Mold Exposure: What I’ve Learned About My Body & Other “Moldy” Tips
For the past few months, I have not been feeling like myself. I’ve been more tired than usual, moody, bloated, and experiencing some brain fog. My functional medicine doctor ran multiple tests to get down to the bottom of it and discovered two things: 1) mold exposure and 2) Candida overgrowth. Thankfully, the mold exposure is not wreaking too much havoc (because we caught it early on), but it is causing those neurological symptoms. And the Candida overgrowth (a type of fungus found in the gut) explains the bloating & other digestive symptoms.
Because this is my second time dealing with mold-related health issues, my doctor also tested my genetics. We discovered that I have a HLA genetic that is correlated with an increased susceptibility to mycotoxins (mold toxins). Basically, my body doesn’t recognize mold as a toxin (or a “bad guy”), so it doesn’t try to get rid of it. This doesn’t mean I have to live in a bubble, but knowing this brings me more awareness and understanding of how I can support my body. First things first, my husband and I will always get our home tested to ensure I’m not being exposed where we live. And when I travel, I can mitigate a potential mold exposure by increasing how I’m supporting my body’s detox pathways.
This is my first time dealing with Candida overgrowth. I’m not going to lie, I was hoping the bloating was from a parasite that I could easily flush out (gross, I know, but quicker LOL). The good news is, outside of this Candida (which is caused by the mycotoxins), my gut microbiome was on point. There was healthy balance of good bacteria and bad bacteria and (the best part), no signs of leaky gut! I credit this to 1) bone broth, 2) probiotics and 3) probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, and kombucha. So yes, take your probiotics and eat your yogurt, it really helps support your gut.
When I first started meeting with my functional medicine doctor in November 2020, I had a lot of inflammation and was dealing with horrible symptoms (more on that here). As I was healing, we discovered really high amounts of mycotoxins in my body. I can’t help but think a past mold exposure gone unnoticed is what caused the inflammation, leaky gut, SIBO, amongst other things.
I don’t want anyone to experience the symptoms I’ve had to experience, so I put together a quick summary of what I’ve learned so far about mold and how to test for mold exposure. Read below for my mold-knowledge dump.
What is mold?
Mold is a fungus that naturally occurs outdoors (think: plants, soil). You cannot avoid this environmental mold, and depending on how often you open your windows, you will have some of these environmental mold spores in your home. Inside mold becomes a problem when 1) the environmental mold levels inside are higher than those outside or 2) there is an active or inactive water source that created mold and the mold (and exposed materials) was never properly remediated. More on mold and indoor air quality here.
What happens when your body is exposed to mold?
For most people, your body will recognize the mycotoxins and will clear them from your body. Other people, like me, will develop chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS). CIRS is basically a diagnosis that captures all the symptoms associated with someone being exposed to mold.
What are the symptoms of CIRS?
Symptoms will look different for each person but some examples are:
Allergies/asthma (worse than usual)
Brain fog
Fatigue
Muscle pain (not from exercising)
Poor memory
The first symptoms I usually experience are fatigue and brain fog. I know something is up if I notice myself sleeping for 10+ hours. I also usually experience something digestive-related (bloating, constipation, diarrhea).
What tests can doctors run to see if my symptoms are due to a mold exposure?
If you want to test your body, you can ask your doctor to run a urine test for mycotoxins. Other markers that could indicate mold exposure can be found here.
What if I have mycotoxins in my body? How do I heal?
You will most likely need to support your body’s detox pathways in order to clear the mycotoxins from your body. Please work with a professional, preferably someone who has helped other patients heal from a mold exposure. Two people I know of who have experience dealing with this are 1) Dr. Will Cole (my doctor) and 2) Isabel Smith.
How can I test my place for mold?
You can easily test the environment you’re living in by ordering the Dust Test or by bringing someone in to test your air quality. If the Dust Test comes back with positive results, I would still recommend bringing someone in who can test the indoor air quality and look for potential sources of indoor mold growth.
How can I reduce my exposure to mold?
We cannot control every environment we’re in but we can have tools that support our body’s detoxification pathways. Some tools I use to support my body are: 1) sinus rinse, 2) sauna blanket, 3) castor oil packs. We also have air filters throughout our home. We buy this brand, but there are a lot of great brands out there.
I hope this helps you better understand how to deal with a potential mold issue. If you need support in developing more awareness around how you’re feeling, check out my coaching programs here or feel free to reach out here.
*This article is shared for educational purposes only. Please consult with your doctor and other professionals if you think you’ve been exposed to mold.