So many of you know that I am currently blaming my coughing over the last two weeks on mold. I have had a TON of patients over the years who have come to me asking about mold, and I have had a basic knowledge to share, and a focus on the natural process of getting well. But now, I am in an even better position to defend natural, as I am living it!
It all started with me cleaning out my old fridge on a Thursday evening before my neighborhood garage sale, which was going to be the proven method of getting rid of all things you don’t want (it is now 80% proven, better than zero). The fridge had been in my garage, UNPLUGGED, you know, like Pearl Jam on MTV with acoustic guitars… no electricity, for the last five months. The thing had a forest growing in it… MOLD after MOLD after MOLD.
So I attacked it, with water, pressurized water just destroying mold! Of course, it was also causing it to break apart into smaller pieces, and to be thrown into the air. I also used Bleach. A very harsh chemical killer… one that I am not a fan of ever coming in contact with, but I felt like i needed it here. The only thing is that I probably didn’t need to have it entering my lungs, weakening the lining, as the mold was doing the same thing!
By the end of the night, I had spent two hours emptying that fridge of mold spores and disgust. The good news is that it sold the next morning, the bad news, is that I was coughing the next morning, with the start of chest congestion in my lungs. I believe it was the mold.
So here we are, over two weeks later, and I am still coughing up fluid and mucous from my lungs. Worse in the AM after a long still night on my back, but slightly constant all day long. It is annoying! I would almost be tempted to take something, but what would I take? Some kind of cough suppressant, which would likely have to restrict the blood vessels, reducing the production of mucous on the lining. It doesn’t sound so bad. Until we look deeper into the deadly nature of some black molds.
As I researched Dr. Mercola’s site, I found references to the book, Mold: The War Within by Kurt and LeeAnn Billings. Having been home owners of a house turned bad via Hurricane Katrina’s devastating LATE effects… being the mold that grew over time. They eventually had to move from their home in an attempt to get well. One thing they learned on their journey, was that starving the mold via dietary restriction, had the greatest immediate impact. Funny, mold feeds on the same stuff as cancer, or bacteria. Sugar. So they stopped all sugar, and all forms of food that readily becomes sugar, such as grains. They stopped all fruit. They basically did the diet that I have put so many of you on, and currently have so many of you on (via 60 Day Turnaround).
But what I really enjoyed about my research, was the look at the deadly nature of the medical treatment for mold. Immuno-suppressing nasal steroid inhalers. Like your immune system didn’t have enough to worry about before you starting suppressing it. Oh, but wait, you don’t like your symptoms, so better start suppressing those (we are slowly working our way to where I left off talking about my lungs being congested). One of the WORST possible treatments for Mold, are antibiotics. Because they don’t kill anything mold/yeast related. As a matter of fact, as so man women know, take antibiotics, and yeast like the resulting environment, and it will tend to grow. So antibiotics only further the mold problem. Doh!
What about anti-fungals like Lamisil? Or perhaps Nystatin? Have you ever read the liver warnings on this class of meds? Would you really want to be treating yourself if your liver matters?
I am sure you get what I am going to say about congestion, but lets do it anyways. Any time you have a symptom, you have it for a reason. If your chest is filling up with fluid after being attacked by mold, it is probably working at killing the problem at the site. You see, your mucous is loaded with antibodies. More so than any other tissue in the body, and that mucous is protecting you. Which should leave you wondering what you are doing to yourself when you suppress sinus production, lung production or otherwise.
The more I would suppress my immune system, the longer I would have to fight with this problem. The deeper it would penetrate. Mold doesn’t “grow” in healthy bodies, it has a myco-toxin that it produces that causes you difficulties as it permeates into your tissues. This requires that you bind it and remove it. Which is partially a detoxification process as well. So I am interested in improving my detox systems too. Diet is the key, but supplementation will help this as well, utilizing Daily Detox (for the glutathione precursors), or for me so far I have just been upping the juice plus to allow my body to create more of what it needs to get this job done.
I will say this, reading the account of the Billings, it is obvious that their symptoms worsened, even after they took themselves away from the environment of the mold. They left their house, and they continued to worsen. This is evidence that once the toxin is in, you need to get it out in order to get well. So sitting back and doing nothing, can be a deadly mistake.
I will keep you up to speed while I head down this journey! Be well and Be blessed, and Trust in yourself! – Dr. E