It’s pretty amazing how many health threats our environment poses.
We live in a world of toxic-overload. You’ve probably heard that even babies are born with more than 200 potentially harmful chemicals already in their bodies. No matter how hard we try, we can’t really get away from it.
Out of at least 81,000 chemicals used today, only 200 have ever been tested for safety.
There are 18 unregulated chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs found in our drinking water. Flame retardants, with proven health risks, are used on almost all commercial baby gear, clothes and furniture. Plastics contain potentially toxic chemicals that can shed onto our food and water.
Then there are all sorts of issues surrounding GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones and antibiotics in our food, which already has an abundance of unhealthy additives and artificial ingredients.
But one of the biggest environmental health threats causing problems today, that so many people seem to be unaware of, is mold.
Black Mold is super toxic for some humans, and it just might be at the root of the most common everyday health issues you’re facing.
Toxic Mold Exposure
Mold is everywhere, and it grows on anything as long as there is moisture and bacteria to feed it.
It comes through in many different colors and often times remains hidden behind walls, vents, shower tiles or wet ceilings.
There are thousands of mold species and several mold toxins that are associated with serious physical and mental disorders.
Trichothecenes are the family of mycotoxins, or poisonous gases, produced by indoor black mold (Stachy Botrus) typically hidden in water damaged buildings.
Some people who inhale or ingest these toxic gases will gradually accumulate them in their brain until they experience things like insomnia, anxiety, panic, rage and paranoia and eventually lead to depression, chronic fatigue, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Bi-polar Disorder and more.
The HLA-DRBQ Gene
Your genes do play an important part in your susceptibility to mold toxicity. If you carry a specific gene called the HLA-DRBQ gene, you are more likely to suffer from mold and other allergies.
Dr. Rick Sponaugle of the Florida Detox & Wellness Institute is an expert on the topic. He has dealt with severe mold toxicity himself and has treated thousands of patients who were misdiagnosed but unknowingly suffering from mold toxicity as well.
Dr. Sponaugle says that three out of four Americans can actually live and work around mold and they will be just fine.
But the other 25% of people who carry the HLA-DRBQ gene do not make the antibodies needed to deactivate and remove mold toxins.
“Mold toxins are lipophilic, meaning their molecular structure consists of fatty acid molecules.” Dr. Sponaugle explains. “For this reason, mold toxins migrate to and deposit in the brain because the brain is the ‘fattiest’ organ, consisting of 60% fat.”
Once the mold toxins enter the brain, they start to destroy neurons and hormone production, and eventually lead to a slue of symptoms and chronic health issues.
Symptoms of Mold Toxicity
Mold toxicity can cause many psychological and neurological disorders. It is a hidden enemy.
Dr. Sponaugle confirms the research that it can cause everything from addiction, insomnia, anxiety, Bi-polar and depression, to chronic fatigue, MS, fibromyalgia and OCD.
He has treated thousands of patients who have been misdiagnosed. Once they undergo treatment to remove the mold from their system, they return to normal and are even able to get off their meds.
According to moldsymptoms.org, there are three levels of mold toxicity. The beginning signs are the most common. Then there are the advanced symptoms of exposure and the most severe late stage symptoms that come from high levels of exposure.
Level 1 – Short Term Mold Exposure Symptoms
- Sneezing
- Itching Skin
- Redness and skin irritation
- Watery Eyes
- Itching Eyes
- Headache
Level 2 – Advanced Mold Exposure Symptoms
When an affected person is in the mold contaminated environment on and off for an extended period of time, they may experience these symptoms.
- Constant Headaches
- Nose Bleeds
- Feelings of Constant Fatigue
- Breathing Disorders
- Coughing up Blood or Black looking Debris
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Loss of Appetite
- Weight Loss
- Hair loss
- Skin Rashes
- Open Sores on the Skin
- Memory Loss “Short Term”
- Neurological & Nervous Disorders
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Swollen Glands in the Neck Area and under the Armpit
- Sudden Asthma Attacks or Breathing Disorders
- Ear Infections and Pain
- Chronic Sinus Infections
- Chronic Bronchitis
- Pain in the Joints and Muscles
Level 3 – Late Stage Mold Exposure Symptoms
This is the most severe case of mold toxicity that can happen when an affected person has high levels of exposure.
