>U Mom Knows Best: What is Mold Sickness And How To Detox Mold From The Body

Monday, February 28, 2022

What is Mold Sickness And How To Detox Mold From The Body

 As I prepare for allergy shot number two, I am realizing that many of my allergy and asthma symptoms, including food allergies, may be related to mold sickness

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Several months ago, I made the decision to start an allergy shot treatment plan. The reason for receiving allergy shots was many but the main reason was my asthma was out of control. The allergy shots would help with my seasonal plant allergies and dust allergies. This would take a layer off my inflamed lungs and in return help with managing my asthma symptoms.

 Having asthma is nothing new to my body but I did not make the connection that I had asthma until 2018. That was when I discovered that a dairy allergy was the cause of my severe asthma symptoms. For many years, I experienced an annoying cough in the spring, summer, and fall. The doctor said that it was seasonal allergies and prescribed 2 different allergy medications. The allergy medicines worked for the most part but I would still have the occasional asthmatic cough. When I brought it up with the doctor, she would say it was due to the abundance of mucus drainage in my throat. The reality was I had undiagnosed allergy-induced asthma that reared its ugly side in 2018. 

Could mold sickness be the cause of my out-of-control asthma?

Symptoms of mold sickness commonly include fatigue, brain fog, headaches, anxiety, gut disruptions (like gas, bloating, or diarrhea), skin rashes, frequent urination, and insomnia.

 The other day I received a newsletter in my email from Taste For Life and the subject line contained the word Mold. So having recently gone through the process of mold remediation in my house, 6 months ago from a broken pipe in the laundry room and several days ago discovering mold in the bathroom, I had to read the article in this email. The article was about mold sickness and once I read the symptoms of mold sickness, I realized that the mold in the laundry may have been affecting me for many years before we discovered the mold in the wall for our bathtub-to-shower conversion.

While I thought that my severe asthma symptoms were mostly related to food allergies which I discovered through an allergy blood test, this article helped me understand that my mold allergy was related to mold sickness. The symptoms that I had been experiencing for several years like fatigue, brain fog, and insomnia were due to mold sickness and not because I was over 50 going through menopause. These symptoms that were related to mold sickness were not caused by the COVID pandemic of 2020 when everyone was stuck at home. 

I thought that my lack of concentration was due to having 3 children home with online schooling and a husband calling the living room his new office. I thought my anxiety was having to listen to my husband's phone conversations about COVID-19 procedures. My husband works for the health department so he was on the phone a lot. While I was using CBD to manage my anxiety, mold was growing in my house.


What are the symptoms of mold sickness?

+ Fatigue

+ Brain Fog

+ Headaches

+ Anxiety

+ Gut Problems

+ Skin Rashes

+ Frequent Urination

+ Insomnia

+ Asthma

 After I read the article about mold sickness and read about mold sickness symptoms, I started making the connection of having mold in our house. While we discovered the mold 6 months ago, I wonder if the mold had been in the walls for longer. In 2011, we had a frozen pipe burst down the same wall. We had mold remediation back then but they did not remove the walls. Then several years later our hot water heater leaked, again it was on the same wall. Then in 2017, the water connection to the water heater leaked. So this mold could have been there this whole time. Maybe the mold was dormant and the slow leak in the broken pipe caused it to wake up. 

Mold symptoms that I experienced since 2020

+ Asthma ~ My asthma symptoms started to increase in 20117

+ Insomnia ~ I thought that going through perimenopause was the reason I was not sleeping

+ Frequent Urination ~ I was getting up several times a night to pee

+ Anxiety ~ I for the first time started having anxiety attacks

+ Brain Fog ~ I found it hard to do my writing for Mom Knows Best

+ Fatigue ~ I was tired all the time since I was not sleeping that well

 In the past couple of years, my health was not been the best. I was experiencing many asthma symptoms. I was also experiencing so many other things like not sleeping well and brain fog. I was waking up to use the bathroom several times a night and I was always tired. I wanted to sleep but I could not sleep. So I stayed up late, it was a vicious cycle. I never knew that these were symptoms of mold sickness as I did not know that I had mold in my house.

