What if Nothing Works?
Get into a healthy, mold-free environment, so that medical treatment and healthy practices can work.
The first and MOST IMPORTANT STEP in treating mold illness – get into a healthy, clean place, in which you feel good, and are improving. A mold-free environment is paramount for your recovery.
The major reason people do not improve is because they are still in the mold- and mycotoxin-heavy environment and are continuing to be exposed to the toxins that make them sick.
There is much scientific evidence to suggest that the molds and environmental conditions that made a person sick are the ones that will remain most inflammatory to their body. For this reason, any remnants of or exposure to the moldy environment or moldy belongings tend to keep the a person sick or re-ignite symptoms.
Sometimes, cross contamination occurs — either a people move and takes moldy items with them, or someone from a moldy place comes into their environment. This can also keep people exposed to mold and sick. In some cases, remediation fails and after the person moves back in, thinking all is OK, he/she continues to be sick.
Whatever the case, the solution always is to get into a healthy place where you feel better. For a time, not allowing contaminated people or items into your safe space will have to also be part of this strategy.
If you have followed this rule, and are still getting sick, you may be able to pinpoint where things are going wrong by asking yourself the following questions:
(You are NOT a hopeless case! There is ALWAYS a reason. There is ALWAYS something that can be done.)
- Is the fungal load continuing somewhere? Think about your air, your belongings, your car, your work, etc. Retest all areas with mold plates, and do TAP tests. Look inside your washing machine– front loader washers are notorious for mold. Do you have contaminated items from a moldy house in your environment? Are you around leaf blowing, mulch, straw, compost, or are you cleaning or going through old boxes or papers? Is someone going to a moldy place and coming back home and contaminating you again like in a moldy work place? These things can keep you sick!
- Do you have fungus and mycotoxins trapped in your sinus mucosa? Ask your doctor to order a sinus CT scan and ENT consult. You can have this, even if you are not aware that you have sinus symptoms. If you have a fungus ball inside your sinuses it must be removed with the mycotoxins for you to improve.
- Are you eating sugar and refined carbohydrates? Until you are better, you must be very careful with your diet. Candida has a sugar receptor which morphs from a harmless yeast to an invasive hyphal form. Yeast overgrowth can keep you sick.
- Have you addressed your pituitary? In order to recover, some people need growth hormone, thyroid, cortisol, etc.
- Is your immune system is depressed? This can manifest as Lyme, Epstein Barr, Cytomegalovirus, herpes, etc. Autoimmune diseases are sometimes symptoms of mold exposure and mycotoxicosis. The mold invades and depresses the immune system to the point that the virus/infection becomes problematic. Once the mold is treated, the autoimmune symptoms often resolve. Transfer Factor (Sinus Defense) helps to kill microbes and normalize autoimmune disease.
- Do you have heavy metal toxicity? Mold toxins bind to heavy metals, so the two often coexist. Work with your doctor to test and detox, if needed.
- Are you a poor methylator? Impaired methylation can lead to depression, anxiety, histamine intolerance, increased risk of cancer, hormone imbalance, poor detox capacity, infertility, birth defects, fatigue, low energy, and the turning on of genes that make you more susceptible to environmental insults. Test for MTHFR mutation test and supplement with methyl donors, like B12, 5-tetrahydrofolic acid, and carbon as needed. (Note: Some binders can also impair methylation, so keep this in mind with your treatment.)
- Is there something affecting your health other than mold? It is rare, but cancer, like lymphoma, leukemia, and others could be factors. Always dig deeper when all else fails.
This post is an excerpt from ‘Start Here: My Mold Toxicity Treatment Key‘, an outstanding article by Catherine of www.moldfreeliving.com. Click here to read her entire article.
