The telltale signs and symptoms of mold-triggered illness is a tricky and loaded subject, but I am asked about it frequently; therefore, I decided to do my best to tackle it with this article. Buckle your seatbelts.
A few disclaimers before I begin:
1. This article is NOT meant to diagnose you with mold-related illness. Rather, its purpose is to share common symptoms and clinical presentations that I have seen in my many years of treating mold-exposed patients in my own practice.
2. Because mold and mycotoxins can impact individuals in many ways, there is no one absolute symptom. Some symptoms may be caused by a variety or a combination of factors, so I ask you to keep this in mind as you assess yourself.
3. You are unique. You have individual medical needs. Thus, the best course for getting a proper diagnosis is ALWAYS to seek evaluation and treatment by a mold-literate or environmentally trained doctor who can perform a thorough physical examination and order appropriate testing. Targeted testing and your specific patient history will ultimately be the best way to rule in or out mold-related illness.
Symptoms That Point to Mold
Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, I want to jump directly into the “main” symptoms that tend to indicate mold. In other words, when I have a patient seeking out my services, especially one with multiple symptoms affecting multiple organ systems and who has been to many doctors before me, I ultimately start to screen them for mold. It is not because mold is always the cause of their symptoms. It is because mold should be ruled out before we start digging deeper. If we move on to attempting to treat other causes or symptoms without ruling mold out, we often will not be successful and symptoms will continue to worsen.
1. Chronic sinusitis. This website is called Sinusitis Wellness for reason! In fact, the Mayo Clinic published a study citing fungus as the cause of over 90% of chronic sinusitis. Frequent or recurring sinus infections need to be worked up for mold and fungi. Fungal sinusitis can easily mimic a bacterial infection. Antibiotics often help INITIALLY, but you are only clearing the secondary bacterial overgrowth with the medications and not the underlying fungus causing the infection. Therefore, infections keep coming back.
What to do? Ask for a fungal culture and sinus Xrays/CT scan to look for structural abnormalities and fungal balls. If you cannot get a fungal culture done, you can try doing your own swab, much like a COVID test, and putting it on a mold plate. If high levels of mold are cultured, your environment needs thorough evaluation!
2. Unusual sensory symptoms. These symptoms can present as numbness or tingling in certain parts of the body, which may be persistent. Pins and needle sensations from compression, such as when your “hand goes to sleep”, usually resolve with changing position, but in the case of mycotoxicity, it doesn’t alleviate with a change of position. I have had some patients tell me that the first thing they noticed was that their backsides and backs of their legs were numb when they sat on the toilet. These are typically not painful sensations but are just “weird” which is how it has been described.
What to do? Have your doctor perform some simple neurological tests checking sensation, vibratory sense, and reflexes to see if any other neurological illnesses need to be tested for or ruled out.
3. Dizziness, balance problems, and slow reflexes. If you find the need to steady yourself while walking down a hallway, feel off-balance frequently, or are slow to react to normal stimuli, you should consider that something like mycotoxins could be disrupting your nervous system.
Again, simple neurologic testing can help identify and rule out other causes, such as inner ear problems, biochemical imbalances such as an electrolyte imbalance, or extreme blood sugar fluctuations. Medication side effects also need to be assessed.
4. Excessive fatigue. With this kind of fatigue, I am not talking about being tired from physical exertion or stress. The fatigue caused by mold exposure and experienced by some patients is not related to sleep, exercise, or mood. This fatigue is caused by the impact of mycotoxins on the mitochondria of the cells, which are responsible for creating the energy required to drive every process of the body. Additionally, the inflammation in the small capillary beds caused by mycotoxins decreases oxygen flow into tissues, which can include the brain, muscles, and other organs. Fatigue is one of the hardest to assess symptoms as it is very subjective with multiple causes. One must rule out many things in assessing it–a complete list of which is beyond the scope of this article–but could include anemia and other blood disorders, medication side effects, and acute or chronic illnesses of many types.
5. Headaches.Headaches are another BIG subject because they can be vascular, musculoskeletal, or biochemical in origin, but mold can cause frequent headaches and ice pick-like pain behind the eyes.
