This final article in the Mold and Mycotoxin series dives into the strategies that truly help patients turn a corner.

Promote Healthy Elimination through the Liver and Digestive Tract

Crucial in the process of recovering from an illness related to toxicity (ie. mycotoxins from mold) is the ability to efficiently detoxify and eliminate toxins. In mold illness, this is even more critical because one of the many toxic features of mycotoxins is their ability to disable our detoxification pathways. 

So, how do we effectively detoxify? We need: 

– Optimally functioning detoxification enzymes

– Sufficient bile production and flow

With these working well, bile and toxic metabolites are efficiently secreted into the gut for elimination. With these toxins now in the gut, it becomes essential to ensure regular and healthy bowel movements. Everything needs to be moving outward as smoothly as possible and we don’t want toxins to just sit there.

Bowel regularity can be difficult with many mold illness patients and is a priority in treatment. Bowel regularity will depend on how we are eating, our microbiome (bacteria and other organisms in the gut), and on the general function of the gut itself. These are all looked at individually to determine the best path toward better bowel movements.

The next step is ensuring good “binding” ability in the gut so fibres can bind to bile (and their toxins) to carry them all the way out, without being reabsorbed. A variety of binders are often useful, including dietary fibres and special supplemental binders.

When our livers are efficiently detoxifying, producing bile, and bowel movements are regular alongside good binders – we will soon be ready to actively fight the mold organisms in our body to finally eradicate the source of our harmful mycotoxins.

Protect and Repair Vulnerable Systems

The Protect phase of mycotoxin treatment is maintained for as long as mold and mycotoxins are still present and aggravating systems of the body. Alongside all of the previous protocols (See: Fundamentals and Elimination/Detoxification Strategies) certain nutrients and phytochemicals protect vulnerable systems from further damage and help to encourage better overall function.

The Repair phase continues until all systems are restored and functioning at optimum levels. Specific treatment strategies will depend on which specific mycotoxins have been found and the systems they are known to most affect, as well as the patient’s symptoms.

Eradicate Mold from within the Body

Finally, we get to the part where we eradicate the mold that has made itself at home in the body and is causing so much trouble!

This is the phase everybody is most eager to reach, but must patiently wait for completion of the previous elements of treatment. Moving into this phase too quickly risks adverse reactions. While these may not be entirely avoidable, even in the best case, they will at least be minimized. 

When entering into the Eradication phase, we must remember that mold does not want to leave the body and can be quite resistant!  As such, removing mold that has colonized can be a challenging task that requires some time and persistence with treatment.

Our focus for eradication lies in the sinuses and digestive tract – both must be treated. Other types of yeast or fungal infections may be targeted here as well – including Candida in the gut. It may take time, but once resolved the road opens up to a full recovery.

Complications and Reaching the End of Treatment

You will remember early on in this series that if mold and mycotoxins are found in a patient, they must be tackled before success against any other factor can be achieved. What might some of these other factors be? Lyme disease, Chronic Viral or Bacterial Infection, toxic accumulations of heavy metals or environmental toxins are the most common. It is very common to find some or many of these occur alongside mold and mycotoxins. If that is the case, tackling these will be the next step toward recovery.

Why does mold needed to be treated first? Treatment of chronic infections and toxicity rely on a well-functioning immune system (which mycotoxins impair) and efficient detoxification pathways (with which mycotoxins also strongly interfere). There is no sense in targeting either of these with less than optimal functioning in these systems.

Mold treatment is not easy but with the right tools the body can be supported to repair damage, protect organs and ultimately heal and function better.  It is possible to recover, feel amazing and put this behind you.