Treating Mold Illness in the Aftermath of Hurricanes

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season caused tremendous destruction along Florida’s Gulf Coast, as well as in the mountains of western North Carolina and at multiple points in between, and it may not be over — hurricane season doesn’t officially end until November 30.

Adding to these miseries? Among the most serious health threats for people living in these areas disrupted by surging tides and floodwaters is mold.

Structural damage to homes, schools, and businesses combined with trillions of gallons of water cannot help but to increase exposure to mold toxins, which are universally known to negatively impact health.

If you’ve been spending any amount of time in a water-damaged building (home, school, or workplace), and you’re experiencing any symptoms of exposure to toxic mold, please read on.

Mold Toxicity Symptoms

Let’s start with a list of some of the conditions and symptoms that we commonly see in patients who are suffering from exposure to mold toxins:

• Brain fog (impaired focus and attention). For more information, read “The Brain Fog Mycotoxin Connection” here on our blog.
• Fatigue, which may be indicative of chronic fatigue syndrome-myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS-ME), depending on its severity (for more information, please read “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Healing Your Frustrations!” here on the PROVOKE Health blog)
• Esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus, which can cause a sore throat and chest pain)
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Fibromyalgia
• Irritable bowel syndrome-mixed (IBS-M), characterized by alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea (for more information, read “IBS Diagnosis and Treatment Calls for an Understanding of SIBO and SIFO” here on the blog)
• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth-small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIBO-SIFO) or candida yeast overgrowth (a type of SIFO). For more information, read “What Is SIBO and What Can I Do About It?” here on our blog.
• Dementia
• Sinusitis (with allergy-like symptoms — sneezing, runny nose, congestion, post-nasal drip)
• Migraines or less severe but recurring or persistent headaches
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Vertigo
• Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). For more information, please read “What is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome – or POTS?” here on the PROVOKE Health blog.
• Sleep disturbances
• Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), which causes allergy-like symptoms (for more information, read “Diagnosing and Treating Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)” here on our blog.
• Lichen sclerosus — a condition that causes patchy, discolored, thin skin, usually in the genital or anal area (for more information, please read “Personalized Treatment for Lichen Sclerosus,”)
• Dermatitis, swelling of the skin (rashes)
• Chronic food sensitivities
• Loss of resilience (increased susceptibility to chronic colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other infections)

The list of conditions and symptoms is extensive, partly because mold-related illnesses often go unnoticed by traditional healthcare providers. As a result, those of us who specialize in testing for and treating mold-related illnesses have come to understand its scope in ways that few others do. And here at PROVOKE Health, we don’t guess, we test!

First Steps: Getting an Accurate and Thorough Diagnosis

If you’re experiencing any of the conditions or symptoms described in the previous section, or suffer other unexplained symptoms, you have a choice between two starting points. Begin by having your home inspected, as well as other buildings where you spend time. If toxic mold is suspected, you’ll need to get both your home and yourself tested and treated. If tests come back positive, you’ll want to treat your residence first.

However, if you and your home both test negative, the results will direct our attention to some other cause of your ailments.

At PROVOKE Health, we always start with a thorough evaluation — a physical exam plus an examination of your health history, family history, lifestyle, medications, living environment, and more. This initial examination often reveals factors that we need to take a closer look at by ordering targeted lab tests. Our objective is to keep peeling back “layers of the onion” until we identify the root cause(s) of the symptoms or condition.

For example, a patient may have a vitamin B12 deficiency caused by a medication that impairs their body’s ability to properly absorb the B12 they consume in the foods they eat. In such a case, we want to treat both the deficiency and what’s causing it.

Dr. Matt Lewis, founder of PROVOKE Health has treated hundreds of patients suffering from mold illness over the last 10 years. His unique approach is based on his own experience of becoming sick from a previous mold exposure, along with his research, training, and experience treating patients.

