ALL ABOUT MOULD PART 4

ALL ABOUT MOLDS-4

Diagnosis of Mould Exposure and Remedies

Starve Mould Out of Your Body

Illnesses caused by Mould exposure are a growing problem that few people are aware of, including most primary care physicians. Environmental health experts are seeing increasing numbers of individuals with a complex myriad of symptoms directly related to Mould exposure. This has resulted in the proposal of a new term to describe this multi-faceted syndrome: Mixed Mould Toxicosis. Because Mould-related disorders are so often unrecognized and misdiagnosed, this essay about Mould, its potential dangers and remedies may well turn out to be suggestive of approaches to treatment.

Unfortunately, there is no precise formula for rebuilding perfect health if you have been damaged by Mould or its toxins. No one set of interventions will work for everyone. Treatment depends on many factors—the type of Mould you were exposed to, length of exposure, your overall health, medications, allergies, genetics, and a host of other factors.

By finding some good resources and arming yourself with the best information, you'll decrease the amount of time-consuming "trial and error" along your path to recovery. Many people have suffered for years because they simply didn't have information like what has been vicariously presented in this essay.

Living in a home in the outer impact zone of Hurricane Katrina, many families suffered a progressive array of symptoms for which their physicians had no solution. One family later discovered their illness was due to Mould infestation in their home. What started as tightness and burning in their chests and itchy eyes soon progressed into severely diminished lung capacity, thyroid malfunction, and numerous other symptoms that were not resolved, despite moving out of their home.

After extensive research and eventually recovering their health, they wrote a book in the hope of educating a poorly informed and disadvantaged public about Mixed Mould Toxicosis (ibid).

Physicians Jumping to a Conclusion

In the early stages of their road to recovery, patients went through many physicians who either didn't believe Mould was behind their suffering, or whose treatments were little more than shots in the dark. When they did eventually find physicians who agreed their problems were related to Mould poisoning, they offered little help other than prescribing dangerous antifungals and other drugs that contributed nothing to their recovery.

It took years to find the help they needed, as the treatment of Mould-induced illnesses is an area for which most physicians are simply ill equipped. All too often, drugs are prescribed that don't address the underlying problem and have side effects that further compromise immune response, further impairing your body's natural ability to heal itself.

As an example, consider four of the common drug approaches to treating fungal infections (of which Mould is just one type): Nasal corticosteroids, antibiotics, antidepressants, and antifungal medications.

Nasal Steroid Inhalers and Cortisone

Nasal steroid inhalers have become very commonly prescribed for chronic sinusitis. Because people often experience short-lived relief from symptoms, they sometimes believe this treatment is working—at least, initially. But is it? The steroid may temporarily decrease inflammation, which may make you feel a bit better for a short period of time. However, steroids suppress your immune response. If your immune response is compromised, then the infection is actually encouraged, which perpetuates the underlying problem.

The fact that steroids suppress your immune system is no secret. Just read the package insert or patient information sheet for any steroid medication—it will carry grave warnings about exposure to pathogens while using the drug could result in death due to immunosuppression.

Certified environmental medical specialists and pediatric allergists state that cortisone (a steroid drug) tends to allow infections that normally would be confined to a certain area of your body to spread to other parts of your body. This may have dire implications for asthmatic children.

Asthma, like sinusitis, often has a fungal origin that is missed in children and adults, so is often inappropriately treated by medical practitioners. Physicians usually prescribe cortisone and steroid inhalers if you or your child has asthma. In fact, cortisone has been one of the "preferred" methods of treating asthma in the U.S. since 1976. And since that time, the mortality from asthma has TRIPLED in the U.S.! The last thing you want to do if you have a fungal infection is suppress your body's ability to fight it! Yet, that's precisely what these steroid medications are doing (ibid).

Misuse of Antibiotics

Research suggests more than 90 percent of sinus infections are fungal in origin. Yet more than 90 percent of physicians continue to believe that the vast majority of sinus infections are bacterial—so they prescribe antibiotics that target bacteria, not fungi. Antibiotics create a fungus-friendly intestinal environment. Along with killing the bad bacteria, they kill off your good bacteria and yeast that would naturally keep the pathological fungi at bay. Without these good bacteria, fungi like Mould are allowed to spread, unchecked.

