Friday, April 19, 2024

Can Mold Exposure Cause Headaches

Your Attic Insulation Is Lumpy

Health Effects of Mold Exposure

Wave off the spider webs and take a closer look at the insulation in your attic. Attic insulation that is very lumpy and uneven-looking may mean a bigger problem, says John Bodrozic, Co-Founder of HomeZada. The insulation could be in bad shape due to unforeseen roof leaks, which could also mean potential mold issues. If your attic has poor circulation or improper ventilation, it could create ideal conditions for mold growth.

More Than 50% Of People Experience Headaches Often The Cause Of The Headache Is Unknown

Did you know that your brain cant feel pain?

Its true the human brain does not have any pain receptors. However, there are plenty of pain receptors in the tissues surrounding the brain. This includes tissues like your veins, arteries, sinuses, nerves, muscles, and even your teeth.

Its when mold exposure affects these tissues that you may get a headache.

There are a wide range of effects mold can have on your health. Ive written a number of blogs you may want to check out:

Mold is not the cause of everything that ails you. But it could be the cause of some of your conditions. And mold exposure isnt safe. Exposure to toxic mold may make you sick. Very sick. And toxic mold will make you even sicker if you have the genes that cause mold illness .

If you believe your headaches and migraines are a symptom of mold sickness, your number one priority needs to be exiting the contaminated space. If your symptoms dont clear up, its time to contact a mold sickness specialist.

Flourish Clinic specializes in the treatment of mold sicknesslearn more!

Now, I want to hear from you!

What causes your headaches?

Can Mold Kill You

Except for the most extreme of cases, it is highly unlikely that mold will kill you. Mold is a very common substance that most people come in contact with over the course of their lives, and even lengthy periods of exposure may not cause any side effects at all. Even those with allergies or asthma who may experience unpleasant reactions are very unlikely to die from mold.

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What Are Common Allergy Headache Symptoms

An allergy headache can cause localized pain in the areas where the sinus cavities are. You may feel pain around the nose, in the cheeks, or above the eyes. Sometimes, the pain may spread to your jaw and make you feel like you have a toothache.

In the case of an allergy associated with migraine, the pain may feel like a throbbing sensation on the head. In many cases, the pain is only on one side of the head or in the bottom of the eyes. Some people do feel pain on both sides, though.

A migraine also often comes with nausea and may also worsen when exposed to sunlight or bright lights.

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The Effect Of Mycotoxins On The Microbiome

Pin on Health

A healthy microbiome can protect the body by binding and metabolizing mycotoxins. But too many mycotoxins alter the proliferation and balance of the gut microbiota.

Intestinal dysbiosis contributes to the leaky gut cycle and allows gut pathogens to take over as beneficial bacteria are eliminated. As a result, the digestive system is less equipped to handle the continued exposure to incoming mycotoxins, producing a buildup in the gut.

This accumulation produces symptoms such as yeast overgrowth/candida infection, food sensitivities, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth .

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Black Mold Symptoms And Health Effects

Learn about black mold symptoms and health effects so that you can identify indicators of black mold exposure and black mold poisoning.

A mold infested room of an old building.

Dariusz Majgier

Mold in homes can be a costly and dangerous problem, particularly when infestations of toxic black mold occur. The symptoms and health effects of black mold exposure and black mold poisoning cover a wide range of health problems, but understanding the indicators can help keep you and your family safe.

Toxic black mold, or Stachybotrys chartarum, as itâs known to scientists, can release spores as it feeds on organic materials in common household materials like drywall, carpet, insulation or sub-flooring that have been exposed to moisture. These spores, if ingested or inhaled, can cause a range of unpleasant and even dangerous symptoms in humans.

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What Should I Do If I Have Any Of These Symptoms Of Mold Exposure

Your first port of call is your doctor. He or she can rule out other health problems that might be causing your symptoms. Know that a physician cant diagnose mold exposure using just blood or urine tests. Youll need to have your home or workplace inspected by professionals. You might think that you can simply check with your family or colleagues to see if they exhibit similar symptoms. But unfortunately, some people are more sensitive to mold than others. So you might develop symptoms and the guy in the next cubicle is none the wiser.

Your doctor will prescribe a program of treatment. But there are things that you can do to help:
  • Don a protective mask and gloves to clean any visible mold in your home.
  • Report the mold to the building manager if its in your workplace.
  • Keep on top of mold growth to stop it from releasing as many spores.
  • Run a dehumidifier in the bathroom or kitchen to make them less attractive spaces for mold to grow.
  • Once youve removed the visible mold, have your air ducts cleaned regularly.

If youve recently had mold removed from your home call Fresh Aire Duct Cleaning at 275-5556 or contact us online to schedule a duct cleaning service in Los Angeles! You need to make sure youre not simply transmitting mold spores around your home.

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For Help With Mold Removal

Mold removal will be an important part of your treatment if mold is causing you to feel dizzy. If you are experiencing mold-related health problems, doctors often recommend against attempting to remove mold on your own because doing so will further expose you to the substance that is making you sick. We suggest scheduling a free consultation with a mold removal professional, who will visit your home, inspect the mold growth there, and advise you about the work that needs to be done. Even if you opt to do the work yourself, you can benefit from some valuable advice about the job, including safety tips. To find experienced mold removal professionals offering free consultations in your area, just follow the link.