- Blindness
- Brain Damage
- Memory Loss “Long term”
- Bleeding Lungs
- Cancer
- Death
MoldVictim.org provides a great resource to determine the best lab tests for diagnosing mold illness.
If you suffer with any of these symptoms and think you’ve ever worked or lived in a “sick building,” it would be best to seek medical help from a Mold literate doctor. It is very unlikely that your mainstream practitioner will have the medical training necessary to treat Mold toxicity.
Dr. Sponaugle says,
“To become a Mold literate doctor, one must spend hundreds of hours on nights and weekends studying mold toxicity research from all over the world. Medical knowledge doubles every year and some of the best medical research is performed outside of the United States. American doctors rarely consider mold toxicity as the potential cause of their patient’s mystery illness. Unfortunately only 500 American doctors out of 800,000 recognize the symptoms and test their patients for mold toxicity.“
The National Treatment Centers for Environmental Disease (NTCED) recommends these laboratories for proper medical testing from environmental exposure:
If you find out you are suffering from Mold toxicity, a Mold literate doctor will pinpoint the specific pathogens and co-exposures in your body and work to remove the mycotoxins within. The treatment and detoxification methods are different for each Mold victim.
Suzanne Somers – A Black Mold Survivor
Susanne Somers, who you’ll probably remember from shows like Step By Step and Three’s Company, has been trying to spread the word about mold toxicity ever since she and her husband were affected.
The problem began after the couple moved into a new house when theirs burned down. One year after moving in, they started to have health problems. Suzanne even had to be hospitalized for six days and was misdiagnosed with having cancer.
“I did not connect mold with my home.” Suzanne said.” Around the same time, my very healthy husband started experiencing hair loss, red irritated eyes, and a sinus and fungal nose infection that wouldn’t go away. We both started having GI tract problems; bloating, yeast, candida, and cramping. It wasn’t until I was interviewing Dr. Rick Sponaugle of the Florida Detox & Wellness Institute that I started piecing together the puzzle that had been eluding both of us. We had mold. A professional remediator came to our home to test and found standing water all over a lower floor that had never been finished. Black mold was crawling everywhere, including into the air-conditioning and heating vents so it was blowing into all the rooms. We had to move. And detox ”
- You can read Suzanne’s entire story here.
Suzanne Somers has written at least 20 books. Two of which you can get from Natural Healthy Concepts, including Knockout Interviews With Doctors Who Cured Cancer and Sexy Forever.
In Sexy Forever, you will learn how to conquer the thousands of FDA-approved toxins surrounding us every day that sabotage our health and weight.
What To Do If You Think You’ve Been Exposed to Mold
Mold can start to colonize within 18-24 hours after a water leak in an indoor environment, especially when it is not taken care of immediately or dried out correctly.
If you see patches of mold growing in the tub, on your walls, flooring, cabinets, vents or personal belongings, that’s a good sign you have a mold problem.
The NTCED warns us that Bleach will NOT kill mold. The only thing they have reviewed that works to kill the spores and shell casings is an EPA Registered “Biocide,” which you should be able to find online.
The NTCED also recommends getting one of the following environmental tests for your home:
- Mycotoxin test for Aflatoxin group, Aflatoxin M1, Citrinin, Zearalenone, Fumonisin, DON, T-2 Toxin and Ochratoxin A
- (1->3) ? – D beta glucan test
- A bacteria culture
- An Endotoxin test
- Swab, bulk or mold tape slide test
- Air quality test in volume of 30% of the cubic feet of the entire contaminated area
MoldTestCompany.com sells the same tests that the professionals use at a fraction of the cost.
With all of the these potentially toxic threats finding their way into our bodies, we should be very thankful for our liver, kidneys, sweat, skin and bile! If we didn’t have a way to detox, we’d all be doomed.
Thankfully, there’s hope for anyone suffering from symptoms of Mold toxicity. If you’ve been experiencing any of the symptoms above, or you think you could have been misdiagnosed, don’t give up. I encourage you to find a practitioner that’s knowledgeable about damage from environmental toxicity, who can help get you on the path to wellness.
More Helpful Resources
SponaugleWellness.com – Mold Treatment