6. Sudden alterations or fluctuations in mood. I almost did not bring this one up, as it touches on an area that is very sensitive to mold and mycotoxin sufferers. Because some patients have been labeled as histrionic or been told, “It’s all in your head,” some are hesitant to even discuss the direct impact that mold/mycotoxins can have on their mental well-being. “Brain fog” should also be included in this discussion. Some patients feel they have the sudden onset of dementia, as memory and thought processes become so impaired. Neuropsychological studies have seen patterns in these symptoms which point to environmental causes, including mycotoxins and other chemicals. When discovered and the patient is removed from the mold exposure quickly, these symptoms are reversible but time is definitely of the essence here!
As with fatigue, mood changes and brain fog can have multifactorial causes, but sudden changes require investigation. Disruption of neurotransmitters can and does happen in response to mycotoxins, so do not ignore these symptoms!
7. Allergies.Allergies can manifest as respiratory, such as asthma or chronic bronchitis, but also as skin eruptions. The mechanism of allergic response is different from the manifestation of toxicity, but they can exist together or individually. I do think there is a high incidence of those who are classically “mold allergic”, who then develop symptoms of mold toxicity with continued exposure. Thus, while their first symptom is the allergic expression of inflammation, their symptoms progress to chronic or autoimmune illnesses and diseases if the mold is not found and treated.
There are certainly other symptoms specific to individuals when mold and mycotoxins are problems but the ones I listed here are some of the most common. When I take a patient’s history, I find that drawing a timeline of the onset of different health events is very helpful. Some of the questions I ask and that you should also think about are:
How has your home or work environment impacted the onset of symptoms?
Do you feel better when you spend time away from home or work?
Has your home or office had a water or moisture intrusion?
How old is your HVAC system?
Do you have a humidifier attached to your air handler?
Is there condensation on your walls, ceiling, or inside your windows?
Do scents linger in your home long after cooking or cleaning?
Is there any visible mold or mildew growing inside your home?
Does water flow towards your foundation?
Do you have a crawlspace?
Have you become sensitized to foods, ingredients, or scents that you used to tolerate well? Patients impacted by mold and mycotoxins can become so sensitized that even “safe” things elicit increased or sudden symptom responses.
When in Doubt, Start Here:
1. See your physician. Basic labs and a good hands-on physical examination should absolutely be done to rule in or out other causes.
2. Check your environment. Monitor the indoor humidity. (It needs to be kept below 47%). Look for signs of water or moisture intrusion. If you have signs or know of water intrusion that was not addressed swiftly and correctly, you have mold growing on those building materials. Any water allowed to sit and to penetrate and keep building materials wet WILL grow mold. You can also do some testing yourself by putting mold plates out or swabbing your nose if you have sinus symptoms. If you want professional testing or advice, I recommend using the ACAC.org website to search for a qualified indoor environmental professional in your area.
3. If you already know you have been exposed to mold, seek the care of an environmental or mold-literate practitioner, for further testing and treatment. And as mentioned over and over in previous articles, your environment MUST be clean in order for you to get better, so move to a safe environment or find those mold sources and clean them up! Dr. Dennis’s Environmental Treatment Protocol can also be extremely helpful for those who cannot immediately move or remediate.
We hope you find this article helpful. Questions or comments may be submitted below or by emailing us at newsletter@sinusitiswellness.com. We love hearing from you!
Susan Tanner has practiced medicine for over 33 years, concentrating primarily on chronic illness and the impacts on the individual, the family and the community. Her driving curiosity into why people are made ill caused her to pursue education in Environmental Medicine, completing coursework, exams, and necessary practice years to earn board certification in this area in 2009. Her own struggles with mold-related illness drove her desire to teach those similarly affected. While in clinical practice, Dr. Tanner wrote and contributed to a number of publications on environmental health, prepared narratives for understanding in legal matters, and researched new techniques for modulating the body’s ability to clear toxins and infections. She now has a fitness and health website www.thebodynexus.com, where she writes articles and shares education on utilizing the various body systems into improve overall health.
http://www.epa.gov “Keep indoor humidity low. If possible, keep indoor humidity below 60 percent (ideally between 30 and 50 percent) relative humidity. Relative humidity can be measured with a moisture or humidity meter, a small, inexpensive ($10-$50) instrument available at many hardware stores.” Additionally, we have found that under 50% is ideal to prevent mold growth from the natural mold in dust and outdoor molds that find their way inside.
