My slowest body systems to recover since mold exposure have been my immune and respiratory systems. They are certainly better by bounds than they were before, but they tend to be over-reactive in the wake of mold.
Is it only because of mold that I have respiratory symptoms? No. We are all a tangled web of all of the things. I’m also perimenopausal, have a history of slight seasonal asthma, and live in a valley with poor air quality, to name a few.
But I feel the speed and voracity of how I react to airborne irritants is ‘extra special’ thanks to my mold history.
So today I wanted to delve deeper into this topic and some things I have learned and still want to try when it comes to improving my breathing and immunity.
How Mold Affects the Immune System
Before I found out about my mold exposure, and I had some years of increased colds, sore throats and chronic chills. It was frustrating.
Little did I know my immune system has reached a state of severe depression after prolonged mold exposure.
Generally, when the immune system encounters a new threat, it revs up into action. This may show in a heightened WBC count. But it is not designed to deal with a prolonged threat.
For reference, I like to see WBC (white blood cell count) between 5 -7.5 x 1000/mm3.
When the threat persists in every breath you take in your home, the immune system will weaken, leaving you susceptible to other pathogens.
These can include:
Epstein Barr virus
Candida
Parasites
Colds & flus
I had all of these by the way. Plus Hashimoto’s and more.
How Mold Affects the Respiratory System
Now let’s talk about the respiratory tract. Nearly entirely, in the Western world, most mold damage will come from water damaged buildings. (Food-borne mold is rarely enough to cause real illness here IMO.)
Your nasal environment, throat, bronchi and lungs are all being exposed to mold and, in greater quantities, cell fragments and mycotoxins.
Your nasal environment is the mostly likely to foster mold colonization, which can lead to low melatonin levels (melatonin is an important immune antioxidant) and chronic nasal infections. (further reading)
Sadly tiny mold particles can also lodge in the alveoli of the lungs. The result can be:
Inflammation:
Mold spores and mycotoxins can trigger an immune response in the alveoli, leading to inflammation (alveolitis).
This inflammation reduces the efficiency of gas exchange, causing symptoms like shortness of breath and chest tightness.
2. Oxidative Stress:
Mycotoxins induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage cellular structures in the alveoli.
Chronic exposure can lead to tissue scarring and loss of lung elasticity.
3. Immunosuppression:
Some mycotoxins, like aflatoxin, suppress the immune system, making it harder for the body to clear infections in the alveoli.
This can lead to opportunistic infections, such as fungal pneumonia caused by Aspergillus (aspergillosis).
Also the respiratory tissue itself can become irritated, along with a weaker immune system to fight it. Right around my sickest point, I had strep throat. Nowadays, my bronchi can quickly seize up.
Remedies I’ve Found That Work
I am constantly willing to study and try herbs and healing techniques, and this pays of for me and you both! So I’m going to share a hefty list below.
We are all different with what we like and what works for us, so I encourage you to experiment and try what attracts you.
Astragalus, known as huang qi in Chinese medicine, is a great immunity booster for prevention and I recently learned it also protects your telomeres for longevity.
This is a simple device that allows you to breathe warm steam to soften congestion and contraction in thhe respiratory system. You can add a little colloidal silver if you like to counteract any infection.
You can buy the nebulizer device on Amazon, but the glutathione mix I got from my naturopath. The nebulizer will turn the liquid solution into tiny particles. I have heard of people doing there own OTC liquids, but I do not have experience with that. Feel free to leave your experience in the comment section!
Glutathione, our most plentiful antioxidant, is actually present at the front lines of the respiratory system in the lungs and the nose. So if you have a chronic exposure and/or your glutathione levels are low, adding glutathione at the front lines will help.
This product has glutathione plus iodine, citrus seed extract and more. Great for mold too!
A little quicker, on-the-go solution is our silver nasal spray. Bring it with you when you travel!
I love this product because it really gives my nose a good wash without a lot of mess. I used it twice a day when I was actively detoxing mold.
Green tea contains a powerful polyphenol, EGCG, that I used as an anti-viral and all-round support in my mold recovery. It is sort of subtle and well-tolerated but effective. In any mold recovery, you want to pile on the antioxidants and their cousins, polyphenols.
We are carrying a new green tea and mung bean extract blend that lowers inflammation!
Mega Mycobalance
I’m including this natural yeast remedy because I was just sharing with a client how this candida cleanse actually fixed my chronic swollen glands post-mold. You can buy through our link with the code HORMONEDETOXSHOP.
I have used this product for years to protect my delicate throat tissue. Use in in cold season after rinsing your nose, and after exercising outdoors. Also look into using mouth tape to keep your throat from drying out at night.
Mullein Tea & Tincture
I am so thankful I discover mullein in this late stage of my mold exposure! I live in Phoenix, and our air quality is not good. Post-mold, my body can still react to airborne particles. My lung would seize up out of nowhere. I also struggles through the long allergy season and even turned to steroid inhalers to breathe.
I finally did some research and purchased mullein in a tea, tincture and pill (why not go all in?!) The results were impressive. I do best when I use some mullein regularly during cold and allergy seasons. I’m proud to carry a mullein mix by DesBio where my friend Nicole works!
Ginger Tea
So simple and soothing! I have a fun recipe called Island Tea you can see here.
I have just recently added Lung Support by NutriDyn. I know this isn’t for everyone, but animal tissue has a strong affinity for building our own tissue, and still have lung issues so many years away from mold, I thought I’d give it a try. So far, so good!
Like glutathione, vitamin C can provide a front line of immune defense. This yummy, absorbable form can be a comfort during cold season.
Let your home be your cleanest sanctuary possible! Purify your air down to the smallest particles for viruses, smoke, pollen, dander etc. Have an Air Doctor in your bedroom and main hang-out space. If you already have some units but haven’t changed your filters in a while, let this be your reminder.
Keep that toxic dust down with CitriSafe cleaning spray. This all-natural spray has citrus seed extract as a main ingredient.
