Tag:

mold toxicity

MARCoNs: Is a Ubiquitous Sinus Infection Worth Treating?

by Catherine 8:28 pm

MARCoNS Treatment for Mold Illness Recovery:

Explaining the Infection and Looking at Its Connection to Environmental Mold

I am often asked if I tested positive for Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Coagulase Negative Staphylococci, or MARCoNs, when I had mold toxicity. (Note: MARCoNs is a staph infection that resides deep in the noses of 80% of people suffering from mold illness and other chronic inflammatory illnesses that is resistant to multiple antibiotics and is protected by biofilm.) People also are curious about my knowledge of effective MARCoNs treatment. Those especially interested are mold sufferers who no longer believe they are being exposed to mold and for whom serious inflammation is continuing, despite multiple and often elaborate interventions. Once diagnosed, MARCoNs can be such a difficult condition to effectively treat, that sufferers are desperate for tips and solutions. Many have even been told that it is what is preventing their full recovery.

The truth is, I was never specifically tested or medically treated for MARCoNs as part of my mold toxicity protocol. As I have shared before, chronic sinus symptoms were definitely a problem for me—facial pain and swelling, headaches, tooth pain, swollen nasal passages, sinus pressure, sinus drainage, etc., but, once we connected the mold in our home to ALL of our health symptoms, the focus of my treatment was on avoiding the antigen (mold) and stopping the cycle of inflammation in my body that the mold had ignited. And, even though MARCoNs doesn’t always present as sinus symptoms, in fact, most patients with MARCoNs report debilitating fatigue, sleep problems, and cognitive issues as their top complaints, I was lucky enough to have my neurological symptoms subside as my body cleared the mold with detox and other treatments. My protocol included many steps and a whole-body approach to healing. Once I set my body up to heal by tackling my environment and the mold mycotoxins inside of me, I never had to literally “dig deeper” or explore MARCoNs. It wasn’t necessary to do so for me to heal.

8:28 pm 6 comments

Treatment & Recovery Wellness

Start Here: My Mold Toxicity Treatment Key

by Catherine 1:17 pm

The Essentials to Getting Better Are a Mold-Free Environment and Consistency–

Supplements, Medications, and Treatments Fill in the Gaps

“What mold toxicity treatment protocol did you follow to get better? I have tried everything, and worked with numerous doctors, but nothing seems to be working for me. I am still very sick. I fear that I will never get my health back.”

I receive an email containing a version of the above statements almost everyday from someone seeking information about how to recover from mold toxicity. And, I get it. Who doesn’t want real, actionable answers on how to treat mold illness from someone who has been there and seemingly pulled through? Heck, I even wrote a few of those emails myself back when I was in the throes of sickness, confusion, and hopelessness. It is normal and understandable to just want answers and a roadmap back to health.

Many of those who write to me have been suffering for months, some even years, and they are sick and tired of being sick and tired. They want to know the EXACT medications, treatments, actions, and supplements I took to heal my body. They want to know if there is something that they are missing, and why, after spending thousands of dollars and doing everything imaginable, they are still sick. They want someone to just tell them what to do, so that they can finally heal too.

Am I withholding that valuable information? Is it somewhere on my blog already, and they are just missing it?

I do not have a definitive answer to these questions, except to say that, “No. My treatment protocol is not on the blog anywhere yet.”

The reason? Because I do not believe in protocols and strict rules when it comes to treating mold illness. A strict treatment protocol preceded by a battery of tests and genetic mapping is NOT what healed me. In fact, I found all of the strict adherence to rules, testing, protocols, and treatments a barrier to understanding and conquering this illness. I even think a lot of the science on Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and published literature on mold and mold illness is so confusing that it keeps people sick. Lot’s of the information out there on this illness is convoluted, circular, and unnecessary for helping people get better.