Antibiotics (the kind that target bacteria) will not kill Mould in sinus cavities. So, if more than 90 percent of upper respiratory infections are fungal, and physicians are throwing antibiotics at them, this points to an enormous number of infections that are being grossly mistreated.

Add to that a steroid nasal inhaler that suppresses your immune response, and you have a recipe for rampant fungal infection that can spread to the rest of your body and possibly progress into Mixed Mould Toxicosis, making you very ill.

When the first round of antibiotics doesn't work, physicians will often try a different type of antibiotic, which of course won't work either because they are still not treating the right problem. It is understandable, then, how a person suffering this vicious cycle not only becomes more ill, but also frustrated, depressed and hopeless about their situation. And these mood changes may lead to the next drugs to be prescribed− antidepressants (ibid).

'It's All In Your Mind'

Fungal toxins can affect your brain, and if so, alter your emotional state. Neurological symptoms are commonly seen with Mould toxicity. This phenomenon, combined with the fact that Mould exposure is often associated with psychologically traumatic environmental disasters, such as hurricanes and floods, makes for a complex clinical picture that can superficially appear to the uneducated clinician as depression, anxiety, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Therefore, it's not uncommon for people suffering from chronic Mould-related health problems to be prescribed antidepressant drugs, as if to say the problem is all "in their minds" and lacks any physiological cause. If your psychological symptoms are caused by fungal or chemical exposure, an antidepressant will do nothing to neutralize the toxins causing your psychological symptoms, much less your physical symptoms!

The Effect of Antifungal Drugs on the Liver

As a group, antifungal drugs are quite toxic, especially to your liver. For example, the drug Lamisil (terbinafine), used to treat toenail fungus, is so toxic that its manufacturer Novartis warns you in their product insert  that Lamisil has resulted in liver failure, the need for liver transplants, and death. Lamisil can also cause loss of taste or smell, depression, suppressed blood cell counts, skin reactions and development of lupus erythematosus (an autoimmune disease). Yet, it is commonly prescribed for toenail fungus because it concentrates in nail tissue.

Nystatin is another antifungal that is used both orally and topically for Candida overgrowth. However, nystatin is poorly absorbed by your gastrointestinal tract and is not intended to treat Mould infections or systemic fungal disease. There are several other oral antifungals, in addition to a number of intravenous antifungals with even scarier side effect profiles.

The reason most antifungal drugs are so toxic has to do with the similarity between your body's cell membranes and fungal cell membranes. Fungal antibiotics attack the cell membranes of the fungus, and when they do, they also damage human cell membranes. These are some of the most dangerous drugs on the market and are best avoided. Clearly, drugs are not the answer if you've been poisoned by Mould. By default, the answer is cutting off the fungal food supply.

Cutting off the Fungal Food Supply

It should be no surprise that the most beneficial intervention in recovery is a radical change in diet. Cut out every food that fuels fungal growth—namely, sugars, grains and grain-based foods, and simple carbohydrates. By eliminating milk, bread, crackers, pasta, cereal, nearly all fruit, and anything made from refined white flour, you literally STARVE the Mould out of their bodies (ibid).

Fungi, including yeast and Moulds, need sugar in order to survive. So what you eat really matters, since any organism living in your body depends on your diet to sustain it. Fungi thrive on a diet high in fructose, sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar) and other sugars.

This is not new information. Low sugar diets have been popularized in the battle against Candida overgrowth (Anti-yeast diet, Candida Diet, etc.), and Mould thrives in similar conditions as yeast. It makes perfect sense that people with fungal infections begin to regain their health when they begin taking away the fungus' food supply.

Sugar also suppresses your immune system and commonly contains Mould contamination itself, which are two good reasons to avoid it. But cutting out sugar and grains may not go far enough.

Foods to Avoid if You Have Mould Sensitivity

People who have been exposed to toxic Mould can become "sensitized" in such a way that they react to a variety of different agents in their food and environment, as if they are allergic to them. It may take only a very minute exposure to trigger a major recurrence of symptoms. So you must take steps to make your environment as Mould-free as humanly possible—so that you're not breathing fungi or eating fungi.

