Can you treat mold toxicity without testing for it?

[preventingdiabetes]

Can you treat mold toxicity without testing for it?

I have heard that urine tests for mold toxicity like the GPL-MycoTox Profile can give false-negative results, so I guess that makes it pretty much useless. Please correct me if I am wrong though.

Are there any risks associated with jumping into treatment for mold toxicity without knowing for sure whether you have it?

I am wondering because I have been having severe brain fog, fatigue, and depression. I am not functional. So I am looking for a solution as soon as possible.

[Michael569]

I doubt we have a reliable testing method or any standardisation although, of course, you will be sold on all sorts of tests, especially by people who gain a commission by sending their clients for overpriced tests with little evidence. Mould may be one of those where your nose and eyes will tell you more than the urine test. Check in places where you usually wouldn't. 

Mould often triggers allergic symptoms and wheeziness & chest tightness before the mental fog kicks in. So if you have unexplained allergic reactions to nothing, in particular, mould may be a potential cause. It is also a good idea to check the whole house for stuffy smell and if so, hiring a mould removal service. But it is equally possible that no allergic reaction will occur. 

Owning a HEPA filter that can filter mould can be a great investment. Or wear a high-quality respirator. Heating appears to reduce the spread while wetness and cold increase it. 

All in all the first step is to move away from the mouldy place (if you rent) or have it cleaned if it is your own house, which will make up for rapid and significant improvement. Other than that the research is shit so I would focus on things like high-fibre diet, activities that induce sweating (sauna, exercise), good hydration, reduction of foods that can have high aflatoxin content and spending more time outside. Going easy on liver-demanding activities like alcohol is a good idea too. Perhaps taking some multi may help. 

Any expensive "detox cure" will be experimentation by the practitioner rather than an evidence-based decision so keep that in mind as you pay for a multitude of supplements that may have little to no value in this particular case. 

Mould is everywhere to a small degree, and always has been perhaps even in times when we lived in caves so this may be like hydrocarbons that we naturally developed a strong detoxification potential (here, I am just speculating). I believe this is the reason why lung cancer takes so long to build up and why pollution does not cause more damage to health than it does, because regardless of your location, chances are that for thousands of years your ancestors were breathing charred wood particles and smoke and over the millennia we got good at getting rid of it. 

Equally, it is also important to consider that your symptoms may have nothing to do with mould. But exhaust this are before moving on so that you know for sure. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Michael569

[preventingdiabetes]

10 hours ago, Michael569 said:

Mould may be one of those where your nose and eyes will tell you more than the urine test.

@Michael569

Mucus always comes out of my nose. I have to blow my nose every time I wake up and every 30 minutes. My eyes are watery, probably from the inflammation around my nose.

Unless what you meant was my smell and sight will tell me more.

10 hours ago, Michael569 said:

Equally, it is also important to consider that your symptoms may have nothing to do with mould. But exhaust this are before moving on so that you know for sure. 

That is true. It might not have anything to do with mold, but the only way I can tell is by experimenting with it and trying to treat it right? That's what you mean by exhaust it, right?

[Michael569]

6 hours ago, preventingdiabetes said:

Mucus always comes out of my nose. I have to blow my nose every time I wake up and every 30 minutes. My eyes are watery, probably from the inflammation around my nose.

that could be a possible indication of mould but it could also be sensitivity to other allergens such as dust or even something you eat. 

How is your breathing? Do you get chest tightness towards the end of the day or when you lay down? Do you experience any wheezing? 

6 hours ago, preventingdiabetes said:

I can tell is by experimenting with it and trying to treat it right? That's what you mean by exhaust it, right?

pretty much, yes.

In general, do you feel better when you go outside of your home for a few days? 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Michael569

[preventingdiabetes]

On 22/11/2022 at 10:48 PM, Michael569 said:

How is your breathing?

@Michael569 What do you mean? How should my breathing be?

I breathe through my nose, but my left one is always blocked.

On 22/11/2022 at 10:48 PM, Michael569 said:

Do you get chest tightness towards the end of the day or when you lay down?

No, I don't experience any chest tightness.

On 22/11/2022 at 10:48 PM, Michael569 said:

Do you experience any wheezing? 

From asthma, yes.

On 22/11/2022 at 10:48 PM, Michael569 said:

In general, do you feel better when you go outside of your home for a few days? 

I very rarely go outside of my home for a few days or more at a time. It has been a long time since I last did that, so I don't know.

[Asayake]

This thread is interesting to me because I have suffered allergy symptoms for a long while similar to what you're describing. Stuffed nose, especially when waking up, takes a while before I can breathe through my nose after waking up. I also usually have bloodshot eyes when I wake up. I did experience intense chest pain at the end of summer/beginning of autumn but that's gone now. 

I changed up my diet recently and am 100% vegan right now again and eat extremely low fat and this did ease my symptoms somewhat but they're still present. I'm going to follow this thread and see if you get to the root of your problem. I suspect my own issues could be related to either mold or dust mite allergy.

[Michael569]

@preventingdiabetes it would be interesting to see if your asthma gets better of you spend some time away from your home. If so it would be a strong indication that mould is your trigger.