Why “Invisible” Exposure Can Stall Your Healing from Mold

Mycotoxins from hidden mold can stall recovery from chronic illness, long COVID, and infections. Read on to learn the red flags, testing, and what to do next.

What Are Mycotoxins—and Where Do They Come From?

• Mycotoxins = mold-made biotoxins. They can come from visible mold (leaks, wet drywall, carpets, attics) or hidden sources behind walls, under flooring, or above ceilings.
• They’re chemical exposures (you often can’t see/smell them) and can be immunosuppressive—some transplant meds are synthesized from mold toxins.

Why Symptoms Seem “Everywhere”

Because mycotoxins act system-wide, people report diffuse complaints that look unrelated:

• Neuro + immune: brain inflammation, anxiety/depression, sleep issues, brain fog
• Cardio + GI: palpitations, gut dysfunction
• Pain & joints: chronic headaches, widespread pain
• Hormones: hard-to-stabilize hormone patterns that don’t respond to usual care

Clinical Red Flags From the Video

Consider mold/mycotoxins if you see these patterns:

1. Chronic illness not improving with typically-effective protocols (e.g., chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia).
2. Long COVID/post-viral cases with heightened toxin sensitivity and slow recovery.
3. Chronic infections (Lyme/co-infections, EBV/CMV) that won’t resolve or keep relapsing.
4. Neuropsychiatric escalation—anxiety, insomnia, depression worsened over time.
5. Hormone dysregulation that needs constant tweaking yet never stabilizes.

Key idea: Mycotoxins may not be the only cause, but they make other problems harder to treat until addressed.

Hidden Exposure: The Worst Cases

Some of the sickest patients lived under invisible sources (e.g., an attic full of mold above an otherwise “clean” top-floor condo). Hidden exposure = high toxin load + multisystem illness.

Testing: House vs. Human

• Environment: Get a qualified mold inspector; don’t rely on sight/smell alone.
• Human testing (screening/triage):
  • Urine mycotoxin test: shows what’s being excreted (not perfect, but useful).
  • Immune testing: immunoglobulins to molds and to specific mycotoxins (two different targets).
    • Choose based on goals: screening excretion vs. assessing immune disruption. In severe cases, do both.

What Effective Recovery Requires

1. Fix the environment: leave the exposure or professionally remediate (source removal, moisture control, proven cleaning protocols).
2. Treat the person: support detoxification and immune recovery per a practitioner experienced with mold illness.