There are several types of food that should be avoided if you are Mould-sensitive because they are subject to Mould contamination. As you can see, many of those top mycotoxic foods are grains:

1.       Alcoholic beverages: Alcohol is the mycotoxin of Saccharomyces yeast (brewer's yeast), and often contains other mycotoxins from Mould-containing fruits and grains.

2.       Wheat and all wheat products.

3.       Rye.

4.       Peanuts: Contaminated with dozens of Mould types, one of which is cancer-causing aflatoxin.

5.       Cottonseed and cottonseed oil.

6.       Corn: Universally contaminated with a variety of fungal toxins.

7.       Barley.

8.       Sorghum: Used in a variety of grain products and alcoholic beverages.

9.       Sugar from sugar cane and sugar beets.

10.    Hard cheeses.

There are often fungal components used in food manufacturing that are not necessarily listed on the label, e.g., soy sauce. Authentic soy sauce is fermented by a fungus, which is what gives soy sauce its distinctive flavor. If your immune system is overly reactive and sensitized, something like this can trigger a recurrence of illness as your body interprets it as a foreign invader, and you jump back into the symptom-producing antigen-antibody cycle.

Basically, the closer you stick to a basic diet of fresh organic vegetables, lean organic meats, and fresh, pure water while recovering, the less risk you'll have of additional Mould exposure and reactions. It's wise to avoid eating out because you just can't control what is put into your food unless you prepare it yourself. You have to go beyond being a good label reader and become a "food detective."

You should do some vegetable juicing to accelerate your healing. Juicing helps alkalize your body, and for the most part, fungi can't grow in an alkaline environment. Juices assimilate very quickly into your system with very little effort or energy by your digestive tract. Juices should be consumed immediately after being juiced (within 15 minutes is best) as the enzymes degrade rapidly thereafter.

Probiotics: Beneficial Bacteria to Keep Moulds-induced Illnesses at Bay

Probably the most important supplement for recovering from Mould-induced illness is a good probiotic. Your gastrointestinal tract is your first line of defense against Mould and its toxins, and having a GI tract populated with beneficial flora is crucial for optimal immune function. Probiotics help repopulate your GI tract with these beneficial bacteria.

The "good" bacteria help keep the "bad" bacteria (and other organisms like Mould and yeast) in check.     Without the proper microflora, fungi and their toxins can break through the walls of your intestinal tract and enter your bloodstream. When your bowel is toxic, the rest of your body soon follows. Sensing this toxicity, your immune system reacts with a vengeance, trying desperately to overcome this perceived assault, which results in systemic inflammation. And when your blood is full of toxins, your organs responsible for cleansing it (liver, kidneys, skin, lymph) become overloaded and multi-system health problems can occur—which is what many people experience after Mould poisoning.

Your immune system produces antibodies to the Mould. If your overload is severe enough, you can experience "serum sickness," which can appear as a severe, unrelenting flu-like syndrome. The worst cases can take years to resolve unless aggressive action is taken. It is important to remember that the catalyst for the entire illness is disruption of healthy intestinal flora. This is why paying careful attention to your GI health is vitally important, and a high quality probiotic is helpful beyond measure.

The Following Four Ingredients Help in Advancing Recovery

1.       Garlic

2.       Ginger

3.       Cayenne

4.       Goldenseal. Caution: it should not be used for long periods of time.

Some others are also beneficial:

1.       Glutathione, your body's most powerful antioxidant.

2.       Omega-3 fats.

3.       Artichoke leaf extract.

4.       Vitamin D.

Natural Treatment for Mould Allergy:

If you have a Mould allergy, there is a little-known treatment strategy called provocation neutralization that you could try.

Provocation neutralization (PN) offers allergy sufferers permanent relief with virtually no side effects,

whether the allergy is to Mould or something else. The success rate for this approach is very high, and you can receive the treatment at home.

Provocation refers to "provoking a change" and neutralization refers to "neutralizing the reaction caused by provocation." During provocation neutralization, a small amount of allergen is injected under your skin to produce a small bump called a "wheal" and then you are monitored for a reaction. If you have a positive reaction, such as fatigue or headache, or a growth in the size of the wheal, then the allergen is neutralized with diluted injections of the same allergen. If you are interested in pursuing PN, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine has a list of physicians who are trained in this technique.

