Mold plays a vital role in nature. The mycelium networks under-ground are the communication networks different plants use to talk to each other. Fungus in nature is a great de-composer and will help to digest and break down organic material such as dead leaves. Fungi actually provides strength and resilence in nature and in the human body when we are ready for it.
HOW DOES A PERSON BECOME TOXIC WITH MOLD?
Mold multiplies by producing microscopic spores that are carried by the wind and allowed to travel great distances. The level of mold in any indoor building will fluctuate day to day, season to season and hour to hour.
The biggest problem occurs when these mold spores land in the right environment and are allowed to grow indoors. If there is any moisture in the building the mold will make the building it’s home.
Once it has started to grow it will continue to live and thrive surviving off the building materials. Just fixing the leak will not keep the mold from growing. Mold will grow best in a moist/humid environment but does not necessarily need this to survive. As long as there is food, the mold will continue to thrive feeding itself from the building materials.
WHAT IS MOLD TOXICITY?
Mold toxicity, characterized by mold colonization or infection in the body, occurs in susceptible individuals that are exposed to toxic mold species. A key exposure element is those toxic mold species found in water damaged buildings (WDB). The mold species found in WDB’s live off the building materials and continually emit their spores and fragments in an effort to procreate/spread and decompose the building materials. These spores and fragments are released inside the closed walls of the building allowing for humans to inhale these spores and fragments.
Remember, mold wants to survive and its key function is decomposition. Mold wants to decompose the building and when it gets inside a human body it wants to decompose the human body as well. That is, after all, the main function of mold/fungus.
Once a susceptible human is exposed to these spores and fragments and inhales them during exposure the mold will try to find its opportunity to survive. The mold will typically colonize in the sinuses and the gut. If the detox capacity of that individual is compromised the mold will win and will be able to make a home in that persons body. This can result in a wide variety of symptoms:
Many systems, Many symptoms, No single diagnostic symptom, Genetic diversity, Individualized reactions
- Ears, eyes, nose, throat
- Respiratory
- Cardiovascular
- Digestive
- Nervous
- Dermatological
- Reproductive
- Urinary
- Cognitive
- Immune
- Musculoskeletal
- Constitutional
WHAT MAKES A PERSON SUSCEPTIBLE TO MOLD TOXICITY?
The most recent statistic is that about 25% of the population does not detoxify from mold/mycotoxins well due to genetics. Other single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) like ones having to do with glutathione production can also play a role as well as SNP’s involved in methylation capacity.
Mold, as said previously, colonizes in the sinuses and the gut. As is does this it is changing the microbial balance in these two areas of the body. Remember, the gut is 70% of our immune systems strength, and the bacteria present in our gut are the main players in healthy immune function. Mold will deplete us of good bacteria allowing for pathogenic overgrowth and immune confusion all the while decreasing our digestion and absorption capacity….
REMEMBER, EVERYTHING IN THE BODY IS NUTRIENT DEPENDENT…
In my opinion, epigenetics are slightly more powerful than our genetic predisposition in that epigenetics or lifestyle factors heavily influence our gene expression. The combination of poor genetic detox ability and poor lifestyle factors (epigenetics) is the perfect storm…
A combination of poor detox genes and poor lifestyle habits allows the mold to make the person its own water damaged building
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY SYMPTOMS ARE CAUSED BY MOLD TOXICITY?
Like I stated previously there are many symptoms with mold toxicity with many systems of the body involved. There are some symptoms that are fairly consistent but there is always the outlier. Some fairly consistent symptoms of mold toxicity are:
- chronic sinusitis
- allergies that do not respond to typical medications
- allergic shiners
- chemical sensitivity
- vision change – blurry or double vision
- eye floaters
- nose bleeds, blood tinged mucous
- coated tongue
- thrush
- back of throat feels full
- enlarged lymph nodes
- cough, wheezing, asthma, chronic respiratory illnesses
- heart palpitations, edema, POTS
- abdominal pain, gas, bloat, constipation, diarrhea, reflux, SIBO
- histamine intolerance
- anxiety, depression
- headache
- dizziness, incoordination, nerve pain
- skin tags, hives, eczema/rashes, itchy skin, psoriasis, fungal skin infections
- chronic bacterial vaginosis, infertility, menstrual changes
- frequent urination esp at night, increased thirst, nephritis
- brain fog, confusion, memory loss, dementia, cognitive decline
- fungal infections, frequent illness, delayed healing, chronic EBV or viral infections
- decreased muscle mass/tone, exercise intolerance
- chronic fatigue, insomnia, heat/cold intolerance
IS THERE A TEST FOR MOLD TOXICITY?
There are many tests on the market for mold toxicity. Any positive test is significant. It is best to discuss which test is best for you with your provider for the most accurate results. Some tests on the market are:
Urine mycotoxin tests (Mosaic diagnostics, realtime labs, and vibrant wellness)
Serum mycotoxin antibody test (Mymycolab)
Organic acids test (Mosaic and realtime labs)
Visual contrast sensitivity testing (High correlation only)
WHAT ARE CLUES THAT MOLD MAY BE A PLAYER IN YOUR SYMPTOMS OR CHRONIC DISEASE?
*Your symptoms are new since a water event in your home, work place, school, etc.
*Your symptoms are new since a move or new job
*You are not responding as expected to conventional treatments
*Your symptoms continue to worsen
*You have a gut feeling something is off
Bottom line, follow your gut. If you have been exposed to a WDB at any time in your life and have struggled with chronic symptoms or chronic disease that is not getting better with treatment or worsening it is time to start looking into the cause. Toxins and infections are at the top of my list! Read more about how to detox from mold here.