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Who Is Most At Risk For Health Problems Associated With Exposure To Mold

Water Damage Awareness Series: Symptoms from Mold Exposure

People with allergies may be more sensitive to molds. People with immune suppression or underlying lung disease are more susceptible to fungal infections. Individuals with chronic respiratory disease may experience difficulty breathing. Individuals with immune suppression are at increased risk for infection from molds. If you or your family members have these conditions, a qualified medical clinician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment.

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Q: Can Eating Mold Make You Sick

A: Yes, it is possible that eating mold can cause health issues such as vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches. According to the Cleveland Clinic, if you can visibly see mold on food, dont risk it. Throw it out.

Mold spores are everywhere, and they can be found in food, water, air, soil, and plants. The best way to avoid getting sick from mold is to wash your hands frequently, and to keep your home clean. If you have a concern, wait the day and see if any symptoms show up. If not, you are probably ok.

What Are The Symptoms Of Mold Sickness

If your Total Body Burden is high, or you are genetically predisposed to recycling toxins, regular exposure to mold can cause allergy symptoms, such as:

  • Wheezing/shortness of breath
  • Long standing or frequent sinusitis

And, serious pain and neurological symptoms, such as:

  • Headaches and migraines
  • Muscle cramping, aches and pains
  • Persistent nerve pain
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Poor memory, brain fog, difficulty with focus

In some cases, the spores from mold take root and grow in specific parts of the body, such as the lungs and sinuses. This can cause serious respiratory illnesses and infections.

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Symptoms Of Mold Exposure

Mold spores can easily be brought into your home on your shoes or clothing or through open windows or doors. If these spores can find a warm, damp, humid environment, they can begin to multiply. Soon, your home can be filled with toxic mold. If you think mold has invaded your home, look for various symptoms of mold exposure.

Migraine Vs Sinus Headache

Headache From Mold

Breathing in mold spores can irritate your mucous membranes and immune system, leading to headaches, migraines, and other health issues. Generally, mold exposure causes a sinus headache, which feels like intense pressure on your forehead, nose, and inner ear.

Thankfully, you typically can manage a sinus headache with over-the-counter pain meds.

People often mistake their migraine for a sinus headache. Although they can feel similar, migraines generally have additional symptoms such as:

  • Sensitivity to light and noise
  • Throbbing or pulsing pain
  • Headaches that worsen with more physical activity

Understanding the cause and type of headache you have is crucial for proper treatment. For example, while decongestants help treat sinus headaches, they won’t be helpful for migraine sufferers.

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What Causes Black Mold

Molds are an important part of our environment. They decompose dead plants and animals. All types of mold will grow if the conditions are right. Mold grows and spreads quickly in the right conditions, which include:

  • Moisture level at or over 70%
  • Adequate food source
  • Temperatures that range from 40 to 100 degrees F

Mold can grow anywhere in your house that provides these conditions. The most likely places mold will grow are:

  • Anywhere that there has been a water leak.
  • Damp rooms without adequate ventilation, such as bathrooms.
  • Basements where humidity tends to be higher.
  • Any areas with a lot of water condensation.
  • Any areas where flooding has occurred.

The Dangerous World Of Toxic Mold

If youre new to mold illness, get yourself acquainted with the wide range of effects mold can have on your health here, here, here, and here.

In case you missed it in the above articles, mold is thought to be the underlying or root cause of many complex, poorly understood illnesses. Illnesses like:

  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Multiple chemical sensitivities
  • Irritable bowel syndrome

Another condition to add to the list now includes chronic headaches and migraines. Yes, toxic mold might be the root cause of your long-standing headaches or migraines.

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How Can I Tell If I Have Mold In My Walls

Mold can be black, green, gray, white, or brown. Mold can even appear orange, pink or purple when it grows behind vinyl wallpaper. Another sign of visible mold is discoloration of walls, even if it has been painted over. If the water damage inside the walls persists, mold will show signs on the surface.

What Are The Mental & Neurological Symptoms Associated With Black Mold Exposure

Mold Toxicity Symptoms| The Symptoms of 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.

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What Are Signs Of Mold In Your House

What are the signs of mold?

  • It has a musty, earthy smell.
  • There’s a nearby source of moisture, but not much light.
  • You see warping, cracking, or peeling of whatever material it’s growing on.
  • A drop of bleach lightens its color in a minute or two.
  • Unchecked, mold will continue to grow. Dirt and old stains won’t.

Can Mold Cause Headaches Learn More About Your Hvac System

18/04/2022 15:07

Household mold is not only unsightly but can cause allergic reactions, respiratory problems, and other symptoms. Chronic headaches or migraines can be symptoms of various other health problems. In some cases, mold exposure from a malfunctioning HVAC can be the culprit behind frequent headaches.

Can mold cause headaches? Yes. However, there are several other factors to consider if you suspect you have a mold-related illness.