There is also research suggesting vitamin D could prevent Mould allergies, so make sure your vitamin D levels are optimal.

Mould Growth in Houses and Buildings:

It will be easier to remove or prevent Mould growing in a house or building if one knows where Mould tends to grow.

Mould favors 

· Walls

·         Ceilings

·         Windows

·         Floors

·         Furniture

·         Insulation

·         Air ducts

·         Wet clothes

·         Basements

·         Kitchens

Mould on walls: If you have Mould on the walls in your home then it's usually easy to remove. If the wall is non-porous then you can simply wipe the Mould away using a wet cloth. You can also use a Mould killing product if you like. The killing Mould section describes how to use Mould killing products like bleach, vinegar, borax and more.

However if the wall is porous, such as unpainted drywall, then you will usually need to cut away the wall where the Mould is growing. This is because Mould grows inside the material, instead of just on the surface, and so you can't remove it completely. You also need to know how to deal with Mould on different materials like drywall and wood. Large areas of Mould growth in your home can be purged

Fig. 13   Mould growing on walls and ceiling in a house   Image: blackMould.awardspace.com

Mould on Drywall Walls: Because drywall is a substance high in cellulose, it is one of the most common materials Mould grows on in the home. As there is no practical way to completely remove Mould from drywall, you will have to cut out and dispose of any drywall you discover which has Mould growing on it.

Mould Growing Behind Walls: Mould commonly grows out of sight behind walls in the wall cavities. These spaces often contain pockets of humid, moist air. Mould can also grow hidden behind wallpaper. Wallpaper glue can hold organic debris which can then become a food source for Mould growth. To find hidden Mould behind walls you need to use invasive inspection methods and, optionally, Mould testing. It's best to talk to a professional Mould specialist in this case.  

Signs of Mould on Walls: Cracked or peeling paint, discoloration and bulging are all tell-tale signs that there could be moisture in a wall. If you notice any of these things in a wall in your home, take a closer look and you might see the beginnings of small amounts of Mould growth.

These signs could also indicate that Mould is actually growing hidden behind the wall, in the wall cavity. Seeing small spots of Mould on a wall can sometimes be a sign that there is actually a larger Mould colony on the other side which is slowly growing through. Smelling a Mouldy odor or suffering allergic reactions are also good indications there could be Mould growing hidden behind a wall in your home.

How and Why Mould Grows on Walls: The most common causes of Mould growing on walls are high humidity, condensation and water leaks (which are often hidden inside the wall). Condensation forms when water vapor in the air meets cold surfaces and cools to become liquid. Condensation is especially common on walls which form the perimeter of a house. These walls are often colder because of cool outdoor air on the other side.

Things like drying wet clothes inside or steam from hot water increases the humidity in the home. If humidity stays high in your home for a long time then you might see Mould starting to grow on your walls. Usually the best way to decrease the humidity is to ventilate your home by opening windows and doors. Also, leaking pipes near or inside of walls are a common cause of Mould. If there's a leaking pipe inside a wall cavity then Mould will usually be well and truly set in before it's discovered.

Mould on Ceilings: If you see Mould on the ceiling in your home then you probably have a humidity or condensation problem. It is also possible that the Mould is caused by a water leak above the ceiling.

Removing Mould on Ceilings: Like Mould on walls, if the ceiling is made of a non-porous material then you can just wipe the Mould away with a wet cloth. You can use a Mould killing product like bleach if you like too. If the ceiling is made of a porous material though, like unpainted drywall, then you may have to cut away the material where the Mould is growing since the Mould has probably grown inside the material.

Mould Growing Above Ceiling: Just as Mould grows behind walls you can also sometimes find Mould growing on the other side of ceilings. Mould colonies growing above ceilings are usually fed by water from a leaking roof. For clues that Mould could be growing above the ceiling in your home, look for signs of water damage in the ceiling. Small patches of Mould growth visible from under the ceiling can be a sign that there is a large colony of Mould on the other side.

