As doctors and researchers look deeper into the effects of mold and mold mycotoxins on the body, they are realizing that mold may be responsible for many different symptoms, health problems, and medical conditions. The most commonly associated condition to mold exposure is mold toxicity. This is often called mold sickness or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, or CIRS. However, researchers have now found mycotoxins, or mold, in many patients diagnosed with other chronic medical conditions as well. This leaves many researchers to believe that patients are being misdiagnosed and are instead battling an uncontrolled spread of mycotoxins in the body. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, is able to halt the growth of mycotoxins and help the body eliminate these toxins, leaving patients finally finding a treatment method that works for their chronic conditions!
A look at how toxic mold can be an underlying issue to many chronic conditions including post-Lyme syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and many more. And how hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, can help improve these chronic conditions.
Your Body and Mold Exposure
To begin to understand mold, we have to understand that not everyone is susceptible to the debilitating effects of mold. When mycotoxins enter the body through inhalation, digestion, or skin exposure, the normal body’s immune system recognizes these invaders and works to eliminate them from the body. Unfortunately, scientists have discovered the HLA-DR gene, that is present in around 25 percent of the American population. When this gene is present in the body, the immune system is unable to recognize the mycotoxins as foreign invaders. It does not release the antibodies necessary to eliminate them from the body. This can explain why some people will get sick in a water-damaged building with mold and others will not.
The Mold Connection to Chronic Conditions
The problem with mold toxicity is twofold. Many doctors do not understand mold and how it can affect the body. It is not a typical diagnosis they consider. At the same time, many symptoms of mold toxicity, or CIRS, are the same as a variety of medical conditions. With symptoms such as chronic fatigue, unexplained muscle aches, cognitive impairment, and much more, it is very easy for patients to be diagnosed with other similar conditions, such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Dr. Joseph Brewer, MD, is an infectious disease specialist with a special interest in chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease, and HIV/AIDS. He published a paper in 2013 looking at 112 chronic fatigue patients that he tested for mycotoxins in the urine. Of those 112 patients, 104 tested positive for a least one mycotoxin, with 30 percent being positive for multiple mycotoxins. This showed that mold was the underlying factor causing some of the symptoms.
Connection Between Mold and Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease has become a large problem in the United States. While early antibiotic treatment does resolve the problem in most people, many continue to suffer from symptoms. At this point, they receive a diagnosis of Post-Treatment Lyme Disease. Dr. Raj Patel, specializing in the treatment of Lyme disease, believes that if you have been treated for chronic Lyme disease and have not seen an improvement, chances are you have toxic mold issues as well. He believes that at least half of all cases of chronic Lyme disease are due to inflammation caused by mold toxicity. The symptoms of both conditions are similar. It is easy to see how they both can occur at the same time. But treatment for one doesn’t always work for both.
HBOT does, however, work for treating both Lyme disease and mold toxicity! High levels of oxygen administered through HBOT work to kill the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease as well as stop mycotoxin growth in the body! For more information, contact our office today and see how Dr. Spiegel and his team can help! Learn more about Lyme disease and HBOT HERE!
Mold Toxicity Often Misdiagnosed As Other Chronic Conditions
An article in Psychology Today by Judy Tsafrir, M.D. discussed the connection between mold toxicity and psychiatric conditions, such as depression, anxiety, brain fog, insomnia, and attention problems. She also points out how patients receive a diagnosis of other conditions, such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, mast cell activation disorder, irritable bowel, and multiple sclerosis, when mold toxicity is the ultimate condition. She points out that those conditions that do not respond to traditional treatment are often caused by toxic mold.
HBOT Can Help Eliminate Toxic Mold
If you have suffered from one of the previously mentioned medical conditions but have not received relief from standard treatments, mold may be an underlying cause of your symptoms. Hyperbaric oxygen, or HBOT, can help treat mold and other chronic conditions. HBOT is a non-invasive medical procedure where you relax in a hyperbaric chamber while your body receives high levels of oxygen. But what does oxygen do to get rid of mycotoxins? In 2014, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine Robert Cramer, Ph.D. discovered that high levels of oxygen stopped mycotoxins from growing. The addition of high oxygen levels in the body stimulated the immune system. This helps fight off the mycotoxins and reduces inflammation in the body while promoting tissue repair.
Dr. Spiegel and his team have had great success treating patients with mold toxicity. Most patients find symptom relief and a return to life before mold exposure. If you would like more information about how HBOT can help you, contact our office today. We can set up an initial consultation and help create an individual treatment plan. Fill out our online information form HERE.