Natural Treatments for Mold Toxicity

Did you feel worse after starting a mold detox protocol?

If you did, you’re not alone. The vast majority of my patients felt worse once they started natural treatment for mold toxicity. It’s not your fault. The prescribed treatment was wrong.

Fortunately, there have been new developments in the mold detox protocol. Unfortunately, as the science evolves, a lot of natural treatments for mold toxicity have not stood up. I’d go so far as to say that the majority are based solely on a practitioner’s experience.

As a patient, you need to know how your practitioner is making their clinical decisions. Ask for research. Ask for evidence. It’s your right as a patient to ensure you are comfortable and familiar with the proposed treatment protocol.

Why the old mold toxicity treatment protocol doesn’t work

Before Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, we knew very little about mold toxicity. Today, we know a little bit about mold toxicity. The majority of that knowledge is based upon the incredible body of work done by Dr. Shoemaker.

Thanks to Dr. Shoemaker’s groundbreaking research on mold illness and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, mold toxicity treatment protocols were devised and patients with seemingly incurable illnesses got better. I detail the steps of the Shoemaker protocol in this post.

The Shoemaker protocol works wonders for thousands of patients. But as awareness grows, so too does the diversity and complexity of patients. Cholestyramine (CSM) and Welchol are not enough if the patient is still in exposure. And the definition of exposure has expanded as new causes of CIRS have been discovered.

Recent research suggests that actinomycetes bacteria are the most common cause of CIRS (not mold!). (source)  Treatment protocols for actino-bacteria are slightly different than mold. If you didn’t get better following the Shoemaker protocol, it may be because you were treated for mold when actinomycetes were behind your illness.

Diagnosing mold toxicity – the old way vs the new way

In addition to treatment outlines, the Shoemaker mold protocol also outlined specific lab tests that indicate mold toxicity or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. The problem with these labs was that they were complicated and expensive.

I was stoked when urinary mycotoxin testing came to market – finally, an easy way to diagnose mold illness and CIRS. I was SO wrong.

Urinary mycotoxin testing has been one of the worst “advancements” in mold illness. Practitioners are jumping on the CIRS bandwagon claiming they can treat the illness without actually knowing the data. Shamefully, I was one of them.

Fortunately, Dr. Shoemaker has done due diligence in trying to put an end to urinary mycotoxin testing. You can read his scathing report on this method of testing here. I’ll summarize it for you below:

21 studies covering 2756 controls from children to adults from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. One study showed positive urine mycotoxins of 60% of 15 patients; one showed 66% of 19 patients with the rest showing 80-100% positive. (source)

New and natural treatments for mold toxicity 

Today’s mold patients are sicker and more sensitive. Throwing high doses of Cholestyramine (CSM) or Welchol at them tends to only make things worse. As practitioners, treatment for mold toxicity needs to be slow and gentle.

As a patient, you need to inform your practitioner about all the side effects you’re experiencing from your mold detox protocol. Those side effects or symptoms are not in your head. They’re real. If you’re experiencing them, you need to move slower. Decrease your dose or the type of medication/supplements you’re using.

Treating CIRS is a marathon. Not a sprint. Go slow.

That includes starting your mold toxicity treatment slow. Increase your dose only when your symptoms are tolerable. If you find yourself reacting to just about everything, start high-dose fish oils one week before starting any binders. These seem to help lessen adverse reactions to binders.

Some patients also take Saccharomyces Boulardii – a beneficial yeast species that has been shown to help improve your body’s ability to detox molds.

Below, I list some of the newer and natural treatments for mold toxicity. These mold toxicity treatments are far more gentle than Welchol or CSM for mold.

Glutathione

In many natural health circles, glutathione is known as the master antioxidant. Glutathione is most certainly an antioxidant – whether it is better than the other antioxidants, I’m not sure. Your body is capable of creating its own glutathione from amino acids easily obtained in your diet.

But many patients have reported feeling better while taking it or N-acetyl Cystine (NAC – a precursor to glutathione). Dr. Shoemaker doesn’t think it’s a necessary treatment step. Dr. Heyman uses it as an adjunct to the Shoemaker protocol. I do not use it.

While glutathione may help your immune system in the battle against molds and their mycotoxins, it won’t solve the problem. Remember, CIRS and mold illness occurs in people with a specific gene. This gene creates a chronic state of inflammation and no amount of glutathione is going to stop this process.

But glutathione can be a good supplement to start your detoxification protocol. Use glutathione as a barometer to make an educated guess about how well you’ll tolerate other the other natural supplements I list below.

Since glutathione is an antioxidant, it can degrade quickly. To avoid this, purchase your glutathione supplement in a liposomal form. Liposomal simply means that the glutathione is bound to fat. This prevents degradation of the supplement and increases absorption rates.

Be sure you opt for capsules. Glutathione tastes awful.

Activated charcoal and other natural binders

Activated charcoal has been used to treat poisonings for more than 100 years. Because of this the World Health Organization lists activated charcoal as one of the essential medicines.

Activated charcoal treats poisonings by binding with the toxin/poison and safely removing it from the body. This amazing binding ability is what has led many practitioners, including me, to suspect that activated charcoal to be ideally suited to treating mold.

However, there have not been published, peer-reviewed scientific studies demonstrating the benefit of CSM substitutes.

Let’s go back to high school science class. You probably remember the lesson of the magnet. Positive charges attract, or form the strongest bonds with negative charges. Positive – positive, and negative-negative charges repel each other.

