I WAS DIAGNOSED with CIRS (chronic inflammatory response syndrome) in February of 2018, from a Bio-toxin Illness termed Mold Illness or Mold Toxicity. While I appreciate the doctor that finally discovered the root of my health issues, I didn't really understand what that meant or the ramifications of it until a year later. After a year of making very little progress and actually going very much backwards health-wise, I took the bull by the horns and devoted all of my time and energy into researching Mold Illness. Out of necessity, healing became my full-time job. I needed to understand exactly what Mold Illness was all about, how I got here, what to do about it and how to heal.
I will say, for about a year I didn't understand exactly how I got so sick from mold. Today, I can answer that definitively—you get sick from Water Damaged Buildings (WDBs)! It is not from the mold outside, which can be a nuisance and mess with allergies, but outdoor mold doesn’t make you this kind of sick. That’s WDBs specialty. And just because you can’t see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. We couldn't see any mold in our house and, frankly, had inspectors tell us our house was just fine. Only after months of dogmatic pursuit of the truth, did we learn that over half of our house was filled with dangerous and toxic mold—behind walls, under flooring, in our AC systems, in the attic.
WDBs will affect everyone who is exposed to them for a long enough period. However it affects some of us worse than others, about 25% for that matter. Why? About 25% of the population has a genetic makeup that makes them more susceptible and does not recognize Mold as a foreign or dangerous substance. If you don't have the gene and you come in contact with Mold from WDB, your body will recognize it as being bad and detox it out of your system. Unfortunately, if you have this gene and you come in contact with mold spores, your body does not recognize it as bad and will hold onto the spores and mycotoxins generated from mold spores. This is why you can have some family members very sick and others not sick at all, while all living in the same house… this was the case with our family.
Mold from WDB is not to be taken lightly. It is very toxic and wrecks havoc on almost every system of your body, including your brain! The air in WDB is contaminated by a “toxic soup” made up of molds, bacteria and associated chemicals. Exposure to this in susceptible individuals is very dangerous and something has to be done… you have to remove yourself from the environment and then you can begin healing. You can never heal while in a toxic environment! I learned this the hard way.
It has been a very long journey and one in which I’ve invested a great deal of time and emotional energy. There are so many things about Bio-toxin Illness that I wish I had known in the beginning. I hope the resources I collected over the years will help others who find themselves on a similar journey.
Books and Articles
Mold Toxicity: Black Mold Symptoms, Solutions - Microbe Formulas™ - great article written by Dr. Todd Watts explaining Mold Illness, causes, affects, and how to address it.
Mold Illness Surviving and Thriving: A recovery Manual for Patients and Families Impacted by CIRS - this book is a recovery manual that is a MUST and a first step for anyone going through Mold Illness! It's a very easy read, even large wording, which is handy when your brain isn't working well because of mold toxicity. Mold, and the associated toxins found in water damaged buildings, can cause serious and sometimes devastating illness. This manual consists of critical information, resources, and interactive tools to help patients navigate a successful path to long-term recovery. It is a detailed "road map" that will eliminate needless and costly detours, saving patients enormous amounts of time, energy, frustration, and money.
Toxic: Heal your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Chronic Environmental Illnesses - This is a great book by Dr. Neil Nathan and a must for anyone going through Mold Illness or Lyme disease. He walks you through the cause of toxicity to healing and rebooting various systems in your body that have been affected. This is written very well and in depth. Some of it can get very technical but you can skip past it and still get the point.
The goal of this book is to shed light on these complex illnesses so that suffering patients and their families can get the help they so desperately need. Inside, you will find:
Information about how extreme sensitivity and toxicity develop in the body, how sensitivity and toxicity differ, and how they often overlap.
Detailed descriptions of each of the five major causes of extreme sensitivity and toxicity: mold, Bartonella (a co-infection of Lyme disease), mast cell activation, porphyria, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
An outline of the cell danger response, a revolutionary model developed by Dr. Robert Naviaux that explains how the body essentially gets “stuck” fighting a threat even after the danger has passed.
A system-by-system plan for “rebooting” the body to break the cycle of illness and allow healing to begin.
Information about coping with stress and embracing an emotional and/or spiritual awakening on the path to wellness.
