Mold and mold illness Q & A: is mold impacting your health?
Here's what you have all be waiting for!
Below are my answers to questions that YOU asked about mold and mold illness:
1. How would I know to suspect mold impacting my health?
Good question! Everyone will run a gamut of different symptoms - but some common ones are: brain fog, exhausted or constantly tired, skin rashes, recurrant yeast infection issues, heart palpitations, nose bleeds, recurrent sinus infections or bronchitis and colds, seasonal allergies, much worse or food allergy development, an internal buzzing or sense of vibration, dizziness, migraines, vertigo, a drunk feeling, severe cravings for sweets or alcohol, shortness of breath or inability to hold breath for 30 seconds, dark circles under the eyes, post nasal drip, morning coughing and drainage, constipation, chest pain, chemical sensitivity, balance issues, nerve pain, unexplained menstrual changes, sinus surgery, daily need for nasal spray or neti pot, hearing loss, confusion, poor word recall, blood in stool, non alcoholic fatty liver, kidney pain or swelling, MCAS, POTS, CIRS, EOE…
Anyone who has struggled with recurrent illness, ongoing complex illness or functional care that doesn’t resolve with treatment, would be wise to consider mold illness. This list of symptoms and complex illness can sometimes find roots or crossover root causes in Lyme disease, tick-borne illness, internal parasites, chronic viral illness, stealth infections, lead or mercury poisoning, pesticide or glyphosate exposure. It’s not always mold, but it is often…mold.
2. I don’t think I have mold In my home, but where to look?
Mold is a normal part of our air - and this is ok and good - we just don’t want it finding a home in our homes on any water. 48 hours of standing water or water damage and mold growth can begin. Mold can then survive off humidity in the air, ongoing water exposure and feed off a variety of building materials - once it’s begun, it doesn’t take much to keep it going.
First line? Under sinks, near pipe connections, any water damaged areas, past wetness. Basements, basement carpet, anything near the sump pump. Behind the dishwasher, around the shower or tub, bathrooms etc.
Next up: places that are wet. Front loading washer machines…mold spores are mold spores: if you’re washing your kiddos sheets in a moldy washer and they lay their skin on these, breathe in spores all night…there can be mold exposure here. Dishwashers, behind refrigerators, pipes that have backed up in the past, sinks that don’t get cleaned out and dried. HVAC units with and without humidifiers or that run through temperature fluctuating spaces (attics, for example - will make condensation in summer). Rooms that are humidified, the carpets of these rooms. Old carpet and rug pads. Dusty areas and old furniture or belongings moved from previously moldy environments. Moist bathrooms with no ventilation fans or the fans not used. Exterior walls with wallpaper - makes for condensation with temperature changes.
Important: Know that not all mold is black and not all mold is “black mold”. There are plenty of strains that are white or red or spotty or furry and speckled, etc.
3. What can you do if you know you have mold but don’t have the financial resources to do anything about it at this time?
Do what you can!
REDUCE DUST: Employ a HEPA vacuum and use it at least twice a week, keeping dust in the home very low. Have your air ducts cleaned and focus on bringing in HEPA air filters to increase air quality.
PURIFY YOUR AIR: While air doctors are wonderful, I love the Germ Guardian lines for their affordability and accessibility to more. I own several. This is my favorite, and I own these, too.
OPEN YOUR WINDOWS: Mycotoxins are the poisons that molds create which make us the most sick. Airing out your home allows these to escape and lowers their concentration in the air, overall. Mold illness occurs because of the concentration of mold and mycotoxins. You can go for a walk in a damp forest and not feel poorly, but become deathly ill in a damp home, because your home traps these poisonous substances, while the forest can disperse them into the atmosphere and balance them against oxygen.
REMOVE: Work to clear out what you can and be flexible. If you identify carpets that are moldy: rip them out. It’s ok to live on subfloor until you can afford to replace - it’s not ideal, but it can increase your health. If you know your bathroom is covered in mold, but can’t remodel it yet - provided you have another: have the bathroom properly removed. Live with studs and missing parts if it means you can remove the mold and mycotoxins from your immediate environment.
