Welcome to How Humans Heal. In this episode, I want to share with you about mold toxicity: what it is, how to recognize it, how to test for it accurately, and what an effective detoxification protocol looks like.

Why This Topic Matters

This is something I’ve been seeing more and more in my practice. Five years ago, it was showing up so often that I completed a full mold toxicity certification program so I could offer my patients the most up-to-date and effective protocol. 

And I want to be clear: most of the people I identify with mold toxicity never knew they had it. They weren’t seeing mold, and standard medical care simply isn’t looking for it. That’s why it can be a hidden underlying cause of health issues that aren’t getting better no matter what you do.

Common Symptoms of Mold Toxicity

Let me walk you through the most common signs I look for. The first is recurring headaches and sinus congestion, especially when it comes on suddenly, keeps coming back, or doesn’t respond to treatment. 

I also often hear patients describe rashes: eczema, psoriasis, hives, or just random red splotches that a dermatologist can’t quite name and that aren’t going away with topical steroids and you have to take an antihistamine all the time.

Autoimmune conditions and allergies are another big flag. Things like Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, or worsening seasonal allergies, hay fever, and asthma. 

If you’re seeing an increase in any kind of infection (sinus infections, bladder infections, vaginal yeast infections, recurring HPV, or gut overgrowth of bacteria or Candida) that’s also a sign. What mold toxicity does is lower your immune function, making you susceptible to viral, bacterial, and yeast infections all at once.

Other symptoms include sleep issues, weight gain, bloating, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. If you’re feeling awful in many different ways and your standard blood work looks normal, mold could be the reason nothing is getting better.

Clues I Look for in Lab Work

There’s no standard blood test for mold toxins, but I do look for patterns. Elevated CRP indicates systemic inflammation. Elevated homocysteine, especially above 10, suggests that methylation isn’t working well, which can be driven by toxicity. On a neurotransmitter panel, an elevated PEA level is a strong signal for mold. 

On an organic acid panel, mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the most common findings in mold-exposed patients. And if a stool analysis shows gut dysbiosis, overgrowth of bacteria or Candida that isn’t resolving with an antimicrobial protocol, I start asking whether mold is holding recovery back.

Testing for Mold: The Right Way to Do It

The most efficient and accurate approach is to start with a urine mycotoxin panel. This test only became available about five to seven years ago, and it’s not something you’ll find through a standard doctor’s office or at Quest or LabCorp. You need a specialty lab. 

The two I’ve seen give accurate results are Real Time Labs and Vibrant Labs. The test costs around $500 to $600, but if you’ve been suffering with severe symptoms and spending money on treatments that aren’t working, it’s absolutely worth it.

If the panel comes back clear, we look elsewhere. If it tests positive, then it makes sense to bring in a professional mold inspector — a highly qualified one — to assess your home or workspace and recommend remediation. One example of an inspection company that specializes in mold toxicity is Finding the Mold. Another is Mold Dog Knows. I encourage you to get a couple opinions before you move forward. 

Keep in mind that mold toxins can remain in your body for up to 30 years, so the source of exposure may not be your current home. It could be an apartment you lived in years ago, or an office building. I’ve identified mold toxicity in patients from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, France, California, Arizona, and especially Florida and Dubai. Mold can happen anywhere.

Getting the Mold Out of Your Environment

Common places to check include under sinks, around bathtubs, behind tile, near air conditioning units, and in basements. Sometimes mold is hidden and requires a trained inspector — some even use dogs to detect it. Make sure you change your air filters more frequently than recommended, and have your air ducts cleaned. 

If mold is present, the toxins seep through walls and into the air. You don’t have to be in direct contact with mold to be affected. It can get into your skin, your clothing, and your furniture, which is why remediation sometimes requires letting go of belongings. It’s a hard process, but may be necessary depending on the severity.

Detoxification Protocol

The goal is to gradually help your body clear mold toxins without making you feel worse. I want to emphasize that natural substances can be very effective here and medications aren’t always necessary, though sometimes they are temporarily needed to calm the immune system.

