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Catherine

Dave Asprey, “Moldy”, The Movie, and Lessons on How to be Bulletproof

by Catherine 11:59 am

Dave Asprey is the creator of Bulletproof Coffee and has recently released a movie about the dangers of mold that is particularly pertinent to this blog.

Dave Asprey is the creator of Bulletproof Coffee and has recently released a movie about the dangers of living in mold toxicity that is particularly pertinent to this blog.

We all would like to improve some aspect of ourselves, be it our bodies through weight loss or increased strength, flexibility, endurance, our health through better diet and supplementation, our family lives by carving out more time for those we love, our work lives through better sleep and more focus, I could go on and on. Dave Asprey felt the same way, but instead of just doing something small, or hoping for change, he embarked upon a personal journey, spending over $300,000 , and 2 decades of his life experimenting with science, diet, pharmaceuticals, physiology, spirituality and all things in between, to hack his own biology. In doing so, he feels he figured out how to make his body and mind perform at the optimum levels for the highest quality of life in every arena ALL THE TIME. In a sense, Dave Asprey wanted to make himself Bulletproof. The kicker is that he, and many other highly-touted professionals in the health and wellness industries, feel that he has succeeded.

Asprey is now hoping to impart his knowledge to others seeking the same high-quality of life through his businesses, like, Bulletproof Coffee, his #1 health podcast, Bulletproof Radio, and his New York Times bestselling book, The Bulletproof Diet. Through these platforms, Dave, according to website bio, “provides information, techniques and keys to taking control of and improving your biochemistry, your body and your mind so they work in unison, helping you execute at levels far beyond what you’d expect, without burning out, getting sick, or allowing stress to control your decisions.”

The piece of Dave Asprey’s puzzle that I am most interested in, and the one that I wanted to bring to my readers, is the mold piece. You see, Dave grew up in a toxic environment: his home and bedroom had visible black mold. His parents did not know the potential health dangers of living in such an environment. While living in that home, Dave became overweight, and developed chronic illnesses like asthma, rashes, unexplained bruises, shortness of breath, behavioral problems, fatigue, anger, brain fog, the list could actually go on.

Dave was an extremely intelligent child, but his body was a mess. His health issues persisted into his teens and adult life, to the point that he had exhausted all conventional medical avenues, tried every type of weight loss phenomenon, and still couldn’t get his life and health on track. Exhausted and frustrated, he began really sectioning together the environmental puzzle piece. He had seen positive health changes in small parts of his life when he was in less toxic environments and then, extremely negative health slides when he reentered moldy spaces and homes. Realizing the detrimental effects of mold on the body and mind and realizing that eliminating his fungal/mold issues led to almost instant positive change in his health, he made the conscious decision to eradicate mold from his life.

Dave has now helped to create and produce a movie called Moldy. Here is a link to an in-depth interview with Dave about his history with mold and his passions behind bringing his knowledge of cleaning mold from your environment and life to the forefront. You can decide from there whether or not to purchase the streaming or DVD version of the movie. I have watched the entire movie and feel even more energized and fervent about my purpose and what I am trying to do with this blog.

Now for my two cents: If you are living in a moldy home or spend time in any moldy environment, whether you and your family members are the 1 out of 3 people who are allergic to mold and its mycotoxins or not, you are not performing at your optimum potential. Science has shown that ANYONE living in a mold-infested environment is dulled—lower brain function, anxiety, etc.

Here I want to add my own little caveat when it comes to the kind of mold Dave Asprey’s movie addresses, versus the kind my blog tackles: while the movie focuses on the sneakiness and debilitating effects of mold, my blog is focused on eradicating mold that develops in the everyday identification and upkeep of your environment. Major mold manifestations still require professionals due to capabilities and personal safety. Cleaning up serious mold manifestation can be dangerous without proper training, equipment, and safety requirements. Thank you. That’s all for the public service portion of this blog entry…

I want to live my very best life, and I want the same for those I love. That, to me, is what makes cleaning your home and living environments for mold so important. Mold is something that I think we should all be very weary of and concerned about. If I can help with some very simple steps and protocols to make your life “cleaner” and better, then I want to do that.

If you decide to watch Dave’s interview, or go on to watch the movie, I would love to hear from you. Your thoughts, needs, and opinions will help to drive this blog, so please, comment away!

11:59 am 0 comment

Deciding What to Do With Belongings That Have Been Exposed to Mold

by Catherine 2:04 pm

Deciding what to do with belongings that have been exposed to mold can be a daunting task. This recent article from the Sinusitis Wellness blog tackles the difficult decision and offers tips to help. This article addresses the issues, both sentimental and financial, that are at play when you have to chose between your health and your stuff.

While I try to address cleaning for mold from every angle that I can think of on my blog, additional perspectives are always helpful. At the end of the day, the most important thing is your health. In my opinion, holding onto a personal possession doesn’t seem as important when you think about it that way.

Because I have family members who have been so negatively affected by mold and poisonous mycotoxins (Mycotoxins are microscopic drops of oils produced in 10% of all molds), I’m no longer afraid to just throw things out that I feel are too contaminated to be a part of our home. I do realize, though, that many of my readers are not at that point yet. I also realize that there are things that contain sentimental, if not monetary value, that are very hard to part with. If that is the case, this article is definitely for you….and so is this blog!

