You eat all the right food, you exercise regularly, you switched all your personal care and cleaning products to non-toxic options, and you take plenty of time for self-care. So why are you still experiencing unexplainable symptoms?

Despite all your best efforts, you still feel fatigued, anxious, and depressed. Your migraines are still frequent, your muscles ache, and you’re starting to suspect arthritis with as bad as your joints have been feeling lately. Worst of all, you just can’t think straight. You’re constantly in a fog, forgetting why you walked into a room or struggling to think of the word you need.

What’s going on with your body? Why do you still feel unwell even though you seem to be doing everything right?

The answer could involve your house.

The (Semi)Invisible Health Destroyer

Many mold-related illnesses are misdiagnosed because it’s so good at hiding in the home. While there’s no way of knowing an exact number, it’s estimated that around 70% of homes previously had or currently do have mold in them. That number only reflects houses. It doesn’t take into account public buildings, schools, or offices.

Mold consists of several types of fungi that grow in moist, usually warmer environments with little ventilation. The mold can spread quickly, no thanks to its air-borne spores. Once inhaled or ingested, these spores create mycotoxins in your body, triggering an immune response.

Chances are, whether you can see and/or smell the mold or not, you’ve been exposed to mold, and likely you’re getting the exposure daily.

Mold can hide under sinks, in walls, grout, floors, attics, basements, pipes, air conditioning units, refrigerators, and any surface that could become damp and go unnoticed. It doesn’t take long for mold to grow and spread throughout your home.

Mold often doesn’t have a smell, so it is possible to be living in a moldy environment and not even know it.

One of my colleagues had tons of unexplained health issues for years. It wasn’t until she pulled up her living roof carpet and found two inches of mold growing that she realized why she was so sick! It makes sense if you think about it. How often do you sit or even lie down on your carpet to hang out or watch TV? She had been in CLOSE contact with it regularly and had no idea how sick it was making her.

Because mold is so common and can go undetected for so long, it’s vital to get your home professionally tested for mold and then remediated by professionals.

But how is mold making you sick, and why is it so dangerous?

The Effect Mold Has On Your Body

Some people have immediate reactions to mold. They get red, puffy eyes, a runny nose, and sore throat any time they are near mold. The symptoms are more subtle for others, and they might not immediately attribute them to mold.

Whether or not you have an “allergic reaction” to mold, it is still harmful for you to ingest or inhale it. Your body will recognize it as a foreign invader, and you’ll have an immune response.

You may get a headache or recurring migraine, develop food sensitivities, feel fatigued, achy, or inexplicably anxious. All these symptoms signify that your immune system is working hard against the invaders.

Some people might not notice a change in their health after mold exposure, while others are more susceptible.

Common combined symptoms associated with mold exposure include:

If you have been on a healing journey for some time, chances are you will notice more of a mold sensitivity, including the above symptoms. That’s because your body can only handle so much internal and environmental stress.

Your body can only function with so much toxicity in its system, and mold adds to the overall burden on your immune system and detox pathways.

When your body can’t detox well, the mycotoxins can be recycled back into your system, causing even more buildup, especially if the source hasn’t been removed.

Like other toxins you’ve eliminated from your daily life, such as unfiltered water, or harsh chemicals in products, you will need to end your mold exposure and then detox from it if you want to feel better.

Even if you no longer live in a moldy environment, you may continue to have symptoms. It’s not uncommon for some women to exhibit signs of mold illness because of previous mold exposure. Usually, this is because the toxic overload is too much for their bodies, and they have trouble expelling these toxins. So working on minimizing toxin exposure and supporting your body to eliminate those toxins is essential to feeling better.

The Importance of Professionally Testing For Mold

The first step in relieving mold-related symptoms is to verify that you’ve been exposed to mold. The organic acids test (OAT) I run with my clients is the perfect tool for identifying any underlying mold issues.

Of course, I always recommend testing your hormones, gut health, and mineral status to get a complete picture of what’s going on in your body, but if you suspect mold, that’s a great place to start.

If you do come back with either current or previous mold exposure, we have a targeted approach we can take to eliminate the mycotoxins that are in your body. This will reduce inflammation and help alleviate those symptoms that just haven’t gone away once and for all.

It may also be beneficial to test your home for current mold. For the most accurate results, I suggest getting it tested by a company independent from a mold remediation company. Then you can make an educated decision about what to do next.

If you notice mold in your home, don’t be tempted to try to kill it yourself with bleach. Bleach only turns mold white, so you can’t see it anymore. It doesn’t kill it. The mold is still there along with its harmful effects, but now it’s invisible. You never want to fight an invisible enemy. Plus, you’re just exposing yourself to more harmful toxins in cleaning products.

You can prevent mold from growing in your home by using a dehumidifier if you live in a humid climate, cleaning up leaks and spills immediately, and by regularly checking under sinks or around window seals for mold. Every few years or so, it’s worth having your home retested for mold since you might not always see or smell it.

Recovering From Mold Exposure

If you’ve tried everything else but still don’t feel your best, mold might be a contributing factor to your health issues. To learn more about the organic acids test (OAT) and the insight it can give you into your health, book a free call with me!

On this call, we’ll get clear on:

• what health issues you’re currently dealing with
• what your journey has been to address these issues
• and your health goals – where you’d ultimately like to end up

I can share with you what I think are the missing links in your journey up until this point and what I recommend to do to address them. If I feel like it’s something I can help with, then I can share what that process would look like in the Root Cause Method 1-1 coaching & lab testing program.