Five years ago, my boyfriend started having a constant cough. We went to the hospital & they sent him home with antibiotics and cough medicine. Two days later, he started spitting up blood. They admitted him. When I came to see him the next morning, he was hooked up to sooooo many machines and unconscious. He NEVER woke up. He died the next day, as his organs shut down one by one. We didn’t know what the problem was or the exact cause of death.
I was devastated & I locked myself in his house for 4 months. I came down with an awful stomach ache & I couldn’t breathe, so I called an ambulance. I had my gallbladder removed & and mold spread throughout my whole body. I was on life support for 5 weeks, had 7 surgeries & when I finally woke up, I couldn’t speak because they had to do a tracheotomy. I am thankful to be alive bc the doctors said I would probably not make it. My mom was picking out urns for me. But here I am.
I just recently bought a camper and come to find out, it has a terrible mold problem. I opened the cover to the AC, and started gasping for breath. I bought some mold killer from Home Depot, but I don’t know if it worked. It’s only me and my little dog. She is in the camper 22 out of 24 hours of the day. Could this kill her? Please help
. First, I am so very sorry for your loss, and hope that you are recovering. Without knowing specifics of your previous home, it is hard to pin it down to mold. Even if it were not the cause, it is imperative that your air be as clean as it can be going forward, as you certainly succumbed to something and recovery requires all things be “clean”…. air, food and water. If you saw mold on the AC of the camper then it most likely inside of it as well. Please do not attempt to remediate this yourself. This is where the professionals can assess and see what to do. Some chemicals used to treat mold can be as toxic as the mold itself, especially if used improperly. You and your dog will be much better off in another environment until this is all sorted out. I wish you the best, I know the journey is hard.
My daughter and I were exposed to large amounts of mold/fungus in an apartment in Tampa 10 years ago. We became extremely Ill and were treated with antifungals, which saved our lives, I guess. However, we never got well and have not found a doctor who knows anything about mold related illness . The doctors say we couldn’t still have fungus in our bodies since exposure was 10 years ago. What does the research show on this issue? Should we try taking antifungals again?
Research shows that mold illness is more of toxicity or exposure-based illness. While antifungals can treat colonization or infection, you have not addressed the damage done by mycotoxins–toxic by-products of some molds. I would recommend finding a doctor trained in environmental medicine who treats the whole body and is not just going after a fungal infection. Additionally, some patients do need to cycle antifungals more long-term to see lasting improvements. This could also be part of your treatment plan, but you would need to consult with a doctor to make sure that is what is needed.
It’s possible that you still have mold. How do you feel? What makes you think you do? I babysat grand kids who moved into a moldy house. With in one month of being there I was sick. I thought I had a summer cold. 3 months later still sick and looking for answers. I had no clue the spots on the carpet were mold. We thought bad dog! Anyway I had a friend that was helping me. The most awful feeling was laying down and have the feeling of drowning, that went away when I sat up. Then I went to my granddaughters 16th birthday party. Her dad and his dad were talking sinus infections,that wouldn’t go away. So I told my friend about this. I was trying to tell her all the weird stuff I was encountering. Then I got a nose bleed. Never ever had one before. She all of a sudden said Kathy, I think it’s mold. I didn’t even know about this. So a lot of research went on after that. Jill Clanahan was the first thing that popped up. I was convinced it was mold.
From there I went to my doctor, I wanted to see a allergist for tests. That day she was too concerned about giving me a Medicare test. So she said I can’t discuss that make an appointment. Even though I was struggling to breath. God bless our medical professionals for staying on task. Lol.
A week later I was able to ask to be tested. She then gave 4 prescriptions. Prednisone and a cough suppressant and several others. Her first response when I said I think it’s mild. She wanted to know why I thought that!
When I called to make an allergy testing, she asked if I had taken prednisone. I said yes, just one pill. So since that ,I had to wait 30 days for an appointment. They wouldn’t see me because of it.
Finally tested positive for aspergillus. I then got 4 more prescription and one was an inhaler so I could breath. That was 7 years ago. I’ve been trying to detox since. I have done a fungal the last 2 years, along with other vitamins to detox. Nothing worked till I read an article on microchitasan. Ordered a bottle and hoped for the best. I’ve been doing sinus rinse with citricell drops in the saline. The micro chitosan was a miracle. I had some relief in 2 weeks. Then the struggle to get more. After about a month dome symptoms came back. I hate my ears hurting all the time. So I hope they can start producing larger quantities, I’m also going to get on the list for monthly deliveries.
