Thursday, March 28, 2024

Can You Recover From Black Mold Exposure

What Symptoms Would I Experience If Mold Is An Issue For Me

Health Effects of Mold Exposure

If youre experiencing allergy symptoms in your home, similar to a dust or pollen allergylike itchy, watery eyes, coughing, a stuffy, runny nose, or even a rash or eczemamold might be playing a role, Dr. Parikh says. The same goes for more severe asthma symptoms than usual, like frequent asthma attacks, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

Your symptoms would be different if you have a mold-related infection youll likely have a fever above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit and you may experience low blood pressure, dizziness, and even shortness of breath. But, Mold infections are actually pretty rare unless you have a very weak immune system, says Dr. Parikh. If youre immune-compromised, youll need to take any infection more seriously anyway, she adds.

Treatment for mold-related allergies and infection varies from person to person. If you think there might be mold in your house, and you develop allergy or asthma symptoms, its best to visit an allergist or pulmonologist to have testing done. An allergist might prescribe eye drops, nasal spray, or antihistamines, depending on your case .

Allergy shots have also proven to be effective in treating mold allergies by halting the immune systems reactions in some cases, studies show. For more severe respiratory symptoms related to asthma, a doctor might prescribe you an inhaler, or additional medications such as steroids.

Mold Illness Misunderstanding And Misdiagnosis

You might be wondering if youre experiencing toxic mold exposure symptoms. If you lived or worked in a water damaged building and tried to learn the truth about the risks to your health, you probably came across some conflicting information.

Maybe you were told by a practitioner that your symptoms couldnt be mold related or that your fatigue, weakness, brain fog, memory issues, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, and other debilitating symptoms were all in your head. Perhaps you were even referred to a mental health specialist. If so, youre not alone.

Theres a lot of misunderstanding about toxic mold exposure and the resulting impact on human health. Thankfully, awareness is growing. What was once speculation is now defined, diagnosed, and treated by integrative and functional medicine practitioners with the Shoemaker Protocol and other natural therapies. And research continues to be funded and published by large institutions such as the World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Yet, there is still much to be done to inform the larger medical community and the general public. Lack of awareness about mold not only lead to misdiagnosis but also fear, shame, and confusion. Many sufferers are left feeling hopeless, believing there is no solution. Ive written this article to correct faulty assumptions about toxic mold exposure from a medical perspective.

Detoxify To Remove Mold Toxins

Mold doctors can help you detoxify by using a combination of binders to help remove toxins from your body. Some of the common binders used to help remove mold are:

  • Activated Charcoal Activated charcoal must be carefully administered because it will bind to everything, including toxins, vitamins, minerals, and other medications. If activated charcoal is used, your integrative physician will need to carefully monitor your nutrition, and supplementation may be required. Because of the mechanisms of activated charcoal, it is best used for an acute situation.
  • Bentonite Clay Bentonite clay comes from volcano ash and has been used around the world for many years to help detoxify the body. Bentonite clay absorbs heavy metals, toxins, and other harmful materials. It also provides the body with a variety of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, and sodium. Bentonite clay provides the body with some antibacterial and antiviral properties.
  • Chlorella Chlorella is an alga that does a great job of detoxifying the body. Chlorella binds to toxins and heavy metals in the digestive tract and helps transport it out of the body. Unlike other types of binders , chlorella does not remove minerals and nutrients from the body. In fact, chlorella can help boost immunity naturally. Because there is no risk of nutritional deficiencies with long term use, it is a popular binder used by integrative practitioners.

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The Journey From Outdoor Mold Spore To Indoor Mold Problem

Whether out enjoying a hike or inside examining the grocery stores produce section, we are constantly transporting and breathing in tiny mold spores. An open window, a family pet or even your sneakers can bring outdoor spores to a new homeyour home or workplace.

These mold spores can be harmless. However, problems arise if the spores come in contact with a moisture source. Moisture lets the spores grow into mold that could affect health.

Help Your Body Get Rid Of Mycotoxins

Mold

Note: you have to get rid of mold in your environment before you can hope to successfully detox from mycotoxins. If you dont, youll just keep accumulating new mycotoxins as you get rid of old ones. You may stall mold poisoning, but you wont start to get rid of it especially considering that it takes 35 days for your kidneys and bladder to flush out the more stubborn mycotoxins.

Once youve gotten rid of the source of mold, its time to get your body back into fighting shape. Mycotoxins mostly target your mitochondria, which explains why mold poisoning affects brain and heart function more than anything else .

To recover from mold toxicity, you want to boost your mitochondria as much as possible, while also clearing out lingering mycotoxins. These mold recovery therapies will help:

Mold exposure can be incredibly frustrating. It can make you feel like you have no control over your environment, your health, your weight, your emotions your life in general. If youre dealing with mold, dont despair. These tools can help you get rid of mold and mycotoxins and return to your healthy, high-performing self.

