The Case:  Cassandra has been dealing with brain fog and fatigue.  She’s checked her thyroid, takes B-12 & iron and even tried a low-histamine diet More research tied her symptoms to possible mold toxicity and that’s when it clicked.    The Investigation When Cassandra came to me she explained her symptoms and told me that she’d had her home tested for mold (after recalling several large leaks in the past). These tests came back positive. With the mold issue confirmed, it was time to solve her health mysteries and find out if mycotoxins are at play and what damage they’d done.    How Does Mold Threaten Health? Mold can accumulate in the home, office, or schools and it produces mycotoxins that you breath in. Even if your exposure is limited or you can’t see or smell the mold, the mycotoxins can still impact your health. There are 3 main ways it does this:  1. Immune Suppression  Your natural killer cells, T-cells or B-cells become suppressed and fail to fight off infections creating chronic conditions.  2. Decreased Blood Flow to the Brain The frontal lobe is particularly impacted by this decreased blood flow. In fact, brain scans of people with mononeuritis multiplex (decreased blood flow to the brain) and brain scans of people with MS are very similar.  3. Interference with the Nrf2 Pathway  This is the pathway where a lot of detoxification enzymes and antioxidant enzymes are created so when mycotoxins block it, it caused issues with mitochondrial production (for more on mitochondrial issues listen to Episode 22)   Does Mold Always Cause Health Issues? When mold is found in a home, office, or school, it is usually because someone in that environment is experiencing health issues. But, not everyone sharing that space will be affected.  Genetics play a role in how each individual will be affected, but it also has to do with the total allostatic load. The allostatic load has to do with the stress a body is under and how well it is handling that stress. If there are other factors adding to the load (like stress, dysbiosis, chronic infections, blood sugar fluctuations), the exposure to mold can be the tipping point that generates symptoms.  But, even if someone is not symptomatic, it can still be an issue. Individuals may be pre-symptomatic or they may not recognize symptoms. The mold may still be affecting their brain health, energy levels, and organ performance which may not be as noticeable. Everyone is going to experience symptoms in their own way and at different levels.    Symptoms of Mold and Mycotoxins Many people think that mold issues are going to show up like allergies and cause respiratory problems. That can happen but mold can also impact sleep, energy, muscle strength, memory, concentration, and trigger a variety of other symptoms related to the body’s inability to process toxins.    Testing for Mold Toxicity and Mycotoxins People can be exposed to mold in their office or there could be mold in their home. These may not be causing a problem but to be sure, there is a urine test that will measure the mycotoxins in the body. In order to get an accurate assessment of the mycotoxins level, the test should be preceded by a far infrared sauna, use of a BioMat, or taking glutathione to provoke the mycotoxins. Provocation is important because mycotoxins aren’t always visible (even when they’re present) so it’s necessary to ‘stir them up’ a bit. This does not increase the amount, it simply reveals it. If it is not provoked, the test may show low levels and give a false sense of security.    Analyzing Test Results The results of your urine test will reveal the levels of different types of mycotoxins caused by mold. Some of the most common ones are: Gliotoxins  This type of mycotoxin tends to hang out in the brain and the central nervous system. So, the presence of this toxin can be linked to brain issues like, concentration and memory issues (both short and long-term), behavior changes, and in some cases substance abuse