Re: mold help me please

It is fortunate you were not in the apartment for a very long period of time. How long were you actually in the apartment? Although you were in the apartment for a RELATIVELY short period of time, there are several other aspects to consider. What type of mold and the concentration levels can make a relatively short exposure into a severe one.

Another factor which comes into play is the level of mold and other fungi already accumulated inside your body prior to moving into the apartment. The human body has difficulty ridding mold from the mucous membranes located throughout your body. So, if the additional mold entering the body exceeds the body's ability to clean the mold and other fungi from your body, the level of mold and other fungi increases accordingly. They feed on sugar carbohydrates to grow inside you. If you have experienced a yeast infection, this is a common manifistation of the fungi accumulating to a level which puts the fungal/bacterial balance out of wack.

Another thing which upsets the fungal/bacterial balance is antibiotics. Most are mold based, penicillin is made from the mold penicillium, etc. Even if it is one of the few antibiotics not made from mold, it's purpose is to kill off all the bacteria, even the good ones required by the body, in order to function properly. By killing off all the good bacteria, the mold fungi are given free reign to wreak havoc throughout your body. Fungi and bacteria need to be kept in balance.

If bacteria become significantly stronger, a bacterial infection manifests itself. If fungi become significantly stronger, a fungal infection manifests itself. Bacterial infections and fungal infections are very similar in characteristics. And since most doctors receive very little training in mycology during middle school, fungal infections are very often mis-diagnosed as bacterial infections. The only way to be sure is to have them accurately tested. Unfortunately the tests sometimes come back wrong. If a patient, such as yourself, who has had a toxic mold exposure is given antibiotics, it upsets the bacterial/fungal balance even further. It is like being given a concentrated dose of mold, when you already have way too much in your body.

One night I was watching the news. They had a story about a family in Salem, Oregon, who was in the middle of a toxic mold exposure. They were all given antibiotics. The infant ended up on a heart/lung machine. This lack of understanding how toxic mold affects the human body verges on negligence.

When I was in the middle of my own toxic mold exposure, I was given antibiotics by my regular doctor. He was a very good doctor. He was the head professor of family medicine. I would still go back to him today for a surgery if I needed one. But, he, like most doctors, DO NOT UNDERSTAND how toxic mold affects the human body. In fact there are very few doctors in the whole United States who truly understand the effects of toxic molds on the human body.

When I was given antibiotics during my toxic mold exposure, I went downhill so fast I was not sure I was going to make it through the coming year. It got to where I could not walk across the living room floor, without tripping over my own feet all the way across, unless I focussed on my walking. If a person interrupted me in the middle of a sentence, I could not remember what I was saying. I could not pull words and names I had known for years out of my memory.The list goes on.

We also accumulate mold from drugs, like birth control pills, and many foods. Anything fermented is molded. Alcohol is made by aging, fermenting, molding grains and fruits into beers and wines. It is like drinking a glass of mold. One needs to reduce intake of mold from the air and foods. Take probiotics such as yogurt and acidophilus to bring the body back into bacterial/fungal balance. Then these elevated levels of bacteria and fungi need to both be reduced to lower levels at the same time, keeping them in balance along the way. This can be done with detoxification methods. My favorite is chlorophyllin/chlorophyll. Mold does not like chlorophyll. Eat lots of green vegetables.

Back to the apartment. While there, all your possessions, your clothes, your body, your hair, were all contaminated with mold and the mycotoxins they produce. If you did not decontaminate them on the way to your new home, you took them with you. If this is the case, your new home and all your possessions need to be decontaminated of the mold spores and mycotoxins.

Using ozone on high setting for 72 hours can kill a lot of it. You can not be in home during process. Ozone.ca is a good source to buy one. Dave the owner is passionate on helping mold exposure situations. Or you can usually rent one locally. Infrared can also be used. There are some new thiungs coming on the market. Even if you kill them, you still need to capture them out of your breathing environment. The best way to do this is with an aircleaner with a HEPA filter, and a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Don't need a fancy air cleaner with a lot of bells and whistles. Just make sure it is a true HEPA. A good one for the money is the Honeywell 17000. Runs about $140 at your local Home Depot. Don't have to replace the HEPA filter. Just vacuum it out periodically.

It's all about reduction. Reduce intake of any additional mold or mycotoxins. Reduce the level of them in your body. I welcome emails to answer questions and give guidance. I have been researching all this for the past 7 years, in order to get my good health back, and shortcut the journey back to good health for others experiencing toxic mold exposures.