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Support Your Energy Oxygen And Thyroid

Mycotoxins can wreak havoc with your mitochondria. Dysfunctional mitochondria result in less cellular energy. And that decreases your ability to fight mold illness. Support your mitochondria with supplements specially designed to restore mitochondrial function.

Mold can also squelch your oxygen levels. Your mitochondria need oxygen to generate energy efficiently. Stabilized molecular oxygen supplements support mitochondrial function.

Additionally, mold exposure can hamper thyroid gland function. Supporting it with supplemental iodine may be helpful.

Toxic Mold Is The Only Cause Of Illness

This might seem confusing at first, but a major misconception about mold illness is that its only caused by toxic mold. Youre probably thinkingWell, why is it called mold illness? Am I right? Let me explain.

First, its important to understand that the fuzzy green, white, or black mold you see on food or growing in the attic usually doesnt make you sick. Mold is a type of fungus that may or may not produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins. Mycotoxins can be found on mold as well as on mold spores and are harmful to humans. If youre exposed to mycotoxins through skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion, you might experience short-term symptoms or long-term illness.

Next, what is often diagnosed as mold illness or mycotoxicosis may be more accurately diagnosed as biotoxin illness or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome . Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, a physician and clinical researcher who was the first to uncover the connection between a specific group of symptoms and certain toxins called biotoxins, defined CIRS in the late 1990s.

CIRS is a multi-system, multi-symptom condition often caused by exposure to a dangerous mix of biotoxins, including but not limited to mycotoxins. Mold is often solely blamed because of its visible presence in water damaged buildings. This has led to the general label mold illness or mycotoxicosis, which is just one subcategory of biotoxin illness/CIRS.

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Do This To Prevent Mold Growth In Your Home

There are several preventative measures you can take to control mold growth in your home. One of the easiest is to keep the relative humidity in your home under 55%. Because the air conditioner is a natural dehumidifier, keeping it running can help. If you already run your AC and the humidity level is staying high, consider a dehumidifier. Below is a list of items you will want to make sure you stay on top of:

  • Change air filters regularly.
  • Replace carpet with tile
  • Use mattress and pillow covers
  • Use a high quality air purifier
  • If you having existing mold growth at toxic levels, you need to seek out a mold remediation company.

Phase Iv: Systemic Detox

What is Black Mold and What are the Symptoms of Black Mold Exposure – Mold Busters

In phase IV, we will continue to support your mitochondria and immune system. We will also add detoxification support for environmental chemicals and heavy metals.

Heavy metals serve no purpose in your body. Heavy metal toxicity can be very dangerous to your health. Heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum, and cadmium can increase inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular interference. They can weaken your body making recovery from biotoxin illness more difficult.

Heavy metals and other toxins can lead to various symptoms, including fatigue, blurred vision, inflammation, joint stiffness, pain, weight gain, digestion issues, nervous system problems, and increased risk of cancer. As the mitochondria get stronger and our pathogen load goes down, we want to ramp up our aggressiveness in getting these out of the body.

Eating a nutrient-dense diet, proper hydration, movement, oil pulling, and other detoxification strategies that support cleansing, digestion, and elimination is critical. This is why we are adding Bioactive Carbon MetChem for heavy metals in this phase .

Phase IV Supplements

TUDCA: This is a fantastic supplement for drainage and liver support. Take 1 capsule twice daily in the morning and at night.

Bioactive Carbon MetChem: This supplement supports detoxification from heavy metals. Take 2 capsules in the morning and 2 capsules at night.

Phase V: Deeper Immune Support

Phase V Supplements

Month 5:

Month 6:

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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.

Does Mold Affect Your Brain

Weve all heard of mildew, and some of us know about black mold, but do you know what mold can do to your health? Mold is actually a toxin, and it releases toxic gas and spores into the air. When the toxins enter your body, via skin or air, the toxic gases cause a disturbance in many organs, including your brain.

Often confused as just allergies, or just being out of it, mold infections can affect cognitive function, especially in the frontal cortical area.

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How Long Does It Take For Mold To Get Out Of Your System

How long does it takesystemsgetthemoldgettingtake

Depending on the severity of mold poisoning, symptoms can be attributed to a long-term cold or seasonal allergies. In much the same way, mold causes a chronic immune reaction. But if exposure to mold is sustained, symptoms do not go away.

Secondly, how do you know if mold is making you sick? 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.
  • Likewise, how do you get rid of mold in your body?

    Also, a solution of warm, distilled water and saline can help rinse your nasal passages of mold spores and remove congestion. Over-the-counter medications. Antihistamines, such as cetirizine or loratadine , reduce your immune system response, minimizing airway inflammation.

    What does mold poisoning feel like?

    Discovering Black MoldRespiratory symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, watery eyes, and skin irritation are the predominant symptoms. Toxic mold exposure has also been linked to more serious, long-term effects like memory loss, insomnia, anxiety, depression, trouble concentrating, and confusion.

