Many who suffer mold-related illnesses wonder if they will ever regain their health. In this article, we will discuss how supplements can aid in the recovery of mold illness. I will also discuss supplements that I found particularly helpful in restoring and detoxing my body after mold exposure.
Supplements and Mold Illness
Supplements can play a key role in overcoming health issues including mold illness. I have learned that trying to restore my health to optimum status with food alone is not enough. Not only is our food supply depleted of many nutrients we need to be healthy and thrive, but those of us that have been affected by toxic mold often have trouble absorbing nutrients in general. Even food intolerances, which often arise from mold exposure, can affect nutrient absorption. It’s also almost impossible to get well by taking supplements alone while eating poorly or continuing to live in a moldy environment. But taking a two-pronged approach with eating a clean diet full of fresh, organic, anti-fungal foods, combined with the right supplements can be a powerful, healing combination!
Most of the supplements I mention in this article were a crucial part of my healing from mold illness.
Mechanisms of Mold Exposure
Mold can enter our bodies through the air we breathe and the food we eat. Another interesting way we may be exposed to mold is through ingesting some medications. Antibiotics, for example, contain mycotoxins (fungal poisons).
When we are exposed to mold in the environment, we breathe in the mold spores, and they can quickly attach to the lining of the sinuses and lungs. If the exposure is significant or ongoing, it can result in a fungal infection. Most well-meaning doctors often mistake these fungal infections for bacterial infections and treat patients with antibiotics. Antibiotics may offer temporary relief, but usually, only fuel the fungal infection and make matters worse.
Medical research shows fungal infections, especially in the lungs, have been misdiagnosed as cancer. Below is my television interview on NBC news discussing the shocking article from the Journal of Lung regarding this misdiagnosis as well as the illnesses mold can cause and mimic.
Fungal mycotoxins can wreak havoc on the body and the symptoms can vary widely from person to person. This is because mycotoxins are capable of penetrating any tissue or organ. Many people will have symptoms as mild as allergies and simple sinus infections while others may be affected more severely such as with neurological or heart symptoms. Mycotoxins are also capable of causing seizures, disrupting hormones, damaging DNA, and can be poisonous to the kidneys and liver just for starters.
Important Supplements for Healing From Mold Illness
Glutathione is our most powerful antioxidant and detoxifier. Since mold depletes glutathione and glutathione is important for detoxing mold, this supplement is probably one of the most crucial for getting mold out of the body. It also helps with tissue repair, has anti-aging properties, and supports the immune system.
NACpromotes healthy cellular glutathione levels and provides powerful antioxidant immune system support. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an amino acid that boosts antioxidant function and is a source of the conditionally essential amino acid L-cysteine. It has also been found to raise glutathione levels in the body and to act as a natural expectorant by loosening mucous in your air passageways. Thus, if your symptoms are respiratory in nature, NAC can be especially helpful in decreasing inflammation in the bronchial lubes and lung tissue.
CitriDrops Nasal Spray – This recommendation is not a supplement in the traditional sense, because you do not ingest it, but use it in your nasal passages. I have had four sinus surgeries due to a 25 year fungal and bacterial sinus infection. CitriDrops Nasal Spray keeps my nose clear of both bacteria and fungus as well as helps to build the body’s natural defenses against environmental allergens. Micro Balance has now added xylitol to their formula which is very exciting as it acts as a natural decongestant and is an antifungal as well. Xylitol also has the ability to bust through biofilms which is important when trying to eradicate long-term, difficult-to-treat infections.
MycoDetox Liver Support– Liver health is crucial to proper detoxification. As blood passes through the liver, toxic substances are converted into more water-soluble substances, so that they can then be cleared by the kidneys and excreted through urine. Other substances are bound with bile, also produced by the liver, and passed into the intestinal tract to be removed by the bowels. The liver needs to be able to filter out toxins, or partially broken-down substances can be reabsorbed back into the bloodstream and recirculated throughout the body–not good! MycoDetox Liver Support contains silymarin (milk thistle seed extract), artichoke leaf extract, turmeric root extract, methionine, choline, inositol, garlic, and dandelion root extract to protect and support all phases of liver detoxification. Some of these ingredients are also potent, natural antifungals!
