Prohealth.com recently published an article I’ve written about mold illness and its link to Lyme disease, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.
The headline on Prohealth specifies Lyme but I also mention fibromyalgia and ME/CFS in the article, and all of the information is pertinent to those conditions as well as Lyme disease.
Click here or on the photo to read the article!
I don’t believe the general public and conventional medical community really understand how dangerous mold exposure can be. It isn’t just an eyesore or nuisance that needs to be cleaned. Certain kinds of mold can trigger the same unexplained symptoms that are often diagnosed as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. I included a listing of symptoms in the article to show the great overlap. It’s easy to see how physicians might mistake mold illness for other conditions.
If you’ve ever lived or worked in a moldy environment, it’s worth it to research mold illness and pursue testing to see if it might be an underlying cause for your chronic illness.
One word of caution: Mold illness is an extremely controversial topic in the medical community. If you ask a conventional doctor about mold illness, you’re likely to get either a blank stare or a condescending “don’t believe everything you read online.”
Conventional doctors generally don’t believe in mold illness. If they’ve heard of it at all, most see it as one of those made-up illnesses like chronic Lyme disease. Doctors who practice functional, integrative or naturopathic medicine are more likely to be familiar with mold illness and how to test for it and treat it. This article includes links for how to locate these kinds of doctors in your area.
Mold illness is a very complex topic. Whole books have literally been written about it! My article, however, serves as a general overview of mold illness, covering just the basics for people who aren’t familiar with it. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive mold guide. For those who want to learn more, I’ve included a listing of resources at the end of the article to help you get started in your own research.
As always, I’m happy to answer questions in the comments section below. I am not a mold expert by any means, but I may at least be able to point you in the right direction.
Love you, guys, and hope you’re feeling as well as possible!
I’m Donna, a longtime newspaper reporter, health writer and chronic illness thriver! Fed Up with Fatigue provides weekly news, research, treatments and more to help you live better with fibromyalgia and/or Lyme.
google “Black Mold on Hold” for a new explanation of the cause of the fibromyalgia epidemic
Hi Donna,
You and your wonderful articles have helped me more than anyone. So thank you.I wonder if you know anything about a special dentist for people with Lyme. I need a tooth removed and my regular dentist doesn’t seem to know anything about Lyme. What a surprise!
Thank you,
Janzel
From what I’ve read, people with Lyme sometimes see what is called a biological dentist. These dentists are specially trained to remove amalgam fillings, deal w/ cavitations, root canals gone bad, etc. This is one of the organizations that has a provider search, but I think there are others that should come up w/ a Google search: https://iabdm.org/location/
Hope this helps!
Illness and sickness related to mold is no doubt a problem and reality. However, I’ve had a serious and debilitating case of CFS/ME/FM for almost 30 years. I’ve lived in a number of different climates within the USA, Europe and Australia. From seaside/coastal to high desert and mountain environments. Although my symptoms may exacerbate from any environment that is too cold or damp, too warm and dry etc. The overall level of my debilitation including the type, severity and duration of all associated symptoms have not improved or regressed.
No doubt, my Fibromyalgia feels better in a drier, warmer climate but the balance of my symptoms remains unchanged. Environment has a very subjective effect(s) on individuals. It’s obviously important to try and inhabit the most advantageous living environment possible to support your well-being as much as possible.