With the help of others, I discovered that the leak in my home had caused mould which lead to my exposure and inhalation of these harmful mycotoxins (poisons produced by toxic mould). These, once inside my body, began attacking my immune system and healthy cells, causing chaos and leaving me susceptible to other infections and illnesses.
Scarily, I was totally unaware of the problems being caused.
My brother recommended that I read a book by Neil Nathan MD called Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness – wow, did that explain some things for me! It all started making sense…but not only that, there are ways in which to get rid of the toxic mould from your body!
Mould is a big problem because we a) often can’t see it, b) we are unaware of it’s toxicity c) Doctors aren’t really aware or acknowledging the detrimental effect it can have.
“It’s currently thought that there are 10 million people in this country [USA] who have some degree of mold toxicity,” Dr. Nathan says. “So, we’re not talking about a rare condition that no one would have any connection to whatsoever. It’s common. And it comes from moldy buildings, which are ubiquitous in this country.”
Neil Nathan MD
“Mold symptoms are all over the place,” he says, “because mold toxicity affects inflammation in the body. And every area of the body can be inflamed by mold toxicity.”
There’s a basic biology to all mold dysfunction, explains Dr. Nathan. “Mold toxin enters the cells and begins to interfere with certain types of metabolism. That type of interference affects all parts of the body, including the brain and brain chemistry.”
I’m hoping that in pioneering Healthy Homes, more people will become aware of the damage that mould can do to us as humans. You can read about how it changed my life and damaged my health here.
Due to building our new home, I’ve done alot of flat viewings lately. It’s incredible how many of them had visible mould that the agents couldn’t care less about. In one flat, I was made to spray my hands with surface cleaner (which I wasn’t happy about) and yet, there was no extraction in the bathrooms and loads of black mould above the shower.
Read here for how you can test for mould in your home.
Update November 2022
An inquest has been held into the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak and devastatingly, it has been concluded that he died as a result of a severe respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home. To think that this could have been avoided is heartbreaking.