Mould on Windows and Window Frames: Condensation frequently forms on windows due to cold outdoor air on the other side of the window which cools the glass. Although Mould cannot feed on the glass itself, if the window is dirty then Mould can feed off of the grime on the window glass. Condensation can also lead to Mould growing around window frames because of moisture condensing on the glass and then running onto the frame. The other place to watch out for Mould growing around your windows is in the seal where the window frame meets the wall.

Mould in the Floor: Mould can grow beneath the floor in your home just like it grows above ceilings and within wall cavities. Dirt and dust which fall under the floor become trapped, along with moisture, leading to perfect conditions for Mould growth.

Tiles and especially carpets trap large amounts of dust and can become a haven for Mould growth. Carpets hold moisture particularly well, taking a long time to dry out, which means they can very easily foster Mould growth if there are spilt liquids, water leaks or floods.

Mould on Furniture: Furniture made of organic materials, such as wood, are another thing that Mould soon ends up growing on if there's a moisture problem in your home. Upholstered furniture in particular absorbs moisture, making it a prime candidate for Mould growth.

Your household furniture should not be kept close to, or touching, the walls as this diminishes the air flow and creates condensation. When you check your furniture for Mould remember to check underneath pieces of furniture. Also look inside furniture like cupboards, drawers, etc.

Mould in Insulation: Insulation can be a reservoir for Mould. Any insulation which you can see exposed in your home should be checked thoroughly for Mould, especially if there was once a water problem in that particular room, or if there was once Mould growth anywhere in the room. Even if the insulation looks clean at first glance make sure to thoroughly examine and inspect it. If you do end up finding any Mould in the insulation inside your home you will have to remove and replace the affected insulation as it will be impossible to completely clean all the Mould out from it.

Mould in Air Ducts and HVAC: Unseen Mould could also be lurking in vents, ducts, air conditioning and heating systems in your home so don't forget to check inside these areas when you're looking for Mould.

Mould on Clothes: Mould can grow on the clothes in your home if they've been left wet for a long period of time. Clothes sitting in a wet pile for more than a day after being washed, or damp clothes left wet for more than a day while waiting to be washed can become Mouldy.

Mould Growing in the Basement: Out of all the rooms in the house the basement is usually the most likely to contain Mould growth. Because the basement is usually lower than any other room in the house it is often damp from water leaks flowing down into it. The cold temperature of the basement can also create a lot of moisture from condensation. To add to this the basement is often dark, is rarely attended and the air in the basement is usually stagnant from poor ventilation.

Mould often grows on the wooden walls, posts or building frames in a basement. From there Mould can spread along the wood and up into the other rooms of the house. Over time Mould can also weaken the frames and beams which it grows on and slowly eats away at.

To check if there's a Mould problem in your basement look for signs of water or dampness. Also, if flooding has occurred or there are water leaks in or near your basement then there's a high chance Mould could soon begin to grow.

Mould in Kitchens: Mould can often be found growing in the kitchen. One reason why is because there's lots of moisture in the kitchen. For example, water from running taps and steam from boiling water. Another reason is there's always plenty of food in the kitchen for Mould to start to grow on.

Mould in Bathrooms: If Mould has begun to grow in your bathroom you need to remove it immediately. You can use a sponge, cloth or scrubbing brush to clean Mould off most bathroom surfaces and an old toothbrush to get into hard to reach places where Mould has begun to grow. There are many chemical liquids that can be used to kill the Mould, like Bleach, Borax, Vinegar and Ammonia.

Once the Mould has been removed, Mould inhibiting solutions such as vinegar can be used to regularly clean the bathroom to prevent the Mould's return.

If Mould is growing in the sealer and you cannot get rid of it, then the sealer may need to be removed and replaced. Walls which you cannot seem to remove the Mould from may also need to be cut out and replaced as a last resort.

Mould Prevention

The Mould Remediation Process

Many people who are advertising and performing Mould related services still do not understand that there is a standard of care in the industry that defines acceptable practices. It is also clear that it is not just contractors who are guilty of providing appalling services, but consultants and industrial hygienists as well. Actions based on ignorance are hurting individuals and industry in all phases of Mould remediation work from initial inspection through to remediation and post-remediation testing. The following case study of a large, multi-faceted commercial building fits this pattern, starting with serious problems during initial inspection:

·         An inability to turn inspection results into a reasonable action plan.