Microflora Balance – Healthy gut flora boosts immune function and calms inflammation. In order for a probiotic to work properly, though, it must be able to survive long enough to populate the gut with beneficial bacteria. Microflora Balance is shelf-stable and contains seven proven strains chosen for their ability to withstand the harsh gastrointestinal terrain. Many who have a mold-related illness most likely have taken their fair share of antibiotics. Repeated courses of antibiotics can cause a depletion of good bacteria in the gut and compromised immunity to fungal infections. Replacing these bacteria is important for maintaining overall health. Replacing good bacteria prevents pathogens such as yeast from multiplying and causing health problems. A healthy gut also calms anxiety and stabilizes mood, both of which can be heavily impacted by dealing with mold illness or any chronic health condition.
Adrenal Boost helps to fight fatigue normally associated with mold exposure. It contains bioavailable Vitamin A, C, and B vitamins critical to adrenal function. Adrenal boost also helps balance DHEA levels. DHEA levels help produce hormones including testosterone and estrogen. Exposure to mold can cause an imbalance of hormones.
Beta Glucans cause an increase in macrophages which are white blood cells that seek and destroy invading microbes. This teaches your immune system how to respond more efficiently to all pathogens. The more efficient the immune system becomes at recognizing and taking care of pathogens, the less inflammatory exposures to things like mold become. There is much research on Beta-Glucans supplementation as well, and it has been found helpful in treating everything from cancer to resistant Candida albicans infections.
Additionally, binders are important for binding toxins in the digestive tract for elimination to prevent recirculation and lessen the burden on the liver. MicroChitosan is also helpful for nervous system repair, calming inflammation, toxin binding, and antimicrobial action. Lastly, Phosphatidylcholine (PC) supports brain, gut, and cell membrane health as well as supports your mitochondria. Ample supplementation with PC actually seems to signal to the body that it is safe to heal because cell membranes become stabilized and energy transfer can occur.
Additional Steps To Healing From Mold
It is important to recognize that a clean diet and supplements are not enough if you are still breathing in toxic mold. Removing yourself from the mold until the problem can be rectified is of the highest importance. Then, things like a good quality air filter such as IQ Air can be very helpful in limiting the mold spores in the immediate air. This is especially helpful if your body is overly sensitive and you experience allergies regularly. I also own the EC3 sanitizer fogger. I fill it with EC3 Mold Solution, a safe, natural anti-fungal, and fog my home about once per month to keep the mold spore levels down. Continued mold maintenance is key to healing, as mold is everywhere and comes in from the outside.
The above measures, along with a solid detox plan, clean food, air, and water are all positive steps to get you on the road to recovery.
I hope you found this article helpful. Please visit me at Eat Pray Get Well where you can view the second edition of my book Eat Pray Get Well – A Journey from Chronic Illness & Brokenness to Wholeness and Healing. Exclusive interviews with Doug Kaufmann – Host of television show Know the Cause, renowned Cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, Supermodel Carol Alt, Joe Cross from the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, and much more.
(Disclosure – this post contains affiliate links.)
Erin Porter is the founder, photographer, blogger, author, and recipe developer of Eat Pray Get Well. She lives in Florida with her family and is grateful to God for all of the healing, opportunities, and love He has placed in her path. Eat Pray Get Well has become so much more than a blog; it is also a book now available on www.eatpraygetwell.com, Amazon, and some retail book stores. Eat Pray Get Well also has also created a healthy snack line free of preservatives, processed sugars and gluten.
Thank you sooo much for this. I’m worried I’ve been exposed to parasites associated with the mold too and unfortunately my poor doggo as well :( this is very easy to follow and not overwhelming like a lot of the info you find online or protocols that just seem soo extensive
We will try to do something soon specific to that. Quelling inflammation is always the focus, and how it may specifically impact the individual is the variable, arthritis surely being important!
These are actually quite synergistic and can be used jointly. I generally try to be specific with patients and their testing to see which may be the most important at a given time, however.
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Thank you sooo much for this. I’m worried I’ve been exposed to parasites associated with the mold too and unfortunately my poor doggo as well :( this is very easy to follow and not overwhelming like a lot of the info you find online or protocols that just seem soo extensive
I am so happy you find this helpful. I hope that you and your dog are finding relief and better health.
Please post an article that will talk about how to cover all bases necessary to control Candida Arthritis connections
We will try to do something soon specific to that. Quelling inflammation is always the focus, and how it may specifically impact the individual is the variable, arthritis surely being important!
This article is helpful, thank you. Would you recommend the glutathione and NAC first or the mycotoxin liver detox first?
These are actually quite synergistic and can be used jointly. I generally try to be specific with patients and their testing to see which may be the most important at a given time, however.