1:17 pm 2 comments

Treatment & Recovery Wellness

Mold Toxin Detox: Focused Advice for a Mold-Sick Body

by Catherine 11:12 pm

You Can’t Detox Mold Toxins Without a Solid Exit Strategy

When it comes to detoxing mold toxins from the body, slow and steady wins the race. Removing mold toxins after a big exposure or during treatment should not be a single event or a major overhaul like social media or wellness gurus would have you believe. When it comes to mold, pushing the body to the limits to cleanse as much toxicity as possible in as little time as possible is not the goal. As a matter of fact, accepting the current detox mantra that advocates feeling worse before you feel better could actually set you back, exacerbate symptoms, and put excessive and sometimes dangerous stress on your already depleted body. And, while chemical binders, both pharmaceutical and natural are necessary and wonderful tools for detox, you cannot expect that they will be able to do all of the clean-up, especially when mycotoxins are your main concern.

(Note: Binders are substances that “bind” to toxins to help move them out of the body. They work by attaching to toxins, which helps to transport them out of the body. In order to leave the body, mold toxins travel through the liver, where they then travel to the small intestine in the bile. If the toxins are not bound to anything, most of them will get reabsorbed in the gut or recirculated into the bloodstream. Commonly used binders for mold patients include Cholestyramine, Welchol, activated charcoal, bentonite clay, chitosan, chlorella, and zeolite.)

Binders Alone Are Not Sufficient Detox

While many mold-related websites would have you believe that a good binder, like Cholestyramine, Welchol or activated charcoal is all that is needed to clear the body of mold toxins and reunite you with good health and better days, I think many mold-illness sufferers who have been through it, myself included, would beg to differ. (Note: First and foremost, binders cannot undo the negative effects of bad air. Nothing takes the place of breathing clean, mold-free air when it comes to detoxing your body.)

11:12 pm 4 comments

Personal Stories Treatment & Recovery Wellness

Get “Unstuck” From the Cycle of Inflammation and Nervous System Hyperreactivity Caused by Mold Toxicity

by Catherine 5:08 pm

Learn How Mold PTSD Can Impede Your Recovery Both Physically and Emotionally

I have often cited the term “mold PTSD” when I write about my personal experience and health collapse from a hidden mold infestation in our home. Using the term is my way of trying to somehow illustrate the tremendous and lasting physical and psychological impact that mold and environmental illness had on me and my family. I also use it to show the way in which certain places, smells, memories and objects still sometimes trigger significant physical responses and a sense of panic inside of me. My responses are usually indicative of what I experience with a mold exposure, so for me this takes the form of rapid heartbeat, sudden nausea, facial flushing, sinus pressure, and lightheadedness, even though, in reality, I am not always being exposed or in any real physical danger. For a long time, I struggled to address or to get a handle on this, and just pushed through, mostly doing everything I could to ignore the sudden and magnified symptoms. But, as all unheeded warnings eventually do, they forced my hand by becoming so pronounced that my sanity and recovery were being compromised.

(Note: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. While most often in reference to returning veterans, there remains a great deal of literature on PTSD related to traumatic experiences that can happen to anyone throughout the course of a person’s life. Symptoms can become debilitating and can last a lifetime, if not addressed. In my case, the physical illness, cognitive dysfunction, irritability, insomnia and fatigue I suffered from mold and mycotoxin exposure was ample trauma to trigger PTSD.)

The good news is that I have finally taken the necessary steps to address my mold PTSD specifically, and I am seeing a greater positive turnaround in my health and in my ability to interact with my environment in a way that is no longer driven by compulsion and fear. It is a welcome and happy change for both me and my family. I didn’t actually recognize how negatively my behaviors were impacting others until I addressed them. That is why I want to bring my story and this information to you. I think it can really help and can be a great accompaniment to the other steps you are taking to regain your health, especially if you are finding yourself at a standstill or dead end in your recovery progress.

