Mold: Is My House Making Me Sick?

Is it possible that the mold is making you sick? Do you have some chronic generalized symptoms that are persistent despite treatment even good treatment?  Treatment may work for awhile but it just doesn’t hold. Or perhaps treatment is helping a lot but the sustainability of lots supplementation, intense diet restrictions and lifestyle modifications is intense.  This predicament is classic for patients suffering from mold exposure. Molds such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium are more common than we think and are making people sick!  Remember hearing about black mold? That’s called Stachybotrys and I see it come up positive as a culprit of causing mold illness!!  Yuck!

Now you may think mold growth in San Diego is fairly rare.  It is more common than you think and something to look for if someone in your house is always trying to find ways to feel better! If you are wiping black mold off your tile, it doesn’t naturally grow on tile so it is coming from behind the tile.  If there is a history of a flood or water damage in your house and it has not been adequately dried and/or treated, it only needs a few spores to for the mold to grow back.  Mold thrives in damp areas. They can grow on anything with cellulose such as fiberboard, wood, gypsum or paper.  The mold itself is not dangerous but it is those mycotoxins that tear down our health.

Mold Toxicity Symptoms

So what does having this fungus in us look like when mold makes us sick? Here is a list of symptoms that have a connection with mold toxicity:

• Allergies that worsen
• Alzheimer’s
• Anemia
• Asthma, coughing or wheezing
• Bloating
• Brain Fog
• Dehydration despite excess thirst
• Dementia
• Dizziness
• Dopamine disruption
• Eyes that are itchy
• Fatigue
• Fevers and poor temperature regulation
• Hair Loss
• Headaches, especially sharp sensations
• Light Sensitivity
• Liver Infections
• Infections, exacerbation of micro infections especially in the Lungs
• Insomnia or trouble sleeping
• Memory Loss
• Muscle Cramps
• Nausea chronically
• Nerve Pain
• Night Sweats
• Nosebleeds
• Obsessive Behaviors
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Rashes, especially itchy
• Sensitivity becomes increased to fragrances and chemicals
• Sinus Problems
• Skin Sores
• Sweet Cravings
• Throat that is itchy
• Tics of Tremor
• Weakness that is generalized
• Weight Gain or Loss

In the last couple years, a new mycotoxin test has been developed which is really helpful for patients to learn about their present mold exposures and eliminating them as well as detoxing from them.  It is shocking to see toxic mold metabolites come up so high that they bypass the known ranges of measurement.  The type of metabolite helps isolate the type of mold and how the exposure likely happened.  It can be really difficult to test your home and even harder to test your workplace, vehicle, RV, school or other place for mold but testing people for their exposure is very doable.  I have patients who come to me wondering, and have been wondering about whether they have mold in their house and the easiest way to find out if they have been exposed is by testing for mycotoxin metabolites.  The test is a simple urine collection and can identify Aflatoxin, Ochratoxin A, Gliotoxin, Mycophenolic Acid, Citrinin and a few other metabolites.

Is there HOPE after toxic mold exposure?

Since our office has a holistic mind set, I have an unwritten policy in our office not to test for things that we really don’t know what to do about.  In other words, if we can’t use the results of the test, it is all very interesting but not really useful or helpful to make it very far on our journey to wellness.  So the next reasonable question is, “what can we do for mold toxicity?”  What do we do when Ochratoxin A comes up high.  Or other metabolites relating to Aspergillus, Penicillium and the dreaded black mold, Strachomyces.  

Naturopathic Doctors really are good at offering detox options.  Natural medicine gives us a lot of tools for eliminating mold mycotoxins and other toxins.  There are some basics such as making sure that our bodies are in elimination mode.  One of my favorite ways is by infrared saunas, which we have in our office.  Ochratoxin A, phalates and heavy metal have all been found in human sweat.  Cool right?  Castor oil packs target the liver which is a main outlet for lymphatic bound toxins.  Dry skin brushing can compliment this and is practiced in alternative medicine circles.  Charcoal can be a good option as well.  Cholestyramine and nebulized antifungals are both finding good success. 

Individuals will have their own unique challenges and need to follow up with a Naturopathic Doctor for a personal plan to wellness. We specialize in this kind of thing so it’s not a new idea for us. If you are frustrated with your health, finding a doctor as a resource is key to success in your health.  At Journey of Health Naturopathic Clinic, we are dedicated to finding the right integrative solutions for each patient. We proudly serve the San Diego area, providing some of the best service in Naturopathic medicine. If you wish to further your own journey of health with Naturopathic solutions and Alternative medicine, give us a call at (619) 772-1164.  We offer free 10-minute consults so you can see if we are the right fit for you and your family.  Reach out and learn more about your holistic medicine options today!

It’s time to Find out by TESTing- DETOX and TREAT you as an individual.