It May be Mold and it’s NOT on the Cheese
Mold toxicity had never been on my radar before. Clients would mention it on occasion, and I would politely listen but had no cognition of how it affected health or how to help treat it, but I guess life teaches you lessons that you would not learn otherwise.
One thing you may not know about me I love a good murder mystery show. My favorite is the British Drama Series Vera and she’s my alter ego when I’m trying to solve medical problems.
My story begins in 2018 when I faced the reality of needing sinus surgery from an injury playing softball in my teens. I researched the ideal surgeon and finally had the surgery which was successful in helping my breathing issues. Two months later, I went to New Orleans for a conference and within 24 hours my tongue turned black, I had a horrendous migraine, felt terrible and could not wait to get home. The hotel next door was being excavated and the air quality was less than optimal, to put it mildly.
This is a start to a series of blogs and possibly a book but here’s where my mold story begins.
When I returned home, I went to my ENT and he said, “I think you may have gotten mold” and promptly treated me with antibiotics and a steroid sinus rinse. I thought that was the end of it and went on with my life. Little did I realize that was the beginning of a very long journey of health issues, research, multiple conferences and a wealth of information had I not had that experience.
If you have an unexplained health issue – anything from fatigue, food sensitivities, weight gain, gut issues, reflux, brain fog, autoimmunity and even cancer – mold may be an underlying cause. Unfortunately, Western medicine does not address mold, nor does it know how to treat it, possibly because of the complications and challenges of treatment.
How does someone get mold? That answer is also complicated because some people are sensitive to mold and others not as much. If you come in contact with a building that has water damage, old carpets, drapes, wallpaper, etc. that is an easy way to get it as you inhale the spores. Sometimes it takes a few exposures before major complications start to emerge. The problem is with more exposure the mold can become colonized in your body and more difficult to eradicate.
How is mold diagnosed?
One of the best ways is to measure your urine. Although it is a simple urine test, it is not inexpensive. The labs (Real Time and Great Plains) measure multiple types of molds and the levels in your body which greatly assist with treatment. I’ve used both labs and believe Great Plains is more accurate in their testing.
After getting the results this is where the hard work begins. Mold treatment has been described as a marathon and not a sprint. One of the first steps is to assess whether the mold is in your environment and if so, remediate it before you begin anything else.
A common slogan of the mold practitioners is “clean air, clean water, clean diet.” If those things are in place, then it may be necessary to go on a series of binders to “bind” the mold toxins or what is called “mycotoxins” in your body and common binders included activated charcoal, bentonite clay, and chlorella. As you are binding the mold, your body has to have a way to eliminate or “detox” the mold. Some supplements such as NAC or liposomal glutathione are necessary as well as using an infrared sauna to assist that process. A low mold diet may be necessary as well. Changes in your home may be necessary such as a good water filtration system, air purification system, etc.
I have now listened to at least 300 hours of speakers from mold conferences and most stated “I did not believe in it or know much about it TILL it happened to me.”
I try to think of life’s challenges as ways to pass along help to others. Is something in your life happening TO you or FOR you? I’m choosing to look at it as for me, my patients and a way to help others who have not been helped by conventional medicine. Stay tuned for more to come.