5:08 pm 8 comments

Interviews Mold Doctors and Functional Medicine Practitioners Treatment & Recovery Wellness

My “Don’t Miss” Interview with Dr. Neil Nathan, MD, Environmental Illness Thought Leader and Best-Selling Author

by Catherine 5:55 am

Learn How to Reboot Your Body to Heal from Mold Toxicity

How do you become the “difficult patient” or “outlier” doctor? You know, the doctor who people or other doctors turn to when symptoms or a diagnosis eludes them. In business, the person in this role is often dubbed the “fixer”—the guy or gal who is sent in to flesh out and get to the root of the underlying problems, to get all parties to come to an understanding, and to remedy or bring a formidable solution to all issues that everyone can agree with. In short, an unenviable role that not many people are up for, much less want to volunteer for. In the mold, Lyme disease and environmental illness community, these days, the go-to “fixer” seems to be Dr. Neil Nathan, and he is tackling this role with a gusto, transparency, and compassion that is consummate and heartening.

Dr. Nathan didn’t start out with the most complex patients and cases as the base of his practice, though. So, how did he get to this point?

From the beginning of his medical career after graduating from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, Dr. Nathan wanted to help people get to the root of their medical issues. While working as a Family Physician, he quickly discovered that his medical training hadn’t given him all of the tools he needed to help some of his more “difficult” patients. These patients had complicated symptomology with multiple diagnoses that crossed medical specialties. And, while he had delivered babies, performed minor surgeries, and helped patients with pain management, it was becoming more and more apparent, that these patients needed a different and more holistic type of care. Thus, he sought to expand his “toolbelt.”

As Dr. Nathan’s approach changed and he began using herbal and naturopathic modalities in conjunction with
western medicine, his practice also evolved into something new, which he began calling “Complex Medical Problem Solving.” Eventually, his practice focus became, and still is, for the most part, patients suffering from persistent and debilitating illnesses for which there is no “accepted” medical diagnosis, like Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Lyme disease with its co-infections, Autism, and all varieties of Chronic Pain, amongst others.

5:55 am 4 comments

Healthy Home Mold Prevention Products Wellness

Is Your Toxic Burden Preventing Your Mold Recovery?

by Catherine 12:30 am

Understanding the concept of toxic body burden and its unique effect on our bodies and their systems can help us all to heal more efficiently—especially those of us impacted by mold-related illness. I think that examining this topic forces us to look at the whole picture, rather than just one thing, like a mold exposure, to determine what is holding us back from being healthy.

Since this topic is so broad and cannot possibly be covered in one post, I am going to try to explain toxic burden and how all of these things toxins, antigens, pathogens are gaining entrance to your body. In the future, I will address testing for toxins, detox, and specific toxins, like heavy metals.

So first, what’s happening in our lives today to make our bodies so toxic?

Now, more than ever, we are eating commercially farmed, mass produced, genetically engineered or processed foods. Our sugar consumption as a population is higher than it has ever been. Our buildings and homes are designed with energy efficiency in mind. Our homes are built with lower-cost, manmade building materials that contain harmful chemicals and lock air and moisture in, creating the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, viruses and fungi. We are also more sedentary and spend less time outdoors than ever before. It is sort of the perfect storm for our bodies to become sick.

As a result, chronic illness and inflammatory disease is on the rise, while acute illness is less pervasive. More and more children are being born sick or immunocompromised than ever before. And, for the first time in history, life spans are decreasing, meaning our children are not expected to live as long as us. Things are no longer black and white. I mean, the term “mold illness,” wasn’t even part of the vernacular 20 years ago, unless you were talking about farmer’s lung.

When toxins enter our bodies, whether in-vitro, orally, through the nose or through the skin, they can cause inflammation and immune system dysregulation which makes us more susceptible to autoimmune disorders, other chronic diseases and overall sickness such as colds, flus and allergies.

Then, viruses, bacteria, yeasts, parasites, and mold aggravate any previously existing body burden. Research is actually revealing that some microorganisms interact directly with chemicals to boost infection. If you are like me, and have had a battle with something like mold illness, you know that this is true, because you probably first went to the doctor for a sinus infection, or a GI issue, or something else that started your journey to finding out that mold was in your environment and the catalyst to your declining health.

12:30 am 0 comment