I LOVE this graphic from Dr. Lam because it highlights how much more damage mold can do to your body than what most people (or doctors) realize. If there is mold in your home (seen or unseen) it could be making you sick.
Mold allergies are fairly common and most people who suffer from seasonal allergies tend to overlook mold as the cause and think "it's just allergies" "it's just Oklahoma" "Its just that time of year". Friends. I believed this for months. While it is very possible that what you're experiencing is allergies, consistent year round illness that does not alleviate with medicine could be because of mold exposure. Feeling better outside the home is a big indicator of that. But these allergy symptoms are not the only thing that can happen when exposed to mold.
Mold toxicity occurs when your body has a toxicological response to the mold spores and mycotoxins that are entering your body (mycotoxins are a secondary metabolite that are produced by mold spores and are even smaller so your body cannot filter them out). If you are experiencing chronic issues that medication is barely alleviating, it could be mold exposure. This was our family. I had anxiety, depression, joint pain, increased cycles and candida overgrowth as well as insomnia which were NOT typical of my medical history AT ALL. I had tons of appointments and took tons of medications and most symptoms were reduced but not eliminated, while some never went away despite constant treatment. Long term it all led (combined with incredible circumstantial stress) to becoming suicidal. Again, not typical of my medical history. Mold toxicity affects every person differently so maybe you respond but your family doesn't, or perhaps you all exhibit different symptoms. This is where diagnoses get tricky.
While I am not here to diagnose or treat you, I would like to point out these key issues so that you can go forward to doctor appointments informed on what may be the missing link. I had no idea about any of this and learned it all after I had moved out of our moldy home. Hopefully this can help us look to our environments for the cause of illness, especially after tons of negative tests that traditional medicine accepts and offers. It is so discouraging to have your family tested for tons of things just to get negative results (the photo shows my son's allergy test. All negative because he wasn't allergic to mold, his response was a toxic response to the mold).
There are tons of amazing resources out there regarding mold and the effect on your body, three of my favorites are Dr. Lam, Dr. Schumacher, and Dr. Jess. Last but not least, for any questions you have about your home causing illness, Hayward Healthy Homes (and Haywardscore.com) are absolutely the best resource for that.
Here's to moving on,
B&R
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