WATCH YOUR HUMIDITY: You want a hydrometer to measure between 35-50% (I like 40% for comfort!) in your home - if this isn’t the case, employ a dehumidifier with a drain, so you can set your desired humidity and let it run while you can.
CLEANSE: Citrus oils and several others break the mold spore shell, effectively rendering them unable to reproduce. You can diffuse these, purchase mold cleaner concentrate (my favorite is from microbial balance). use the laundry rinse in your washer for every load washed. We want to decrease the overall spore load. Microbalance also has mold purifying candles with some really hopeful research showing a great reduction of mold and mycotoxins in 3 hours of burning. These are great to use, too.
RINSE AND BIND (YOUR BODY): Using anti-mold nasal rinses like XClear, colloidal silver, Biocidin and Citridrops added to a neti pot, you can rinse spores from the nasal passage. When I’m exposed, this is my first move. Next: I like to use a binder - whether it’s simple like activated charcoal or a more complete binder like GI Detox or Quicksilver’s ultra binder, I want to catch the poison that’s entered my body.
SWEAT: We know that mycotoxins are released via sweat within the first 5 minutes of sauna treatment - so sauna! While I don’t encourage the financial investment of a sauna to live in your moldy space, making use of one, increasing sweaty exercise and even taking hot baths can help release toxicity in the meantime. This is a space where you’ll often need practitioner guidance on how hot, how long, with binders or not - but it’s a wonderful tool and a worthy mention. This is my fave sauna - and one that I’ve more than gotten my money’s worth in!
OVERALL: Avoid exposure, reduce levels and do your best. And don’t DIY your removal: there are processes that need followed so the spores aren’t threatened, only to release tons more into the environment. You also want air being removed from the environment so that spores are being directed outdoors and not releasing more into the home.
4. How to find a mold inspection that can be trusted in Louisville area! And next steps if something is found!
This one’s easy, because we’ve had so many clients have wonderful, complete and expansive experiences with a local company. We don’t have any relationship with them: I just see inspection after inspection come back beautifully specific and clear: https://theiepgroup.com/ does great work!
Step 1: My general process for folks is to begin with an ERMI test to get a benchmark on how much and which type of molds are at play. You can purchase this DIY test here.
Step 2: If you truly think mold at home isn’t the problem, at a minimum I suggest using the inexpensive Ec3 mold plates to test several areas in the home - if they don’t grow: then we look at other environments (school, work, barns etc.). We also use these to test specific pieces of furniture or items we think could be moldy - you can scrape or disrupt dust on those items and add them to the plate.
Step 3: Educate yourself! Check accounts like @theguidedwell and @moldfinders as well as @pjharlowwellness. And know: mold spaces can be dramatic and also this is a serious problem. I LOVE Dr. Jill Crista’s book “Break the Mold” . It is wonderfully expansive, concise, calm and answers all of the common questions about why some are sick and others aren’t. The book also outlines general processes for remediation and care - what to look for when choosing those involved in your healing.
Step 4: If you found mold in step 2, go back to step 1. With your ERMI results in hand, review them and decide what’s next. If they’re severe, I recommend an inspection with a mold testing and inspection company - they should not also do remediation: this is a conflict of interest and . I would ask for certifications and liscenses and what their general recommendations look like if mold is found: if encapsulation, covering, painting or anything but: remove, remove, remove are their plans: run. I would also ask if they’re familiar with fine particular remediation: these few questions will get you far. We do have more expansive resources for our clients, so reach out if that’s you!
Step 5: Remediate with trusted companies who will use hepatitis air scrubbers, proper PPE, taping off the areas and taking great care to keep the mold contained and promptly removed.
Step 6: Retest. Have your original inspectors back to re-inspect and test to ensure your remediation investment was worth it, all mold is gone and to give you peace of mind. Don’t skip this step - it’s pretty common to need a second mini-round of remediation or cleaning, once the bulk of the mold is removed.
5. I think I experience chronic fatigue due to mold. What’s the best and/or easiest way to test? Can my PCP run a test that is covered by insurance? Or is it even worth going this route?
Very likely! We can carry mold colonies in our sinus’ gut and lungs for years to come. We can also be packing along mycotoxins in our fat stores for years, if not properly detoxified for a season of 6mos-2+ years.