How to Tell If Your Home Has Mold

While the obvious signs of mold are seeing the black stuff on surfaces, mold can hide inside the walls. Mold does not always have a musty scent. If your walls look unusual like wet or soft, you could have mold. We discovered mold after we moved our washing machine. We discovered that the wall was wet and saw the mold. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and suspect it might be mold, get your home tested for mold. If you had a water leak in your home, it might be wise to get your house tested for mold

Removing mold 

The first step in recovering from mold sickness is to get the mold out of your home. The first time we discovered mold, we called our home insurance and they took care of the mold. We had mold specialists do the mold removal in our house. The mold remediation was extensive. The water restoration company placed a huge loud dehumidifier in the laundry room to dry things out. Then the area was sealed off with plastic while they removed the portion of the walls that had the mold. During this time and a week later, we also had an air purifier running. 

 The insurance company put us up in a hotel for ten days while they did the mold work. This was mostly because they had to remove the water heater. A week after the mold company removed the mold, they did a mold test to make sure there was no mold in the air. This mold remediation process took over a month.

Then the upstairs toilet leaked

 When we discovered mold after the upstairs toilet leaked, we did not contact the insurance since it was a small amount. My husband also knows about mold removal through his work with the health department. The mold was discovered under the toilet as the wax ring had leaked. So my husband removed the parts of the floor that had mold on them and then sprayed a bleach solution on the floor. If you choose to remove the mold yourself ~ wear gloves and an N95 face mask, even while spraying the bleach. Also, open windows for ventilation. Do your research first before you remove mold.

 From the Homedepot website: A bleach solution works to kill mold. Mix one cup of bleach in a gallon of water, apply to the surface, and don't rinse. 

Recovering from Mold Sickness

 Now that the mold is out of my home, I am doing many things to recover from mold sickness. I saw an allergist to be tested for allergies. I already knew that I was sensitive to mold but I wanted to discover what else I was allergic to. I discovered that I was allergic to a ton of plants, weeds, grass, trees, and dust. Since my asthma was not being managed well, the doctor suggested allergy shots. You can read about allergy shots here

To recover from mold sickness ~ you need to detox your body


 I also started a wellness treatment to heal my lungs from the mold and also my asthma. Part of my mold healing plan includes detoxing the mold out of my body. While sweating may be one way to help your body detox, using plant-based minerals from BEAM Minerals will speed up the process.

 The BEAM Minerals supplement has many health benefits and one of the benefits is to help the body detox. I am using the Humic mineral supplement and the Fulvic electrolytes daily as recommended by BEAM Minerals  You can read more about the BEAM mineral supplement that is made from plants HERE.

Use code MOMKNOWSBEST to save 20% on BEAM Minerals

From this article that I read about mold sickness, Dr. Crista recommends these supplements for people with mold illness. I have not tried any of the below supplements but I will be adding some of them to my supplement routine along with the BEAM Minerals. BEAM Minerals helps the cells in your body absorb the supplements so your body can better use them.

DHA, EPA, AND GLA FATTY ACIDSPromotes production of bile, which carries out mycotoxins.

PSYLLIUM HUSK FIBER ~ Binds toxin-laden bile, so you excrete it rather than recycle it.

QUERCETINAn antihistamine that calms inflammation.

GLUTATHIONE (LIPOSOMAL) ~ Promotes detoxification, and is a potent antioxidant.

OIL OF OREGANOHas antifungal actions to support microbial balance.

My long-term mold healing plan

 My body has to heal from the mold, that was discovered in my home. My lungs were the most affected by the mold. I have been sensitive to mold since I was a child. Looking back at my childhood helped me to understand my mold allergy. My mom told me that I was allergic to penicillin, which is a drug derived from mold. I also suffered in the winter, from bad eczema and earaches, which both cleared up once I moved out of the home as an adult. So that may have been related to mold in the home.

 I also have asthma problems when I stay at hotels that have mildew in the bathroom. Allergy testing has revealed that I am allergic to mold.

