How do you know if mold is making you sick?

Let’s discuss how we detoxify our bodies naturally. We sweat; through our skin, flush some toxins out via our urine, and use the liver and GI tract to do most of the “heavy lifting” when it comes to detoxification. Our overall “toxic burden” is determined by two important factors: how well our innate detoxification system works and the levels of toxins we’re exposed to. If we have a high level of toxin exposure and our detoxification system is compromised due to environmental factors, genetic predisposition, or both, we’ll have a high toxic load that will produce unpleasant symptoms. When we’re talking about mold illness, genes matter.

It has been estimated that approximately 25% of people have human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes that prevent their bodies from being able to recognize and thus eliminate what are called biotoxins. Mold or mycotoxin illness is the biotoxin we’re discussing here, but chronic Lyme and blue-green algae can also trigger the same symptoms as we’re discussing in this article. In addition, certain bacteria (probably including Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella, and other organisms transmitted by tick bites) can also secrete biotoxin-like compounds that produce symptoms of waxing and waning inflammation.

All biotoxins remain in the body and trigger a chronic, systemic inflammatory response; hence, the name is CIRS. A quick but important fact regarding CIRS: Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (MARCoNS) are found in the nasal passages of a large percentage of patients. Notable is that this biofilm-producing organism will not clear without proper overall treatment and will conversely inhibit recovery from biotoxin illness.

Why DO the mold mycotoxins make you feel so sick?

The interference with the sirtuin enzymatic pathways causes numerous metabolic issues and physical symptoms. For example, SIRT1 issues lead to decreased NAD levels, which is the primary cause of fatigue. In addition, SIRT pathway issues lead to glucose and cholesterol abnormalities and many more complex biochemical abnormalities. At the beginning of this illness, occasionally, all that is noticed are lab abnormalities, leading to resistance from some people who “just don’t want to deal with the problem.”  But this decision is to their peril, as they cannot detox “on their own,” even in a toxin-free environment, and symptoms (as well as diseases) will eventually occur.

The constant, ongoing inflammation caused by mycotoxins can lead to the following, caused by inflammatory cytokine release:

• Gut hyper-permeability-AKA “leaky gut” which then leads to gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as a breach in the gut-brain barrier; causing all sorts of “brain issues.”
• These cytokine-induced brain issues can involve the anterior pituitary (“hormone problems”) or the posterior pituitary (low endorphin=pain issues and/or ADH=thirst and urination issues). Brain issues also often involve the hypothalamus (temperature dysregulation) and neurotransmitter dysfunction leading to depression and/or anxiety issues. Headache is a common system, as is brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and difficulty with memory. Frontal lobe involvement creates lapses in judgment, thought to be responsible for the phenomenon of wanting to ignore the problem.
• Increased cytokine levels attract inflammatory white blood cells, restricting blood flow and reducing oxygen in the tissues. As a result, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which normally stimulates the formation of blood vessels, is reduced. Reduced VEGF can result in worsened fatigue as well as debilitating nocturnal muscle cramps.
• A reduced level of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) can cause shortness of breath and even wheezing, mimicking asthma. It even can cause pulmonary hypertension and eventually heart failure!

The body also suffers from low MSH (melanocyte-stimulating hormone) production for a variety of reasons. MSH is made by the “middle” pituitary gland, hypothalamus, and skin cells. Low MSH results from this inflammatory process but is also exacerbated by the biofilm secreted by the MARCoNS organism discussed above, which cleaves intact MSH, worsening this whole vicious cycle. The low MSH is additionally thought to trigger the entire innate inflammatory response (leading to high TGFB1 and MMP9 innate immune markers) and causes severe sleep issues, immune system dysfunction (infections), chronic pain, and gut malabsorption.

Low MSH further decreases posterior pituitary production of ADH (anti-diuretic hormone), causing some patients to experience excessive thirst and urination and low blood pressure, and the sensation of electric shocks from excess salt on their skin; causing a “battery cell” phenomenon. And yes, their “regular doctors” think these symptoms are totally “in their heads” but it’s not!

People with certain HLA genotypes may develop other inappropriate immune responses, including the formation of auto-antibodies that lead to thyroiditis such as Hashimoto’s disease, gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease, Inflammatory bowel disease such as Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, blood clotting conditions, neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis and more.

Continued immune dysregulation can also create other problems such as mast cell activation syndrome (basically resulting in a massively overactive histamine=allergic response), all sort of food intolerances, and then multiple chemical sensitivities. There is even rather strong evidence that CIRS from mold mycotoxins causes EMF sensitivity!

