Mold Illness Basics
Mold toxins, called mycotoxins, from food eaten have been recognized for centuries to cause disease in humans and animals. The most notorious of these is aflatoxin, which is produced by peanuts and can be a problem in peanut butter and other peanut products. Many other toxin-producing crops fed to livestock have been extensively studied, due to the impact on our food supply. But mold toxin illness from exposure to water-damaged buildings has yet to reach mainstream medicine. I liken it to the low fat diet craze that started in the 60’s, where only in the last few years it has been recognized by the majority of doctors as unhealthy (although you’ll still find some die-hard physicians who continue to recommend it). For years health pioneers were warning against low fat eating before the research gained enough ground to be widely accepted. That’s where we are now with mold illness!
Mycotoxins are made when mold grows in indoor spaces after getting wet or on surfaces where the humidity of the air is high. Mold loves drywall and other building materials that it uses as a food source. Bacteria, dust mite debris, and other fungi in a building combine with mold and make a new toxic air-borne chemical soup that cause problems even worse for humans than plain, old mycotoxins. Energy-efficient buildings, which discourage fresh air exchange, only compound the problem.
Humans breathe these toxic substances in, or absorb them through the skin. Some people aren’t able to get rid of the toxins due to genetic factors (see tests section) or simply due to toxin overload. Toxins are circulated instead of being discarded, and people get sick and stay sick until these poisons are dealt with.
Unfortunately, most doctors recognize that people can have an allergic response to mold, but not that it can affect nearly every body system in an inflammatory way. The type of mold illness I’m talking about here causes chronic fatigue and pain symptoms, amongst others (see symptom list). Many people become so ill that they can’t work or go to school.
More and more doctors are now becoming educated in this field and can recognize and diagnose mold illness, thanks in large part to people like Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker. He was and is one of the most important researchers in the biotoxin illness field. Back in 2013, I was only the third doctor in the country to have completed his certification program. Now, my colleagues at ISEAI (the International Society for Environmental Illness) number in the hundreds; but we are still a relatively small group!
Mold toxin illness is more widely studied and known in Europe than the US. If you are one of the people who is experiencing mold illness symptoms, don’t be discouraged if your family doctor, or even your specialist, have never heard of mold toxin illness, or don’t believe that it exists. I treat people every day in my clinic with methods that are tried and true, and they work. If the diagnosis was wrong, this wouldn’t be the case.
Dr. Robin Thomson
