Can You Recover from Mold?

If you have landed here and are wondering if you can recover from mold, you have come to the right place.  So many people are unknowingly suffering from chronic ailments that they never dreamed were created by mold exposure.  The fact that you have an inkling of mold being your “cause” puts you ahead of the game.  It took me decades to learn the mold I was exposed to as a teenager had caused decades of illness.  Let me help you by sharing what I learned from my two decades of research after learning my own “cause.”

If you remove yourself from the mold exposure, you have a great chance of recovery.  If you do not remove yourself from the ongoing mold exposure, experts agree that you will not be able to recover.  We breathe in 2,904 gallons of air per day, so unless you fix the mold problem and address the air, there is not a good probability of long-term recovery.

The following quote is from my Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor who specializes in allergic fugal sinusitis.  “No sinus surgery or product can outdo the exposure you are getting from the air you breathe. In fact, if you are suffering from mold toxicity, the MOST important thing to spend your money on is getting your environment right. Then, after the environmental piece is in place, it is equally important to clean and maybe even test your sinuses.”

Television – Interview with Doug Kaufmann – Know The Cause

Below I share my own story of mold recovery on television’s Know The Cause.

How Long Does it Take To Get Sick from Mold Exposure

There are many factors that determine how long it takes to get sick from mold exposure.  The state of your immune system is one important factor and whether your body is busy fighting off other co-infections at the same time.   The tpye of mold as well as amount of mold present also plays a role.  It also depends on how long you were exposed to the toxic mold.  The longer you are exposed, the more severe the reaction typically will be.  Some people can tolerate heavy exposure and their bodies are able to cope.  

My physician who specializes in mold says it only takes minutes of mold exposure for fungus to start collecting in the sinuses and lungs so limiting your exposure and cleaning up mold issues is important.  How long it takes to get sick from mold exposure also depends on a person’s ability to properly detox.  People who have mold sickness should test to see if they have the MTHFR gene mutation.  If you have a certain gene mutation, your body can become overwhelmed with toxins with the inability to detox them like people who do not have this mutation.  This is a simple blood test that many holistic doctors automatically check.  The fix for this problem is quite simple in that you can start taking methylfolate supplements.  Thorne Methyl-Guard Plus is a great supplement to support methylation and healthy levels of homocysteine.

Detoxing From Mold

Detoxing from mold can be a lengthy process but it can be done.  This is, of course, the caveat being you repair and/or remove yourself from the the “cause” of the mold.  You also have to take into account the possibility of mold on your clothes, and whether you should throw away moldy clothes.  There are some items that can never be remediated and will have to be thrown away and not taken with you to a new location while you detox.  You will also learn about mold die-off symptoms.

The first step in detoxing from mold is to remove yourself from the source of mold exposure.  This is easier said than done when you cannot move immediately, in that case you can use band aid solutions such as EC3 mold spray and anti-mold candles from Microbalance until you either get your home remediated or you can move to a safe place.

Detoxing from mold exposure is an important step in recovering from the myriad of health issues stemming from mold toxicity. Mold exposure can cause a wide range of symptoms, including respiratory issues, fatigue, autoimmune disease, heart arrhythmia, chronic sinus infections and so much more.  Fungus can affect every tissue and organ in the body.  Starving the mold/candida is a very important step as well as possibly antifungals and supplements, all which I will cover in this article.

Because detoxing from mold can take time, be patient and consistent and work with a physician who truly understands mold toxicity for the best results.  You may also want to check out my article about mold die-off symptoms.

How Long do Mycotoxins Stay in the Body?

Mycotoxins can stay in the body from as little as six months to as long as many years.  There are many factors that go into how quickly one can detox mycotoxins out of the body.  Probably the most important being whether the person has removed themselves from the moldy environment.  Another factor is the MTHFR gene.  About 25% of the population has the MTHFR gene mutation.  If you have this gene mutation like I do, toxins can build up because the body’s natural detoxification  process is impaired.  Therefore, we will need to provide our bodies the help it needs to facilitate proper detoxification.  If you have tested positive for the MTHFR gene supplements such as glutathione and a special form of B complex such as Homocysteine Complete.  This formula combines vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B6 and B12, plus folate as L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate )L-5-MTHF.)

