• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Anyone recovered after discovering residential toxic mold exposure?

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Fungus: Overlooked and Undetected by Mark A. Stengler, NMD

I don't have issues with mold, but I thought some people might find this helpful/informative?:

La Jolla Whole Health Clinic

Lilia had uncontrolled asthma and wheezing. She had suffered from sinus infections and was repeatedly treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory steroids. Natural remedies cleared up her sinus infection but not her wheezing. Concerned, I sent her to a lung specialist and asked for a fungal infection test. Antibiotics are known to destroy the bodys healthful bacteria, which usually keep fungi in check.

Sure enough, the test came back positive. Treatment with an antifungal protocol rapidly improved her respiratory problems.

WHAT IS FUNGUS?


A fungus is a spore-producing, plantlike organism. Yeast, mold, mildew and mushrooms all are fungi. More than 100,000 species of fungus have been documented, and a few hundred can be detrimental to human health.

Fungal infections are the root cause of many illnesses -- from sinusitis to kidney disease. And they are an area of medicine that is largely ignored by conventional physicians. How to protect yourself...
FUNGUS IS EVERYWHERE


Fungi harm us by triggering allergic reactions... causing either localized or systemic infections... and exposing us to poisonous waste products called mycotoxins, which have been shown to depress immune function (and have been linked to certain types of cancers) and promote inflammation (associated with heart disease).

Fungi invade through our lungs, skin and digestive tract. Food, especially grains and peanuts, is rampant with fungi. Once inside our bodies, fungi can survive indefinitely. Fungal infections have been documented in every body part except teeth.

HOW FUNGI CAN AFFECT HEALTH


Lifelong exposure to fungi leaves the body vulnerable to disease. Theres growing evidence based on research in the US (at the Mayo Clinic) and around the world linking fungi to many ailments, including...
Eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions

Upper-respiratory tract symptoms

Chronic sinusitis

Kidney and bladder diseases

Parkinsons disease

Dementia and Alzheimers disease

Cancer of the liver

Tumors of the kidneys, urinary tract and colon

Endocarditis (inflammation of the heart lining and valves)

Atherosclerosis

Diabetes and hypoglycemia

Hormone imbalance

Weight gain

Kidney stones



HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE A FUNGAL INFECTION


Blood tests that detect fungal infections have not yet been developed, although sputum culture tests (for lungs) and stool tests (for the digestive system) can detect fungus.
For those with the conditions listed above who get sick often or whose conditions do not improve with treatment, the best way to determine if your health is being affected by fungi is to go on an antifungal diet. This type of eating kills off the fungi inside your body by starving them of the nutrients that they need.

Going on an antifungal diet before you have a disease such as Alzheimers can reduce your risk for the disease. If fungus is causing a disease (such as liver cancer) to thrive, getting rid of the fungus may slow the progression of the illness. And if your chronic condition is caused by fungus, you may be able to relieve some of your symptoms.

THE ANTIFUNGAL DIET


One of the best sources of information on fungus is Doug Kaufmann, who has specialized in these infections for 30 years, after suffering from one himself. He teamed up with David Hollander, MD, to create Know the Cause, a Web site (www.knowthecause.com) and syndicated television show on the subject. They have created a multiphase antifungal diet that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates.

Fungi thrive on sugar and high-glycemic carbohydrates (which the body easily converts to sugar). The antifungal diet eliminates these foods and increases those that inhibit the growth of fungus. For the first phase of the antifungal diet...

Avoid...
Grains, including rice, corn and wheat

All sugars

Pistachios and peanuts

Potatoes and mushrooms

Processed foods.


Consume...
Eggs

Beef from cattle that has been grass-fed, which reduces the likelihood of fungus contamination

Fish and chicken (all types)

Nuts, other than pistachios and peanuts

Vegetables, including carrots, broccoli, cabbage, onions

Green apples (which have less naturally occurring sugar than other apples), berries, grapefruit, lemon, lime, avocados, flaxseeds

Plain yogurt, real butter

Oregano

Coconut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, flaxseed oil.


If your health improves after two to four weeks on this diet, theres a good chance that you have a fungal infection. Kaufmann then recommends a less restricted diet, gradually reintroducing some foods, including some grains.

Caution: Carbohydrates are an important energy source for young children and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. They should not follow this diet unless monitored by a physician. People with advanced kidney disease (who should not consume a lot of protein) should avoid this diet.

OTHER WAYS TO REDUCE FUNGUS


Antifungal remedies and medications. If the antifungal diet does not improve your condition or if you want a more aggressive approach, try one or more natural remedies (in combination with the diet), sold separately as olive-leaf extract, grapefruit-seed extract, oregano (fresh, dried or oil), garlic, herbal pau darco tea, zinc, citrus bioflavonoids and d-limonene (oil extracted from citrus rind). Or look for a combination formula, such as CandiGONE by Renew Life (800-830-1800
begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-830-1800 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, www.renewlife.com). Take as directed on the label for one month.

