Antibody testing for mold

I recently listened to the below podcast (transcript is in link too) about antibody testing for mold. You do not need a docs signature for it and cost is $380.Tests for 12 IGE & IGG mycotoxins (so 24 results).

The doctor in podcast - Andrew Campbell is the medical director at the lab. Which always makes me a little skeptical. Of course this is the best test when you make $$!

Basically the gist of what he says is IGE is immediate response and IGG is longterm. His treatment after removing exposure is itraconazole (100mg, 2x a day for 6 months) and building immune system back up (vitamins, minerals, herbs). Likes sauna & strictly uses charcoal for binder. Does not recommend Cholestyramine. After 6 months of treatment & no exposure, IGG should go away. Also, level of IGG corresponds with level of mycotoxin severity in body. He also says urine testing is not valid due to the fact that if they show up in urine that it’s the normal excretion pathway and we are exposed to mycotoxins in food.

What do y’all think? I’m half tempted...I’m 4 months from no major exposure but have not treated with antifungal. And he does state that you will not get better without antifungal. Have used zeolite, takesumi supreme, cholestyramine and now GI detox. If this test was negative I think it would be time to close this rabbit hole for good!

Podcast: https://www.betterhealthguy.com/episode114

Lab:
https://mymycolab.com/

Post Edited (k07) : 3/9/2020 7:00:43 PM (GMT-6)

Sounds interesting. I wouldn’t be quick to jump unless mold docs (i.e. ISEAI, Shoemaker, etc) are supporting it. The fact that you don’t need a doctor’s approval (as financially and logistically appealing as it is to us) makes me think it’s not likely that discerning doctors will back it, as they have better knowledge of determining what’s legit/reliable and what’s not.

As far as this person’s opinion on the urine testing, I have to disagree based on my own personal experiences with testing/exposure. Once out of exposure, I completely cleared gliotoxin. Did not have much ochratoxin or aflatoxin to begin with (in spite of frequent ingestion of “moldy” foods). Those toxins increased when I changed environments.

As far as doing this test and a negative result allowing you to close this rabbit hole for good, I don’t think so. I don’t think the mold hole is ever closed for good, as avoiding exposure is difficult to verify with current means, and as chronically ill people, all toxins potentially keep us sick or can cause us to relapse once recovered.

I’m leaning towards agreeing with him about antifungals. They have helped me. I haven’t done Amphotericin-B yet, although I have it on hand. My doc says I need it to kill the hyphae form in the gut.

As for binders, cholestyramine nearly killed me. Zeobind helped the first 2 weeks. The many others had no noticeable effect. What DID have a profound effect on my symptoms is TUDCA Plus. I started mid-January. I have CONSISTENTLY had symptom improvement since starting. This has never happened in the 3.5 years since starting treatment. I suspect it did something to my liver that affected my ability to remove toxins. It seems to have done more than I understand and wish I knew exactly what is happening.

Since starting TUDCA, I have been through more stress, less sleep, worse diet, more environmental exposures to chemicals, etc, and yet I have consistently had less symptoms and been more functional and stable. The only thing worse is my gut. I think it’s parasite related.

Just my big, fat 2 cents☺️

He uses itraconazole, due to its broad spectrum activity.

And, says no scientific evidence of hla genetics. I do not have the mold hla genes, but “ post lyme”. I’m not sure how shoemaker came to categorize those. There is some scientific literature of Hla DRB1*15:01 in MS (which corresponds with what shoemaker says - the ms & lyme gene is same).

Post Edited (k07) : 3/10/2020 6:54:39 AM (GMT-6)

Good point. Lots to consider. I’m guessing this particular doc does not believe in not developing antibodies due to immune suppression.

He doesn’t go into detail on the exclusive use of charcoal.