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My house tested positive for mold

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Posted 5/23/2014 5:27 AM (GMT 0)
The boards on my hardwood floor, though not warped, form a kind of pyramid over the floor. That's where I set the mold kit. I had just thought about moving to a smaller house (nowhere near as nice), but had changed my mind, because the stairs to the loft were way, way too steep. There was also no way the dogs could have made it up those stairs, and the loft was the bigger part of the house.

Both houses tested positive (not unusual in such a damp region), but mine was much worse.

I think it might be bc the washer leaked at one point when some idiots who were trying to clean the lint out of my dryer moved it around and broke it.

Now what to do?

Meanwhile, I had another tick bite (no rash so far); the doctor found the tick, and bc of my history, wants me to go on abx., and I can't. I'm going to try Cowden again, but I can't do the entire protocol, bc it makes me sick and gives me diarrhea.

What do I do for the mold?

M
Posted 5/23/2014 6:10 AM (GMT 0)
Margret, was it one of those petri-dish type mold kits ?

Every building will have something that sticks on those and eventually grows - you may not actually have anything dangerous, so don't panic ...

Is there a way you or someone you know can pick up a few of those warped floor boards and see what is underneath ??

Mold doesn't usually grow on wood ( although it can ) - it is more likely to be on somewhat modern building material like sheetrock or in that pink insulation that is wrapped in paper ...

Mold can grow just about anywhere that is not metal, don't get me wrong - but I wouldn't panic until you can actually see it growing ... and if it was a result of a washer, then it can be cleaned up at the point where it leaked - that is much easier to deal with than a leaking roof or plumbing in the walls ...

Can you smell anything ??? Or do you see anything ???
Posted 5/23/2014 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
you can make a bleach solution and mop it over the hardwood floors. Mold will die on contact with the bleach. If the mold is deeper than just the cracks, then you may have to rip the floor out and clean it with a dry ice blasting procedure. This is done by a professional. The floor can be utilized again if it is in good condition although if it has mold in it it may transfer the mold to the treated area.

As you know, mold loves humidity so if you have a humidifier on your furnace, this can often times be the culprit of mold around the house because people often have it set in too high a setting.
Posted 5/23/2014 2:49 PM (GMT 0)
I think the best solution is to move. I just had my entire house remediated even though there was very little mold found but I just can't take chances with my genetics and mold exposure. You will pay thousands to have it remediated properly because home methods simply will not work for people who have the gene. There may be mold under the floor, in your walls, etc, etc. and unless you get someone REALLY good even a mold remediation company may not find it all. I spoke to people who had their house done 4 times and there was still mold. They ended up having to move. You will keep breathing in the toxins the mold gives out and never get better.
Posted 5/23/2014 4:40 PM (GMT 0)
This is one of the best websites I've found on mold issues - by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, well-known mold specialist. You'll find a lot of information here, suggestions for remediation, analysis, diagnosis and treatment. They have an online eye test you can take to gauge your mold exposure issues (I failed). You can sign up for their newsletter or consult with Dr. Shoemaker to help interpret test results (in the process of doing that myself). He's written a book I haven't read but have found a lot of references to it.

http://www.survivingmold.com/

-p
Posted 5/23/2014 6:40 PM (GMT 0)
Keep in mind - if you choose to move, you are going into an unknown situation, which may in fact be worse ...

Make sure what is going on in your home before you do anything ..... I was corresponding with a person a few years back who was convinced mold was her problem, and after moving 3 times she was still sick and feeling the same ...

Your place may not be so bad .... and remember, other people move for a reason too - so you might end up somewhere worse ...

In regards to Dr Shoemaker - he has stated that lyme requires 3 weeks of antibiotics only, and he obsesses about mold ... I would take his hysteria w/ a grain of salt
Posted 5/23/2014 7:33 PM (GMT 0)
Tano -

Obsession? I'm totally OK with that. I think that's why he's called a specialist in his field of mold. I don't believe he is a lyme specialist and I wasn't referring to him as a lyme specialist. Many posters here have referenced his info. So, take that with a grain of salt. ;)

-p
Posted 5/23/2014 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
Tano, good point about moving to a situation that is even worse. You always need to make sure that wherever you are going is actually mold free. As far as the mold, even if you move and have HLA gene, you cannot remove it from your body. So the lady that moved 3 times probably had that gene, was exposed, and was sick from then on. And yes, Dr. Shoemaker is an excellent resource for mold and I would not hesitate to get treated by him.
Posted 5/23/2014 9:50 PM (GMT 0)
IMO most Lyme patients have a mold problem they just don't know it.
Posted 5/24/2014 12:18 AM (GMT 0)
Lymebabe and Pirouette, I appreciate your responses and I want to hear more ...

