09/28/2024
Did you know that September is Mold Awareness Month? As we are in the moldy season of fall and winter let’s learn a little about mold.
The goal is to inform, educate, and raise awareness about the adverse health effects due to exposure to indoor molds and mycotoxins.
Mold issues are a growing concern and have to be taken very seriously. Symptoms can be widespread, chronic, and often challenging to treat.
Fortunately, there are also some great options to help you overcome mold illness and even mold allergies abs sensitivities.
So, let’s start with the basics…what is mold?
Mold is a type of fungi.
There are over 100,000 mold species that have been identified (sheesh, that’s a lot!)
Mold can grow and thrive under a variety of conditions. It especially loves any warm, damp, and moist areas.
Some species of mold particularly love growing in an indoor environment - hiding in your bathroom, behind wallpaper, under carpeting, in crawl spaces, in damp basements, or in the kitchen.
Completely escaping mold is impossible. However, reducing your mold exposure and treating potential mold toxicity is more important, and is possible!
While mold does have some benefits - think soy sauce, some cheeses, and medicines/antibiotics, it can also cause serious health issues.
So why exactly is mold a problem?
Well, mold produces mycotoxins - toxic compounds that are produced by certain types of fungi, and the root cause behind most mold-related issues.
Mold creates mycotoxins to compete against other molds.
One of the major issues with mycotoxins is that they can spread far and wide very quickly. A small damp spot in the corner of your bathtub allows mold to grow and like a match to dry tinder, the mold’s microscopic spores and mycotoxins can spread. Before you know it, you may have a mold problem all over your bathroom or other areas of your home, despite starting with one minimal issue.
The fact that mold mycotoxins are so tiny that you can’t even see them is even more alarming. Mycotoxins move through your indoor air without your awareness. You can breathe them in unknowingly, ending up with a myriad of health issues including becoming allergic to it. So not only are we exposed to it, but then we become hypersensitive to the smallest amount of it!
Mold and fungi mycotoxin exposure may lead to:
~ Allergy or hypersensitivity (IgE, IgG) reactions
~ Increased susceptibility to infections, like Lyme disease
~ Mycotoxicoses or mycotoxin illness
~ Alimentary toxic aleukia
~ Environmental enteropathy
~ Environmentally acquired illness
~ Chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS)
~ Systemic fungal infections
~ Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)
~ And many other health issues!
Allergy Breakthrough Center we test your body to see if there’s mycotoxins actually in your body driving symptoms & acute or chronic illness. We all test to see if you’ve become allergic or super sensitive to the smallest amounts.
Dr. Christine Garvey, DC is here to help with safe, easy and very effective care for the entire family.
Allergybreakthroughcenter.com
Reach out to get your free 10 minute consult with Dr. Garvey to see if she may be able to help your family.