 For now, my mold healing treatment plan involves healing my lungs and avoiding things or triggers that affect my asthma. So I am doing allergy shots for my seasonal allergies, as they are huge asthma triggers for me. I am also exercising inside to avoid other asthma triggers like bad air quality. The allergist said that my allergy shot formula couldn't contain mold as it would cancel out the other allergens in the allergy shot treatment. I may have to do a second round of allergy shots for the mold allergy.

 I am also feeding my body healthy food and exercising, which is good for asthma. I am also taking many supplements, including BEAM Minerals to help my body detox the mold and heal from the mold sickness symptoms. 

Use code MOMKNOWSBEST to save 20% on BEAM Minerals

30 comments:

AiringMyLaundry said...

Eek, how scary. I always worry about this. I need to have areas of the house checked to make sure it's not mold.

Elizabeth Neas said...

It is always so scary not realizing that you have mold growing inside of your walls. Especially not realizing that your pipes etc were causing something you didn't know was going on. I am so happy you are on your road to recovery with your allergy shots.

Tasheena said...

I really enjoyed reading this post, thanks for sharing these helpful tips.

Terri Steffes said...

Such interesting information and something I needed to learn about. My daughter lives in a 100 year old building, so I want to know when/if she shows symptoms.

Tami R said...

This is so interesting and such an important post to read. Thanks for sharing!

Melanie Edjourian said...

We need to keep an eye out for mould. That is scary!!!

alita said...

If you have a mold allergy, the best defense is to reduce your exposure to the types of mold that cause your reaction.

Marysa said...

That is such a terrible thing to discover. It is definitely one of those silent things that can really be affecting your health.

Ris said...

Hmmm, this is so interesting. I'm gonna check our house for molds soon.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know that mold could cause such severe allergic reactions to someone! Learned something new from this post, so thanks for sharing your experience with us :)

Everything Enchanting ❤️

Anne Marie said...

This happened to our neighbors. They had to have a thorough cleaning and replace a lot of the flooring to remedy. It can be a serious issue!

Vanessa said...

Omg. I fear mold in my house all the time. It happened to a neighbor of mine. She had black mold.

Kathy said...

Mold is so horrible. I know how bad it can get too. I wouldn't want anyone to ever have mold. Black mold is especially bad.

Melanie Edjourian said...

I do always make sure I keep an eye out for mould in the home. It sounds like you are taking positive steps to help boost your body which is great.

Gust si Aroma said...

Mold is definitely a very unpleasant thing. I am glad that you don't have this problem for a while

Lynndee said...

I didn't know all about those symptoms. We need to have our house checked then. -LYNNDEE

mail4rosey said...

I found black mold in a closet in our house up north. Spring Cleaning and found a whole side wall just covered in it. Then we found radon in the basement. I was happy to move. The disclosures were made to the person buying and they were happy to spend the money to fix those things, but we weren't!

Mom Knows Best said...

I am not receiving allergy shots for mold.

Mom Knows Best said...

The crazy thing is not everyone will react to mold. Only my son and I reacted.

Mom Knows Best said...

Wow! Glad you were able to move.

Karen said...

Mold really scares me! Sometimes we just don't know what's behind our walls.

Pencil Leads said...

I try to keep my house as clean as possible because it directly affects our health.

Kathy said...

Mold is so horrible if you ever do get it. I always make sure to look out for it.

Richelle Milar said...

I didn’t know anything about this. This is a really great and very informative post. Thanks for sharing this with us

Nikki Wayne said...

So informative, I always make sure that our house is clean. This article is helpful thanks!

Shabby Chic Boho said...

Allergy shots really help. I used to give them to our patients and my mom had them. Good luck with shot number 2.

shami said...

Thank you for sharing your journey and insights on managing mold sickness and allergy-induced asthma. Very informative!

Kelly J. said...

Mold is so scary! Glad you are recovering.

Monidipa said...

Thanks for shedding light on mold sickness and its removal. Your informative post offers hope and practical advice to those dealing with this issue. It's a great resource for anyone seeking to understand and address mold-related health concerns. Well done!

JRC said...

This was a super informative post- I have been battling with brain fog. Thanks for sharing!

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