Have you noticed changes to your health that you cannot explain? Not feeling like yourself? Are you sensitive to chemical smells? Are you tired often and prone to headaches? Have you ever lived in or visited a water-damaged home? Have you noticed a musty odor or damp areas in your home or workplace? While there is no one symptom in common for all mold-exposed patients, there is a common thread of undesired changes to vitality and sense of well-being. Mold is an opportunistic event involving the perfect storm of fungus, dust, and moisture to assault your health. Our modern world with easy-to-degrade building materials creates the ideal incubator for mold to grow in your home or office.
Allergy and irritation are the most common symptoms of mold exposure. Less common effects of mold exposure include infections and illness. Illness has been reported from both home and workplace exposures to mold. Although symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms seen in people exposed to mold indoors include fatigue, headaches, nasal and sinus congestion, eye irritations, wheezing cough and throat irritation, skin irritations, and rashes. But there are other common issues that are often missed, which can indicate a toxic burden of mold exposure. Memory lapses, cognitive decline, and emotional changes with increased levels of anxiety, depression, and irritability are often overlooked. The difficulty in tracking the multisystem effects of mold exposure is that no two patient reactions are the same. People living in the same house can have variable reactions, from mild to severe, depending on multiple variables, such as individual health, genetics, and comorbidities. Exposure over time causes health changes that can be life-changing for some and can lead to auto-immune disease for some and even cancer for others.
How do you know if you have a mold toxicity issue? Testing for mycotoxins is relatively simple as the toxic burden is stored in fat stores, and a simple urine test can reveal elevated mycotoxins. Consider being tested if you have had any water damage to the spaces where you live and/or work. Testing your home or workplace for mold is often recommended once a mycotoxin burden is discovered.
Dr. Annette Hobi, NMD
Dr. Hobi is a graduate of SCNM/Sonoran University of Health Sciences and has a private practice in Tempe at Regen 33 Optimal Health Clinic. She sees patients virtually from coast to coast for issues related to mold exposure, toxic burden, and related detoxification of mycotoxins to restore health and vitality.