Mold Treatment Protocol
You tested positive for mold. Now what?
By now, you've completed the mold test, and have tested positive for one or more types of mycotoxins due to mold exposure. The good news is that resolving mold-related symptoms is entirely possible with treatment. Addressing ongoing mold exposure (both in your environment and inside of your body) can significantly improve your health and quality of life.
I consider mold "the great health ruiner," since it can wreak havoc on nearly every system in your body, from your respiratory system to your urinary system and beyond. It is also a risk factor for numerous immune disorders, cancer, and dementia. For all of these reasons, if you have mold-related symptoms and test positive, I do recommend treatment, which will typically take anywhere from 3 to 36 months. Those who commit to treatment and follow it through can overcome mold and reclaim their health.
I consider mold "the great health ruiner," since it can wreak havoc on nearly every system in your body, from your respiratory system to your urinary system and beyond. It is also a risk factor for numerous immune disorders, cancer, and dementia. For all of these reasons, if you have mold-related symptoms and test positive, I do recommend treatment, which will typically take anywhere from 3 to 36 months. Those who commit to treatment and follow it through can overcome mold and reclaim their health.
Your body determines your treatment timeline
Since mold metabolites are so toxic, killing off the mold inside your body can make you even sicker. To prevent this, we must stabilize and support your body as you move through mold treatment. This isn’t a DIY undertaking—it's important to have professional support by your side to minimize setbacks, address any that arise, and ensure treatment progresses at the right pace for your body. To make this more doable, I offer a 5-minute phone call option as well as a 15-minute appointment, so you can access the quick check-ins you may need as you go. Different people have different degrees of sensitivity to the toxins caused by mold die-off. The pace of your treatment is dictated by your body's sensitivity, the overall burden of mold you have to deal with, and many other complicating factors.
Having to go slow is not a failure, and it does not mean you are weak.
The number one thing to remember with mold treatment is:
More and faster is not better if it makes you sicker.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Having to go slow is not a failure, and it does not mean you are weak.
The number one thing to remember with mold treatment is:
More and faster is not better if it makes you sicker.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Mold treatment overview
My mold treatment protocol is generally a 5-step protocol. Not all patients will need to complete all steps, and some patients will need some extra treatments along the way, but here is the general flow of what to expect:
- Step 1: Address & eliminate mold exposure
- Step 2: Stabilize mast cells
- Step 3: Add binders & detox support to prevent toxic die-off symptoms
- Step 4: Treat mold in sinuses
- Step 5: Treat mold in digestive tract
The information below will outline the general information of what to expect in each step. Individual medicines are selected based on your unique health concerns, the types of mold present and will be discussed in great detail as you progress with treatment.
Step 1: Address & eliminate mold exposure
Goal:
- stop any current mold exposure
Addressing mold in the building
How do I know if I am currently being exposed to mold?
Clues that you may currently be exposed to mold include:
Clues may or may not be present. Whether you've experienced any of these clues or not, the best strategy is to test.
- Symptoms started/got worse when moving to your current location
- Presence of musty/mildewy smells
- Known water leaks or water damage in current environment (work or home)
- Visible mold - often black - in shower/bath, window sills, on walls, ceiling, on flooring, in washing machine
- Older building (work/home)
- Your symptoms improve when you go away or travel
- Your work or home environment has old carpets
- Windows are susceptible to condensation
- Lack of bathroom fan or bathroom fan does not function well
Clues may or may not be present. Whether you've experienced any of these clues or not, the best strategy is to test.
How to test home or workplace for mold
Professional mold inspection company
You can hire a professional company to inspect your home or work place for mold, and in some cases, this is what you may ultimately need to do. This is especially true if you are a homeowner and have recently renovated your home or if you are a renter and are experiencing health problems in your rental home. If you are a renter, it is the homeowner's responsibility to address any mold or water damage. However, you could begin the process of testing on your own, especially if the owner is not receptive to addressing possible mold.
One such professional company I recommend is David Brice with Pacific West Building Inspections.
One such professional company I recommend is David Brice with Pacific West Building Inspections.
DIY testing
There are fairly affordable test options available for initial testing for those who don't detect any clues that mold may be present but continue to experience mold-related symptoms. One company I recommend is Immunolytics out of the US due to their reliability, affordability, and flexible test options:
If testing indicates presence of mold, a full evaluation for potential leaks, moisture issues, or water damage is recommended to address the cause of any ongoing moisture problems. In some cases, addressing mold may involve some degree of renovation - removal of moldy materials, fixing leaks, replacing roof, etc. This can be very expensive, but it must be done in order to prevent the problem from continuing. I do not recommend mold-sick people do this work by themselves as this can expose you to even more mold. Have others do the work or hire professionals.
Following mold remediation...
- It is highly recommended to re-test your home, preferably using a different company than the one that originally diagnosed the mold problem, to prevent bias and fraud.
