Mold-related illness – what this really means

10118808 - mold closeupMold. What exactly is it and why is it so seemingly common in our everyday lives?

Moisture in combination with air and surface combine to produce mold. We see mold in industrial settings, work places and within our homes. More specifically, we tend to see mold mostly on walls, ceilings, wooded areas, bathroom areas and fabrics.

The question remains — if we continue to live in close proximity to mold around us on a daily basis, what type of impact will that have on our health, longevity and prolonged quality of life?

How do you know if mold is making you sick?

Narrowing down the specific issues resulting in your sickness is almost never an easy feat. Even harder is detecting mold as the specific cause of your current symptoms. Nevertheless, there is relevant information necessary to know in order to hone in on mold exposure in direct conjunction with your health.

But first, let’s break it down a bit further by indicating the real problem with mold – the spores. These seeds, or spores, are invisible to the eye, making it doubly impossible to avoid inhalation. Spores travel through the air and can attach to places in as little as 24 hours, given desirable ‘mold’ conditions.

If you begin to suffer from any of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing the beginning of a mold-related sickness or illness. Remain cognizant of the following symptoms and seek medical attention if any of the following occur:

  • Itchy, watery or red eyes
  • Runny nose
  • Sudden appearance of skin rashes
  • Wheezing
  • Inability to breathe normally
  • Coughing
  • Extreme headaches and/or migraines
  • Unusual pains in and around joints
  • Muscle cramps
  • Muscle aches
  • Continuous nerve pain
  • Sudden onset of vertigo or dizziness
  • Inability to recover from common colds
  • Numbness observed anywhere on the body
  • Inability to focus
  • Sudden trouble with memory

These allergy-related symptoms can be your body’s direct response to excessive exposure to mold – especially if you have a genetic predisposition to recycle toxins instead of flushing them from your system naturally.

What health problems are a result of mold exposure?

While some could argue that the increased sensitivity and allergy-related mold symptoms are, in fact, health issues resulting in mold exposure, we can project further and outline possible long-term problems that could arise due to exposure.

The levels of mold concentration play a large role in properly assessing the severity of these health issues, but we’ll take a more generalized look into probable issues here.

Long-term, prolonged mold exposure can cause the following health problems:

  • Increase or worsen current allergy or asthma symptoms
  • Upper respiratory issues
  • Hypersensitivity
  • Possibility of developing asthma over time

It is important to note that people with existing health conditions are at a heightened risk of experiencing issues negatively impacting their overall health and wellbeing as a direct result of mold exposure.

What treatments are available?

First and foremost, the source of the mold you have been exposed to must be found and eliminated. Otherwise, symptoms will inevitably be reoccurring. Once that has been taken care of, there are a myriad of other things you can proactively implement in order to treat current symptoms and prevent more from happening. These are summarized below:

  • Hire professional cleaners to ensure all mold is properly and efficiently removed
  • Consider moving if the atmosphere of your home is predisposed for mold growth
  • Consider changing your diet
  • Integrate IV therapy for nutrient density
  • Adopt natural treatments in the form of medicines, supplements, and foods

These treatments are common and generalized for a comprehensive and blanketed approach to mold-related illness treatments available. If you have any specific questions or would like a more detailed breakdown on what treatments are currently available to you, reach out to us here today.

Taking preventative measures

There are always prevention techniques you can implement to stifle, mitigate or limit the possibility of contracting any type of mold-related illness, and moisture control tops the list.

As stated at the beginning of this article, without moisture, mold cannot accumulate. Stop the moisture – stop the mold.

Ensure that you continue to keep an eye out for mold in your home in all of the common areas. Maintaining a clean house will decrease the possibility of mold inception and further integration. Weekly cleaning and maintenance are vital components to the preventative factors and should be taken seriously and upheld consistently.

Conclusion

We understand that you are not always in control of your surroundings on a daily basis. There is even a possibility that you may not even know you are in constant contact with mold. Perhaps mold is prevalent throughout the duct work of your office building.

There are many places mold can be found and many reasons it may be found there. The fact alone can be a daunting one to accept, but we are here to help. Contact us today for more information.