I want to know about Shoemaker's theories, and I have read much of what he has said, but I still doubt some of where it comes from ..

He has said that there are people with certain genetic HLA markers that have trouble detoxing lyme toxins, and other people who have trouble detoxing mold toxins ...

A lot of people have been exposed to both ... In fact, I would think that everyone has been exposed to the dangerous types of mold - it is not only in homes, but cars, businesses, schools, etc

I guess my questions are:

- How did he come up with the markers for lyme, and separate them for the markers in mold ? ... Both toxins are fat soluble, and I can understand how someone may not make antibodies for a living microbe, but to say for certain that "Person A" cannot get rid of lyme toxins and "Person B" cannot get rid of mold toxins seems like a stretch ..

I am assuming his entire theory for this has come from his clinical experience and not scientific / lab testing ..... and with that, he probably feels that when a person tests negative for lyme ( or co infections ) the issue will be with mold - and would be completely misguided - as we all know, the testing for lyme is very inaccurate ...

Again, I have read his work - and I still don't understand how he has come up with the ability to separate the different HLA types that correspond with the different toxins .... Toxins from dead microbes, to my limited knowledge, don't require antibodies to usher them out of the body - just binding ability - and that is what I don't understand ...

I really want to get well, and if this is something that might help me, I want to know more ... but Dr Shoemaker - like "Dr" Marshall with his vitamin D deprevation theory - seems to throw out a lot of unsubstantiated info that tends to freak people out ... and of course, they then get their dedicated followers b/c what they are saying seems to play directly into people's fears ...
Posted 5/24/2014 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
.. and just for the record, I have had the HLA testing done

I am open to this ... I just don't fully understand, and, I am extremely cynical when it comes to some of these theories ...

A lot of these doctors - Shoemaker, Schaller, Marshall, Cutler - appear to have enormous eogs and love getting the attention, not to mention book sales ...

One question - a very serious one - do the red lines and streaks on a person's skin reflect a mold issue ?? ... or is the thinking that these red marks are limited to bartonella ?

.

.

Post Edited (Tano) : 5/23/2014 6:26:11 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/24/2014 2:33 AM (GMT 0)
I don't know how he came up with it. All I know I was tested for HLA and was told that I cannot detox Lyme toxins and mold. I had meningitis from Lyme when I was 8. After that I was not able to jump on trampolines, watch spinning movements or spin, started getting car sick, sea sick etc. After being treated at Sponaugle for 5 weeks (did not have money for more) where they were pulling Lyme and mold toxins out of my body I can jump on trampoline for 20 minutes straight, spinning does not make me sick anymore, don't know about the car sick and sea sick yet. But for me that's a major improvement so I don't know about the theory, just personal experience.
Posted 5/24/2014 3:39 AM (GMT 0)
Lymebabe, that is great to hear that you have improved ..

And it is really interesting that you are/were sensitive to car rides and nausea ... Those are 2 things that have really hit me since I became ill with all of this ...

Could I ask what you were using for 5 weeks to remove the toxins ?? ... was it Cholestyramine ?

I have a near impossible time tolerating treatments ( for lyme, bartonella, etc ) . . . . and I have tested positive for babesia, RMSF and bartonella on blood tests ....... but on my HLA tests, I was "Low MSH" and "Mold" according to the translation ...

I am just so confused .... I wonder if all these toxins overlap - and if the HLA testing can go hand-in-hand with the MTHFR genetic issues ... I tend to put more credence in the Amy Yasko / methylation articles because they are fully explained ...

Anyways, that is definitely good news in regards to your improvements !
Posted 5/24/2014 2:19 PM (GMT 0)
Tano, Cholestyramine is a prescription medication that lowers cholesterol. Basically, it takes fats out of the body. The bad news is it lowers good cholesterol too and all vitamins/minerals/ etc. soluble in fat. The good news is it also removes pesticides, mold, organic solvents, and all bad stuff that is deposited in fatty tissues including nerves and brain. When I herx and take it I can feel relief within an hour and it lasts up to five hours. So as any medication one needs to understand the side effects of it. It also has sucrose in it which I am SO not happy about but.. what are you gonna do! I have experienced marked improvement since I started using it so I just make sure I stay up on my avocado and vitamin regime LOL! Just the relief from herxes is worth it. I wish I had this in August when I was so horribly ill.