Nature’s Mold Rx: the Non-Toxic Solution to Toxic Mold - learn how to kill mold with Thieves Essential Oil
Online Summits and Classes
The Toxic Mold Summit - this online summit is a MUST! I recommend signing up and paying to have access to it at any time. It's also worth purchasing the transcript for it so you can follow along and take notes while listening. You will hear from 38 different professionals in all areas related to mold from doctors, remediators, mold consultants, lawyers, and more. You will get the ins and outs on every aspect of this illness, its co-infections, how to heal, what to do with your home and your belongings, and so much more. You will reference this throughout your healing journey!
Dr. Jessica Peatross - Dr. Jess is incredibly knowledgeable about Mold, Lyme and stealth infections. Her practice is pretty much devoted to the topic. She now offers online courses and you can choose individual ones that you find interest in. I have not taken her courses but I love following her on Instagram and find her very informative and knowledgeable!
At-Home Tests
VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity) Test - When exposed to mold, the eyes are the first to be affected. This is a visual contrast test that measures the neurotoxic deficits in vision of patients who have been exposed to mold. These deficits reverse as your body clears the toxins. You can use this very inexpensive test to see how your eyes are doing, are you toxic, and track your healing progress with this test.
ERMI Test - This test is used to get a general idea of the health and safety of your environment. ERMI is an objective, standardized DNA based method of testing that will identify and quantify molds. ERMI uses the analysis of settled dust in homes and buildings to determine the concentrations of the DNA of the different species of molds. Mold spores feed on dust and you use a swiffer pad, sent by the company, EnviroBiomics, to collect dust from your house, office, school, etc. You send them the collected samples and they will tell you what is present and the safety of the levels found.
This will NOT tell you where the mold is. It is only reading of the history of the environment. With that said, it is a great place to start when you suspect mold illness. If it comes back high, then you should hire a mold consultant to start tracking down the problem.
ImmunoLytics Test Plates - these test plates are the cheapest and easiest way to find out what is growing in your environment (home, car, office, school, etc). Simply place the test plates (like a petri dish) in the room you want to test, and leave uncovered for 1 hour. Wrap it up and send it in. They will see what's present in your home and send you a report. You can also schedule a free consultation to go over your result and recommend the next steps.
HomeBiotic - coming soon is a DIY test kit to discover what fungus and bacteria are present in
Help Maintain a Healthy Home
Homebiotic - Probiotics for your home to keep a healthy balance of bacteria and fungus
Bio-Balance Fog Kit - a dry fog made from a botanical blend that helps bring balance of mold spores in your home to safe levels. This should be done in every home 1/year. It is safe for humans and pets to be exposed to as it is made from a mixture of grapefruit seed extract, lemon seed extract, lime seed extract and tangerine seed extract.
Bio-Max Home Maintenance - this is a water based botanical solution that's great for maintaining balance of mold spores in your home. I use this 1/month.
Thieves Cleaner - this is my favorite cleaner and has been proven to kill mold spores. It is noon-toxic and made of essential oils. It is our go-to multi purpose cleaner in the house. This is a concentrate and will last a long time. Simply add a capeful to a spray bottle of water and start cleaning!
EC3 Purifying Candle - burn these candles to purify the air and reduce mold spores
EC3 Mold Cleaner - Non-Toxic Botanical cleaner that's safe for families and pets. Kills mold spores, mycotoxins and bacteria helping keep your home healthy and safe. I would not rely on this for visible mold.
EC3 Mold Concentrate Cleaner - Non-Toxic Botanical Concentrate that is safe for porous and nonporous surfaces. This will kill mold spores and bacteria keeping your home healthy.
Laundry
If something you own that has been exposed to mold and it can go in the washing machine, it is savable! It can be washed and saved… you don’t have have to throw it away. The below products can help wash mold spores from your clothes. Wash them on the hottest setting possible.
*If something is covered in mold or mold is growing on it, I would toss it and not save it. The below is just for items that have been in a moldy environment.
EC3 Laundry Additive - add this to the rinse cycle of your laundry to remove mold spores
Borax - add 1 cup of Borax to your washing machine when washing mold exposed clothes. Wash them on as hot of water as the clothes can tolerate.
Thieves Cleaner - add a capful to your washing machine to kill mold spores