I wrote an in depth article titled How Long Does it Take to Get Mold Out of Your System if you missed it.  As well as my article titled Starving Mold out of Your Body and I hope these will be useful to you.   These articles can also help answer the question of how long mold sickness lasts.

How to Test Your Home for Mold

Testing your home for mold sounds daunting, but it’s not as difficult as you might think.  I wrote an article titled How to Test Your home for Mold, in which I demonstrate how to detect mold in your home and another titled How To Get Mold Out of Your Clothes to further help you along in your journey.  I’ll show you how to detect if your garments are safe for keeping and when you should throw out moldy clothes as well as answer the question, “can you wash mold out of clothes?”

AutoImmune Disease and Mold

We now know there is a connection between autoimmune disease and mold.  Autoimmune disease and its link to mold illness is nothing new to people who study mycology.  The destruction that mycotoxins (mold poisons) can create in the body is far and wide.  When we are exposed to mycotoxins in our home, school, or office building, the body then has an immune response that can lead to damage all throughout the body.

Even many doctors don’t completely understand the over 100 different autoimmune diseases, but we do know they seemed to be caused by an overactive immune system.  But what is causing the overreaction?  We also know that gene mutations play a role in autoimmune disease.  Interestingly enough, there is something else that causes gene mutations.  You guessed it, mycotoxins (mold poisons).

It is not normal for the body to start attacking itself, which is exactly what an autoimmune disease is.  We must dig deeper and try to figure out the “cause”.  I have written an in-depth article on AutoImmune Disease and Mold Exposure for more information on this topic.

Sinus Infections from Mold Exposure

Having had four sinus surgeries myself, as well as over twenty years of antibiotics I know how frustrating sinus infections are.  Unfortunately, like many of you, I spent those decades on the hamster wheel of steroids, allergy shots, antibiotics, and surgeries.  All to no avail.  In my television interview below with Doug Kaufmann on Know the Cause, I discuss the turning point in my life once I cultured fungus in my sinuses.  I have also written two articles they may help you to learn what kills fungus in the sinuses.  One is titled What Kills a Sinus Infection Naturally and another listing the best antifungal sprays.  Killing fungus in the sinuses is an important step to getting well.

My Television Interview on Know The Cause – Decades of Sinus Infections

According to the Mayo Clinic, almost all sinus infections also have a fungal component as well as bacteria.  My doctor, who specializes in allergic fungal sinusitis, told me that bacteria is only a symptom of the real problem, mold!  Bacteria usually appear secondary to fungus.  This made complete sense to me as after twenty years of antibiotics and four sinus surgeries, I was worse off than before.  This knowledge was the first step in my recovery.  I have written an in-depth article on Sinus Infections from Mold Exposure for more information on this topic.

Antifungals and Supplements

You may also want to consider using supplements and other natural remedies to support your body’s detoxification processes. Some popular options include activated charcoal, bentonite clay, milk thistle, and glutathione.  It’s also crucial to support your liver as you detox as it is our body’s main detoxification organ.  Microbalance carries something called MycoDetox Liver Support.  As the mycotoxins start to circulate in the bloodstream during detox, you will want to make sure they can be eliminated.

It’s important to work with a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about mold toxicity and who understands the use of prescription antifungals.  Antifungals such as Nystatin and itraconazole may be needed in the beginning.  Nystatin works on fungus in the gut while other antifungals such as Diflucan, Sporanox, and Amphotericin B works systemically throughout the body.  I have used itraconazole in a nebulizer into my sinuses and it was very helpful for me.

There are also many natural antifungals.  Make sure you rotate as fungus are smart and learn to adapt.   An example of natural antifungal supplements would be oil of oregano,  citridrops,  garlic, and caprylic acid.

Doug Kaufmann from Know the Cause has a very helpful page on his website that you can bring to your doctor.  It will help you discuss antifungal options with them.  Many physicians do not know how to prescribe them, especially Nystatin, so Doug has kindly created a print out with prescription suggestions which may assist your doctor.