·         Poor decision-making regarding close-out of a remediation project.

A Vexing Situation

Inspecting a building to identify sources of fungal contamination can be a challenging experience. Inspections of large, multi-faceted commercial buildings demand a blend of appropriate training, experience and practical sense. Inspectors must be aware of project complexities beyond the core objective of properly identifying visible and hidden Mould. The inspection to be described hereunder is a classic example of a Mould investigation complicated by a variety of important occupant and owner concerns. Some of the more significant factors impacting the situation include:

1. The inspection was being conducted in a critical use facility that operates 24/7.

2. The building occupants perform precise activities on which the safety of hundreds of people depends.

3. The managers of the structure have a four-year history of underestimating the Mould and moisture problems, despite a number of previous inspections and remediation activities.

4. Previous remediation attempts were conducted so poorly that they resulted in the evacuation of the structure and medical treatment of seven individuals for Mould and chemical exposure.

5. Occupants are represented by a union that is well informed on Mould remediation issues and they have environmental experts to assist them.

6. Sensitized workers have presented to their employer independent medical evidence of illnesses related to their time spent in the structure.

7. Previous inspections have identified visual fungal contamination in areas already remediated and air sample results indicate contamination from sources inside the building.

Incompetent Evaluation

The first clue of problems came when the building owner hired investigators involved in the building’s previous evaluations. This seemed positive since the inspectors would be aware of the historical challenges in the building. However, this set of investigators proved ignorant about Mould and basic building function as their previous reports showed remarkably inane statements (ibid).

The inspectors’ incompetence was reinforced by their decision to evaluate the extent of the Mould in wall cavities by cutting out large sections of gypsum wallboard despite the risk of cross contamination these activities presented unless substantial engineering controls were in place. The investigators, in their earlier report, had downplayed the finding Stachybotrys in building air samples by explaining that “the disturbance of wall panels during the inspection was the likely source of those toxigenic spores.”

The inspectors ignored a sampling strategy submitted by the union, which included the use of a Mould remediation contractor to isolate areas of drywall that would be disturbed and keep the immediate areas under negative pressure. Incredibly, no engineering controls such as isolation barriers were used to minimize exposure to Mould-contaminated materials. This decision was made despite clear guidance in multiple documents that contribute to the Mould remediation industry’s standard of care.

The investigators also ignored stipulations of the American Industrial Hygiene Association; the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification; the Radioimmunoassay; the Health Canada Fungal Contamination in Public Buildings guide and the U.S. industry guidance documents in which they would have found industry protocols for the use of advanced scientific tools. There were numerous other flagrant violations of protocol which put not only the occupants at grave risk of Mould Diseases but themselves as well, in that they never once wore mandatory protective gear (ibid).

Moisture and Mould Prevention and Control Tips

The points infra have been dealt with individually and have been put together as an aide memoire, culled from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency.

Ø  When water leaks or spills occur indoors - ACT QUICKLY.  If wet or damp materials or areas are dried 24-48 hours after a leak or spill happens, in most cases Mould will not grow.

Ø  Clean and repair roof gutters regularly.

Ø  Make sure the ground slopes away from the building foundation, so that water does not enter or collect around the foundation.

Ø  Keep air conditioning drip pans clean and the drain lines unobstructed and flowing properly   

Ø  Keep indoor humidity low, below 55 percent (ideally between 30 and 50 percent) relative humidity. Relative humidity can be measured with a moisture or humidity meter, a small, inexpensive ($10-$50) instrument available at many hardware stores.

Ø  If you see condensation or moisture collecting on windows, walls or pipes Act Quickly to dry the wet surface and reduce the moisture/water source.  Condensation can be a sign of high humidity.

Actions That Will Help to Reduce Humidity

Ø  Vent appliances that produce moisture, such as clothes dryers, stoves, and kerosene heaters to the outside where possible.

Ø  Use air conditioners and/or de-humidifiers when needed.

Ø  Run the bathroom fan or open the window when showering.  Use exhaust fans or open windows whenever cooking, running the dishwasher or dishwashing, etc.

Ø  Allow sunlight in to prevent Mould, which thrives in the dark.