Dealing with Mold Toxicity: Symptoms and Initial Steps

If you're feeling off with lots of seemingly unrelated symptoms and can't quite pinpoint why, mold toxicity might be worth considering. This was the case for me - here I’ll share my experience with mold toxicity so far, and what I have done to help with symptoms and ultimately (hopefully) eliminate mold and other mycotoxins in my body.

I hope this post will be helpful for you, whether you’re after solutions, support, or are reading this simply out of curiosity.

Beginning of the Journey: Recognizing the Symptoms

The journey starts about 8 years ago, when I first started getting IBS symptoms. Mostly I was and have been struggling with chronic constipation since then, and a bunch of other issues that I am confident are related to my gut issues. Irregular periods (and non-existent ones for many years), skin outbreaks every now and then (not full-blown acne, but little bumps and pimples at random times), low blood pressure, needing to pee all the time, itchy eyes, occasional brain fog, lack of energy, … One of the most challenging parts became dealing with swollen, painful joints, especially my big toe and little finger. 

Nothing I’ve tried over the years helped - it’s truly been a rollercoaster of trying all sorts of supplements, lifestyle changes, and diets - cycle syncing (eating certain foods at certain times of the month based on my cycle), vegetarian, vegan, keto, unrestricted eating, Paleo, AIP - you name it, I've tried it. I’ve researched and researched… I learnt more than I ever thought possible about nutrition and health when I studied to become a health coach. But none of that knowledge or experimenting fixed my gut issues, joint pain, etc.

I’ve gotten closer to finding a “diet”, lifestyle and mental attitude that works for me by trying all of these different approaches, but none of them really fixed my problems.

Overwhelm and Seeking Help

At some point around the beginning of last year, I got tired of it all. I was over it. I was overwhelmed, tired of self-experimentation, and the constant stress of finding a solution. That stress wasn't helping either. So, I decided to reach out to a Functional Nutritionist with training in functional lab testing and natural approaches to gut health, specifically constipation.

Here’s my story of what has happened so far, what I have been doing to get better, what’s worked and what hasn’t, and what may lie ahead…

Clarity: Mold Toxicity

With my practitioner’s support and guidance, I began to find some clarity around my symptoms. We did some testing, which came back with yeast/Candida, a medium amount of SIBO, and a bunch of other issues. The symptoms and results were pointing towards mold toxicity, e.g. very low diversity of beneficial gut bacteria (even though I’ve been eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits for a long time, and not been on antibiotics in years).

Oxalates

I didn’t start on a low oxalate diet right away, but after taking another lab test to confirm our mold suspicions, we decided that this was likely a helpful step. Oxalates are compounds found in many healthy foods, yet in excess they can be problematic, especially for someone dealing with mold toxicity or a compromised gut. Mold can disrupt the body's ability to process these compounds effectively, leading to various symptoms, such as joint pain and many other issues that might seem random and unrelated.

Initial Steps Towards Healing

Home Environment Audit: Although I didn’t invest any money in this, I still became a lot more mindful of potential mold around me, and any mold exposure I might have had in the past. It’s so important to get out of a moldy environment in order to heal. I can’t be 100% sure that I’m not exposed to any mold in my current home, but I’m being mindful and supporting my body in other ways until we’re in a position to move again.

Dietary Adjustments: I shifted towards a Low Oxalate Paleo diet, focusing on foods that support my healing while being mindful of oxalate levels.

Supplement Strategy: I’ve incorporated specific supplements, including antimicrobials that are powerful at killing mold toxins, a B-Complex, a biofilm disruptor, biotoxin binder, liver support, etc. to help my body detoxify effectively.

Stress Management and Sleep: This is about recognizing the impact of stress, and finding ways to manage and keep it in check to support my overall well-being. Sleep has also been super important in supporting the body to heal.

Lifestyle Approach: Detoxing and sweating out toxins has been a regular part of my protocol, e.g. going to the sauna at least three times a week (infrared sauna would be even better). I also listen to my body in terms of exercise and try not to overdo it. Healing is hard work. 

Regular Monitoring and Adjustment: Health is not a static goal, it’s an ongoing, dynamic journey. I have regular check-ins with my practitioner and we adjust approaches as needed, which has been crucial.

Looking Ahead

I’m sure I’ll be on this gut and health healing journey for another while. I’ll update and add new blog posts as I go and learn. If you're dealing with similar health challenges, feel free to reach out. 

If you’ve been dealing with health challenges for a long time and are starting to feel overwhelmed and at a point where you’re ready to move on, make changes, and get better, I encourage you to get in touch with a practitioner that you feel comfortable with! It’s made a big difference for me, just in terms of stress levels, and being able to focus some of my brain energy and mental efforts on other things. It feels like a relief (even with the health issues still there)! I wish that for you too.