First sad news is that your PCP won’t likely be versed in this and many will completely dismiss it as a possibility. I hate this as much as I hate compromised care for autoimmune disease: but best to accept it and move along.
We look at mold through 3 lenses, and not every test is right for everyone or needed, and none of them are hard measures of how much mold or if it’s all gone: that doesn’t make them less valuable.
1. OAT Organic Acids Test: A urine test we use to look for fungal overgrowth and mold colonization in the body. This also shows your practitioner your nutrient stores that can be depleted with mold exposure or need repleted to properly detoxify. There are several other markers that show us the effects of mold on your body: mitochondrial function, neurotransmitter balance, energy creation and more.
2. Mycotoxin Test: A urine test that shows us the levels and types of mycotoxins being excreted from the body. This test helps us match your protocol to your molds, helps to rule out or in more toxic “black molds” and does give us some level of excretion. But some folks aren’t excreting much, depending on their phase of illness, and the results of this test, though immensely helpful - don’t quantify the level of mold you’ve been exposed to. Also doesn’t tell us if your exposure is current or past: just tells us the body is clearing mycotoxins and which type. In a family, I like to do this test on the youngest member, because they’ve had less years to compile mold from past exposures in their body.
3. Mold blood panel: This is the most reliable measure for how the body is impacted by mold and how much healing progress the body has made. We look at markers like MMP9, known as the “more and more pain” sign that delivers inflammatory elements from our blood to sensitive tissues. VEGF is a marker connected to fatigue, shortness of breath and muscle cramps. WE also look at HLA genotypes to see if you’re 1 in 4 people who have inappropriate immune responses to various constituents like mold, gluten, cardiolipins and more. If your body can’t identify mold as a problem, it’s unlikely to clear it and you’re more likely to be affected than others in your home. ADH or antidiuretic hormone is another we look at to show us the effects of mold. My blood panel is a modified version of the Shoemaker panel, made famous by the wonderful mold doctor, Ritchie C. Shoemaker. I often pivot it and add other factors, like leptin, for instance, if the client is struggling with excess body fat and weight resistance. We’ll look at liver enzymes and kidney markers - 2 organs the experience the toxin’s extreme effects, blood sugar regulation and cardiovascular markers if the clients exhibits hormone or blood sugar impacts or cardio symptoms.
Bonus #4: The VCS test is another I like to use as a preliminary if I suspect mold illness. It’s an easy and simple online visual contrast test that uses the visions effects to see how nerve cells have been affected by mold and other toxins. It isn’t necessarily diagnostic, but it’s a great, inexpensive tool to check in on progress and get a decent marked on if mold is likely.
6. Are kids and adults affected the same?
They are and they aren’t - no one is immune, but often our kiddos are the canary in the coals mine, because of their small body mass, growth and sometimes more exposure to the mold - the often stay home while parents get out and go to work more, for instance. Many families begin mold care because a child is suffering with asthma, cyclical vomiting, skin issues, extreme eczema, pronounced behavioral change, painful bowels, extreme constipation and more - then as we peel back the players - we tend to see Mom’s been effected (hormones play a role!) and other siblings.
7. What are next steps if I suspect this is impacting my health?
Schedule a clarity call. Our team loves to lead you through the dramatic world of mold healing. I’ve recovered from mold illness on 2 separate occasions and have walked the path you’re on and know that ti does get better: we see clients heal continually. You’ll schedule a free clarity call where I’ll ask questions, you’ll share symptoms and ask questions of your own and I’ll email over my best care recommendations and next steps. If you’re still reading: know that mold illness does get better, this isn’t the end of your story - it’s just an invitation into a new way of life and learning, but you can and will recover with the right teammates, hope and persistence.
Have more questions?
I could talk about this convo all day and I know this chat will only open up a big can of worms of questions and fears. First: we don’t hold our fears - we bring them to those who can help answer or who will dig for answers and put those fears to bed. Second: mold happens just like other illnesses, car wrecks, bad things…etc happen. We can grow in wisdom to avoid them or to stop their progress- and asking questions helps get us there - so ask away - either email me here or post to insta or DM me - I may just hold the questions and do a part 2!
