Follow An Individualized Mold Treatment Plan From A Knowledgeable Practitioner
Most of conventionally trained medical practitioners have a narrow view on the effects of mold on the human body. Its important to work with an integrative practitioner familiar with the latest research regarding mycotoxins and mold.
While the exact components and duration each persons mold protocol can differ, here are some key possible steps for treatment:
- Use binders: These are used to bind up mycotoxins in the body. Cholestyramine, a prescription binder, may be used as well as natural binders such as charcoal.
- Address candida overgrowth: These could be yeast infections, thrush and digestive issues
- Treat colonized molds and bacterial infections: The gut, lungs and sinuses may be affected.
- Incorporate antifungals if needed.
- Support detoxification: This includes targeted supplements like glutathione to enhance detox pathways, ozone sauna and sweating through exercise as tolerated.
- Clean your air: Look for a high quality air purifier that utilizes HEPA, carbon, and zeolite filters. The Healthmate Plus from Austin Air does this and also filters VOCs.
- Clean your water: Stand alone filers like the countertop Berkey models or whole-house systems such as AquaTru can remove unwanted contaminants.
Why Does Mold Cause Vertigo
Any illness can cause you to feel lightheaded or dizzy, including mold-related infections. Infections affecting the inner ear, including ear infections and sinus infections, are particularly likely to upset your sense of balance. There is a reason for that.
There is a tube in your ear called the Eustachian tube. This tube connects the middle ear to the back of your throat. It helps equalize pressure in your ears and that helps maintain your balance. Allergies, sinus infections and ear infections can all cause the Eustachian tube to become clogged with mucus, and this affects the pressure in your ear and upsets your sense of balance.
Mold grows outdoors as well as indoors, of course, but the concentration of mold spores is much higher when mold is present indoors, creating a much greater risk.
What Are The Symptoms Of Black Mold Exposure
If you find black mold on your property, theres no need to panic. But black mold presents more health risks to sensitive groups like those with respiratory conditions or immune conditions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control , black mold spores can generate cold- or flu-like symptoms such as:
- Stuffy nose
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
So while black mold probably wont kill you, it can make you feel sick and should be removed as soon as possible.
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Look For Mold And Moist Areas
Constantly check the basement, crawl areas, moist structure around the house, after that aim to the attic and moist rafters, moist insulation and any indicators of formerly moist areas. One way to identify the moldy location is to discover if you begin really feeling bad while in it. Make a note and attempt again a few days later. If you really feel even worse again, after that start trying to find your water source.
Now, just quit the moisture. You could need to wrap pipelines, repair roofing, stretch the gutter system downspouts away from your home, tidy the sump pump pit, bleach the wall surfaces and etc. It can be a quite engaged procedure. However, the end result is fewer migraine headaches.
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Indoor Environmental Quality: Health Problems Mold
Health problems associated with excessive damp conditions and mold include:
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How Much Exposure To Mold Is Harmful
There is no general guideline for how much mold exposure is harmful. The effects of mold exposure manifest differently in each person. For people who have asthma, are allergic to mold, or have weakened immune systems, just a small amount of exposure can be harmful.
Otherwise healthy adults may live among mold for weeks or months and never feel the effects of being exposed to it.
Toxic Black Mold And Hormonal Imbalance
Black toxic mold damages the myelin sheath, affecting the transmission of electrical impulses and consequently delaying or obscuring the signals sent to the brain. As a result, the brain sends a message to the hormone factories that do not answer to the actual needs of the body. This condition is called hormonal imbalance.
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Mold Toxicity And Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease is an infection caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted to humans by infected black-legged ticks. These ticks bite humans, accidentally inserting the bacteria into the bloodstream. Common symptoms include headache, fever, fatigue, and rashes. If the infection is left untreated, it can progress to severe neurological problems.
Is It Safe To Sleep In A House With Black Mold
While black mold is not as dangerous as common misconceptions may lead you to believe, prolonged exposure to any mold can pose more severe consequences. Sleeping while exposed to black mold may cause more intense symptoms that make it harder to fall and stay asleep. Even if you manage to fall asleep just fine, you may wake up with symptoms similar to that of a common cold i.e., fever, sore throat, coughing, shortness of breath or irritated skin.