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Moldy Buildings As The Cause Or Trigger Of Migraines

Although migraines can be caused by mold, mycotoxins and other associated toxins in water-damaged buildings are not generally recognized as a factor by most practitioners. Therefore, they don’t ask their patients if they have been exposed to a moldy building. However, mold mycotoxins and other toxins from water-damaged buildings can trigger migraines. Headaches, including migraines are often associated with reactions to water-damaged buildings and these migraines can be part of a condition called Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome due to a water-damaged building or Mold Related Illness. However, mold related illness is not usually on the list of triggers to rule out when someone has a migraine. If an individual cant find a causative factor for their migraines, I suggest they consider the possibility that toxins from a water-damaged building may be causing them. If the person has a history of exposure to water-damaged buildings at home, work or school, this definitely needs to be included as a possible factor.

Migraines Are Not The Only Symptom Caused By Mold Exposure

Not Everyone In A Moldy Building Has Migraines Or Other Symptoms

Moldy Places And Migraines

How Do You Know A Moldy Building Is The Issue

Many people are overwhelmed by how to figure out if their migraines are caused by mold. Here are some tools you can use to help you figure this out.

You Can Test Yourself For Visual Changes, Inflammatory Markers And Mycotoxins

Testing Your Home Or Other Buildings

Can Moldy Bread Make You Sick Or Give You A Headache

20 Unique Can Black Mold Cause Headaches

Food that develops visible mold needs to thrown away to avoid food-borne illness. If you eat moldy bread, you may develop food poisoning and a headache. Food poisoning will make you feel sick to your stomach, causing diarrhea, vomiting and nausea. You may develop a headache from sinus pressure if youâre allergic to mold. Call your doctor at the first signs of developing sickness from ingesting moldy bread.

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Q: Can Mold On Toothbrush Make You Sick

A: Yes, mold on toothbrushes can cause health issues such as asthma, sinusitis, and allergies. The best way to prevent mold from growing on your toothbrush is to keep it clean and dry. If you do not want to throw away your toothbrush, then you should soak it in hot water for 10 minutes. After soaking, rinse it thoroughly with soap and water.

What Is A Mold Allergy

If you have an allergy that occurs over several seasons, you may be allergic to the spores of molds or other fungi. Molds live everywhere. Upsetting a mold source can send the spores into the air.

Mold and mildew are fungi. They are different from plants or animals in how they reproduce and grow. The seeds, called spores, travel through the air. Some spores spread in dry, windy weather. Others spread with the fog or dew when humidity is high.

Inhaling the spores causes allergic reactions in some people. Allergic symptoms from fungus spores are most common from July to early fall. But fungi grow in many places, both indoors and outside, so allergic reactions can occur year round.

Although there are many types of molds, only a few dozen cause allergic reactions. Many molds grow on rotting logs and fallen leaves, in compost piles and on grasses and grains. Unlike pollens, molds do not die with the first killing frost. Most outdoor molds become inactive during the winter. In the spring they grow on plants killed by the cold. Indoors, fungi grow in damp areas. They can often be found in the bathroom, kitchen or basement.

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Backed Up By Research

Research has shown that workers inside office buildings can be affected by mold and fungi in any number of different ways. Mold can cause headaches and other health issues which occur as an allergic response. Black mold or Stachybotrys in particular has been found to cause illnesses in many office workers, with the most severe reaction being idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhages.

While some governmental agencies have gone on to publish some guidelines regarding the mold assessment and remediation in office building vents, most are unfortunately fairly general. That means that unless the most stringent mold removal and air filtration measures are carried out, health problems caused by mold, spores, and fungus will likely continue as theyll be pretty much unavoidable.

If your office building has a musty smell, or your workers are constantly complaining of headaches or migraines, talk to the professional mold experts from Certified Mold Assessments today.

Checklist: Preventing Mold Growth & Toxicity

Toxic mold devastates family, causes myriad health problems
  • Keep the humidity in buildings less than 50 percent. Dont set your AC up over 78 degrees when you are on vacation.

  • If you have a water spill or leak it needs to be dried in less than 24-48 hours. If drywall gets wet, remove it.

  • Inspect all barriers to water and/or re-caulk bathrooms, kitchens, windows, roof annually.

  • Minimize your exposure to other environmental toxins .

  • Take supplements that support your detox pathways to keep ahead of exposures.

  • Bigger picture: We need to update our building guidelines to reduce the risk for mold growth. The issue is that buildings are being built so tight for energy conservation that now they dont breathe. This decreases the likelihood that moisture will dry out and increases the risk for condensation. If you have an opportunity to build a house or remodel find experts to work with who are familiar with these tradeoffs.

  • How do we test for mold in our environment/home/office, and get rid of it?

    We still need to develop more comprehensive testing technology for the presence of mold toxins in buildings . There are limitations with all environmental mold testing options. The mold plates available at hardware stores dont usually catch the most toxic mold spores. These molds dont send out very many spores, or they are heavy and dont make it very far, so they dont land on the plates.

    Should we all be testing for mold regularly, or only if it seems to be an issue?

    How is mold toxicity diagnosed?

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