More Supplements For Mold Related Illness

Microbalance also has supplements specifically created to support the damage that can be done to the body including the pituitary gland, liver, gut and sinuses caused by mold.  This company was created by a physician (Dr. Donald Dennis) who specializes in mold toxicity.  He was the physician I mention helped me after I found myself still infected after my fourth sinus surgery.  Below are many of the supplements I took to help detox and support my body after toxic mold exposure.

NAC – N-acetyl cysteine promotes healthy cellular glutathione levels, powerful antioxidant support and supports the immune system. NAC is also used to clear sinus and airway congestion caused by mucus

Cell Trophin– for those exposed to mold, you may experience adrenal fatigue as mold and fungus can cause harm to the pituitary gland.  When the pituitary gland is not working properly this can also result in low thyroid.

Chlorophyll – is the pigment found in green plants and  is such a wonderful detoxing tool.  If you were affected by toxic mold, chlorophyll helps protect the DNA from damage caused by the mycotoxins.  It also helps fight cancer and people even use it for body odor.  If doing infra red saunas, Doug Kaufmann suggests taking some liquid chlorophyll prior to going in the sauna.  I have done this many times!

Sinus Defense – targets bacteria, viral and mold pathogens, decreases sinus symptoms and inflammation, and Dr. Dennis says this helps with quicker recovery from mold exposure.  I use this when I leave the home.

Binders – Binders are often used for toxin exposure. Binders not only bind to toxins for removal but also help to protect the gut lining.

Lyme Disease and Mold (What To Treat First)

Finding out I had Lyme Disease a little over two years ago felt devastating.  I felt I had sort of already “paid my dues” so to speak with the already decades battle with illnesses related to mold.  With my background of having been on hundreds of courses of antibiotics through the years I decided to start healing my lyme disease with herbal tinctures  Byron White tinctures specifically.  I had done a colossal amount of damage to my gut and worked so hard to replenish the good bacteria.  This is why it seemed like the right choice for me but everyone is different and will have different results.

I worked with a lyme disease specialist and a mold specialist.  They both agreed (as do many in the medical field) that the mold has to be addressed first in order to have a fighting chance of overcoming co-infections.  When your immune system is so weakened by mold toxins, it can be difficult to successfully treat lyme disease.  Once you treat the mold illness and improve the state of the immune system, lyme can then be easier to treat.  Mold illness and lyme disease can also have overlapping symptoms making diagnosis more difficult.

Some physicians may choose to treat multiple co-infections at once, which may work for some and not so well for others.  Our bodies are already taxed with the heavy burden of mold illness and so the die-off which comes from trying to treat multiple issues may result in too much for the body to handle.  I wrote an article on this topic titled Lyme Disease and Mold (What to Treat First) for more information on this topic.

The Doug Kaufmann Diet (Anti-mold Diet)

One area of mold recovery that we cannot ignore is diet.  Being knowledgeable about foods that kill mold in the body and foods that feed it is essential.  Candida and yeast thrive on sugar and carbs and so often we become the perfect hosts to these parasites because of our love of the SAD diet (Standard American Diet.)  As we know, the SAD diet is extremely high in sugar and carbs, making this diet a no go for those trying to recover from mold.

The Kaufmann diet was created by Doug Kaufmann, who studied mycology (the study of mold and fungus) for forty years.  The diet was specifically designed to starve and kill fungus and yeast.  The Kaufmann diet has two stages.  Once you start to feel better you can add more foods to your rotation.  My website and book have many delicious Kaufmann diet friendly recipes.

For a full list of foods permitted on the Kaufmann diet, you can read my article called What Can I Eat.

Eat Pray Get Well Book

Second Edition Eat Pray Get Well ~ A Journey from Chronic Illness & Brokenness To Wholeness & Wellness.

Foreword Written by Doug Kaufmann, host of televisions “Know the Cause”.

As seen on ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS American Health Journal, CTN, Know the Cause, Christian Television Network and more…

If you suffer from Chronic Fatigue, Sinus Infections, Fibromyalgia, Food Allergies, Auto Immune Disease, Acid Reflux, Candida, Depression – then Eat Pray Get Well is an eye opener.

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