If your symptoms do not improve, speak to a physician about a prescription antifungal medication, such as nystatin (Mycostatin) or fluconazole (Diflucan).

Mark A. Stengler, NMD, is a naturopathic medical doctor and leading authority on the practice of alternative and integrated medicine. He is author of Bottom Line Natural Healing newsletter, author of The Natural Physicians Healing Therapies (Bottom Line Books), director of the La Jolla Whole Health Clinic in La Jolla, California and adjunct clinical professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. To learn more about his work, visit www.DrStengler.com and www.LaJollaWholeHealth.com.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
I don't know a lot about this. I think some people react stronger to mold though Allergists do skin prick tests and one or two of the main things they test for is mold. I think I reacted but not that much, not nearly as much as dust mites. For me, getting rid of dust mites (having no carpet) would help a lot more. I have mold in this place, and it probably does make me slightly more sick, weighing down my system. But I feel like it's only weighing a little bit more. Now for someone who was opposite to me and had low reaction to dust mites, and high to mold, then I would say their health could be 10% improved or 20% improved by getting away from this mold. But it seems like you need to be super clean, I couldn't imagine selling almost all my posessessions and buying new ones. For me, I think my health could improve 10% maybe more if I could be in environments without dust mites, but only improve less than 5% in a mold free environment. There was a while where I was being very exposed to mold without knowing it. I guess I am glad I don't react worse. But maybe I am worse in general because of that past exposure. In my previous home there was not a mold problem, well not more than what an average home is, one where you think there is not mold. I still go to that home sometimes and I react badly to the chemicals and dust mites.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
I don't know a lot about this. I think some people react stronger to mold though Allergists do skin prick tests and one or two of the main things they test for is mold. I think I reacted but not that much, not nearly as much as dust mites. For me, getting rid of dust mites (having no carpet) would help a lot more. I have mold in this place, and it probably does make me slightly more sick, weighing down my system. But I feel like it's only weighing a little bit more. Now for someone who was opposite to me and had low reaction to dust mites, and high to mold, then I would say their health could be 10% improved or 20% improved by getting away from this mold. But it seems like you need to be super clean, I couldn't imagine selling almost all my posessessions and buying new ones. For me, I think my health could improve 10% maybe more if I could be in environments without dust mites, but only improve less than 5% in a mold free environment. There was a while where I was being very exposed to mold without knowing it. I guess I am glad I don't react worse. But maybe I am worse in general because of that past exposure. In my previous home there was not a mold problem, well not more than what an average home is, one where you think there is not mold. I still go to that home sometimes and I react badly to the chemicals and dust mites.

Hmm, interesting. I had allegy testing done years ago to try to explain my chronic sore throat. I was only allergic to Cocklebur and something else. I feel the same way as you, but I could be wrong, perhaps moving to a different home environment would help a lot. But with work and demands of life, I would crash if I had to move! Very little support, and I live alone.

I covered my moldy windows up years ago, because my Landlord is cheap(but so is the rent) , he did replace one, but the other 2 have been covered for years now!
 

kat0465

Senior Member
Messages
230
Location
Texas
for what it's worth Graham, My daugher, who hasent been diagnosed with cfids, but has some suspicious symptoms.
worked in a building for 2+ years that was infested with mold. when she left that Job, she was really sick! im talking upper respiratory crap, hair falling out, headaches, u name it. it took her about 6 months for her to start feeling better.
she is back to her pre Mold exposure state now( after a year or more)
it sure did a number, and i wonder all the time of she will end up with full blown cfids:(
i say get that testing done! it can and will make you really sick. also if you have central air, theres a machine they can insert in your system that will clean your air. i dont know how much the initial $$ is but after they put it in its 30.00 per month. that is my next move.

dont know where your located at, but culligan(the water poeple around here) offer it.
 

Soundthealarm21

Senior Member
Messages
420
Location
Dallas, TX
Yes, I certainly am not cured. If I were well, I would be able to go to Dallas, the Bay Area, Ann Arbor or Truckee/Tahoe without fear.

If Stormy were cured, she wouldn't have heart palpitations that made her fear for her life every time a strong wind came from the direction of Dallas.

(I don't know what the Paleo diet is though.)

I spent years and years scrupulously addressing food sensitivities. I avoided corn, citrus, dairy, eggs, peanuts/cashews,walnuts, strawberries/blackberries/raspberries, bananas, coffee, chocolate, sugar, and some other things I'm not remembering right now scrupulously. For YEARS. It helped a little. It didn't make me functional.

