Step 1: Screen your symptoms
Do your symptoms suggest mold exposure? Thankfully there is a tool that can help gauge how likely it is that your symptoms are due to mold exposure. Take this QUIZ created by Dr. Jill Crista, ND to find out how moldy your symptoms are.
Step 2: So, you have moldy symptoms
Let’s gather some more easy information. When mold is contributing to symptoms often times it will affect how your optic nerve sends information and processes contrast. To test this Dr. Shoemaker created an easy online screening test known as the VCS test. He has found that there is a high likelihood that mold is a factor when people fail this test. Take the VCS test HERE.
Step 3: Moldy symptoms and a failed VCS test
If you scored high on the moldy symptoms and failed the VCS test, then it is time to see how mold is affecting your body, what kinds of mold are contributing, and how much is present. No test is perfect, but these are the tests that I have seen be most effective.
1. Vibrant Wellness Mycotoxins Urine Test This test is an at home urine test that can be sent to your home from your doctor. It looks at mycotoxins, which are produced from mold in your urine. It checks the most common mycotoxins that lead to health problems, which includes 31 different mycotoxins. Different species of mold affect different systems of the body. Knowing what kind of mold you are dealing with is important. Vibrant is able to detect mycotoxins as small as 5pcg, which greatly expands it’s ability to detect mycotoxins.
2. Great Plains Laboratory Organic Acids Test It is very helpful to also have the Organic Acids Test done because this allows us to see how mold is affecting your body. Mold causes a lot of oxidative stress in systems. How well you are able to detox, methylate, and repair is an important part of recovery. The OAT test gives us insight into these things. Along with this, it also checks for other fungal loads present like candida. When mold is present it is important to check candida as well because this contributes to your total fungal load. The OAT test also looks at dysbiotic bacteria that may be affecting your gastrointestinal health and immunity. All of these things allow for a more targeted approach to you beating the mold and getting back to symptom free.
Are you dealing with mold and ready to break free?
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References:
1.Crista, Jill. Break the Mold. www.drcrista.com
2.VCS test. Surviving Mold, www.survivingmold.com. www.survivingmold.com
3.Mycotoxins test, https://www.vibrant-wellness.com/tests/mycotoxins/
4. Shaw, William, and Matthew Pratt – Hyatt. “Biochemical Markers in the Urine Associated with Gastrointestinal Mold-Overgrowth Are Linked with Elevated Urinary Mycotoxins in Patients with Suspected Mold Illness.” 21 Nov. 2019, doi:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/560ac814e4b067a33438ecea/t/5dd6b844ba56c218436f79c8/1574352966228/New+Mycotox+Article+Townsend+102319.pdf.
5. Organic acids test https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/organic-acids-test
