How Accurate is Realtime Labs Mold Test?

Just wanted to know if anyone here has tried the test and how reliable it is for diagnosing mold toxicity. My $ is low and wanted to hear thoughts before I dropped more $ in what it seems to my Holy Grail quest to health and happiness.

Realtime Labs and Great Plains Lab have urine mycotoxin tests that doctors seem to trust. I have used both.

My experience has been quite different from Adam’s. I initially did ERMI tests at home and the workplace and did Realtime urine test for mycotoxins. My mother, who lived in the same house, was tested along with me. The Realtime results were positive for mycotoxins and the ERMI tests confirmed moderate mold exposure of strikingly similar values across the species both at home and in the workplace.

We moved in with a relative, and I did an ERMI test there. Mold counts were lower. HERTSMI-2 was 4 as compared to 10 at our home and 8 at the office. I started treatment with glutathione and binders and we both re-tested with Realtime after 18 months. My values went into the negative range, while my basically untreated mother’s ranges were still positive. Additionally, we had higher values for different mycotoxins than before, reflecting the change in environments.

We stayed at the relative’s house several years, and water incidences occurred during that time. I became worse, and got really bad after a leak was discovered under the kitchen sink. I fled the relative’s house at that point and moved into my car for 11 months. about a month before I moved into my car, I did a HERTSMI-2 which went from 4 initially to 18. Aspergillus/Penicilloides had gone from 90 to 990. I did the urine test with Great Plains lab at the same time. I had sky high levels of mycotoxins, especially gliotoxin and zearalenone from Fusarium mold, which is not identified by the ERMI.

Last June, we moved into a house after we had it remediated for mold. I have horrible reactions to the house and want to do a HERTSMI-2, but I don’t have a ladder tall enough to reach the fan blades, which is where I want to take the samples. I have not done another urine test, as they are quite expensive. I did do the CIRS labs two months after moving into this house, and they were all high and indicate current exposure.

The CIRS labs were done by Labcorp and covered by my insurance. Medicare and Tricare are the only insurance I am aware of that cover Realtime. I am not aware of any insurance covering the Great Plains MycoTox test.

From what I know, doctors who are knowledgeable about mold use Realtime or Great Plains. I just listened to an online FAQ with Dr MR last night, and he was saying he has moved more towards Realtime and finds it more relevant but didn’t fully explain how or why. Great Plains tests for more mycotoxins and is a little cheaper, I think. Realtime offers a discounted cost for a retest up to 18 months afterwards, so you can see progress after relocating/remediating and treating.

IMO, anyone with symptoms, especially those who did not get sick after a known tick bite, who can afford it, should get a mycotoxin urine test. Mold can be the primary illness driver even if you test positive for Lyme or a coinfection. You can spend years downing every antibiotic and herb and not recover if mold is the main thing that made you sick.

Anyone with a positive mycotoxin test really needs to determine where the exposure is coming from. If you live or work in building that has visible mold, signs of past or present water damage or leaks, or a dirty HVAC system, you should assume your being exposed to some degree of mold.

That said, I am pretty sure I have seen people pass through here who had some mycotoxins, took some binders, treated Lyme/co and got significantly better without ever knowing for sure where they had been exposed or verified via ERMI that they were in a clean environment.

In my case, mold is clearly enemy number 1, and I can’t seem to get in a clean environment. It’s literally killing me.

Xabian,

I just looked back at some of your recent posts regarding treatment and how it isn’t working and your LLMD doesn’t address mold.

I wholeheartedly agree that seriously evaluating mold via proper testing is warranted. There are several ways to do this, and most of them cost money, except possibly the Shoemaker CIRS labs if your insurance covers your labs.

Because so much money is involved and I have been all the way down this road, I try to think about how to help people think this through before deciding on a route to avoid wasting money unnecessarily.

FIRST - The Obvious

This seems to be the hardest part for most people.

1) Think about your home and your workplace.

Any visible mold? Musty smells? Evidence of past or present leaks or water damage? Do you feel less inflamed, more relaxed, or breathe better away from the home or workplace? If you’re not sure, take a look around. Act like you’re a mold inspector. Look for stains on ceilings, walls, floors; mold on windows, around toilet bases, inside cabinets, around plumbing fixtures. Check the attic, basement, or crawlspace. Look for discoloration on wood, brown stains indicating water has been there. Look at the HVAC ducts. Are they moldy, dusty, or rusty?

If you work in a building, look around the building inside and out for signs of leaks or damage including the roof and bathrooms. Check the ceilings closely. Look at areas that you don’t normally see like your neighbor’s offices or cubicles. Do other employees have health issues or complain about the air quality or the building condition?

If it’s obvious that there is a problem or a likelihood of water damage, then you need to think about what to do next.

2). I think there’s mold or water damage. Now what?

Home

Do you own or rent? If you own, can you afford to hire a mold inspector and have remediation work done? If you rent, will your landlord properly take care of it and protect your health while doing so? Can you find safer housing elsewhere?

Work

Options - Work at home or another location. Find another job. Address the issue with your employer.

I’ll stop here, as that’s already a lot to consider and evaluate.

A urine mycotoxin test will tell you if you have mycotoxins in your body. Mycotoxins are poison. That’s never a good thing. An ERMI/HERTSMI-2 or a really good mold inspector can tell you where you’re being exposed and what you’re being exposed to.

WalkingByFaith,

Thanks for your very informational reply. Much appreciated.

I believe I’ve struggled with Lyme since I was a little boy but I didn’t become very sick until 6 years ago. At that time I know for a fact I was exposed to mold. I was living in a trailer and there was a pipe that had broke under the flooring. I found out about it later after I had torn up the floor for remodel a year later. Lots of mold. I would also turn the heater on full blast (because it was darn cold) so I was pretty much hotboxing myself with mold (ew!). I became awfully sick living there. I haven't lived there now for over 4 years and I know the place I live now doesn’t seem to have any mold. Can I still be sick from that exposure over 4 years ago?