Dealing with Mould Illness

The recent floods in my local area of Northern NSW and also around Australia, means that many people could likely develop mould allergy or mould illness.

With mould often going unseen and unnoticed, many do not realise that this fungus is actually the cause of their sickness. Whilst not everyone that encounters mould will become sick, certain people do tend to be more mould sensitive.

Children are often at higher risk as their immune systems are not yet completely developed and they tend to put their hands in their mouth often, transferring mould to their body. Those who are immune compromised, have allergies or asthma, may also be more susceptible.

Mould Allergy is often seen after a water event, such as a flood, water leak or house fire. Here, the person responds just as they would with another allergy, such as hay fever. These could be runny nose, watery eyes, cough, hives etc. This type of mould exposure brings symptoms fast, as mast cells ramp up, but then is over once the immune system deals with the mould toxins.

Mould Illness, however, can also be called Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and involves many more body systems. It often comes and goes, with people tending to feel "off" most of the time. 'Symptom clusters’ and health history are used to help diagnose this condition, as many of these symptoms are relatable to different diagnosis’s.

Some Mould Illness Symptoms include:

Fatigue

Brain Fog

Runny nose, watery eyes

Mood Swings

Air Hunger

Joint pain, muscle aches

Vertigo

Ice pick pain

Skin Rash

Skin Tingling

Sinusitis

Headaches

Nose Bleeds

Gastrointestinal changes

Mould illness is different in each individual but it basically comes down to inflammation and an immune system gone haywire.

Mould Illness is predominately caused by the poisons produced by mould spores named, mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are not only found after water events but also in food such as nuts, cheeses and grains.

Naturopathic Treatment for Mould Illness involves:

1. Treating the Symptoms

2. Determining and Removing the source(s) of Mould

3. Improving Detoxification

4. Introducing Potent Antioxidants

5. Restoring Immune Health

6. Restoring Nutrient Deficiencies

7. Diet and Lifestyle Modifications

If you have ‘strange' symptoms that you just can’t get on top of AND don’t know why you are ‘always sick’, a thorough consultation may be needed to rule out, or ‘rule in’, mould illness.