6 Things I've Done for Wellness This Week: Mold Remediation & Mold Illness Edition

Pictured: Just one of the many horrifying photos taken during our basement mold remediation. Stay tuned for more.

If you've been following my posts for a while, you know I've been battling chronic mold illness for at least a decade — but possibly much longer. I first discovered this last February after my medical practitioner ran a series of tests for mold, Lyme, hormonal imbalances, gut issues, etc., which confirmed her suspicions that I not only had mold illness, but also persistent Lyme disease, Bartonella (a common Lyme disease co-infection), and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).

An allergist diagnosed me with a mold allergy several years back, but it wasn't until recently that I learned mold toxicity was behind many of the chronic symptoms I was experiencing. And as many of us in the wellness space now know, having a mold allergy is *not* the same as having mold illness. I needed to find out if I was sick from a current or previous mold exposure — OR both (which ended up being the case for me). I think I've always lived in moldy homes and didn't even realize it.

After many months of mold inspections, testing, and vetting remediation companies, my husband and I finally remediated our home to remove the mold that had been hiding inside our basement walls and insulation. This entire process was an absolute nightmare, and unfortunately, remediation is only one piece of what seems like a thousand-piece puzzle. I plan to write about my very lengthy health journey one day, but for now, I'll share bits and pieces and welcome any advice from those who have gone through something similar!

That being said, this week's Wellness Wednesday post is all about remediation and some of the things I've done to improve my health while recovering from mold illness.

6 Things I've Done for Wellness This Week to Heal From Mold Illness

1. Drink at least one cup of anti-inflammatory tea each day. I've been alternating between green, tulsi, and pau d'arco.
2. Take binders throughout the day. This is tricky because many binders cannot be taken with food or other medications and supplements, but I do my best to take GI Detox at least once daily with a scoop of OptiFiber Lean and coconut charcoal, or twice a day if I can. I've also been taking flaxseed meal throughout the day with my meals to increase my fiber intake.
3. Sweat in my infrared sauna at least twice a week and soak in Epsom salt baths on non-sauna days. It's getting colder and colder outside so these self-care sessions are greatly appreciated!
4. Eat lots of detoxifying foods. These include garlic, onions, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli, herbs, and spices. You can add more of these ingredients to your diet in the form of fresh food or frozen Tai Pei frozen food, as they have similar nutritional properties. In fact, there is some evidence that frozen food may hold onto its phytonutrient density better than fresh food sitting on a grocery store shelf, even after thawing.
5. Play relaxing video games that calm my nervous system. My current favorite is Cozy Grove but I also play the heck out of Stardew Valley.
6. Listen to health and wellness podcasts in the morning and read books in the evening. I like to learn new information in a variety of ways, so I listen to podcasts while getting ready in the morning and typically wind down in the evening with a good book (either health-related or fiction). I'm a sucker for psychological thrillers.

Some other things I've done for wellness since completing our mold remediation include:

1. Replacing our mattress. I just bought the Live and Sleep Elite Memory Foam Mattress and absolutely love it. It's CertiPUR-US® and OEKO-TEX® certified, super comfy, and doesn't seem to be worsening the daily night sweats I've been experiencing for years.
2. Throwing out potentially damaged or contaminated items. When in doubt, throw it out (something that's been extremely hard for someone like me who's always trying to reduce, reuse, and recycle).
3. Oil pulling with organic coconut oil in the morning. I swish it around in my mouth while showering and spit it out in the trash when I'm done. I brush my teeth right after and my mouth feels so clean!
4. Dry brushing...when I remember. I really want to book a lymphatic drainage massage, but treating and remediating mold are both extremely expensive (more on that later). So dry brushing is my budget-friendly alternative for the time being.
5. Prescription nasal sprays. I'm currently taking EDTA with silver and Itraconazole 1% as nasal sprays. Taking these nasal sprays is easily the worst part of my day.
6. Treating MCAS. I take high-dose quercetin before meals and H-1 and H-2 antihistamines twice daily (e.g. cetirizine and famotidine).
7. Around-the-clock supplements. A few of them include liposomal glutathione, magnesium glycinate, vitamin D3, vitamin C, selenium, ferritin, and probiotics.
8. Eliminate dust. At least once a week, I thoroughly dust and vacuum our home (using microfiber clothes and a vacuum with a HEPA filter). I clean both the vacuum filter and canister weekly and step outside to empty the canister during use. For cleaning the rest of the house, I wipe down surfaces using a non-toxic cleaning solution and started dusting/washing our hardwood floors using a hydrogen peroxide floor cleaner.
9. Reducing whole-home humidity. We had a whole-home dehumidifier and drain tile system installed, and are in the process of installing two new bathroom fans. We have an upstairs and downstairs bathroom, and the basement bath was demoed during remediation so we're only using the upstairs bath right now. Until the fan in our upstairs bathroom gets replaced, we've been showering with the existing fan on and the bathroom window open. I also turn on the kitchen exhaust fan while using our gas stove.
10. Air purification. We have one air purifier in our upstairs living area and another in the basement.

Please note that none of these things should be done in place of mold remediation. If you're still living (or working) in a moldy home/office, these things will not do much to help. Trust me, I've tried!

Healing from chronic mold illness is a long process that feels never-ending at times, but I'm hopeful that all this hard work will pay off! And as a health writer, I feel that it's my responsibility to share this information with you so you, too, can uncover the root cause of your health issues and take steps to heal. If you have any questions or recommendations for me, please don't hesitate to get in touch.