A passion for toxic mold sounds like a really odd way to start any conversion. If you know anything about the health impact of toxic mold, then you may be wondering, why would anyone say this? Read on to find out.
Like other professionals who work in the toxic mold illness space, we share one thing in common - we have all been exposed and greatly impacted by toxic mold. I sadly have had three separate exposures that I am aware of. Sometimes, we can be exposed and not aware that we have.
If you have read my previous blogs on Got Mold, part 1 and Got Mold, part 2, then you know how devastating my first exposure was on not only my health, but my entire life projection. However, it wasn't until after my third exposure that I began to have a passion for toxic mold.
The third exposure is when it adversely affected my daughter's health and as any mom out there knows, don't mess with a mother bear and her cubs! I already knew a lot about mold, how to screen for it, how to help clear it from the body and begin to heal, but I would say I became a reluctant expert after I realized how devastating it was for my daughter.
The crazy thing about mold is it is often unseen and often undetectable. It can lurk and hide behind walls and ceilings. Some molds release something call mycotoxins and it is the mycotoxins that can create havoc in our body systems.
What are mycotoxins?
Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxic compounds produced by fungi – a classification of organisms that contains mold, mushrooms, and yeasts. Think of them as the self-defence mechanism of mold; when the mold is disturbed or feels threatened, it will release mycotoxins to protect itself and allow its spores to spread further. Mycotoxins are odorless and invisible to the naked eye. They are so small that they can pass though drywall.
If you are regularly exposed to the mold toxins, it triggers an inflammatory response. Long term exposure can cause this inflammatory response to become chronic inflammatory conditions and trigger CIRS. Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) is a progressive, multi-system, multi-symptom illness characterized by exposure to biotoxins. The ongoing inflammation can affect virtually any organ system of the body and if left untreated becomes debilitating.
Symptoms can be far reaching and range from mild to severe:
Cognitive difficulties (brain fog, poor memory, anxiety)
Pain (especially abdominal pain, but can include muscle pain similar to fibromyalgia)
Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
Numbness and tingling in extremities or other areas of the body
Metallic taste in the mouth
Vertigo or dizziness
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Digestive issues (especially limited tolerance to food, persistent bloating)
Significant fatigue that interferes with daily activities
Changes in mood
Excessive thirst and dehydration, bed-wetting in children
Symptoms that resemble hormone imbalances (hair loss, rashes)
How to screen for mold?
As I have already shared, mold detection isn't as easy to discover as some claim. Many experts will tell you to look under sinks, behind washers, in the attic ect. Yes, this should all be a part of mold discovery, but in the case of my daughter's exposure, it was 100% invisible and would not have been found if I did not know how to do the deeper investigation it takes to look within the body.
When you have unexplained symptoms with no visible mold, then a great starting place is screening the metabolites of mycotoxins. In the case of my daughter, her autoimmune markers jumped 1000 points. Because, she is young and I monitor her diet, know her food sensitivities, and her gut vulnerabilities, as well as, keep her environmental toxicant exposures low - I knew I needed to screen her for mold exposure.
I ran the Myco-tox Functional Lab on her and as suspected some of the markers lit up like a Christmas tree. After bringing in mold specialist to help us narrow down where the exposure could be coming from - we begin the journey of correcting the source issue of exposure.
We have a new at-home, cost effective screening option available for you to test your home or office air. Using the same method as professionals, the GOT MOLD? Test Kit makes it easy to test the air in 1, 2, or 3 rooms at your own convenience.
The first step is to always remove yourself from the exposure. Whether you remediate the issue or move - you have to do your best to no longer be in that space. The next step is working with a skilled practitioner who knows how to work safety to remove the mycotoxins and possible mold colonization from your body.
Mobilizing mycotoxins without ensuring the body's detoxification pathways are optimal, can be dangerous. Mycotoxins are often stored in fat cells and fatty tissue and are known to be neurotoxic, immunosuppressant, cause immune dysregulation, can affect reproduction, can be carcinogenic, hepatotoxic (liver toxic) and nephrotoxic (kidney toxic). They can cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) and placenta. Once these are released from the fat, you need to ensure you can excrete them or they can be redeposited into other organs such as your brain. There is a process and order that can greatly support your health in a safe manner.
Back to my daughter health issue...I am happy to share, once we remediated the hidden toxic mold exposure and began the removal of mycotoxins and mold colonization - her autoimmunity markers went back to her baseline.
As you can see, I am passionate about toxic mold. I know the detriment it can cause in the body, I know it can be hidden and I know once we discover it may be a root of your health condition - that you can begin to feel better!
How we can help?
If you are looking to explore your body and if it has any metabolites of toxic mold - check out our A La Cart Got Mold Package. This is the perfect cost-effective package that allows you to screen the body without having to be a client. We also deep dive and can work on a one-on-one basis or three-month package where we take you step by step on how to remove mycotoxins and mold colonization from your body. We support nutrition and lifestyle factors that may be playing a role and address the inflammatory response. Each body is different and all our protocols are personalized to meet your needs.
For Central Coast, CA for mold removal and air quality, we recommend reaching out to: Pure Maintenance. If you live in another location, we are also happy to share how to find qualified mold inspectors.
Resources:
Blog: Got Mold, part 1, here
Blog: Got Mold, part 2, here
Cheat Sheet: Prep Before Detox, here
Got Mold Functional Package, here
Got Mold At-Home Air Screening, here
Quiz: Toxic Mold Exposure, here
Have a Nourishing Day!