Mold Illness Explained

If you’re here, chances are you’ve been searching for answers that no one else has been able to give you. Maybe you’ve collected symptoms for years. Maybe you’ve been bounced between doctors who tell you “everything looks normal.” Maybe you’ve suspected mold - but you’re not sure where to begin.

This page gives you clarity, plain and simple. No fear. No overwhelm.
Just truth, direction, and hope.

I’ve personally walked this road - from confusion and severe illness to full healing by God’s grace - and these are the exact tools, insights, and resources I wish I had on day one.

What Mold Illness Actually Is

Mold illness - also known as biotoxin illness, mold toxicity, or CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) - is a whole-body condition triggered by exposure to toxins produced by mold.

Here’s what most people don’t know:

• You don’t get sick from outdoor mold. Outdoor mold can be annoying, but it doesn’t cause this level of illness.
• You get sick from WATER-DAMAGED BUILDINGS (WDBs). Hidden leaks, humidity, HVAC contamination, flooding, or old water damage can all create a toxic environment, even when you can’t see mold.
• About 25% of people have genes that struggle to clear mold toxins. Their bodies don’t tag mold toxins properly, so the immune system stays stuck in “fight mode” and inflammation becomes chronic.
• Mold toxins affect the whole body. Brain, hormones, gut, immune system, detox pathways, mitochondria, mood, and energy can all be impacted.

This is why mold illness feels so confusing: the symptoms look random, but they often flow from the same root cause.

Is This You? (Common Symptoms)

Mold illness can affect any system in the body. These are patterns I see most often:

Neurological Symptoms
• Brain fog or cognitive decline
• Memory issues
• Difficulty concentrating
• Dizziness or vertigo

Immune & Infections
• Recurrent sinus infections
• Chronic illness with no clear cause
• Slow recovery from illness

Inflammation & Pain
• Joint pain
• Muscle pain
• Headaches or migraines

Detox & Gut
• Bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea
• Food sensitivities
• Chemical sensitivities
• Histamine intolerance

Emotional Symptoms
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Mood swings
• Feeling “not like yourself”

Energy & Hormones
• Fatigue
• Sleep issues
• Hormone imbalances

If you have a mix of these—and nobody has connected the dots—mold is worth exploring.

Why Some People Get Sicker Than Others

Some people can walk into a moldy building and feel nothing. Others get sick fast. And some, like I did, become extremely ill over time.

One big reason is genetics. Around 25% of people have HLA genes that don’t recognize mold toxins properly, not as “foreign”.

When your body can’t tag toxins as “foreign,” it struggles to eliminate them. Your immune system stays stuck in fight mode, inflammation becomes chronic, and symptoms escalate.

This is why one person in a household can be bedridden while others feel “fine.” You are not crazy. Your experience is real - and it has a scientific basis.

Where Mold Exposure Actually Comes From

Repeat after me: it is not about outdoor mold.

The real issue is water-damaged buildings (WDBs), even when:

• you don’t see mold
• you can’t smell mold
• the house “looks fine”
• you’ve already had “remediation”

Mold can hide:
• inside walls
• under flooring
• in HVAC systems and ducts
• around windows, bathrooms, attics, or any past leak

Dust holds mold spores and toxins. Air systems spread them. Your body bears the burden. You don’t have to see mold for it to be a problem.

How to Test Your Body for Mold

There is no single perfect test, but these tools together can give a clearer picture:

• VCS Test (Visual Contrast Sensitivity): An online screening test that looks at how well your eyes can detect contrast. Neurotoxins like mold can affect this.

• Mycotoxin Urine Testing: Looks for mold toxins being excreted in the urine. Helpful for seeing exposure and detox over time.

• Muscle Testing / Energy Testing: A powerful biofeedback tool that helps identify the body’s burdens and priorities in real time. I use this regularly in practice to understand what your body is asking for next.

Your history, symptoms, and environment matter just as much as the labs. We use all of this together to see the full picture.

How to Test Your Home for Mold

Your environment matters just as much as your body. These are some commonly used tools:

• ERMI Test (Dust Test): Uses collected dust to identify mold species and give an overall score of your environment’s mold burden. Good for a big-picture view.

• HERTSMI-2: A shorter scoring system that looks at a handful of highly problematic mold species.