Detoxification happens through urine, stool, sweat, and breath, so we focus on supporting all of those pathways. I start with hydration, clean water with electrolytes throughout the day, and bowel regularity. You need to be having at least one to three bowel movements daily. I use magnesium oxide or citrate to help with bowel regularity. 

We can use specific fiber that bind mold toxins without feeding gut bacteria, such as ground flax seeds, chia seeds, or a supplement called Sun Fiber. Sauna therapy (about 30 to 45 minutes of sweating, twice a week) has been shown to help clear mold toxins as well, though staying extra hydrated is essential if you’re sweating.

Binders are an important part of the protocol. My preferred starting binder is yucca root, because unlike the medication cholestyramine, it doesn’t bind your nutrients, only the mold toxins. Yucca root can also be found in combination formulas with fulvic acid, humic acid, and chlorella. Some mold types respond better to activated charcoal or clay, but those must be taken at least two hours away from your thyroid medication, minerals like calcium and iron, and other nutrients.

Beyond binders, we look at mitochondrial support using the organic acid panel, gut microbiome support using herbal antimicrobials and spore-forming bacteria, and antioxidant protection using glutathione, NAC, milk thistle, vitamin C, zinc, selenium, CoQ10, and resveratrol.

If toxicity testing also reveals glyphosate, heavy metals, or other environmental toxins, we expand the protocol accordingly. We recheck labs three to six months later to measure progress.

This is complex work, and it’s much more effective with proper guidance. If you think this might be part of your picture, especially if you have persistent high-risk HPV or other recurring infections that won’t resolve, please reach out to my office and I’d be happy to guide you. Recovery is absolutely possible. I see my patients improving from severe neurological and immunological conditions, including autoimmunity and persistent HPV. 

Next Steps

With proper support, testing, and natural approaches, you can maintain your health and vitality throughout your whole life. Remember, investing in your health is not selfish – it’s necessary. Just as we’re told on airplanes to put on our own oxygen mask before helping others, we must prioritize our own health to be able to care for those who depend on us. 

The time has come for women and men to take charge of their health and well-being, understanding that preventive care now leads to better outcomes in the future.

It is also important to know that it is possible to recover from stress and trauma and truly heal, because you’re not likely to hear that from your standard doctor’s office. Keep in mind, they are likely not educated about diet, exercise, supplements, or stress recovery. 

I am living proof that it is possible to heal holistically and naturally. It’s possible to balance your hormones safely and effectively, as well as to clear HPV and get a normal pap result, and to eliminate the effects of stress, trauma, anxiety and depression. I help patients with to do this in my practice every day – by phone and zoom, anywhere in the world. You can set up a one-on-one appointment here.

Once I meet with you one on one, we will create a strategic plan based on your health needs during menopause, including sessions with the health coach on my team to help guide you to implement my proprietary C.A.R.E. and Stress Mastery programs. 

If you’re dealing with persistent HPV I welcome you to join my next FREE How to Get Rid of HPV online workshopwhere I help you to create a plan to get HPV out of your life for good. From there, you might choose to join the Heal HPV Kickstart Program, for the initial steps of my protocol, including diet changes and supplements, over the next 30 days.

Or you can begin with the comprehensive Say Goodbye to HPV Program, which is 3 months and includes everything you need to implement my full protocol and address all eight susceptibilities with live, group support, and access to testing and vaginal suppositories.

You can also go to clearhpvnow.com. There, you’ll find lots of resources and stories from women who’ve followed my protocol and cleared HPV to negative. 

Thank you for joining me today in this episode of How Humans Heal. Make sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss the next one! You can access it on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer. You can also watch at doctordoni.com.

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Disclaimer: This specific article and all other Content, Products, and Services of this Website are NOT intended as, and must not be understood or construed as, medical care or advice, naturopathic medical care or advice, the practice of medicine, or the practice of counseling care, nor can it be understood or construed as providing any form of medical diagnosis, treatment,  natural HPV cure, or prevention of any disease.