Questions about mold remediation when there is no acute reactions

[Guest guest]

Hi All:

I'm new to the group also. I live in Slidell, Louisiana where Katrina

came right over the top of us. We have 2 houses (a mobile home with

black mold and a stick-built mid-60's home with green mold).

Most people are allergic to mold in one form or another, some more

than others. I understand that. But for the most part my family has

no acute reactions to mold at low levels. We've been cleaning mold

off the walls with bleach and other chemicals and mopping out the mold

and bacteria infested storm surge waters and mud from both houses.

That was until the common cold hit... It seams that the mold spores

combined with the common cold are a very real threat even to those not

normally worried about mold. I came down with a bad cough last week

and on a doctor's visit (my first visit to the doctor since 1999)

found out I have a widespread case of bacterial infection, spreading

from my lungs to both ears, my sinuses, throat, and now my intestines.

I'm on medicine and responding well.

Here's my questions:

1 - Without complications, what is my expected recovery time? The doc

says I need to stay clear of the mold for at least 2 weeks.

2 - Both houses are currently being dried out to less than 10%

humidity levels to arrest the mold growth, based on other research

I've done. Is that humidity level OK or should we shoot for 5%

between cleaning cycles.

3 - Airborne particles are currently being collected by a Goodman

filter system

http://www.acheatingservice.com/images/AirCleanerBrochure.pdf Is this

enough or should we be looking at going further?

Thanks for any help,

Mike

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear it. I have family in Slidell and they are sick,

too. It was called " Katrina Cough " , but it was no cold! Bacterial infections,

too, but at least one wasn't recovering very well. I hope you're only reacting

to the acute exposure, but there's so much mold all over the place now, I'm not

sure what you would have to do to get sufficiently far enough away from it. Have

you perhaps got a way to get completely out of the area for a few days?

There are experts here. I'm sure they'll jump in and give you a hand with the

technical questions.

Best to you,

Serena

" P. Fagan " <mpfagan1@...> wrote:

Hi All:

I'm new to the group also. I live in Slidell, Louisiana where Katrina

came right over the top of us. We have 2 houses (a mobile home with

black mold and a stick-built mid-60's home with green mold).

Most people are allergic to mold in one form or another, some more

than others. I understand that. But for the most part my family has

no acute reactions to mold at low levels. We've been cleaning mold

off the walls with bleach and other chemicals and mopping out the mold

and bacteria infested storm surge waters and mud from both houses.

That was until the common cold hit... It seams that the mold spores

combined with the common cold are a very real threat even to those not

normally worried about mold. I came down with a bad cough last week

and on a doctor's visit (my first visit to the doctor since 1999)

found out I have a widespread case of bacterial infection, spreading

from my lungs to both ears, my sinuses, throat, and now my intestines.

I'm on medicine and responding well.

Here's my questions:

1 - Without complications, what is my expected recovery time? The doc

says I need to stay clear of the mold for at least 2 weeks.

2 - Both houses are currently being dried out to less than 10%

humidity levels to arrest the mold growth, based on other research

I've done. Is that humidity level OK or should we shoot for 5%

between cleaning cycles.

3 - Airborne particles are currently being collected by a Goodman

filter system

http://www.acheatingservice.com/images/AirCleanerBrochure.pdf Is this

enough or should we be looking at going further?

Thanks for any help,

Mike

FAIR USE NOTICE:

[Guest guest]

I think that most people start out having no or next to no reaction

that they notice and then as the toxins build up in their body,

eventually, they do. In me, it appears to be cumulative. And complex.

I wouldn't be surprised if what has happened in you is that the mold

toxins have weakened your immunity, which could be a real problem if

the bird flu hits, for example.

My gut feeling is that while you are in your moldy spaces, you need to

follow your doctors advice as much as you can, and also perhaps you

should - as you suggested, take it as much further as you can with

HEPA air cleaners. It sounds like, because of this low humidity thing,

you need to keep the buildings sealed so the dehumidifiers work.. but

air cleaners - as many as you can get.. definitely make sense. But as

you probably have heard, some of the tiniest and often, the most toxic

particles (because they penetrate most deeply into your lungs) are so

small they even go through HEPA cleaners in quantities large enough to

effect people.. way down deeply in their lungs.. where they kill

cells..

I am not a doctor, and I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but

it has seemed to me that several things have each in their own way

helped me fight that residual effect..

1.) For me, CSM (cholestyramine) has helped the most. Its a

prescription drug, though..

So you need to get your doctor to prescribe it for you. It helps

remove some (not all) of the toxins from *parts* of your body,

allowing your system to recover a bit, but it doesn't at all protect

you from the poisons in as much of a systemic way as we all would

want. But its a start.

It binds most mycotoxins in the bile-liver-intestines circulation, But

some mycotoxins don't bind to it in the gut, even. You take it on an

empty stomach. See moldwarriors.com and chronicneurotoxins.com for

more. Dr. Shoemaker's book " Mold Warriors " is a must-read for people

in our situation. (It will be the best $15 you have ever spent.. as

its on sale right now@ moldwarriors.com)

2.) Some nutrients clearly help. Bluntly, many molds carry mutiple

mycotoxins, and when you start reading about them you will realize

that there are luterally hundreds of them.

However, there are nutrients that act as broad spectrum protective

agents against things like lipid peroxidation and demylineation (sp?)

In general, antioxidants - high doses of Vitamins C and E, fish oil,

coenzyme Q10, seem to help me, as well as nutrients like selenium,

zinc, phenylalanine, and especially super antioxidants like

alpha-lipoic acid and n-acetyl-cysteine.

Ive also found high doses of acetyl-l-carnitine to help with the

peripheral neuropathy I have gotten.. (tingling, coldness and numbness

in hands, arms, face, legs and feet)

L-Carnosine may also help.. as may idebenone.. (super power relative

of Coenzyme Q10)

3.) Dr. Schaller has a GREAT suggestion too.. this can help with the

air cleaning.. Buy cheap 20 inch fans and duct tape high powered air

filters to the intake side.. (I put some plastic screening over mine

to protect the fiters from puncturing and trap the dust going in

between the two)

Unless you know how to set them up so that they don't produce too much

ozone, - or are only using them when you are not there (best) DONT use

ozone generators.. even though they seem to oxidize mold

spores/mycotoxin particles, etc. and may detoxify them to some

extent.. because ozone also damages *your* lungs as well..

However, if you are going out for some time, by all means, use an

ionizer while you are gone and turn it off when you get back.. then

let the space air out before you go in..

Hope some of this helps.. Your mileage may vary...this is just what

has seemed to help me - so far..