I had all kinds of gut things tested and did all kinds of things for it. My doctor is really good at this. It helped a little. It didn't make me functional.

And over time, I kept getting sicker and sicker and sicker. Addressing mold/biotoxins directly was the only thing that turned that trajectory around and made me functional.

If I can avoid biotoxins really well, I am well. The problem is that in this world, it's unrealistic to have to avoid mold/cyanobacteria/etc. that much.

Avoiding mold means that I don't have to avoid all those foods. I can eat whatever I want and stay well.

No food avoidance allows me to decrease the extent to which I have to avoid mold. I wish it worked that way, but it doesn't.

Treating candida may help to reduce my reactivity. Detox and neural therapy has helped. Valcyte/Famvir has absolutely helped.

Nothing else has helped.

Yes, I believe there is an underlying cause for my symptoms. I think the underlying cause is a combination of having the retrovirus plus a lot of previous mold/biotoxin exposures.

Insofar as I can get the retrovirus under control and detox the stuff that's in my system, my reactivity to mold seems to go down. But it's by no means normal. Otherwise I'd be able to go spend the weekend in Ann Arbor despite the presence of all the cyanobacteria there.

I have recovered my health INSOFAR as I follow Erik's approach to avoidance. That is a recovery. People may not want to emulate the way I live my life (I'm not actually in a tent or in the woods, but never mind), but it's still a recovery of my health.

I've known very very few CFSers who have recovered their health no matter what they do or don't do.

Do you know anyone else? I want to go visit them if you do, to see what kind of environment they're living in. Please let me know.

Best, Lisa


Lisa,

Can you elaborate on Dallas and mold? I have high trichothecene exposure and I live in Dallas.

Based on your posts it seems Dallas is high on the list for mold.
 

slayadragon

Senior Member
Messages
1,122
Location
twitpic.com/photos/SlayaDragon
That post was from a long time ago! Like several years ago, I think.

But it is true that Dallas seems to be frequently reported as a place that is difficult for people who are reactive to toxic mold (including many -- if not all -- patients with ME/CFS).

There are many moldy homes in Dallas, from what I gather. But also, for those people who are sensitized to toxic mold, the outside air in the city is a problem as well. The best guess that I've heard is that there is a particularly problematic mold that grows in the sewer systems there.

I haven't been to Dallas since 2008, and I did have a very difficult time there then, just driving through. And I've heard a lot of other stories since then. Not all locations that are humid and hot and urban appear to be quite so problematic. Possibly something related to human factors (such as manmade environmental toxins?) is allowing the mold to be especially problematic?

I put together this board for people to share Locations Effect information. It will be more helpful when there are more ratings on it, but perhaps it will be worth looking at anyway.http://locationseffect.proboards.com/

Best, Lisa
 
Messages
75
My test from Real Time showed .66ppb for Trichotthecene which is a mycotoxin from Stachybotrys chartarum aka "black mold". I ordered a Pro-Lab test kit and sent it in for analysis. It contains a a petri dish which I taped to my forced air duct for 15 minutes and then let it grow for 3 days. It grew a dark mold and I sent it in for analysis. No results as yet. My doctor who ordered the test has me taking a combination of Chlorella, Bentonite Clay and Charcoal. I have read these all are proposed as being able to absorb the Trichotthecene and then its excreted in the stool. Thats the theory. Just sarted a week ago slowly and I'm hoping it will make a difference.
 

Soundthealarm21

Senior Member
Messages
420
Location
Dallas, TX
My test from Real Time showed .66ppb for Trichotthecene which is a mycotoxin from Stachybotrys chartarum aka "black mold". I ordered a Pro-Lab test kit and sent it in for analysis. It contains a a petri dish which I taped to my forced air duct for 15 minutes and then let it grow for 3 days. It grew a dark mold and I sent it in for analysis. No results as yet. My doctor who ordered the test has me taking a combination of Chlorella, Bentonite Clay and Charcoal. I have read these all are proposed as being able to absorb the Trichotthecene and then its excreted in the stool. Thats the theory. Just sarted a week ago slowly and I'm hoping it will make a difference.

I've come back at .68 ppb for the Tricothecene group. It's been hell lately as we're detoxing it, absolute freaking hell. We're assuming the toxin is mobilized and causing all kinds of symptoms mental and physical. Here's what i'm taking:

Paleo Diet: High Fat (Very important), High Protein, Low Carbs, High greens
Phosphatidylcholine
Butyrate
SAMe
Folate
B12
Trace Minerals
Probiotics
Digestive Enzymes
B5
Cholestyramine
Electrolytes