MOLD TOXICITY - The Great Imitator

Are you suffering from a chronic condition that seems mysterious because it is defying any specific diagnosis? Consider mold exposure/toxicity

Mold Toxicity may imitate a number of different health conditions yet none of those conditions cause all the various symptoms you are experiencing. The symptoms may as varied as: fatigue, headaches, dizziness, issues with balance, muscles aches, weakness, chronic sinus congestion, coughing, shortness of breath, joint pains, cognitive impairment, numbness and tingling, mood swings, anxiety and depression, nausea and diarrhea, metallic taste in the mouth, and many others.

If you are living or have lived in an older home, a place that has water stains, a space that has a musty smell, a home that has had water leaking or water damage, or even in a basement suite, consider the possibility of mold toxicity.

Mold spores can be inhaled and can live in the body for many years. Mold release toxins that can make their way through any cell membrane and so can affect any tissue of the body. The majority of us have the ability to break down and clear these toxins. The unfortunate few, 1 in 4 are genetically not able to create the antibodies that recognize, break down, and eliminate the mold toxins. In time these individuals will experience inflammation in various parts of the body due to an exaggerated immune response. This is what leads to the myriad of symptoms.

It is vital to find a health care practitioner who will do the appropriate testing to identify mold toxicity. Accurate and sensitive testing is crucial or the diagnosis may be missed. Naturopathic physicians can access labs that specifically test for mold toxicity.

The next step is identifying the source of exposure. It could be your current or even past home, your work place, your car, think hard. Remediation must be thorough or the exposure just continues. This work should be done by a professional trained in doing this kind of work and definitely not by the affected patient.

Finally, the patient must be treated very carefully. This is usually a slow process in order not to worsen the patient. Mold will produce even more toxins as it is being killed and toxins that are in “safe” places (like fat tissue) can get stirred up and released into the circulation where they might go to more vulnerable tissues like the brain. Supporting the patient, binding up mold toxins for removal, and killing the mold are the goals of treatment.

This condition that I called the great imitator, mold toxicity can be identified and treated. The quicker it is diagnosed and treated the fewer the symptoms and faster the recovery.