Mould is a problem in many households across Australia, and it’s closely associated with water damage. A survey was performed relating to leakage and water damage, and the results were disturbing.

It only took an additional 2 days from the time of leakage or damage for pathogenic substances to begin growing. That’s quick and underlines how essential it is to get a grip on mould. The mould only required dampness and a growth medium based on plants, such as paper, dust, wood, or drywall. Wherever moisture is present, the mould growth will intensify. That explains why some people have seasonal mould allergies. To conduct mould remediation, the source of the leakage or damage needs to be found and fixed.

It’s also important to remember the role of mycotoxins. These can spread at the same speed as smoke when you’ve overcooked something on the stove. That’s one reason why mould exposure can escalate so quickly.

If your property is in the shade, on the side of a hill, has a basement or has a flat roof, the risk of mould growth is significantly increased. If you have an HVAC system, this can also cause problems, particularly in basements. There can also be water damage from leaky pipes, roofs, or appliances.

If your building isn’t well-maintained and damage has gone for a long while unrepaired, then you’ll notice that mould is more likely to grow there. This is often the case with buildings that are rented out or owned by the government.

Sometimes, the damage that can lead to mould is easy to spot and rectify before serious problems occur. An example would be when a wall caved in after leaning a paint roller against it simply because the sheetrock had become too damp. Mould loves the dark too, so you’ll often find it gathering on walls behind furniture.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that you can become sick even in relation to mould exposure from the past and the present. But generally, you’ll have to be tested to find out if you have issues from mould exposure. Often it’s the case that you lived in a house with mould problems for several years before you had health problems. You can know this is the case if the space you lived in smelt musty.

Although the focus of this article is on mould, other pathogens can grow when a building suffers from water damage. Fungi, spores, volatile organic compounds, bacteria, and mycotoxins are all examples. These build up over time, so the longer the mould problem goes untreated, the more toxic the environment becomes. And that can have severe effects on your health. Because these toxins concentrate in an enclosed indoor space, you don’t have to be exposed to them for too long before you start noticing health issues. In addition, mycotoxins can exacerbate mould problems because they reduce the efficacy of the immune system.

The symptoms that you can notice from this toxicity are similar to Lyme disease. Inflammation and poor immune system function are both linked to Lyme disease and mould toxicity. Other unpleasant symptoms are linked too, like joint pain, fatigue, anxiety, and headaches. So that means you should deal with mould exposure as soon as possible and repair any damage caused by it.

Now you’re aware of the severity of mould illness, we’ll look at the symptoms in more detail. We’ve mentioned inflammation, but there’s also a process called oxidative damage. This affects how the tissues and organs of your body operate. A complete list of the symptoms is included below, and we’ve classified them by the systems in the body they relate to.

Psychiatric

Psychiatric symptoms include volatile mood, panicking, fear and anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and an inability to deal with stressful situations. It can also include hallucinations.

Cognitive

Your brain can also be affected by mould exposure, and you can notice it’s harder to learn, concentrate, commit facts to memory, find the right words, plan out your day, or motivate yourself to get stuff done.

Musculoskeletal

Sometimes you can experience aches and pains in your muscles, stiffness upon waking up, and shooting pains.

Cardiovascular

Your heart can be affected by three conditions relating to mould exposure – edema, palpitations, and vasculitis.

Respiratory

Mould spores are often breathed in and can cause coughing, shortness of breath, congestion, and a runny nose

Neurological

You can also experience various mental problems, including migraines, seizures, light sensitivity, and numbness.

Digestive

Mould exposure can also cause pain in your abdomen, changes in your appetite, diarrhea, and nausea.

Other Symptoms

Other symptoms you can experience that doesn’t quite fit into the categories above include the following:

• • Itchy and tearing eyes
  • Fatigue
  • Electromagnetic sensitivity
  • Multiple chemical sensitivity
  • Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

Often it’s the case that these symptoms overlap with a range of conditions, like Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. It’s for these reasons that a lot of physicians either misdiagnose the problem or miss it entirely. They need specialist training to identify mould exposure.

Luckily, these serious symptoms can be avoided by testing for mould illness and taking action to cure it. Some tests are more effective than others, but there has to be an understanding by the physician that mould is a probable cause before completing these tests. The tests often involve samples being sent to a lab and analysed to see if mould particles are present.

Suppose someone is experiencing any combination of the symptoms covered above, and they aren’t diagnosed with any alternative medical problems like those that mould exposure often gets mistaken for. In that case, it’s likely the mould causing the problem. On the other hand, a person may have Lyme disease as their official diagnosis, but treatments don’t fix it. In that case, it’s worth treating it like it’s mould exposure.

Urine Mycotoxin Test

As we mentioned, one common pathogen that often occurs alongside mould, and those are mycotoxins. A test can be performed to see whether they’re contained in the urine, and most importantly, to what degree. Some in the urine won’t usually mean there’s a problem, but if numbers are high, there is likely something more serious happening.

Different labs use different testing methods, so it’s difficult to compare the test results. However, it’s possible to improve the testing accuracy through therapy before taking the test. Therapies include charcoal, clay, or cholestyramine. It’s also vital that you take oral glutathione for 5 days, then intravenous glutathione the day before the test, and finally, enter a sauna for 20 minutes before collecting the sample.

If any of the therapies cause your symptoms to flare up, discontinue them and collect the sample anyway. The results from that single sample will be analysed, and although this is helpful, it is limited because it doesn’t track mycotoxin levels over time. They could gradually decrease or gradually increase, and you wouldn’t know.

Mycotoxin Antibody Test

An alternative test you can take is the mycotoxin antibody test, which detects the antibodies present in the immune system that the body deploys to combat mycotoxins. It won’t detect mould spores or similar particles in your body, but mould exposure can be inferred by detecting how the immune system responds to mycotoxins. It’s also handy to perform this test alongside the previous one because someone may have mycotoxins in their urine but not be experiencing an immune response. That’s why it’s best to do both tests to get a clear picture of what’s going on.

Mould exposure is a cause of inflammation, and it’s important to reduce it alongside expelling mycotoxins and detoxifying the body. Some therapies help with inflammation reduction, and there is a list of treatments that have shown varying degrees of success in reducing inflammation. These treatments include resveratrol, green tea, naltrexone, turmeric, berberine, and phosphatidyl choline.

As you now know, it’s easy for mould to spread. Not only that, it’s everywhere, and it doesn’t take much of it to become toxic to your mind and body. When it affects you severely, the symptoms you experience can occur all across the body and often be confused with other diseases. That’s why it’s vital to understand mould exposure and its effects on you, and hopefully, you now do.

Many doctors don’t assess the environmental causes, so patients don’t get asked relevant questions. This is why mould exposure is often confused with Lyme disease and others. To get the best advice, you need to speak to someone with specialist training. Then you can develop a plan of action that best suits your circumstances. However, there’s a much simpler option.

You can hire a company that can help prevent mould exposure from ever affecting your health. Mamba Mould is precisely that. They specialise in mould inspections, mould remediation, and mould prevention. That way, mould is dealt with properly and doesn’t have the chance to cause you to experience difficult symptoms. You can book a quote from Mamba Mould or enter your contact details below to receive more information.