Masquerading Mold

Mold is a common element in many homes and buildings, but often is the most overlooked unwelcome visitor.  Chronic fatigue, increased pain, chronic sinus inflammation, difficulty breathing, depressive symptoms, anxiety, cognitive deficits and decline are some of the most common effects of mold exposure and neurtoxicity- and almost indistinguishable from common bacterial and viral infections without proper testing.

 Inhalation of mold spores can occur anywhere that a warm, moist environment exists: a dishwasher leak, your bathroom sink, a slow drip in your ceiling, even food products. There are toxic mold spores (spores known to cause neurological and immune dysfunction) and non-toxic mold spores (spores thought not to be toxic to the human body) but both have been shown to have adverse effects when exposed to the human immune system. In the following study, mold inhalation altered memory, pain sensitivity, and anxiety-like behavior – even in spores deemed “non-toxic”. Nontoxic mold spores were sufficient to cause many of the problems mentioned above. The immune activation caused by chronic or acute mold exposure was correlated with neural and behavioral issues, with extreme cases similar to intermittent explosive disorder (IED) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), in addition to exacerbation of anxiety and depressive disorders.

 The best part about mold testing? NO NEEDLES! The metabolites of mold can be found in urine, and a simple urine test can look for over 40 species of common household mold spores (3x more than the average blood panel!). Ask one of our providers today to see if mold testing should be part of your treatment plan. (And we would be glad to walk you through the next steps of finding the source.) 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159119303010