If its at all avoidable, try to find somewhere else to sleep when your home is afflicted by black mold. If you arent able to go anywhere else, do your best to sleep as far away from the mold as possible. Find an area in your home where the mold has yet to spread or isnt as severe, and seal off any areas that are affected if possible. Try to keep the mold quarantined to the best of your ability until you are able to start treating the damage.
You may consider sleeping with a face mask to help reduce the side effects of mold exposure. If you choose to do this, be sure to consult with your doctor first not all face masks allow you to safely breathe while sleeping, so you may need a recommendation for a sleep-safe mask from your doctor.
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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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How To Prevent Mold
Controlling moisture is the key to preventing mold from growing in your home. The following tips will help stop mold from becoming a problem:
- Keep the humidity in your house below 50%. Using an air conditioner or dehumidifier can help with this.
- Make sure your house is clean, dry, and well-ventilated.
- Fix any water leaks immediately.
- Use ventilation fans in your kitchen and bathrooms.
- Don’t put carpet in rooms that are likely to become wet such as the basement, kitchen, or bathrooms.
- Make sure wet floor mats are dried quickly.
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It Worsens Asthma Attacks
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 1 out of 12 adults and 1 out of 11 children in the United States are asthmatic. More than 50% of them are allergic to molds. If your family member has sensitive asthma, he/she might experience re-occurring attacks if there is continuous exposure to black mold.
What Should I Do If I Suspect Mold In My House
Youll need to address the cause of the mold such as water damage, excessive condensation, poor ventilation, and so on. The best way to make sure you get rid of mold in your house is to hire a professional mold inspector. They will conduct a thorough examination of your home, and assess the molds that are present.
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Detecting Black Mold Is Difficult
Molds are elusive and like to hide in damp dark spaces. Many times you can see them, but most often you cant. But if you have a good sense of smell, you can often pick up on the distinct musty, sometimes locker room / earthy aroma. If it doesnt smell right, better figure it out or call in a professional.
Molds are elusive and like to hide in damp, dark spaces. Many times you can see them, but most often, you cant. But if you have a good sense of smell, you can often pick up on the distinct musty, sometimes locker room / earthy aroma. If it doesnt smell right, better figure it out or call in a professional.
Despite all appearances, discerning whether the mold is actually black mold is a bit trickier. Black mold is not always black it can also appear to be greenish or brown. Thus, only a lab test can confirm the presence of black mold, and anyone who pre-judges its existence is only guessing another reason why expert advice is vital.
The distinctive odor of molds usually follows within 48 hours after a flood or other mishap involving an influx of moisture or water. However, it may not always appear right away. The slower-growing molds often take months to grow and are often difficult to detect initially.
But Cleaning Black Mold Is Vital Because of the Risk to Your Health
If the proper precautions are not used, exposure to black mold can cause:
- Coughing and sneezing
- Rapid weight gain
- Hair loss and irritating rashes
Sneezing And Running Nose
Sneezing can be normal, but constant sneezing isnt. If you are a healthy person and never faced any allergies, you are having constant sneezing then you must check your home.
The immune system tries to protect the body from an allergic reaction that causes sneezing and running nose to develop mucus so that toxic spores can be prevented from entering the body through a nasal area. Thats why you feel running nose or nasal congestion.
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Black Mold Symptoms: What Happens When Youre Exposed
Dr. Lauren Tessier is a naturopathic physician practicing in Waterbury, VT, and New York, NY. She specializes in treating mold-related, biotoxin and other complicating illnesses and is CIRS-certified. Learn more about her practice Life After Mold by visiting www.lifeaftermold.com. You can also find her on , and .
Stachybotrys chartarum, more commonly known as black mold, was first identified in Prague in 1837. A Czech mycologist discovered the mold growing on an indoor wall of a home. Despite an early discovery, the term black mold only became part of the normal lexicon of the average homeowner in the 1990s, when the nightly news brought the phrase black mold into homes across America. Though black mold is considered harmful, the details are still in question. This article is meant to help inform those who are worried about being exposed to black mold.
Find A Smart Way To Detox
Once your medical practitioner has treated any conditions or symptoms caused by mold infection, you should strive to do everything in your power to avoid being exposed to mold. Detox your body by doing certain activities, such as visiting the sauna. Infrared saunas can detox the body on a cellular level, getting rid of toxins in the bodys tissues. There are other ways to detox, but visiting an infrared sauna about twice a week is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of mold and other toxins in the body.
