Common Symptoms Of Mold Poisoning – Is It In Your Home?

Photo credit: bigstock.com

Mold. Sometimes you can see it — that black or gray disgusting stuff growing in the grout or tiles in your bathroom. Other times, you can’t. You might not see it, but your body certainly knows it is there. Mold poisoning just might be making you sick and you don’t even know it.

Conventional medicine doesn’t really recognize the true problem with mold, so your regular doctor won’t be very helpful in most cases. Even if your doctor is familiar with the problems mold can cause, the symptoms mimic many other problems, so it can be very difficult to diagnose.

First, let’s take a look at what mold really is.

We typically lump all types of fungi, which reproduce when they send tiny spores floating through the air, as simply mold. Many types of mold are invisible to the human eye! Mold grows best in damp, warm, or humid places, inside and outside the home. Even for those living in very warm, dry areas, such as Arizona or New Mexico, mold can grow near water leaks, basements, inside cabinets, or in bathrooms or closets with poor ventilation.

Most people recognize the mold growing in the bathroom, but mold can actually send spores around your home and attach itself to clothing, shoes, pets, carpets, books, furniture, bedding, curtains, and pillows. Even HVAC filters do not catch everything, unless you are religious about changing the filter once each month.

It has been estimated that about 50 percent of the buildings in America have been, or currently have, water damage. This leads to the growth of mold and a greatly increased risk of mold poisoning, especially for those who are most susceptible, such as infants, children, the elderly, and those with breathing problems.

Continue to Page 2

Photo credit: bigstock.com

Why Is Mold Such A Health Problem?

Although you might think of mold as just a “gross” problem you need to clean in the bathroom, mold toxicity actually falls into a category of biotoxin illness called Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome or CIRS.

CIRS is a chronic, inflammatory response in the body that occurs after exposure to mold spores. While most healthy people will make antibodies in response and kill off the spores they breath in, it has been estimated that 24 percent of the population cannot make sufficient amounts of antibodies. These people make up about 95 percent of those who experience symptoms of mold poisoning.

Even among the 24 percent who cannot make enough antibodies to fight off mold spores, there is another two percent of those who are super susceptible to mold. Some people have immune systems that simply don’t recognize these toxins as a problem. This causes a state of chronic inflammation. This means that CIRS will never heal, it will never go away on its own, and it will not stop creating health problems. This inflammatory response can go on unabated for years.

Continue to Page 3

Photo credit: bigstock.com

What are the Symptoms of Mold Toxicity?

Sinus problems, including asthma like symptoms of coughing or shortness of breath, wheezing and sneezing
Memory problems such as difficulty concentration and brain fog
Sensitivity to light, red eyes, blurred vision
Feelings of fatigue, weakness
Frequent headaches
Numbness and/or tingling
Muscle cramps, muscle aches or pains
Joint pain without inflammation
Persistent neck pain, a feeling of an ice pick being driven in the back of the neck
Vertigo
Static “shock” type feelings
Tremors
Increased urination
Increased or persistent nerve pain
Excessive thirst
Abdominal pain
Changes in appetite
A metallic taste in the mouth
Weight loss resistance
Problems controlling temperature
Night sweats without menopause