Whether you believe severe weather problems are due to long-term changes in the global climate picture or examples of tragic, regularly occurring, extremes, the personal health toll is likely to be enormous.

One of the big threats to health is emergence of fungal growth or mold in homes, offices, schools, and even hospitals—and within your own body. If there’s mold in the environment, there’s also going to be mold in your body. It will be up to your body’s immune defenses to protect you from these exposures.

When fungal organisms are out of control they start producing toxic metabolic byproducts (mycotoxins). Many kinds of common illnesses are linked with such exposures: nail and skin infections; candida; allergies and asthma; lethargy; depression; and mental fog.

Meanwhile, pay close attention to signals your body sends you. They may be very subtle, but very important to notice. Any changes in energy, appetite, sleep, taste, smell, hearing, eyesight? Any of these could indicate that you are battling a fungal infection. Work with a qualified doctor and discuss any supplements you plan to take with your physician before you start them.

The body also becomes increasingly vulnerable to chronic disease such as high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes. “Perhaps the strongest evidence linking fungal toxins to diabetes is this: a fungal toxin called streptozotocin is actually injected into laboratory mice in order to create diabetic mice,” says David Holland, M.D., an expert in treating patients with fungally linked diseases. “Streptozotocin is produced by the soil-based germ, Streptomyces achromogenes. This is done routinely. These diseased, diabetic mice are then used to study the long-term effects of diabetes on their body systems. The very obvious point is often missed here by the very scientists working with these mice: If a fungal toxin, injected into these animals, creates diabetes, then don’t we now know what causes diabetes?” Similarly, the statins that are used to treat cholesterol were actually first intended to be used as antifungal drugs. No wonder researchers have linked infectious organisms in our pipes to heart disease and breast cancer with fungal toxins.

Water Damage And Indoor Air Health Hazards

Molds actually release volatile organic compounds, called microbial VOCs or MVOCs, that can cause headaches, nasal irritation and even mood changes, according to The Green Guide. A few indications that your mold problem might require extra help include “mold that returns despite repeated efforts to clean it, mold that has a strong smell or is black-green in color (which indicates Stachybotrys atra, one of the most health-damaging strains of black mold), and mold that has lingered after a unique yet large moisture event, such as flooding.”

Testing for mold is also important. You can purchase a mold test kit at your local health food store or directly from HealthQuest Technologies (see Resources).

In addition, any home that is attempting to recover after water damage should have effective air treatment. One system known to work against mold is the HealthQuest Technologies’ Pionair Air Treatment System. It is a primary air purification tool— quiet, efficient, and proven—for any home, office or school that has been water damaged.

The Pionair uses non-intrusive ultraviolet light, which creates inductive warmth that draws in a room’s moisture. When this moisture interacts with the ultraviolet light and the unit’s titanium dioxide (TiO2) catalyst, it emits hydroxyl radicals, negative ions, and activated oxygen back out into the room.

Once floating in the indoor air, the negatively charged ions not only seek out positively charged pollutants including VOCs to form agglomerations that drop to the ground for easy vacuuming, they actually reduce the amount of mold in your indoor air.

To demonstrate to consumers just how effective Pionair is against mold, HealthQuest Technologies enlisted Dee M. Graham, Ph.D., of R & D Enterprises to conduct an impartial, third-party test in a mold-infested bathroom and bedroom. According to these independent test results:

• Before use of Pionair, mold counts averaged 78 colony-forming units (CFU) per air unit in a 90-square-foot bathroom. Within three days of use of the Pionair system, this level went down to 6.5 CFUs, a 92 percent reduction.
• In a 750-square-foot bedroom, levels averaged 50.7 CFUs. This decreased to 15.0 within two days, a 70 percent reduction.
• The third room was approximately 1,500 square feet with an average of 185.2 CFUs. But with Pionair, after three days, the average amount decreased to 17.7 CFUs, a 90 percent reduction.

Use of the Pionair Air Treatment System should do wonders for your allergies and asthma as well since mold and related biological contaminants are all prime triggers for both. Federal Emergency Management Agency funds can be used to purchase air treatment systems like Pionair. The folks at Pionair can lend you assistance.

Recovery - emotionally, physically, and financially - can take time, sometimes a lifetime. The important thing is to be on the road to recovery. The most important part of recovery is improving and protecting your health - and that’s what we’ve endeavored to do in this article: give you important tools improve and empower you to protect your health.

Basic Mold Cleanup

If mold is a problem in your home, clean up the mold and get rid of the excess water or moisture. The key to mold control is moisture control. It is important to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency you should do the following:

• Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water.
• Wash mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water, and dry completely.
• Replace absorbent materials (such as ceiling tiles and carpet) that become moldy.
• Reduce indoor humidity (to 30 to 60 percent) to decrease mold growth; be sure to vent bathrooms, dryers, and other moisture- generating sources to the outside and use exhaust fans when cooking, dishwashing, and cleaning.

Nutritional Program for Mold Protection

Using the proper combination of herbs, nutrients, and diet is an essential part of maintaining your health following a flood or hurricane. Most of what you need is conveniently available at your local health food store.

To work most effectively, the nutritional program, which involves an antifungal cleanse, should be used in combination with a healthy diet (see below).

The right combination of supplements can support and maintain a healthy balance of naturally occurring microorganisms throughout your system. It can also help strengthen your immune system and maintain general good health. To address fungal-related health conditions, make sure your supplements are yeast-free, sugar-free, and color-free, notes William Crook, M.D., who has positively linked illnesses to the fungal organism candida.