• Immunolytics Petri Dishes: Simple plates you leave out in different rooms to see what grows. Helpful as a screening tool.

• Qualified Mold Inspector: Ideally, you want a building biologist or inspector who understands water damage, moisture mapping, and hidden mold—not just someone who looks for visible spots.

No single test can tell you everything, but together they can help confirm whether your environment is safe or contributing to illness.

How Healing Actually Starts

Most people try to jump straight into detoxing mold - and that’s often where things go wrong.

True healing is a step-by-step process:

1. Open Drainage Pathways
Before you move toxins, you have to be sure they can leave. This means supporting:

  • lymphatic flow

  • bowels

  • liver and gallbladder

  • kidneys

  • sweat pathways

  • mitochondria (your energy factories)

In my own journey, focusing on drainage before detox was a major turning point.

2. Support Mitochondria
When your energy systems are supported, your body can actually keep up with healing work instead of crashing.

3. Remove Ongoing Exposure
You cannot out-supplement a moldy house. Identifying and addressing your environment is non-negotiable.

4. Clear Toxins & Pathogens Systematically
This is never a one-size-fits-all protocol. We move layer by layer, honoring the order your body needs.

5. Heal the Mind & Spirit
Mold illness is traumatic. We work with nervous system regulation, emotional release, and spiritual reconnection so your body can shift out of survival mode.

6. Rebuild Long-Term Health
Once the load is down, we strengthen resilience - physically, mentally, and spiritually - so you can live fully again.

Books

  1. Title: Mold Illness Surviving and Thriving – A Recovery Manual
    Content: “A recovery-focused book that walks patients and families through understanding CIRS and mold-related illness, plus practical steps and tools.”

  2. Title: Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Chronic Environmental Illnesses – Dr. Neil Nathan
    Content: “A deeper look at complex chronic illness, including mold, Lyme, and sensitivities. It can get technical, so take what serves you and leave the rest.”

  3. Title: Nature’s Mold Rx – The Non-Toxic Solution to Toxic Mold
    Content: “A resource exploring more natural, non-toxic ways to address mold in your environment.”

At-Home Tests

  1. VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity) Test - A quick online screening tool to assess neurotoxin impact on vision contrast.

  2. ERMI Test - Dust-based testing that helps gauge overall mold burden in a space.

  3. Immunolytics Test Plates - Simple petri dishes to see what fungi or mold grow from your environment.

  4. HomeBiotic - A probiotic spray for the home meant to support a healthier balance of microbes on surfaces.

Help Maintain a Healthy Home

  1. Homeobiotic - Probiotic-based home spray to support a healthier balance of microbes.

  2. Bio-Balance Fog Kit - A fogging kit designed to help bring mold spore levels in the home down to safer levels.

  3. Bio-Max Home Maintenance – “A botanical solution aimed at supporting long-term maintenance of lower mold levels.

  4. Thieves Cleaner - A non-toxic cleaner made with essential oils that many people use as part of their cleaning routine.

  5. EC3 Purifying Candle - Candles designed to help reduce mold spores in the air.

  6. EC3 Mold Cleaner - A non-toxic botanical cleaner for surfaces.

  7. EC3 Mold Concentrate Cleaner - A concentrated version of the cleaner to dilute and use throughout the home.

Laundry

If something you own has been exposed to mold and it can go in the washing machine, it is often savable. The key is using the right products and hot water when appropriate.

  1. EC3 Laundry Additive - Add to the rinse cycle of your washing machine to help reduce mold spores.

  2. Borax - Add 1 cup to your washing machine when washing mold-exposed clothes on the hottest setting they can tolerate.

  3. Thieves Cleaner - Some people add a small amount to the wash cycle as part of their mold-cleaning protocol.

Not Sure If It’s Mold? Here’s Your Next Step

If you suspect mold illness, trust that nudge - your body is trying to get your attention.

You don’t have to navigate this alone or piece things together from random articles and Facebook groups.

This is the work I do every day.

👉 Book an Integrative Holistic Health Consultation to:
• review your symptoms and history
• look at possible mold and environmental triggers
• create a clear next-step plan for your healing journey

There is hope. Healing is possible. And you are not stuck here.

Book Consultation

Important Note: I am not a medical doctor. I am sharing what I have learned on my personal journey to health.