Testing for Toxic Mold Exposure

If you have been exposed to mold, you will have molds, mold toxins, antibodies to molds or mold toxins in your body. Several tests are available — urine tests and blood tests — to confirm or rule out mold exposure:

• The Mymyco lab test checks for the body’s immune response to mold toxin by detecting the presence of any IgG or IgE antibodies to the 14 most common mold toxins.
• Urine tests can identify the presence of mold toxins in urine.
• Additional tests from Quest or LabCorp help us assess inflammation and the toxic effects mold can have on red blood cells, liver function, kidney function, autoimmune activity, and thyroid and adrenal endocrine disruption.

We work closely with each patient to choose the tests that are likely to be the most useful for informing our diagnosis and selection of treatment options. We decide which tests to order on an individual basis, based on the results of our evaluation, the patient’s medical and family history, and results from other tests that may have already been done. In many cases, these tests were performed earlier by other doctors the patient has seen.

A Personalized Plan of Care

Every patient, regardless of the health condition or symptoms they’re experiencing, and regardless of whether the problem is related to mold toxicity, deserves a personalized Plan of Care. If mold exposure is a concern, your initial Plan of Care will include one or more of the following:

• Mold testing and remediation by a qualified technician. (While this is not something we do at PROVOKE Health, we can be of assistance in recommending a qualified technician.)
• Antifungal therapy, using prescription medications and/or natural supplements, to kill pathogenic fungi residing in your body.
• Detoxification, using prescription medication and/or natural supplements, to support your body’s own detox pathways and facilitate the removal of mold toxins.
• Adrenal support to restore healthy function to the adrenal glands, which often suffer from chronic stress and infections. Many patients who have been exposed to toxic mold suffer from adrenal fatigue — a condition in which the adrenal glands are exhausted and unable to produce adequate quantities of hormones, especially cortisol, which helps reduce inflammation.
• Digestive repair, using probiotics, prebiotics, peptides, and other medications/supplements to repair any damage to the lining of the gut and restore the balance of healthy bacteria and other microorganisms in the gut (the microbiome). Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) can be very helpful in repairing damage to the digestive tract and restoring balance to the microbiome. (For details, see our previous posts, “The Healing and Rejuvenating Power of Therapeutic Peptides” and “Understanding the Role and Benefits of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP).”
• Intravenous nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients) to address any nutritional deficiencies, promote healing, and enhance resiliency.
• Peptides to address any brain inflammation.
• Nebulized glutathione for lung and antioxidant support.
• Thyroid treatment to address any autoimmune thyroid condition, such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and restore/support thyroid health and function.
• Low-dose Naltrexone (LDN) to support healthy immune function and treat conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). LDN has also been shown to improve symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS), psoriasis, and Long COVID, which is characterized by symptoms lasting at least three months after an initial COVID infection.
• Nasal protocols to target any bacterial or fungal infection in the sinuses that may be causing congestion, sneezing, runny nose, or other sinus allergy-like symptoms.
• Prescription and/or natural binders for detoxing the body (removing mold and other toxins).

The key here is that your treatment must be individualized. After treating mold patients for more than a decade, we know there is no single protocol that is the correct one for all patients. Many patients who’ve been exposed to toxic mold develop conditions that require treatment on top of treating the mold toxicity. Treatment must address not only the mold toxicity but also the damage it has done to the body.

During treatment we provide a consultative approach to ensure that you are experiencing relief, and we re-evaluate with follow-up laboratory testing to know that the problem is being resolved or decide whether additional or different treatment is necessary.

A realistic time frame for healing from a mold exposure depends on the extent of exposure, length of time exposed, the ability to significantly reduce or remove the exposure to mold toxin, and other factors. Most patients see progress within the first 60 days of treatment.

If you are not feeling your best for whatever reason, we encourage you to schedule an evaluation with a functional medicine focused healthcare practice that has experience treating illnesses related to mold exposure and other chronic and difficult-to-diagnose-and-treat illnesses. Don’t settle for an approach that merely recommends treatment to suppress your symptoms. Obtain a diagnosis that identifies and targets the root cause(s). If you are in or near Tampa, Florida, please contact us to schedule your initial evaluation. We can also provide remote consultations and work with your existing healthcare provider(s) to optimize your treatment.

Don’t suffer unnecessarily. Effective treatments are available, but you must work with a doctor who understands and is committed to diagnosing and treating the underlying causes of illness and restoring health.