Having been through home mold remediation twice (for that story, see this blog post), it came as no surprise to me that I had mold toxicity in my body that needed cleaning up as well. This was a process that I worked on from August 2019 through March 2021, but I made more progress in the final 4 months than in the rest of the time combined. I had a few different mycotoxins that varied throughout this time, but Ochratoxin A was the primary one that I was tracking, and that I was having difficulty bringing down to the goal of < 7.5.
My Mold Detox Protocol
Infrared sauna 3+ times per week was a key part. Sweating helps to excrete toxins from the body.
Here are my numbers:
August 2019: Ochratoxin A = 18
February 2020: Ochratoxin A = 14
May 2020: Ochratoxin A = 13 (this was after taking Rx cholestyramine as a binder…virtually no progress)
November 2020: Ochratoxin A = 33 (discouraged to see this more than double!!)
March 2021: Ochratoxin A = <7.5 (hooray!)
All of these numbers are reported from The Great Plains Laboratory MycoTOX Profile and were collected after a week-long preparation of consuming 350-500mg glutathione daily and without taking any binders. The purpose of this prep is to help mobilize the mycotoxins out of the tissues so that they are excreted in the urine (the test is a urine collection test). There are differing opinions on this “provoking” strategy, but it is what I have found to be best in my own personal experience and with my clients. This test is not available through most normal docs, but I do run it for my clients. It is around $350.
In addition to tracking my progress using the Great Plains profile, I also tracked it using the Complement C4a lab test, which my naturopath uses to track mold. It did correlate with my MycoTOX results. This lab is available at a normal lab draw and is generally covered by insurance for around $10-$25, depending on your plan.
Here are the lifestyle things that I did to support detox:
Sauna / sweating at least 3 days per week (I invested in a Therasage portable home sauna), wholedailylife for 10% off)
Daily movement (walking, lifting, etc)
Hydration, including electrolytes (I use Seeking Health and have heard great things about LMNT)
Rebounding daily (I use a Bellicon rebounder now, but anything with bounce will do!)
Dry brushing (linked in the Body section here)
Coffee enemas 3 days per week (supplies are in the Wellness section here)
Castor packs most nights (supplies are in the Wellness section here)
Daily BM’s
Hyperbaric oxygen chamber for 1 hour twice per month
Neti pot daily
My Mold Detox Protocol
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy was a new addition in the last few months. It helps to saturate the tissues with oxygen to combat pathogens and support detox.
Here are the different supplements that I used:
I have many of these products linked in my Fullscript account under my Mold Favorites list! You can sign up for a free Fullscript account here to see them. I will not be providing specific dosages because they were tailored to me specifically. I recommend that you work with a qualified practitioner to find your optimal dosages if needed!
Zeolite (binder)
NAC (detox support)
Glutathione (detox support)
Milk thistle (detox support)
Olive leaf extract
Chlorella (binder)
Quinton Isotonic (PM) + Quinton Hypertonic (AM)
Mixed binders (Such as Detox Formula or Ultra Binder from Quicksilver)
Cellcore products: (these are only available with a practitioner access code; email me at wholedailylife at gmail dot com if you’d like access!)
Drainage / lymphatic support: KL Support, Lymphactiv
Binders: VRadChem, Carboxy, HMET
General: MitoATP, CT Minerals, Hydroxygen, Tudca, CT Spore
In particular, I made a point to take a detox supporting supplement (like glutathione or NAC) followed by a binder about an hour later. I did this twice daily. The purpose of this is to stimulate the release of mycotoxins from the tissues and then bind up those mycotoxins to get them out of the body.
A note on diet:
Many people recommend a particular diet during mold detox, including minimizing fruit, aged cheese, mushrooms, and added sugar. While I did minimize my processed food consumption, I did not avoid fruit, cheese, mushrooms, or raw honey. There are a few foods I did intentionally include:
Wild organic frozen blueberries
Fresh cilantro
Green tea (matcha, specifically); I use both Pique and Encha brands
Pau’d’Arco, Chamomile, and Holy Basil tea as desired (Traditional Medicinals brand)
Pomegranate juice
Coincidentally, I was also undergoing a dietary shift starting in January 2021, at the same time as the last phase of my mold detox protocol. This included increasing my consumption of fruits, including organ meats and oysters weekly, adding raw dairy back into my diet, and increasing my calories overall. I believe that these changes helped fuel my body through the detoxification process.
Some of your FAQ’s:
What were my symptoms?
Thankfully I haven’t ever had any major mold symptoms, other than a flare up of my Hashimoto’s antibodies and some brain fog (which could also be related to the Hashi flare). However, knowing that I had a history of mold exposure growing up, I wanted to evaluate my mycotoxin load anyway. Once I saw the numbers, detox was non-negotiable because mycotoxins in the body can lead to significant long term health concerns. Other common symptoms of mold exposure include:
Fatigue and Weakness
Unexplained Muscle Cramping, Aches and Pains in the Joints, Persistent Nerve Pain
Numbness and Tingling
Eye Problems like Red Eyes or Light Sensitivity
Asthma and Sinus Problems like Cough or Shortness of Breath
Tremors and Vertigo
Digestive Issues like Change in Appetite, Diarrhea, Nausea, Abdominal Pain
Metallic Taste in the Mouth
Temperature Regulation or Night Sweats
Excessive Thirst and Increased Urination
(source)
Why did your numbers go up at one point?
I see two possibilities. One was that I had an acute exposure. While this isn’t super likely because I was spending most of my time at home, it’s still possible. The other, and probably more likely, possibility is that my body was more actively moving mycotoxins out of my tissues at this point. Since the MycoTOX test is a urine test, it only analyzes metabolites that have been excreted. If the toxins are stuck in the tissues and aren’t moved out of the body, they don’t show up on the test. I think it’s possible that all of the detox and groundwork that I had done the year prior was finally allowing toxins to more effectively detox out.
What do you think made the biggest difference in the last 3 months?
I made three big changes:
Added in hyperbaric oxygen therapy. HBOT is time spent in a pressurized chamber while breathing in pure oxygen. This process helps to drive oxygen deep into the tissues where it can target things that don’t belong there. I first heard about it in context of wound healing, and then learned about all of the other benefits, including detox support. I did this twice per month starting in January.
Got very strategic about the timing of my supplements. Previously I wasn’t very concerned about taking a detox support supplements (glutathione, NAC, etc) followed by a binder about an hour later, but this simple shift in intentionality seems to have made an impact! I had all of my supplements lined up on the counter every day and used timers and checklists as reminders when needed.
CellCore. I truly think that this one made a huge difference. I had been using a few of their products before and had seen great results on their parasite protocol earlier in the year. After seeing my numbers jump up in November 2020, I decided to implement the CellCore mold protocol with my own additions and adaptations. In particular, I believe that the Carboxy and CT Spore were integral in binding up the mycotoxins and the Lymphactiv and the KL Support were crucial in helping my body process them out!
This was obviously quite a comprehensive protocol that evolved over time. I used some of these things consistently and some of them intermittently, but everything here has a purpose!
I hope this is helpful, and happy detoxing!
-Tracey