I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the years looking for something that would work for me.
Excellent article and perfect timing! My 77-year-old husband is seeing a new neurologist for the first time in two weeks. I am preparing my questions this week. His issues include balance problems and slow reflexes (among others) …your article pinpointed this. We were both exposed to mold/mycotoxins in the workplace between 2008-2012. I have dutifully detoxed for the past 8 years…he has not. I will be adding these two issues to my list Thank you!
What is cause that lingering scents after cooking in that it points to mold? How long is long after cooking? We are a mold sensitive family and I like to be as aware as I can. We are currently in a clean townhome and I want to keep it that way.
Lingering scents after cooking do not necessarily point to mold. If cooking smells linger or permeate your home, your kitchen may not have proper ventilation expelling moisture and heat to the outside through a ventilation fan or hood. Check to make sure exhaust fans actually suck and expel steam, smoke, and air to the outside, not into the attic or just blow air out back into the kitchen–as simply a fan. Poor kitchen ventilation can lead to mold growth from increased indoor condensation and steam from cooking. This is also an indoor air quality issue.
Thank you. I am living in a moldy environment. I found mold in the toilet tank. I breathed in bacteria from cleaning the toilet. I had many symptoms. I looked up Mayo Clinic after my knees gave out and I fell. I had two brain bleeds. I was hospitalized two weeks. The pandemic has caused health care problems. I need a place to live without mold. I need help financially. I believe I have vasculitis caused by mycotoxins. My PC knows nothing. When I looked up the Mayo Clinic, all symptoms were there. I believe I have vasculitis. I asked my allergist for a mold test. She wouldn’t give me one. I need to move. My financial situation is dire.
Thank you for listening. Ellie
Here is a non-profit resource that may be able to help you. You should reach out to them. They may be able to help you find safe housing. https://malachismessage.org/
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What is the source for the 47% humidity threshold?
http://www.epa.gov “Keep indoor humidity low. If possible, keep indoor humidity below 60 percent (ideally between 30 and 50 percent) relative humidity. Relative humidity can be measured with a moisture or humidity meter, a small, inexpensive ($10-$50) instrument available at many hardware stores.” Additionally, we have found that under 50% is ideal to prevent mold growth from the natural mold in dust and outdoor molds that find their way inside.
Five years ago, my boyfriend started having a constant cough. We went to the hospital & they sent him home with antibiotics and cough medicine. Two days later, he started spitting up blood. They admitted him. When I came to see him the next morning, he was hooked up to sooooo many machines and unconscious. He NEVER woke up. He died the next day, as his organs shut down one by one. We didn’t know what the problem was or the exact cause of death.
I was devastated & I locked myself in his house for 4 months. I came down with an awful stomach ache & I couldn’t breathe, so I called an ambulance. I had my gallbladder removed & and mold spread throughout my whole body. I was on life support for 5 weeks, had 7 surgeries & when I finally woke up, I couldn’t speak because they had to do a tracheotomy. I am thankful to be alive bc the doctors said I would probably not make it. My mom was picking out urns for me. But here I am.
I just recently bought a camper and come to find out, it has a terrible mold problem. I opened the cover to the AC, and started gasping for breath. I bought some mold killer from Home Depot, but I don’t know if it worked. It’s only me and my little dog. She is in the camper 22 out of 24 hours of the day. Could this kill her? Please help
. First, I am so very sorry for your loss, and hope that you are recovering. Without knowing specifics of your previous home, it is hard to pin it down to mold. Even if it were not the cause, it is imperative that your air be as clean as it can be going forward, as you certainly succumbed to something and recovery requires all things be “clean”…. air, food and water. If you saw mold on the AC of the camper then it most likely inside of it as well. Please do not attempt to remediate this yourself. This is where the professionals can assess and see what to do. Some chemicals used to treat mold can be as toxic as the mold itself, especially if used improperly. You and your dog will be much better off in another environment until this is all sorted out. I wish you the best, I know the journey is hard.
My daughter and I were exposed to large amounts of mold/fungus in an apartment in Tampa 10 years ago. We became extremely Ill and were treated with antifungals, which saved our lives, I guess. However, we never got well and have not found a doctor who knows anything about mold related illness . The doctors say we couldn’t still have fungus in our bodies since exposure was 10 years ago. What does the research show on this issue? Should we try taking antifungals again?