At Sponaugle they did ALA IVs followed by glutathione to pull the Lyme, pesticides, mold, etc. out of my nerves and brain. There was more stuff in it but we signed a non disclosure statement because the mixtures are proprietary. Plus they formulate it according to your bloodwork so it's all individual. Then they do detox drips and what is in them I have no idea. I imagine if I called my alternative dr. he would be able to come up with some similar detox drip for me. I just don' have the money for it right now.

I am working on my parasites right now and I know that I still have a ton of biofilm so when I am done with the parasites I will move onto biofilm and work on that. I will start taking 600 mg ALA then and even though oral ALA is not very effective it's better than nothing.

Hope this helps.
Posted 5/24/2014 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the info Lymebabe -

one more question:

Have you ever gotten the red lines or scratch-like marks that are thought to be bartonella ?
Posted 5/24/2014 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
ok, now I am on a mold kick:

Margaret, or anyone else ( LymeBabe ) - have you looked into something like this ?? An ozone generator/air purifier ?

www.amazon.com/CleanAir-Industrial-Generator-Deodorizer-Purifier/dp/B0083UIXLW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400959427&sr=8-2&keywords=ozone+generator
Posted 5/24/2014 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
I have looked at those machines but it's not realistic for me because I have two dogs and it's just too much hassle to get them out of the house, then come back and air the house etc etc. I had my house cleaned by TM100 and now I have to keep it at 55% humidity and I will be fine.

Those marks look like typical bartonella. I have never had those or at least I cannot remember.
Posted 5/24/2014 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
Thanx LymeBabe .....

We just try to continue to cover all the bases ... that's all we can do and little by little we'll get it back
Posted 5/24/2014 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
I will say I have a good friend before all my lyme shenanigans started who went to Dr. S, this guy was in/out of the hospital with heart problems in HORRIBLE condition and he is perfectly fine now. Dr. S actually retired. He mainly told this guy that he needed to flush his body and eat a strict diet and it worked. I knew this family for years and they always ate healthy and lived in a really clean house so I still find it odd but it worked, so there has to be something to it.

I have mold in my house but it doesn't bother me, I just clean it every now and then. Old houses with brick/plaster are the BEST for someone with mold issues. Mold will not grow on that even if you have a damp house.
Posted 5/25/2014 1:18 AM (GMT 0)
Lymebabe -

WOW - "I had meningitis from Lyme when I was 8. After that I was not able to jump on trampolines, watch spinning movements or spin, started getting car sick, sea sick etc."

I was constantly affected by motion sickness (driving in car, rides at amusement park, gymnastics, blowing up balloons or playing wind instrument) dating all the way back to when I was little but never thought about why. Are you saying your sx were from the meningitis? Lyme meningitis? I have never heard that (I guess the dizzying aspect of it would cause motion sickness).

Also -
My cholestyramine Rx literature had a fraction of the info you posted. I was not aware of those side effects. I couldn't tolerate it - but due to the mold issues I think I have I might give it another go if I can get my GI to heal a bit... Getting there.

-p
Posted 5/25/2014 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
I think that my symptoms were from Lyme toxins that I was not able to detox due to my genetic detox issues. Now that I have been working on removing those toxins my symptoms have improved greatly after 34 years of having them. That is remarkable I would say.

There is also Welchol but it is not as effective. Some people say that activated charcoal is also slightly effective and recently I also heard neem caps work for mold. All I know is Cholestyramine had made a huge difference and I have progressed the most in the last two weeks since on it. My alternative drs nurse said there is more than one way to skin the cat so I am sure there is a way!
Posted 5/25/2014 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
That is remarkable. Have you posted somewhere about your genetic results and detox protocol?
Posted 5/25/2014 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
I can't remember LOL! My brain is still catching up… I know my HLA mutation prevents me from detoxing Lyme toxins and mold. I am also double heterozygous for MTHFR which means inadequate detox of heavy metals. To detox I do colonics 2x week, on days I don't have colonics I do green coffee enemas. I have a Bellicon trampoline which is absolutely awesome and I am up to 20 minutes of rebounding straight! I do FIR sauna, have Heavenly Heat Eco. Also Epsom salt baths. I add ginger to it. I mixed fresh ginger root with water in my Vitamix and froze it in ice cube trays. Now I just take couple ice cubes, put them in an unbleached damask baggie and let them defrost in the hot bath. I got the sauna, the trampoline, and my Vitamix right after I got sick because then I had a little bit of money and I knew I was going to need these for the rest of my life. So I got the best of the best to last me a long time. I have not regretted a second! Hope this helps!
Posted 5/25/2014 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
I agree completely about the mini rebounder / trampoline ... Do not underestimate it's usefulness or effectiveness in moving the lymph and mobilizing toxins ...

First few times I did it, the red lines on my skin came out big-time
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