Now that you have a more in-depth understanding of mold and how significant it can be to your health and the home, you can take the steps needed to design a plan of action and reduce the consequences associated with mold. By taking action, you also shorten the amount of time needed to recover.
Dont ever underestimate how much damage this invisible fiend can cause in the home as well as in your body. Use these five steps to maintain a healthy environment when you notice that mold has invaded your home.
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How Bad Is Black Mold Really
You don’t want mold in your home. Black, green, orange, yellow no matter the color, it’s all undesirable. Yet you don’t necessarily have to panic if you see it growing on your walls or windowsills. Because while mold can negatively affect your health, and sometimes dramatically, you may suffer no ill effects at all from mold exposure.
Mold is a type of fungus, and it’s everywhere indoors, outdoors and even in the air. That’s not too surprising when you consider there are more than 100,000 types of mold in existence, and possibly even millions. Mold gets into homes and buildings through open windows, doors, vents and ductwork. It can also attach itself to your clothes or pets when you’re outside, so you inadvertently bring it indoors with you.
Once indoors, mold grows wherever there’s a lot of a lot of moisture. That’s why you’ll often see mold around leaky windows or pipes, or on drywall after flooding. It also grows easily on paper and on fabric, carpet, upholstery, insulation and even in dust.
Black Mold Cause Cancer: Totally A Fact
How does mold affect the human body has been studied for years, and it was discovered that exposure to black mold causes two types of cancer, Astrocytoma, and Glioblastoma, by destroying brain tissues through lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress.
The stress triggers an abnormal proliferation of tissues, which, together with the immunosuppressive effect of mycotoxins, causes tumor formation.
- Astrocytoma originates in a specific kind of glial cells in the cerebrum called astrocytes. Typically, this type of tumor is contained in the central nervous system and does not affect other organs.
- Glioblastoma is the most belligerent type of cancer that starts in the brain. The signs and symptoms are initially non-specific and may include nausea, headaches, and personality changes.
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What About Tiny Mold Toxins Aka Mycotoxins
As mentioned above, though the Stachybotrys spores may be sticky and not easily airborne, there are other airborne contaminants to worry about: tiny fragments of mold and special toxins called mycotoxins. These contaminants may cause illness in those who are exposed, with mycotoxins being the most concerning.
You can think about mycotoxins as the molds defense: they are used for protection from environmental threats. Mycotoxins are minute organic compounds as small as 0.03 microns. These tiny molecules can stick to particles already floating through the air. Studies have found Stachybotrys mycotoxins on mold fragments that have broken off from a mold colony after it has been disturbed . This can be harmfulairborne particles less than 1.0 microns are easily breathed into the respiratory system, where they can cause irritation and potential allergic reactions. If this occurs, mycotoxins could accumulate onto local tissue and ultimately enter the bloodstream. The study by Brasel cited above showed that trichothecenes could be measured in the blood of people exposed to an indoor environment that had Stachybotrys.
Stachybotrys creates a class of mycotoxins referred to as trichothecenes. Trichothecenes have been widely studied and have been proven to be detrimental to the health of humans, animals and plants. In fact, trichothecenes have been investigated for the purpose of biological warfare needless to say, they are not something to which you want to be exposed.
Symptoms Of Black Mold
What Does Black Mold Look Like?
Stachybotrys is commonly known as black mold because its black in color. We see black mold most often when there is flooding or water damage, such as attics, basements, bathrooms, and kitchens.What does black mold look like? Check out these photos of black mold in basements that experienced flooding:
Is black mold dangerous?
The answer to the above question is It can be, but the vast majority of black mold situations we see are nothing to panic about.If you search black mold youll be sure to find plenty of websites and articles that tout the dangers of it. Weve seen quite the long, sensational list everything from seizures to cancer to death. But the truth is that it most situations are nothing to panic about because:It has never been scientifically proven that black mold is any more harmful than other types and colors of mold.Only a small percentage of people are especially sensitive to mold .Most horror stories come from people with severe, prolonged exposure to mold while most situations are small areas of mold growth that get cleaned up rather quickly.So why does black mold get so much hype? Well, a lot of it has to do with a general lack of information about a strange substance that looks especially ugly and threatening.
What are mycotoxins?Can black mold make you sick, cause cancer, or kill you?
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