    When Should You Test Your Home For Mold Exposure

    How to Deal With Black Mold and Recover From Mold Poisoning

    According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , if visible mold is present on inspection, testing is usually unnecessary. There are no Environmental Protection Agency or government standards that have been established for mold or mold spore levels, so it is impossible to prove that a building or room complies with any health regulations concerning mold exposure. Likewise, the CDC does not recommend routine sampling and testing of mold in the home. Health officials haven’t defined tolerable or acceptable limits of mold exposure for humans, and since individuals vary in their susceptibility to mold, testing cannot reliably predict the degree of health risks from any occurrence of mold.

    When mold has previously been identified and cleanup procedures have been undertaken, sampling and testing may be carried out if necessary by qualified professionals to determine that adequate cleaning of a building has occurred.

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    Phase Ii Gut & Immune Support

    The goal of the second phase is to get rid of parasites and continue to support your mitochondrial health. We are also becoming more aggressive at getting the microbiome back in balance and pulling mold/fungal compounds out of the body.

    There are a variety of parasites that you may have inside your body, including roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm, hook, nametode, and nematode. Parasites can increase inflammation and lead to various symptoms, including fatigue, brain fog, digestion issues, and more. When it comes to Lyme disease and parasites, it is thought that Borrelia and other co-infection causing pathogens can live inside these parasites.

    Tick bites actually deliver nematodes inside your body that may carry these co-infections. This leads to more symptoms and complications and makes diagnosis and recovery more challenging. Furthermore, having too many bad gut bacteria and gut dysbiosis creates a feeding ground for parasites, further infections, inflammation, increased symptoms, and a higher risk of further disease. This is why Phase II tackles this with an aggressive approach .

    To protect your gut flora and get rid of parasites, I recommend an anti-inflammatory, gut-healthy diet we discussed earlier. Certain herbs, including black walnut, sweet wormwood, garlic, oregano, tribulus, mimosa pudica, neem, wormseed, vidanga, passionflower, and clove are fantastic for parasite cleansing.

    Phase II Gut & Immune Support Supplements

    The Dangers Of Mold Exposure For Dogs

    Do you have mold in your home?

    Its an important question you need to answer because, left unchecked, mold exposure can cause serious health problems for your dog .

    Your dog is continuously exposed to mold spores in the air. Like humans, some dogs are more susceptible to mold spores than others. By understanding how to spot and address mold exposure, you can protect your dog from the harmful effects of mold.

    Any area of your home that gets damp and retains moisture for any reason at all can not only damage the structure and create costly repairs, but can impact the health of the people and pets who live there.

    Every home has moisture issues, whether from condensation, high humidity or water leaks. And every home has the elements that are required for mold growth.

    The health risks of human exposure to mold are well documented. According to the CDC , symptoms of mold exposure can include nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, or skin irritation. More severe reactions may include fever and shortness of breath. People with chronic lung illnesses may develop mold infections in their lungs.

    And its not just people who can get sick from mold. Your dog can be affected too.

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    The Medical Community Ignores The Mold Problem

    It is common for doctors to claim that mold does not play a major role in creating chronic autoimmune disease or inflammatory illnesses. It is important to understand that not only can mold contribute to autoimmune problems, autoimmune problems that are medicated using immune suppressing medications can contribute to mold illness. Mold often overcomes a persons immune system when it is suppressed. So if you have been taking steroids like prednisone or corticosteroids for chronic pain, you should be aware that long term use of these drugs suppresses the immune system making it more susceptible to the mold issue. It is a common practice for doctors to prescribe medications that inhibit the immune system when treating autoimmune disease. So be aware that the longer your immune system is being suppressed, the greater the risk of developing a mold related problem.

    Identify And Eliminate The Causative Agent

    How Mold Can Make You Sick

    Determine the cause of the mould outbreak and take immediate action to correct it. This may include measures to lower the relative humidity, to increase air circulation, to lower room temperature, and to remove any standing water. If necessary, employ a company that specializes in desiccant drying to dry the affected facilities and furnishings, such as carpets and drapes.

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    How Can You Treat A Mold Infection

    Because of the long-term effects of mold, it is often misdiagnosed, and therefore mistreated, leaving the person even more frustrated, and still suffering from the distressing side effects of mold toxicity.

    If you even think your symptoms are similar to a mold infection, its important to get a comprehensive evaluation. The first three things wed do to help are:

    • Contain or stop the exposure
    • Boost your detoxification pathways
    • Increase your levels of vitamin D

    An Amen Clinics full evaluation uses SPECT brain imaging to assess the brains function and brain flow, while other tests confirm and help to find other conditions. Because there are often other concurrent conditions, its even more vital to find out everything, and not just treat the side effects.

    Many people have found hope and help at Amen Clinics, just like Kimberlyn. She went from an active, organized person, to feeling exhausted and out of sorts. When she went to her doctor, he did a series of tests and found that she was suffering from mold illness. She began treatments, and after her full evaluation, Kimberlyn was finally diagnosed, treated, and her symptoms gradually improved.

    If you or a loved one has symptoms that sound a lot like Kimberlyns contact Amen Clinics today, or call 888-288-9834 and find the hope youve been looking for.

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