Mold. You’ve heard it’s dangerous, insidious and even deadly. And hideously expensive to treat! Who wants to think about that?
The answer is no one. So you don’t. Until you start getting convinced you’re dealing with it in your house, apartment or workplace. Then you have to think about it.
If you have mold illness, you have two problems. One problem is you and those living in the same environment are being exposed to mold, and the other problem is the mold is making you sick. You will have to address both problems–the environmental exposure and the health effects.
One of the first things you need to do is eliminate the exposure problem. However, you need to understand the way you go about cleanup can effect your health. Some people have a genetic predisposition to mold sensitivity. That is to say their immune system doesn’t recognize mold as an invader and try to fight it off–they just let it in. Anyone in that category living or working in a building with mold in it must be very careful about how they go about cleaning their environment up, because distribution of the mold spores and toxins, whether the mold is dead or alive, can make them much sicker than they were before the cleanup was started. In addition, if there is a lot of mold, it is not safe for anyone to be exposed to the level of toxins that would be emitted into the environment during a standard cleanup. So careful precautions must be taken to clean up the area responsibly.
According to pioneering mold doctor Dr. Richie Shoemaker, in order to know whether or not you are susceptible to mold, first check your wingspan–the distance from fingertip to fingertip with your arms extended outward. If this distance is greater than your height, and you are of Northern European descent, are tall and long-fingered, chances are you are susceptible to mold. The definitive blood test is the HLA DR typing assay using PCR sequence specific chain reaction technique by Lab Corp (012542).
Dr. Richie Shoemaker has authored the highly informative book Surviving Mold, a good primer for anyone dealing with mold illness. Although the book is far from concise, it is nevertheless extremely informative and not a bad read. I found it most helpful to read the chapters in the order in which I was interested in them. Dr. Shoemaker’s website is helpful as well. Dr. Shoemaker’s book and website detail the blood tests Dr. Shoemaker recommends in diagnosing mold illness. This test protocol can be taken to your doctor so you can work this protocol through him. Work with a mold knowledgeable doctor to diagnose and treat your illness is critical to regaining your health. Check internet sources to find a mold-knowledgeable doctor in your area.
Good sources for information on mold cleanup can be found at the EPA’s website, and at that of the Centers for Disease Control.
The good news is if you have been affected by mold, this information is going to empower you, and you will be feeling much better soon!