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Symptoms of mold illness (may be a root cause of Sjogren's, Hashimoto's, multiple sclerosis, lupus, ALS, fibromyalgia, etc.)

A note: I have written this article based on reading the peer-reviewed literature (some is referenced at the bottom), reading many (many!) self-reported social media posts, and personal experience. There is no strong scientific evidence for much of the information in this article, because the science related to medically-relevant fungi and mycotoxins is in its infancy. This is just a start. However, this information may help some people identify the root cause of their illness and find ways to improve their health. As more evidence appears in the peer-reviewed literature, I will update this post.

Another note: Medicine does not know the root causes of any of the diseases or symptoms listed below. It only knows how to treat some of them, but that's mostly covering up the symptoms.


Introduction

Many people have mold illness. Most are misdiagnosed, mistreated, bounced around the medical system without help, and some are even sent to psychiatric wards. The reasons:

  • Medicine does not understand or recognize mold illness. They have no treatments or medications for it.
  • Symptoms can be highly variable from person to person and change over time within a person.
  • Symptoms can be very similar to other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, various neuropathies, and others (see the list below).
  • We know very little about how mold and mycotoxins cause human disease, as they have not been studied nearly as well as the bacterial and viral pathogens.

Besides mold illness symptoms, prolonged exposure to mold and/or mycotoxins may be a very important factor in the onset and/or progression of the diseases listed below, with likely genetic components that are not yet understood. We need a lot more scientific research to shed light on these connections.

  • Sjogren's syndrome
  • Hashimoto's disease
  • ALS
  • ADHD
  • Lupus
  • Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (see this story)
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Brain fog (similar to mild cognitive impairment)
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
  • Graves' disease
  • Polymyositis
  • Various neuropathies (for example Small Fiber Neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, etc.)
  • Multiple Sclerosis (though there are other very important factors, such as ETX and EBV)
  • ASD symptoms (I think this is a different disease from classic ASD, but many symptoms are very similar)
  • Tachycardia
  • Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
  • MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)

Related articles  

 

There are two types of mold illness:

  1. Acute mold illness: rapid onset after exposure, and rapid clearing after removal of mold or leaving mold. Mostly causes respiratory and olfactory (smell) symptoms.
  2. Chronic mold illness caused by mycotoxins: a long-lasting illness with many symptoms, which persist for many months or years once you remove yourself from mold. 

Note that some of the molds that cause the mold illness can also cause acute, invasive, and life-threatening infections. This is a completely separate topic than what is described in this article.

 

Major symptoms of mold illness (there are likely others):

Brain functions/head:

  • brain fog
  • memory loss
  • trouble finding words
  • difficulty concentrating
  • dizziness, vertigo, or lightheadedness
  • trouble learning new information
  • head pressure 
  • head tremors
  • MCAS

Mental health:

  • anxiety
  • depression
  • irritability
  • mood swings
  • symptoms similar to autism spectrum disorder

Digestive system:

  • abdominal pain (near spleen, bladder...) 
  • acid reflux/GERD/esophagitis (all of which can lead to Barrett's esophagus)
  • nausea/vomiting
  • Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction (SOD)
  • diarrhea
  • leaky gut
  • food sensitivities
  • metallic taste in mouth
  • burning mouth
  • MCAS

Eyes:

  • red eyes (iritis, uveitis, scleritis)
  • blurred vision
  • eye irritation, dryness
  • itchy eyes
  • sensitivity to bright light (squinting, worry line)

Energy:

  • chronic fatigue
  • thyroid dysfunction
  • Hashimoto's

Heart

  • palpitations (sudden and rapid heart rate) or tachycardia
  • POTS (postural tachycardia syndrome)
  • low or high blood pressure
  • chest pain

Immune system:

  • swollen/painful lymph nodes
  • enlarged spleen (pain to the left of the heart)
  • poor immunity
  • autoimmune conditions (Sjogren's, Lupus)
  • flu-like symptoms
  • MCAS

Hearing:

  • tinnitus (ringing in the ears, constant buzzing, low or high pitch)

Muscles, joints and skeleton:

  • muscle pain (fibromyalgia)
  • joint pain, can be severe
  • muscle soreness with or without exercise
  • muscle weakness (can be diagnosed as polymyositis)
  • muscle spasms (dystonia)
  • muscle twitching
  • apparent hardness in the ball of the foot
  • heel pain (plantar fasciitis), can be after resting or exercise
  • difficulty swallowing (can be diagnosed as polymyositis)
  • slurry speech/stuttering

Nervous system:

  • numbness
  • tingling
  • pins and needles
  • burning sensation (typically hands and feet)
  • electrical shocks
  • sciatica
  • poor balance and coordination
  • seizure-like events
  • hand tremors
  • skin sensitivity to light touch
  • temperature regulation problems
  • headaches
  • vibrations inside the head

Respiratory system:

  • cough
  • sore throat
  • runny nose
  • nasal drip
  • sneezing
  • chronic sinus congestion
  • new-onset or worsening asthma
  • shortness of breath
  • chest tightness

Olfactory issues:

  • multiple chemical sensitivity
  • diminished sense of smell

Skin:

  • hives
  • rashes
  • dryness
  • irritation
  • hair loss 
  • MCAS

Sleep:

  • insomnia
  • frequent waking during sleep
  • night sweats

Urinary system:

  • frequent urination (sometimes you feel like you need to go right after you went)
  • urgency
  • incontinence
  • cloudy urine
  • interstitial cystitis (bladder pressure, bladder pain and sometimes pelvic pain)

Weight:

  • appetite swings
  • weight gain
  • resistance to weight loss 
 
Mold illness and potentially related diseases are not bad luck or genetics
Mold illness and related chronic diseases I listed above are not bad luck or a genetic defect. While they have a small genetic component, they are caused by the interaction of our environment, nutrition, microbiome, and our immune system. If mold is the main cause of the symptoms, getting out of mold or getting rid of it should heal the person, though the journey may take months or years.
 
Scientific literature on fungi (which include molds and yeasts) and chronic human diseases:

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