Herbs and nutrients inhibit the growth of fungal organisms. These can help support a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria, reigning in yeast growth.

There are a group of herbs generally recognized as having a history of safe use that spans millennia; many consumers who’ve used these herbs have reported remarkable health benefits.

BioActive Nutrients’ Antifungal Kit blends herbs and fatty acids that traditional use and medical science have shown work best to safely help the body to control fungal overgrowth: caprylic and undecylenic acids, olive leaf, grapefruit seed extract, deodorized garlic, apple cider vinegar, and the extremely valuable herb of India, neem.

All are safe to take with other nutrients and, according to the company, these may be used with any prescribed antifungal medications (however, again, be sure to inform your doctor first).

Probiotics are also highly recommended in supplement form. Probiotics contain beneficial bacteria known as lactobacillus and bifidus to help you keep a natural, healthy balance of microorganisms in your digestive tract. These friendly bacteria actually fight off the bad guys, including mold, so you want an optimal balance of protectors.

But to be effective, they must be able to bypass the harsh stomach acid and deliver at least one billion live organisms to the intestines.

The Antifungal Kit provides a probiotic with three billion live organisms at time of manufacture, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum.

Because your body will be at war, it is very important to get the extra antioxidants to keep your immune system strong. This is why we recommend that everyone take a multiple vitamin and mineral with antioxidants every day. Taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement helps supply your body with the nutrients it needs to regain optimum health. Once again, BioActive Nutrients takes care of your needs with their antioxidant-rich multiple vitamin and mineral designed to complement your antifungal herbal and fatty acid regimen.

Antifungal Cleanse for All Seasons

BioActive Nutrients’ Antifungal Kit offers nutritional support for all seasons. Many people use BioActive Nutrients’ Antifungal Kit when they have fungal nail conditions, skin problems such as athlete’s foot, jock itch, and for candida prevention.

The Antifungal Kit’s growing popularity is due to the fact that the experts at BioActive Nutrients have done all the work for you and put together a complete program, making it unnecessary for shoppers to buy up to 10 or 12 different products and worry about dosages and interactions. This kit provides an easy self-managed cleansing regimen for anybody with skin or internal fungal conditions to support their health. Available at health food stores. Visit www.bioactiveinfo.com.

Food Protection

Watch your diet. Grains that are stored in silos are likely to be contaminated with low-to-high levels of mold and mycotoxins. Dairy is likely to have higher levels of dangerous aflatoxins (which are carcinogenic) due to contaminated grains.

The potential for higher levels of this mold in food is a major public health concern—especially as molds are linked with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Consume beneficial fermented foods and spices and seasonings. Organic yogurt, miso, natto, and other fermented foods are extremely beneficial to your immune health. Consume raw vegetables—including leafy greens, green onions, garlic, and spices such as turmeric and clove. The spices are the culinary antifungals of the world; it’s probably why we first began using them: to protect foods and ourselves from poisoning.

Do we consume mold? Sometimes it is there on our soft-shelled glamour fruits, like strawberries and raspberries, and it can easily proliferate when food is stored in the fridge.

HealthQuest Technologies recently came out with the revolutionary refrigerator protector called the Mini- Mate that uses pulsed activated oxygen to naturally inhibit microbiological growth and film. Of course, it’s important to have a MiniMate for anybody who is cleansing. However, it also protects against common food pathogens like salmonella and clostridium. It prolongs the fresh life of fruits and vegetables, especially strawberries and other soft skinned fruits; plus, it helps prevent odor transfers, say, from fish to broccoli. Its pulsed activated oxygen can actually inhibit growth of many different kinds of potentially dangerous microorganisms that can cause food poisoning.

Use for Year-Round Protection

With all of the wonderful homemade organic foods we will be enjoying this holiday season, this is the perfect time to not only buy your own MiniMate but to also give these terrific protectors as gifts to special friends and loved ones. Because MiniMate, from HealthQuest Technologies, is proven to inhibit growth of bacteria and other dangerous microorganisms, every fridge should have one. Its pricing also makes it an economic and much-appreciated holiday gift, too.

Holidays are the time of year when the risk for a heart attack increases, due to less activity and more time spent indoors with closed windows, and stuffy rooms with polluted air. Pionair Air Treatment System’s highly effective air purifying qualities reduce the amount of respiratory irritants and volatile organic gases in your indoor air. This promotes healthy breathing, especially for people with asthma or heart or circulatory vulnerabilities. Buy both at your local health food store or visit www.pionair.net.

Resources

BioActive Nutrients’ Antifungal Kit is available at health food stores nationwide. Visit them at www.bioactiveinfo.com. Call them toll-free at 800-879-6504. They will provide you with a store in your area.

The Pionair Air Treatment System and MiniMate from HealthQuest Technologies, LLC, are available at health food stores nationwide. To find a store nearest you carrying them or for more information, call 866- 746-6247 or visit HealthQuest at www.pionair.net.

Additional Resources

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)— (800) 480-2520; www.fema.gov

Flood Information— www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/index.shtm

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Emergency Preparedness and Response page on “Protect Yourself from Mold”— www.bt.cdc.gov/ disasters/mold/protect.asp

Key Facts About Hurricane Recovery— www.bt.cdc.gov/ hurricanes/index.asp

University of Minnesota, Department of Environmental Health and Safety— www.dehs.umn.edu/iaq.htm

Flood Information— www.dehs.umn.edu/iaq_fi.htm

Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.