Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Toxic Mold Exposure
Mold is natural part of our world & is commonly found in both nature, & our homes in the form of household/workplace dust. Our body’s immune system can handle small amounts of mold exposure, but when the human body is bombarded with continuous exposure to toxic mold the body & immune system is suppressed by the poisonous nature of toxic mold.
Toxic mold sometimes referred to as black mold, can enter the human by one of three ways; inhalation, ingestion, & can be absorbed thru the skin. Mold is a fungus, fungus breaths Oxygen, therefore when the mold invades the human body it plunders the Oxygen supply from your body. As the mold utilizes your bodies Oxygen it discharges carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide then combines with the blood and water in the body to produce carbonic acid, lowering the bodies PH level. Mycotoxins (biotoxins) are a byproduct of the mold. Mycotoxins are exactly what they say they are; toxins produced by fungus. The molecular structure of these toxins is of a fatty nature, allowing them to navigate through the body via the bloodstream. But more importantly, they can cross the blood brain barrier. The consequences can be devastating. The combination of mycotoxins, carbonic acid and the depravity of Oxygen yield a toxic mixture of which we are just now beginning to understand.
Toxic black mold, or Stchybotrys chartatum, can be gray, a greenish black of a deep black color, is spread via spores (similar to seeds) that are microscope that are released by the fungus as it feeds on organic materials, such as carpets, drywall, insulation and fiber board that have been exposed to water or moisture after a water leak.
Symptoms can vary from mild to severe reactions, and if the patient is immune compromised the exposure can become very serious very quickly. The immune system kicks into overdrive, but can’t keep up the reproduction rate of the mold in the body. The body’s responses to the infection begin to fail. The most common response to exposure is a respiratory response. A deluge of symptoms including; coughing, lung congestion, shortness of breath, sneezing, pulmonary edema, pulmonary hemorrhage, sore throat, bleeding nose, bleeding gums & runny noses can be chronic in nature. Irritation to the eyes and mucus membranes of the nose and throat, chronic fatigue, chronic severe headaches, and skin sensitivity are just a few symptoms. The longer the exposure the more severe the symptoms can become. Many in the medical community are relating the high escalating rates of Asthma to be caused by mold exposure. In general, when people are exposed will experience nausea accompanied by vomiting, again worsening with long term exposure. Rashes may ensue, they can be mild to severe with mild itching, they may be episodic, and have discolorations of pink to brown. Muscle pain and fatigue begin as the spores invade the body and as the immune system attempts to control the symptoms the patient may experience fever and cold symptoms with moderate to severe fatigue.
Long term exposure can have devastating effects on the central nervous system (the brain) and the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms may include; loss of hair, anxiety, chronic moderate to severe headaches, confusion & memory loss, numbness in the hands or feet, abdominal pains, sensitivity to light, muscle cramps irritability, brain fog (loss of cognitive ability), disorientation, impaired learning, ADHD, depression trembling, seizures and personality changes the list goes on. Special precautions should be taken for the following conditions; persons with seasonal allergies, asthma, cystic fibrosis, compromised immune systems, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). Then there is a newly documented little problem referred to as mold rage.
When the mycotoxins find their way to the blood stream, heart damage can and will ensue along with blood clotting difficulties, internal & external hemorrhaging. Irregular heartbeat can develop, along with inflammation of the heart, low blood pressure, bone marrow disruption & most devastating, bleeding in & about the brain.
Mycotoxins are also cyctoxic and mutagenic (causing cell mutations) causing disruptions to protein synthesis including DNA and RNA. This is a subject few are ready to discuss. There have been some suggestions that infertility, miscarriages, impotence and fetal development problems can be tied back to toxic mold exposure. There are some investigations being conducted to see if there is a connection between toxic mold exposure and some forms of cancer. Disease processes such as cancer thrive in low Oxygen environments and have a low PH.
Treatment recommendations from the medical profession in general include the use of dangerous drugs and steroids. As medical professionals, we know that molds can’t survive in a high PH environment nor can it survive in a high Oxygen environment, this is what makes Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) the perfect treatment for toxic mold exposure.
If you feel there is a possibility that you have had exposure to toxic mold and exhibiting symptoms described above, Call Dr. Steven Skaggs at Skaggs Chiropractic, LLC for a free consultation and see if you could benefit from Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.