Molds inside spacious homes, small and large apartments, schools, offices, factories (and other workplaces) are making people sick, and they may be contributing to the "sick all over" feeling that so many people with yeast overgrowth experience.
In his cover story article in USA Weekend (July 19-21, 2002), "When Mold Takes Hold," Arnold Mann provides clear - even frightening - documentation. Here are excerpts:
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| Reasons For A Yeast Infection |
Since 1999, when USA Weekend magazine first published the story of a mold-stricken family in Dripping Springs, Texas, reports of mold-related illnesses and insurance claims have skyrocketed from California and Texas to Louisiana and New York. Families have abandoned mold-plagued houses. Affected schools have closed and relocated children, insurance companies hit with mounting claims for moldy homes have raised premiums and, in some regions, stopped selling homeowner policies altogether.
Mann said, "Occasional growth of common molds, like Cladosporium and Alternaria, rarely pose a significant health threat. But when a leak goes untended and timbers or wallboards become saturated, it doesn't take long - a few weeks, perhaps, for mold to grow and fill the air with spores."
He also cited reports from researchers who found that people in many parts of the United States who live in homes that show water damage develop respiratory symptoms because of mold overgrowth.
Recent studies suggest the same problems exist in apartment buildhags. Mann reports: "A 1999 Mayo Clinic study pegged nearly all of the chronic sinus infections afflicting 37 million Americans to molds ..."
When toxic molds such as Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, Versicolor and some species of Penicillium are involved, it's another matter entirely. These molds - which grow in damp, dark places and often are hidden behind walls, under floors and above ceilings - produce dangerous air-borne mycotoxins,
"Many doctors believe they cause a raft of serious ills, including flu-like symptoms, chronic fatigue, memory impairment, dizziness and bleeding of the nose and lungs, while others say the science isn't there yet to make that claim," says Mann.
Jeffrey May also includes references to molds in his book, My House Is Killing Me! And he said, "People who breathe in mold spores may develop allergic reactions that may make them cough, sneeze and show other respiratory symptoms, but mold can bother people who do not have mold allergy at all."
And he said that the black mold Stachybotrys chartarum so contaminated a Texas home "that the family had to abandon the property and bulldoze the house. The husband had experienced memory loss and the child became asthmatic."
Indoor Molds Are Causing Problems for More and More People - During my early years of allergy practice, I learned that allergic reactions to Alternaria and Hormoderum and other indoor molds caused nasal congestion, sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma and other symptoms in a number of my patients. During a visit to my office in the late 1980s, one of my adult patients with food and chemical sensitivities and yeast-related problems said:
I've just returned from visiting my daughter and my grandchild. They live in an old house that smells musty and moldy. Almost from the moment that I set foot in the door, I began to "feel funny." Although my nose became stuffy, my worst symptoms were feeling tired and in a fog. These symptoms worsened the longer I stayed in my daughter's home. When I returned to my home and breathed fresh air, my symptoms began to subside. I told my daughter:.
When I come back for our next visit, we'll get together at my motel or anywhere but your beautiful old home.
In his book, Tired All The Time, Dr. Ronald Hoffman connects mold and these types of symptoms. He tells the story of a 22-year-old woman who was suffering from extraordinary fatigue, headaches, jitteriness and inability to concentrate. When her physician could not find a physical cause for her symptoms, he referred her to a psychologist who concluded that she was having a severe emotional problem.
Then, she went to see Dr. Hoffman, who took her history and learned that her symptoms developed when she moved to a new building. So, he instantly suspected that she was suffering from the "sick building syndrome." He asked her to take mold plates to her office and expose them. When the mold plates were returned and analyzed, they showed a total fungus and mold growth too numerous to count. The woman's employer hired a firm to clean the ducts in the building's cooling system, and her fatigue and other symptoms disappeared.
Almost a decade earlier, environmental allergy pioneer, Dr, Sherry Rogers, published three studies describing the role of mold in making people sick and what could be done to identify these molds and help people with these problems.
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| Reasons For A Yeast Infection |
Then as I was gathering information for this book, I read again Arnold Mann's cover story in the August 18-20, 2000 issue of USA weekend entitled, "Mold in Schools: A Health Alert." This article told how molds in schools were making children and teachers sick. Symptoms caused by molds included asthma, sinus infections, headaches, coughing, eye and throat irritations, chronic fatigue and memory impairment. The mold problem was so bad that El Paso, Texas has spent $4.2 million for mold renovations in 14 schools.
According to Mann, mycotoxins caused by airborne toxins can came even more serious problems, including chronic fatigue, loss of balance and memory, irritability and difficulty speaking. To find out more, you can check out Reasons For A Yeast Infection.