My Detoxing Journey

WHY DO I WRITE ABOUT TOXIC mold? After all, we left our moldy home over twenty years ago.

I write to raise awareness.

I write to support those facing toxic mold today.

And I write to document how difficult it was to recover my health and wellness after our experience.

My mold symptoms disappeared when we left the moldy house twenty years ago. I didn’t have brain fog, difficulty breathing, or earaches. I thought we’d survived unscathed. (Yes, I was exhausted. Yes, my thyroid was wrecked. But unscathed besides that.)

Then I wondered if my excessive sweating was related to mold exposure. I only sweat during exercise, but much more than others. (After my morning run Wayne often asked me if it was raining outside — I was always dripping wet.) In 2022 I began working with a functional medicine nutritionist to determine if mold exposure was a factor.

It was good I finally checked.

My Mycotoxin Profile showed very high levels of Ochratoxin A, a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium molds (both found in our moldy house). Ochratoxin A can lead to kidney disease and adverse neurological effects. Ochratoxin A is tied to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

I immediately began a detoxing program.

When I retested in 2023, my Ochratoxin A results were even higher. My nutritionist assured me the protocol was working since more mold was uncovered. However, I was so discouraged I stopped treatment.

I began wondering about those test results a few months ago. I wrote MOLDed to focus attention on toxic mold contamination and certainly didn’t want to ignore mold’s impact on my health.

I scheduled an appointment with a functional medicine doctor and completed a urine mycotoxin test. I’m waiting for those test results now.

I eat whole foods (many from our garden), exercise (and sweat!!) daily, and am a huge fan of massage. We left the mold over twenty years ago. Maybe my healthy lifestyle has been enough to improve my mold test results.

Whether my results end up being higher or lower, I plan to increase my detoxing efforts. I want to do what I can to remove oxidative damage from my brain and body.

11-14-2024