I hope you will continue reading and help me to build a dialogue that helps you and others who are also struggling with mold sensitivities.

2:04 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home

Wait! Don’t Get Rid of Those Stuffed Animals! How to Clean Them for Mold

by Catherine 2:07 pm

My daughter has rest time at school every day, and she insists upon taking her small stuffed penguin to nap with her. I’m happy that she wants her little comfort object with her, but I get concerned about “Mr. Ice Cube,” bringing home mold and bacteria from the Kindergarten classroom.

I decided to tackle the problem head-on and to develop a de-odorizing, de-molding, and antibacterial cleaning procedure that would make Ice Cube a welcome member of our family once more.

I have it easy with Ice Cube, because he is washable. Cleaning bacteria and mold from stuffed toys that are not washable is a bit more difficult, but can be done.

2:07 pm 0 comment

Mold in the News

Mold in the News: Ambulance Station Being Demolished Due to Mold

by Catherine 1:35 pm

Today, I’m bringing a news piece to you to show how important it is to speak up, if your working environment seems to be negatively affecting your health.

In Ozark County, MO, a very busy ambulance station is being demolished, because of toxic mold. Here is a link to the full article.

When many of the workers began getting sick while on their shifts at the station–nose bleeds, running noses, watery eyes, the facility was investigated by a hazmat team. The team found nine different types of mold in the station–most of it located in or near the area where the medics slept while on their shifts. It is notable that the medics interviewed ONLY claimed to feel sick WHILE at work in the toxic building.

The most interesting part of this article, in my opinion, is the fact that the building is going to be demolished, rather than fixed. Demolition and rebuilding is actually seen as the cheaper, safer alternative to remediation. This tells me that the folks in charge realize the dangers and expense involved in eradicating mold when it has gotten this bad. Toxic mold is no joke. When it becomes prevalent, with spores being release through HVAC units and moisture levels that are off the charts, it is probably the wiser decision to leave, or in this case, demolish that living environment.

My blog is mostly directed to people whose home is not toxic and who want the skills and advice on how to keep it that way. This article is extremely important to read, though, because it imparts information that shows that mold is going more mainstream, and people are understanding how detrimental it can be to health.

I would love to hear from anyone who had to have their work environment investigated or tested for mold. Did you get sick while at work? Do you have any lasting effects from working in a moldy environment? What did you do about it?

1:35 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home

How to Clean and Prevent Mold Growth in Your Bathroom After a Toilet Leak or Overflow

by Catherine 2:23 pm

A leaking or overflowing toilet is a household calamity that can initiate the perfect environment for mold incubation and growth. Most people react by resolving the clog, and thoroughly cleaning and mopping the floors all around the toilet and bathroom—anywhere the overflow water touched. Areas that may be overlooked are the baseboards behind and/or to either side of the toilet, that also come into contact with the dirty water. Because the baseboards are made of porous, natural material—usually wood—they tend to absorb the water and become Petri dishes for mold and bacteria.

Mopping areas where the bacteria-laden water spilled is a good first line of defense.

2:23 pm 0 comment

Healthy Home Personal Stories Products

Magical Manuka/Tea Tree Oil

by Catherine 3:30 pm

While in New Zealand for graduate school, I was introduced to an essential oil that 3 years later would cure Candida patches on my husband’s skin. Manuka oil is used in New Zealand for just about everything. We call it tea tree oil here in the States.

Manuka oil is antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and suitable for sensitive skin. The honey from the Manuka tree is even used to treat mouth sores, sore throats, and thrush. The key difference is the absence of Manuka oil in all-natural household cleaning and disinfecting products. It is much gentler, less reactive oil, and is usually used more for skincare and topical applications.

Manuka oil, unlike typical tea tree oil has been proven effective in fighting gram-positive bacteria, think staph, strep, anthrax and MRSA. Let’s just say, the stuff is not fooling around. Also, your body never develops a resistance to it, so it will work and continue to work for a prolonged period of time.

3:30 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Mold Prevention Products

EC3 Laundry Additive: A Product that Works with a Fragrance I Love

by Catherine 5:41 pm

Fragrance is a huge thing for me. It has actually been one of the hardest things to let go of when going non-toxic and natural in our home. I miss the lovely floral, fresh linen and ocean breeze scents of some of the old cleaning products I used to use. Most of those smells in store-bought cleaning products are from chemical and synthetic sources, though, so they are no longer an option for my family.

Now that I am making a huge effort to combat mold, in addition to removing toxins from our cleaning products, I am in an even harder position. Those “clean” smells that most people are used to in their laundry, are not a choice for me. In fact, most of those fragrances actually permeate your clothes and can be hard to remove. The perfumes can also seal in bacteria, making biological odors, like body and food odors difficult to remove. So, even though your laundry is fragranced with “fresh linen,” it is, in fact, full of biological odors. That’s pretty gross, right?!!

