
Many molds can cause health effects. Molds produce allergens, irritants and,sometimes, toxins that may cause adverse reactions in humans. A reaction tomold depends on how much a person is exposed to, the age of the person and thepersons sensitivities or allergies. The same amount of mold may causehealth effects in one person, but not in another.
Exposure to mold can cause a variety of symptoms. Sensitive people who havetouched or inhaled mold or mold spores may have allergic reactions such as arunny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, watery eyes, skin rash and itching. Molds can trigger asthma attacks in people who are allergic tomolds, causing wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. A diseaselike pneumonia may also develop after exposure to mold, but this is uncommon.
Infectious diseases from molds can occur in people with weakened immunesystems, such as those who are immune-compromised or immune-suppressed fromdrug treatment. Some types of mold are known to cause infections inimmune-compromised people. Such infections can affect the skin, eyes, lungs orother organs. These are considered opportunistic infections that usually do notaffect healthy people.
Can Mold Cause Joint Pain
Some symptoms of high mold exposure include mild to severe joint pain. After longer periods of being exposed to mold you may begin to develop joint pain across your body paired with a variety of other symptoms. Osteomyelitis is an infection in the bone that is caused by Mold and other microbial agents. This infection is responsible for causing joint pain and joint stiffness, and is treatable with a few weeks worth of antibiotics. Remember it is advised that you get your home tested right away to see exactly what you are dealing with!
If you already know you have a Mold problem, the best way to deal with it is to get it removed by a professional. There is plenty of remediation companies out there that provide excellent services and are at your disposal.
Motorious Solutions can answer anymore questions you may have. Call us at or e-mail us at for more information. You can also visit our contact page to use our contact form!
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What Are The Mental & Neurological Symptoms Associated With Black Mold Exposure
Black mold produces toxins that can kill neurons in the brain and can impair a persons mental faculties. Exposure to black mold toxins may cause mental & neurological conditions, like nervous disorders. Symptoms of mental & neurological effects of black mold exposure include altered behavior, mood swings, and irritability.
Five Of The Most Common Indoor Molds
Mold illness is the variety of health problems that can occur from any type of mold exposure. Although a mold allergy is the most common problem caused by exposure to mold, mold can cause illness without an allergic reaction. Mold can also cause infections or irritants and toxic reactions. Infections caused by mold can lead to a variety of problems from flu-like symptoms to skin infections and even pneumonia.
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Chronic Pain & Low Immunity
In March of that year, Peters appendix ruptured, and he was in the hospital afterwards for over a week with an E .coli infection from the surgery. Soon after he started wearing knee braces on both legs, a back brace and was getting cortisol shots in his shoulders. We honestly joked about having a wing named after us in the hospital.
It seemed we were there constantly.
He Responded Swiftly Its All In Your Head
I started to well up, my bottom lip uncontrollably quivering – just like it has since I was a little kid.
DONT CRY, DONT CRY!, I screamed in my thoughts.
Not knowing what to do, I sat there, mute.
Tears streaming uncontrollably now, unable to even respond. I couldnt comprehend his BS diagnosis and as he let himself out, I caught the glare of the nurses looking at me as he shut the door behind him.
It was like they all knew I was the token hysterical woman.
That morning, I was in such excruciating pain that I barely even got to my appointment. I rushed to gather my things, walked past the nurses station with my head down and left. That was the last time I would ever leave a doctors office without assertively letting them know they were wrong for treating people this way, for treating me this way.
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Get Help From An Expert:
If you are suspect that mould may possibly be an issue, then its worth reviewing with a practitioner who is experienced in assessment and management of mould illness. They can help you determine whether mould is the underlying cause of your symptoms. If it is, then there is a range of treatment options that can help you resolve symptoms and get back to good health.
How Is The Condition Treated
This is not like osteoarthritis, which may require treatment but is not a medical emergency. Fungal arthritis is an infection, a serious infection. Antifungal medications such as amphotericin B or Diflucan are typically prescribed, but often that is not enough. In many cases, a surgical procedure is required to drain the infected joint. You may need to see both an infectious disease specialist and an orthopedic surgeon for treatment.
In addition to getting the medical treatment you need, youll also need to make sure you are not exposed to further mold. If you contracted the infection via contaminated medication, your physician will need to attempt to track down the source of the contamination and notify the manufacturer of the medication. If, on the other hand, the fungal infection spread through your bloodstream to the affected joint, youll need to determine where you were exposed to mold in the first place and make sure no further exposure occurs.
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Eliminate The Source Of Mold
Mold can grow anywhere there is dampness. To reduce the risk of mold in your home or office, fix water leaks. Use fans to circulate the air and dry the area. Clean susceptible areas like bathrooms often and use ventilation fans to decrease the humidity in your home. When cleaning, make sure that you wear a mask to prevent the inhalation of mold spores. Once you finish cleaning moldy areas, wash your clothing immediately, and take a shower to prevent spreading mold spores throughout your home. If your home has been subjected to extensive water damage, contact a mold remediation specialist and have your home professionally cleaned. The cleaners may recommend carpets, draperies, and upholstery to be disposed of if they cannot be properly cleaned by the professional.
Mold can be several different colors, including green, black, and brown. Sometimes mold will appear as a spot and begin to grow. Mold has a musty, earthy smell. Mold can be hidden behind drywall, under carpets, or behind wallpaper. Routinely inspect your roof, basement, and crawl space for moisture. Check plumbing pipes, kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms for any signs of mold. Routine inspections of these areas can prevent a large mold infestation. As soon as you notice the first traces of mold, use a mixture of bleach and water to clean the area, and destroy the mold spores.
Is There A Treatment For Mold Exposure
If you know youve been exposed to mold, I recommend the following steps:
- Remove yourself from the environment where there is contamination.
- Avoid being near porous items from the exposed area.
- Clothes, paper, wood, etc.
- Add MicroBalance Laundry each time you wash your clothes or any cloth materials.
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