We love our Pacific Northwest climate, beauty, and greenery. Unfortunately living in the Pacific Northwest can mean a higher risk of mold exposure. Because of our frequently rainy weather and moderate temperatures for such a big part of the year, it’s no surprise that the warm, dark, moisture loving fungi tend to thrive here. It’s a common complaint from patients to hear that there’s black spots in their bathrooms, basements, and windows. While this can be a very complex situation to deal with, we’re including some tips and tricks below for you to consider.
The fall can be an especially triggering time of year because of wet rotting leaves, forced air circulating mycotoxins in your home, and the presence of seasonal allergens like ragweed. Additionally, when the weather changes and we spend more time indoors we accumulate all of these exposures and put an extra load on the immune system. If you are already depleted, you will likely feel worse if you are living with an ongoing mold exposure.
One thing that happens when there has been an ongoing mold exposure such as living or working in a water damaged building, is the reservoir of mycotoxins (mold toxins) that accumulates in the body. Mycotoxins can cause all kinds of issues. One of the biggest problems, it depletes your glutathione! Glutathione is an antioxidant compound that is synthesized in your liver detoxification cycles. See our Detox 101 article in our January newsletter where we discuss glutathione and detoxification.
The good news is that you can supplement glutathione. It is important to get a liposomal form of glutathione so that it is absorbed and is able to be utilized within your body. We have four options in our clinic that we recommend, if you’d like the options emailed make a Fullscript account here and email Michelle to have the protocol shared with you. Since every living cell loves and needs glutathione, including the ones in the digestive tract, you need to have the liposomal version to get into the bloodstream and help you squelch the toxins from your acute and chronic mold exposure. The two sided benefit of replacing glutathione, is that you’ll be supporting your detoxification pathways and helping your body get rid of those stored mycotoxins.
Some simple practices in the kitchen to avoid, if you are feeling increased fatigue, allergy symptoms, or extra sensitive:
- Fruit or veggies with brown spots (this is mold in the making, even cutting it off does not get rid of it all).
- Leftovers that are more than 24 hours old will start creating more spores on the food and can increase your overall load.
- High histamine foods
- Fermented foods
- Cured meats
- Pickled foods
If you are concerned about mycotoxins and mold exposures, this is the test that we can order in our clinic through Great Plains Laboratory. It is a kit that you take home and collect a urine sample, easy as that. If you are curious how mold is impacting your health, schedule a visit with either of our doctors today!