Research shows that mold illness is more of toxicity or exposure-based illness. While antifungals can treat colonization or infection, you have not addressed the damage done by mycotoxins–toxic by-products of some molds. I would recommend finding a doctor trained in environmental medicine who treats the whole body and is not just going after a fungal infection. Additionally, some patients do need to cycle antifungals more long-term to see lasting improvements. This could also be part of your treatment plan, but you would need to consult with a doctor to make sure that is what is needed.
It’s possible that you still have mold. How do you feel? What makes you think you do? I babysat grand kids who moved into a moldy house. With in one month of being there I was sick. I thought I had a summer cold. 3 months later still sick and looking for answers. I had no clue the spots on the carpet were mold. We thought bad dog! Anyway I had a friend that was helping me. The most awful feeling was laying down and have the feeling of drowning, that went away when I sat up. Then I went to my granddaughters 16th birthday party. Her dad and his dad were talking sinus infections,that wouldn’t go away. So I told my friend about this. I was trying to tell her all the weird stuff I was encountering. Then I got a nose bleed. Never ever had one before. She all of a sudden said Kathy, I think it’s mold. I didn’t even know about this. So a lot of research went on after that. Jill Clanahan was the first thing that popped up. I was convinced it was mold.
From there I went to my doctor, I wanted to see a allergist for tests. That day she was too concerned about giving me a Medicare test. So she said I can’t discuss that make an appointment. Even though I was struggling to breath. God bless our medical professionals for staying on task. Lol.
A week later I was able to ask to be tested. She then gave 4 prescriptions. Prednisone and a cough suppressant and several others. Her first response when I said I think it’s mild. She wanted to know why I thought that!
When I called to make an allergy testing, she asked if I had taken prednisone. I said yes, just one pill. So since that ,I had to wait 30 days for an appointment. They wouldn’t see me because of it.
Finally tested positive for aspergillus. I then got 4 more prescription and one was an inhaler so I could breath. That was 7 years ago. I’ve been trying to detox since. I have done a fungal the last 2 years, along with other vitamins to detox. Nothing worked till I read an article on microchitasan. Ordered a bottle and hoped for the best. I’ve been doing sinus rinse with citricell drops in the saline. The micro chitosan was a miracle. I had some relief in 2 weeks. Then the struggle to get more. After about a month dome symptoms came back. I hate my ears hurting all the time. So I hope they can start producing larger quantities, I’m also going to get on the list for monthly deliveries.
I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the years looking for something that would work for me.
Excellent article and perfect timing! My 77-year-old husband is seeing a new neurologist for the first time in two weeks. I am preparing my questions this week. His issues include balance problems and slow reflexes (among others) …your article pinpointed this. We were both exposed to mold/mycotoxins in the workplace between 2008-2012. I have dutifully detoxed for the past 8 years…he has not. I will be adding these two issues to my list Thank you!
Thank you for writing. I hope you find answers soon!
What is cause that lingering scents after cooking in that it points to mold? How long is long after cooking? We are a mold sensitive family and I like to be as aware as I can. We are currently in a clean townhome and I want to keep it that way.
Lingering scents after cooking do not necessarily point to mold. If cooking smells linger or permeate your home, your kitchen may not have proper ventilation expelling moisture and heat to the outside through a ventilation fan or hood. Check to make sure exhaust fans actually suck and expel steam, smoke, and air to the outside, not into the attic or just blow air out back into the kitchen–as simply a fan. Poor kitchen ventilation can lead to mold growth from increased indoor condensation and steam from cooking. This is also an indoor air quality issue.
Thank you. I am living in a moldy environment. I found mold in the toilet tank. I breathed in bacteria from cleaning the toilet. I had many symptoms. I looked up Mayo Clinic after my knees gave out and I fell. I had two brain bleeds. I was hospitalized two weeks. The pandemic has caused health care problems. I need a place to live without mold. I need help financially. I believe I have vasculitis caused by mycotoxins. My PC knows nothing. When I looked up the Mayo Clinic, all symptoms were there. I believe I have vasculitis. I asked my allergist for a mold test. She wouldn’t give me one. I need to move. My financial situation is dire.
Thank you for listening. Ellie
Hi, Ellie,
Here is a non-profit resource that may be able to help you. You should reach out to them. They may be able to help you find safe housing. https://malachismessage.org/