It is also notable that, because many fragrance compounds are considered “trade secrets” in the fragrance industry, companies are not required to display the list of what comprises the scent on the packaging. For example, on the back of a Crystal Rain-scented Windex bottle, the list of ingredients reads as follows: Water, cleaning agents, carriers, wetting agent, pH adjuster, fragrance, dyes, SCJ formula #35 17344. What? Does that tell you anything about what is in the product? Not me. I have less understanding than before I read it!

After concerns started to arise about these chemicals and how much was unknown about them, in 2008, the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) issued a master list of over 3,100 known chemicals that are used by the fragrance industry. Among those on the list are carcinogens, hormone disruptors like galaxolide and tonalide (both synthetic musks), the phthalates diethyl phthalate (DEP) and di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), which have been shown to cause reproductive and developmental harm in laboratory animals, and are linked to similar impacts in humans, and disinfectants, like triclosan and ammonium quaternary compounds, which might contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant germs, interfere with hormone regulation, or be harmful to the immune system. Not surprisingly, numerous allergens are also included in the list. That list alone is enough to terrify me. Unfortunately, there is no data provided on how commonly these chemicals are used, by what amount, or even by type of fragranced product. That’s even scarier to me.

5:41 pm 0 comment

Healthy Home Mold Prevention Products

Cork Flooring: The Mold-Resistant Choice for my Family

by Catherine 4:35 pm

We need flooring. We are finishing a part of the basement, and it’s time to decide what to do about the floors. My fears about flooring, carpet especially, all stem from the mold and chemical sensitivities of my husband and son. Of course, I worry about dust and other allergens, toxic glues, dyes, fabrics, and mold, but add to that the idea of putting it in the basement, and I become totally overwhelmed. Mostly, I worry about mold down there, because it is darker, danker and usually quite a bit colder than the rest of our home. I don’t have to contend with it much now, because it is unfinished space, and we just store things down there, but once it is finished, the kids will want to be down there, and I want it to be safe, usable space.

Because we haven’t decided exactly how to condition the space, I started to really look into flooring materials and options that can withstand humidity, and will not be cesspools for mold. That is when I discovered cork flooring.

Cork tree

4:35 pm 0 comment

Interviews Personal Stories

How To Eat, Pray and Get Well

by Catherine 4:41 pm

Erin Porter is inspiring. She is the founder of EatPrayGetWell, a blog she started to combine her passions for the healing powers of proper diet and good food, photography, and prayer, with her personal triumph over chronic disease caused by mold.

Erin battled with chronic disease for over 25 years, enduring several unnecessary surgeries, and over 100 courses of antibiotics, and has dedicated her life to encouraging people to find out the root cause of their illness. Erin also teaches people how to eat a healthy diet to promote healing. Eat, Pray, Get Well not only includes recipes and health tips, but most recipes come with an encouraging or positive story. In her own words, Erin says, “I am interested in helping people heal not just physically but emotionally as well.”

A longer version of her story can be found here on her website.

An integral part of Erin’s journey to health occurred when she found Doug Kaufmann’s television program Know the Cause. The program forced her to look at her living environments and diet as sources of her chronic illness–Erin had lived in moldy environments and was addicted to sugar at the time. She had never considered fungus as a possible culprit for her sinus infections. Once she made the “fungus link,” the discovery was life changing.

The now healthy, happy, and vibrant Erin Porter shares her knowledge of food and its power to heal on her blog EatPrayGetWell.

Thankfully, armed with this new information, Erin found a ENT who understood fungal sinusitis, completed Phase 1 of Doug Kaufmann’s recommend diet (then eventually phase II), and incorporated anti-fungals into her routine. Her world transformed!

Recently, Erin was able to meet Doug Kaufmann and to appear on his show. Here is a link to the podcast from that interview.

I hope you find it both inspirational and informative. I would also recommend checking out Erin’s blog and the Know the Cause website. For those of us concerned with mold, both are wonderful resources.

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4:41 pm 0 comment

Mold in the News Mold Prevention Uncategorized

The Hidden Dangers of Fungi

by Catherine 3:57 am

The most common organism implicated in fungal infections is Candida. Photo: Ed Uthman

Sports Nutritionist Craig Burton recently wrote a powerful article in The Phuket Gazette about the hidden dangers of fungal overgrowth in the body.

While Candida overgrowth and its causes were rare in decades past, Burton links the prevalence of ailments associated with Candida to our overuse of pharmaceuticals–namely antibiotics–to moldy living environments, and to excessive sugar in our diets.

It is an great read and very informative. Most insightful to those of use looking to make a lifestyle change, in terms of diet, to get rid of Candida in the gut, is his description of the toxins produced when the fungi begin to die off. They release poison as they die and can give people “symptoms like nausea, headaches, colds, flu, mood swings, depression and joint/muscular pain.” Thus, sticking with the detox through these symptoms is difficult, but must be done to overcome the Candida.

I hope you read the article and gain some new insights of your own.

Are you on a Candida diet? If so, did it or is it working for you? Did you experience any negative side effects? I definitely did when I came off of sugar. I would love to hear from you about tips or tricks to sticking to it.

3:57 am 0 comment