How to diagnose the problematic building(s)

If you smell a musty odor in (for instance) a damp basement, that’s the waste products of live mold until proven otherwise. If you have had water intrusion from a storm or a leaky pipe that wasn’t cleaned up within 48 hours, you probably have mold growth. Places to check include behind toilets, refrigerators and around windows, doors, in attics (under the insulation), in HVAC systems, and in the basement. You don’t have the tools to check for mold growth behind walls, under floors, and so on, so where should you start if you suspect your home has live or dead (toxin-containing spores!) mold?

The best method to do a quick screening for mold is the ERMI test. The ERMI test uses mold-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (MSQPCR) technology to identify mold DNA in dust that has settled in buildings.

The test, developed by the EPA and validated in many well-done studies (with some cited in the references section) compares the relative “moldiness” of a home compared to a group of reference homes that do not have mold. Thirty-six species of mold are divided into 26 species of (generally toxin-producing) molds associated with water-damaged buildings (Group 1 on your ERMI report) and 10 common species which are not associated with water-damaged buildings (Group 2 on your report).

The mold or ERMI index in a particular building is the sum of the logs of Group 1 minus the sum of the logs of Group 2. After you get your report, one of the doctors who specialize in mold illness (such as myself) will be able to guide you through the interpretation of your report, and make suggestions regarding inspection, remediation, and post-remediation fogging, which is a crucial step to rid your home of dead mold spores and mycotoxins. If you have not yet secured a doctor and want to proceed on your own, I wouldn’t recommend doing so, but let me give you this advice, so you don’t waste money on non-qualified “home mold remediation experts.”

If you suspect live mold, you need a qualified inspector to check “everywhere.”  You need an indoor environmental professional who is certified to do what he is doing. You need to make sure that the company that diagnoses the problem is not the same company that fixes (remediates) the problem. Here is a guide for you to use to choose a good company. If you are one of my patients in the area, I highly recommend ORC Services.

To emphasize, your best bet is to enlist the help of a mold-literate Functional doctor early on if you suspect that mold is making you or other family members sick. And again, no matter how good your remediation company is, remember, they don’t treat mycotoxin illness; they are tasked with killing the live mold in your dwelling, and that’s it. They won’t check for dead mold spores because they don’t generally use a fogging solution which is formulated to deal with this issue. Please remember this, and know that getting rid of the live mold is the first, but not final step in getting your environment mycotoxin-free. Also, remember that moving furniture, clothing, or other belongings into a “clean space” will cross-contaminate that clean space.

What tests do I need to tell if mold mycotoxins are making me sick?

The first test you should do is a Functional Visual Acuity Test; a visual test that detects not visual acuity but rather the ability of your optic nerves to detect subtle differences in gray-and-white contract. This test is also known as the visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) test. Mold mycotoxins are inhaled up the nose where-in CIRS patients, they will interfere with optic nerve blood flow. A VCS test is ideally performed in the office of a CIRS-literate Functional doctor. However, there are two online versions that can be used as a starting place. The one I find most useful is the VCS on the website of the doctor who first discovered CIRS; Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker.

The VCS test which is available on Dr. Shoemaker’s website, Surviving Mold, costs $15. This online test uses a scoring algorithm to determine the likelihood that a patient is being adversely affected by mold mycotoxin exposure.

This VCS test is so accurate that, if it is positive, meaning that you “fail” in one or both eyes, there is a ninety-two percent chance that you have active CIRS. However, a negative test does not rule out CIRS, and there are occasionally “false positives.” This is another reason that you absolutely cannot diagnose and treat yourself, as suggested by a few misguided social media groups.

If you are in a toxic home, have a positive VCS test, or simply have a host of seemingly un-related symptoms , you need special laboratory testing done. A good place to start is with an MSH, TGFbeta1, MMP9, and HLA analysis, and then other tests if certain symptoms are present.

A typical regimen includes peptides to repair leaky gut, damaged neurons (brain cells) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (or IV or troche-based NAD) to improve energy. Hormonal imbalances, pain issues, and insomnia need to be addressed as well. A good detoxification regimen starts with making sure that the organs and biochemical processes of detoxification are in working order. This often means boosting methylation systems, liver, GI and kidney functions. Most people are able to sweat, so we take advantage of this by recommending saunas; if someone can gain ready access to one. If not, we rely on oral detox preparations, which contain Vitamin C, glutathione plus charcoal, and other GI-friendly (non-cholestyramine) fibrous “binders.”  We get rid of the MARCoNS with a silver-EDTA spray, not with antibiotic spray, which can further damage the gut.

Hopefully, this article has been helpful. If you’d like to have a free phone consultation with me about your particular situation, just contact me, and I’ll help.