Mold; An Underlying Cause of Chronic Health Issues
A question many people ask is, ‘Could my symptoms be a result of mold exposure and, if so, how can they be resolved?’
Haskell’s first mold patient was 35 years ago. The man was diagnosed with lung cancer, and with testing, Haskell determined the cause of his condition to be mold. Mold spores were detected in his basement, an area he occupied frequently as his office space.
Mold is insidious and most prevalent on the East Coast as in other humid climates. This does not rule out dry climates because our modern HVAC systems continually recycle stagnant air. Older homes with an unrecorded history of floods and water leaks are also suspect.
Mold Infections
Some people are more susceptible to mold infections, especially those who have taken multiple antibiotics and longer courses of oral contraceptives and can experience a wide variety of physical and mental symptoms.
The symptoms below may be due to a present exposure in the home and office or could be from living in a previous moldy home.
- Chronic sinus infections
- Muscle aches and pains
- Indigestion
- Intolerance of fatty foods
- Headaches
- Gall bladder issues
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Allergies
- Mast Cell Activation Syndrome
- Sensitivity to fragrances
- Hypothyroid-like symptoms
First Step with Mold Treatment
Once diagnosed, the obvious first step is to determine if you are exposed to mold in your home and workplace because no matter what therapies you use to reduce the body’s burden of mold, they will never be effective.
There are a few options regarding the detection of mold.
The first is to expose mold plates in various suspicious rooms such as those with poor ventilation, limited exposure to sunlight, those with sinks and areas of previous flooding.
For the plates, the best company is Immunolytics. Plates are purchased either from the company or through Amazon. Depending upon the number of rooms, purchase the appropriate number of plates.
Just purchase the plates and not the added cost of shipping the exposed plates to the company for assessing the types of molds.
If mold spores grow on the plate, you will need to hire a mold specialist. We can provide several referrals.
With one patient we saw mold in her blood under our darkfield microscope. Using mold plates, she found two rooms with a lot of mold growth. These rooms were remediated by a professional.
After this she had two 10-Pass ozone blood treatments. On follow-up her blood was clear of mold and she felt fantastic.
Three months later she returned with the same symptoms and mold appeared again under the microscope. She hired the same company to assess her home again for mold. They could not detect mold. As you can imagine, she was frustrated.
A month later she returned. She had found a woman who had trained her dog to detect mold. In this lady’s home the dog found mold behind several walls. When the walls were opened, visible mold was discovered. For more information on the dog, go to moldmutts.com.
Once the mold remediation was complete, she returned for another series of IV ozone treatments. Under the microscope her blood was clear, and she was feeling great again.
Diagnosing Mold Issues
When presenting symptoms to a physician, seldom will your condition be attributed to mold.
Blood and urine mold testing is expensive and not always accurate.
Assessing the level of systemic mold is by viewing a tiny finger prick of blood under a dark field microscope. Although the type of mold cannot be identified, it does give a very clear assessment of the degree or severity of the infection.
- Our Approach to Mold : Our approach to treating a mold infection is straight forward and effective yet often there are other health issues which must be considered as well. These other health issues, which were likely there before the mold exposure, are the reasons why a person is susceptible to mold. ‘But why is no one else in my home sick from mold?’ It might be because they do not have underlying health issues.
- Nutrition: We consider a mold infection to be like a Candida or fungal issue. Following a Candida type diet is most helpful. Various diets are online and there are many books on the subject.
- Supplements: Various supplements will be recommended based upon the needs and symptoms of each person. Supplements typically focus on liver and gall bladder drainage, improving digestion with enzymes, various nasal sprays if sinusitis is an issue, and increasing mitochondrial function.