Looking for Mold in All the Right Places

Caring for patients with mold toxicity can be a challenging task as we have to not only care for their bodies, but their environment as well.  In caring for their bodies and the symptoms they are experiencing, we have to turn down inflammation, remove toxins, restore function that has been lost and more.  These steps take time and expertise, as well as patience, but all of this work can be thwarted by a little inattention to the details of removing mold from our environment.

Another level of challenge for my part of the process comes from the fact that I am not a remediator and won’t be directly involved in the work to remediate a patient’s home.  I won’t be coming to inspect a home.  I won’t be ripping out drywall.  I won’t be testing suspected areas for mold. I won’t be putting drywall back up.  Those are not my areas of specialty, and I will leave that work to those who are certified and trained.

However, in caring for hundreds of patients with mold toxicity and interacting with their stories of mold exposure, I can provide an experienced viewpoint on how to make one’s living environment safe for recovery from mold toxicity.  From a medical doctor’s viewpoint, I can advise patients on where to look for mold in all the right places.  Sometimes, I have little to add as a remediator clearly has the situation under control.  At other times, I encourage patients to press their remediator to poke around a little more, looking for the source, or to take a little extra precaution to be sure the mold is completely gone.

Here are a few of the primary locations our patients have found mold growing in large enough amounts to affect their health:

Big Picture (mostly more obvious):

• Crawlspaces
• Basements
• Attics
• Under sinks

A Closer Look:

• Poor yard sloping that brings water into crawlspaces
• Poor drainage system around landscaping
• Poorly sealed water lines or other lines coming into basement or crawlspace
• Inadequately sealed exterior of foundation
• Inadequately conditioned crawlspaces allowing moisture to accumulate without dehumidification
• Improper ventilation of room vents into attic rather than through roof
• Improperly installed plumbing for sinks, bathrooms, laundry, and dishwashers
• Improper clothes dryer ventilation with lint and moisture buildup
• Upright clothes washer with mold growing inside
• Accidental plumbing leaks from nails and screws through walls into pipes
• Moisture condensation on cool surfaces of vents or other surfaces
• Improper ventilation and insulation that allows condensation of water behind walls
• Inadequate caulking around windows or flashing.
• Storm damage for roofs or around chimneys
• Excessive water splashing in bathrooms around tubs or showers
• Poorly installed shower tiles or inserts
• Animal intrusions into HVACs and crawlspaces
• Improperly sized HVAC units which accumulate moisture and dust
• Not keeping HVAC ducts clean with filters and annual inspections

Other random places:

• Vehicles
• Workplaces
• Church
• Schools
• Big Box Stores
• Old books or water damaged books

 

In helping our patients think through and follow through on removing mold from their environments, walking through these possibilities is critical for their future healthier, more abundant life.

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Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.