The reason CSM works so well is that it has a positive charge (+). Biotoxins have a negative (-) charge.

From the limited findings available it’s been shown that substitutes such as charcoal, corella, chitosan and Bentonite clay have the same (-) charge as the biotoxins. This means a strong binding bond is substantially less effective or not likely.

One option for natural treatment for mold toxicity is okra and beets. Okra and beets have a similar ionic structure and charge to CSM and welchol. A study has shown that their binding capacity for bile acids is similar to that of CSM. (source). However, it takes a large amount of okra and beets to be effective.

That’s why I have created a compound using extract of beet and okra, in a high amount, for binding. Called mycobind, I have seen repeated success with it in my clinic.

Sauna

The use of saunas and sweating has been used for many years as a means to rid the body of toxins. Sauna therapy has shown benefit for the treatment of high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, post-heart attack, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic pain, rheumatologic disease, chronic fatigue, and addictions.

A mycotoxin found in water-damaged buildings has been found in human sweat. However there have not been any other studies to analyze molds and their mycotoxins in human sweat. Much like activated charcoal, there are a lot of anecdotal reports that saunas improve the symptoms of mold toxicity. But there’s just not any strong research to support this claim.

I love saunas. I use one regularly. But I’ve not seen any CIRS patients improve solely because of a sauna. The only thing I’ve seen help CIRS is the Shoemaker protocol.

Sauna can be used as an adjunct therapy to the Shoemaker Protocol. But go slow. Saunas trigger a stress response – activating your HPA axis in a similar manner to exercise. Many CIRS patients have complete intolerance to exercise. The same intolerance can occur in sauna sessions.

With that said, I think the use of saunas provides other well-documented benefits. Other toxins like bisphenol A and heavy metals have been shown to be excreted through sweat. It is likely that sauna therapy will reduce the overall toxic burden in your body. Whether that includes molds and their mycotoxins remains to be seen.

Probiotics for mold exposure

Many CIRS patients have gut issues, and beneficial bacteria and yeast species can help settle gastrointestinal symptoms.

Specific strains of Lactobacillus probiotics can help your body . These strains include:

• Lactobacillus rhamnosus
•  Lactobacillus plantarum
•  Lactobacillus casei

This will improve your body’s detox abilities. With a healthy gut, you’ll be better able to expel mold toxins.

Saccharomyces Boulardii is a beneficial yeast species. Think of it like a probiotic. But instead of a beneficial bacteria, it’s a beneficial yeast species. It’s also very well tolerated.

Just remember that these supplements will only provide symptomatic benefits. The real solution to gut issues in CIRS is improving MSH levels!

The most important point about natural treatment for mold toxicity

Avoid adverse reactions.

Do not push through. Do not tough it out. Go slow. Take your time. Find a dose that your body tolerates. Slowly increase from there.

The common assumption in Western society is that there should be some pain or discomfort in treatment. That way you know it’s working. Please please please, let go of this assumption.

Your goal in treating mold toxicity is to avoid negative reactions. If you start to experience symptoms, you’ve exceeded your body’s ability to detox. Slow down. Increase your dose only after you’ve tolerated the lower dose for at least one week without symptoms.

If you find that you’re unable to find a low enough dose or that you react to absolutely everything, you may be dealing with a condition known as mast cell activation syndrome. You’ll need to calm your mast cells before continuing treatment on toxic mold.

Mast cell activation syndrome and mold toxicity

Mast cells are one of the most important types of white blood cells in your body. The basic function of your mast cells is to coordinate your immune system’s response to harmful invaders. Toxic mold is just one of the many potential invaders.

You have the highest concentration of mast cells in the parts of your body that come into the most contact with the outside world: your GI tract, sinuses and respiratory tract, skin, and genitourinary tract. Notice how a lot of the symptoms of toxic mold affect those body systems in particular!

New research is suggesting that mast cell activation may be a symptom of CIRS. Stay tuned for more research on this!

When your mast cells come into contact with mold, they sound the alarm bells. Mast cells commonly release histamine, serotonin, or tryptase in response to toxic mold.

When you start a natural treatment for mold toxicity with binders, you may trigger a response from your mast cells. When this occurs, there is typically an aggravation in your symptoms. This is why so many of you may feel far worse when you start taking cholestyramine (CSM).

Mast cell activation syndrome could be preventing you from treating and overcoming mold toxicity.

If your mast cells are hyperactive, you’re going to need to quiet them down before treating mold toxicity. To do this, start with 500mg of quercitin thirty minutes before your meals. Quercetin has been shown to be even more effective than prescription medication at calming down your mast cells.

If you tolerate 500mg of quercetin, increase your dose up to 2000mg thirty minutes before each meal. Taking quercetin before eating is extremely important. This gives the supplement time to help calm your mast cells.

Once your mast cells are less reactive, you can get back to treating the mold toxicity. Just remember to go slowly. Start with a very small dose of natural binders. Ensure there are no adverse or Herxheimer reactions. Only then should you start to increase your dose.

Research on CIRS and mold illness changes rapidly. Don’t ever get too comfortable with what you think you know. And always keep learning!

Flourish Clinic specializes in mold sickness and CIRS – learn more!

Ok, now I want to hear from you!

What sort of treatment has helped you overcome toxic mold? 

What treatments made your mold symptoms worse? How did you overcome them?

Leave your answers in the comments section below!