If you have been dealing with strange symptoms and have been to multiple doctors without concrete answers, you may be dealing with mold illness or Chronic Inflammatory Response System (CIRS). If you’ve had unexplained fatigue, anxiety, irritability, weight gain, lowered immune response, infertility, allergies and more, working with someone knowledgeable about these issues is a good idea. 

Unfortunately, many mainstream doctors aren’t aware of the damaging effects that mold has on the body, but at EC Restorative, we believe that there is a root cause that is keeping you from living the healthy life you deserve. With the right environmental changes, diet changes, and guidance, your health will greatly improve. 

What Causes Mold Illness?

If you’ve been exposed to a water-damaged building, you’ve been exposed to a compound called mycotoxins that mold releases. A study showed that 50% of residential and work environments have dealt with moisture damage. These mycotoxins can damage your health and lead to many symptoms, not just those related to the respiratory system. It’s important to discover whether you’re currently being exposed to mold or if it’s a past exposure so you can adequately treat the home if it’s a current exposure. 

My Personal Story With Mold Illness

A few years ago, my family was living in a rental that developed a leak in the roof.  It was in the peak of the rainy season, so it was immediately noticed, and the landlords were contacted.  They sent someone who brushed it off as condensation and “no harmful type of mold” and said they would be back to fix it. Months passed by, and no one ever showed up.  Rain season ended, and things appeared to be dry, but the paint was discolored in the ceiling area. I contacted the landlords to let them know the problem was still there, but nothing was ever done about it.   

Winter was approaching again, rain began falling, and the ceiling looked very damp. Around this time I began to notice that I wasn’t feeling like myself. I was very tired, experienced frequent headaches, brain fog, heavy periods, etc., and my 1-year-old daughter had developed what they call allergy shiners under her eyes and sinus issues. I knew something wasn’t right, so I had my husband head up into the crawl space, where we discovered tons of mold growth. The area of origination was near our furnace and opening to our air ducts, which means every time we turned on the heater or air conditioner, mold was blowing all through our house. I used the ERMI test and dust plates and confirmed that we had been living in copious amounts of mold.   

This made me furious because we had reported the leak for almost 2 years prior, and nothing was ever done about it. We moved out immediately, having to throw out most of our belongings so we did not bring contamination to the new house, and within 2 weeks, we saw improvement in how we felt.  

The problem-solving was more than just throwing away items and moving out. Symptoms still lingered and we were not feeling 100% better. I worked with a mold specialist on detoxing the whole family and learned as much as I could at the time about signs and symptoms to look for, but I was hungry for more! 

My whole experience living through mold illness is what drove me to want to further my education and become a 3x mold-certified expert.  

Symptoms of Mold Illness

Every person has a unique body that responds differently to mold toxicity. Here are some common symptoms of mold illness (Please note: you do not have to have ALL of these symptoms to have and be affected by mold illness)

  • Fatigue
  • Nausea 
  • Headaches
  • Anxiety / Depression
  • Vertigo
  • Memory Loss / Brain Fog/ Trouble finding the right words
  • Asthma/Allergies
  • Kidney Inflammation / Bladder infection symptoms with no identifiable infection
  • Viral Infections
  • Sinus issues 
  • Lower Respiratory Illness
  • Irritable Bowels/ constipation or diarrhea 
  • Appetite Changes
  • Food Sensitivities
  • Iron Deficiency Anemia
  • Skin issues: itchy skin, burning skin, flushing, rashes, sensitivity to sunlight
  • Infertility 
  • Changes to the menstrual cycle 
  • Some forms of cancer, such as lung or liver cancer

If you have ever had mold in your home or suspect you have mold, it’s best to have a mycotoxin test done to determine if your health is being affected by mold exposure. 

Commonly Asked Questions About Mold Illness

Here are a few commonly asked questions about illnesses brought on by mold. 

How Do I Know I’ve Been Exposed to Mold?

There are a few different ways to mold test a home, but the ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index) is one you can do yourself at home using dust samples from various places around your house. After you collect the dust samples, you send them to a laboratory that analyzes them and will let you know the results. The average homeowner or renter can do this test. 

Mold does not always have to be visible like this:

It can look like this: 

It can be cracks in the paints or along the baseboards, buckling floors, or discoloration to the area.  Many molds are hidden behind walls or floors, completely out of sight.  If you are experiencing symptoms without explanation and mold is not visible, we recommend working with a practitioner and getting tested before the illness progresses.  

Can Mold Make You Chronically Sick?

Yes, mold exposure can wreak havoc on the body’s immune system, causing you to deal with chronic symptoms. According to this research paper, as of 2005, a broad international consensus has been reached that mold and dampness in buildings significantly increase disease risk and is a public health hazard. If you remove the mold from your environment professionally and then get on a mold recovery plan, your health will improve. 

Are There Different Ways Mold Toxicity Affects the Body? 

There are three ways that mold can make you sick. You can suffer allergic reactions to mold, deal with an invasive fungal infection, or suffer from Mycotoxin poisoning. The longer you are exposed to mold, the worse your symptoms can become. 

What If I Am Still Living In Mold?

If you are still living in an environment with known mold and cannot move immediately, there are still some things that you can do to help. First, get good air filtration! Particles as small as 0.1 microns can carry mycotoxins, so you want to ensure you get a good brand with “HyperHEPA” filtering capability. Second, start treatment with a mold-literate practitioner like those at EC Restorative. Lastly, you want to be consuming a low-mold, high-binding diet. Avoid mushrooms, coffee, apples, aged cheese, cantaloupe, dried fruits, and leavened bread. Add more broccoli, beets, asparagus, flax seed (whole), colorful fruits, avocado, olive oil, and curry with turmeric. 

We Help Those Dealing With Mold Illnesses

At EC Restorative, we can help you address your health concerns. We’ll dig deep to get to the root cause of your illness and put you on a mold recovery protocol to get you back on your feet. Whether you’ve been dealing with chronic illness for a while and aren’t sure what’s going on or you’ve just started exhibiting symptoms, we are here to help.

Give us a call today at EC Restorative to schedule your first appointment. Let us walk with you through this journey of restoring your health!