- If the new test indicates on-going exposure, this should be addressed since on-going exposure can get in the way of healing
- Please note that mold spores can reside in soft furnishings, towels, clothing, bedding, rugs, and carpets. Even if you have moved out of a moldy location to a new non-moldy location, if you have brought with you soft furnishings from the previous location, you might still have mold in your environment.
If you cannot remediate or address mold at this time...
Not going to sugarcoat it - recovery from mold is very difficult if continually exposed to mold. But there are a few things you can do:
- Keep windows open as often as possible
- Use high-quality air purification systems capable of filtering particles down to 0.003 microns in every room and use filtration systems that are adequate for the square footage of the environment
- Change furnace filters frequently. Use top-quality HEPA filtration (7-layer is best)
- Keep your work or home environment as clean as possible, dust regularly. Clean with vinegar.
- Follow an anti-mold diet
Addressing mold in food
It may be that your symptoms are caused by or worsened from the food you are eating. There are many foods that can be a source of ongoing mold exposure. These should be omitted from the diet while treating mold.
- This handout outlines foods to eat and foods to avoid when treating mold. This diet also applies to treatment of candida (yeast) which can cause similar symptoms as mold
- These foods can aggravate mold illness and candida (yeast) overgrowth, so please do your best to avoid these foods as much as possible.
- Drink plenty of clean, filtered water throughout mold treatment to help your body flush toxins
- In some cases, I will recommend adding electrolytes to water as this can be very helpful for improving overall well-being during mold treatment. Refer to your treatment plan for more info on the type of electrolytes I recommend.
Step 2: Stabilize mast cells
Goals:
- Stabilize mast cells
- Reduce histamine
- Prevent aggravation of symptoms
Mast cells are like your body's security guards. They live in your tissues, especially where your body interacts with the outside world—like your skin, respiratory tissues, and gut. Their job is to detect potential threats, such as allergens, toxins, or infections, and respond by releasing chemicals like histamine. This can trigger inflammation, itching, swelling, or other immune responses to help protect you. However, if mast cells become too sensitive, they can overreact, leading to allergies, chronic inflammation, or conditions like mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).
"Histamine intolerance" is another diagnostic label you may have heard of or received. This can also indicate issues with mast cell activation. If your mast cells are hypersensitive, this can increase the chances of aggravations as you move through mold treatment. I generally recommend at least one type of treatment to help stabilize mast cells so that your body can handle treatment better without getting sicker.
If you do not have hypersensitive mast cells, using medicines to help stabilize your mast cells will not make you sicker or cause any problems. It will simply help keep you safe in case your mast cells are triggered.
I will prescribe one or more medicines designed to help keep your mast cells stable - typically I start this right away. You will receive specific recommendations in your treatment notes.
"Histamine intolerance" is another diagnostic label you may have heard of or received. This can also indicate issues with mast cell activation. If your mast cells are hypersensitive, this can increase the chances of aggravations as you move through mold treatment. I generally recommend at least one type of treatment to help stabilize mast cells so that your body can handle treatment better without getting sicker.
If you do not have hypersensitive mast cells, using medicines to help stabilize your mast cells will not make you sicker or cause any problems. It will simply help keep you safe in case your mast cells are triggered.
I will prescribe one or more medicines designed to help keep your mast cells stable - typically I start this right away. You will receive specific recommendations in your treatment notes.
Step 3: Add binders & detox support to prevent toxic die-off symptoms
Goals:
- Support healthy bile production (gallbladder / liver)
- Improve detox via bowels
- Improve detox via liver
- Reduce circulating toxins and prevent toxic die-off
Step 3 is optimizing your body's ability to handle all the toxins that will be released when we kill mold in the next steps.
At this point in the protocol, it is extremely important to introduce treatments one at a time, always starting with lowest dose, increasing doses slowly, and paying careful attention to any aggravations. Specific treatments will vary individually. Some of the treatments that may be recommended as part of this step are:
At this point in the protocol, it is extremely important to introduce treatments one at a time, always starting with lowest dose, increasing doses slowly, and paying careful attention to any aggravations. Specific treatments will vary individually. Some of the treatments that may be recommended as part of this step are:
Fibre
Fibre in your diet is one of the most simple ways to help eliminate toxins. Fibre also ensures that your bowels move regularly (at least once a day) and that your stool stays soft and easy to pass.
It is important that you use a type of fibre that does not aggravate your digestive system, cause bloating, or worsen constipation. Refer to your treatment notes for specifics on the different types of fibre you can choose from. As long as you don't have any problems from different types of fibre, it is fine to include a variety of types of fibre. If your gut reacts to fibre, you will typically respond best to a fibre supplement labeled "Low FODMAP." These can be purchased in health food stores, through Fullscript, or online.
Even if you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I still recommend adding extra fibre, which typically consists of a good dose of soluble and insoluble fibre. Extra fibre is extra helpful when dealing with mold toxins. There really isn't such a thing as "too much fibre."
It is important that you use a type of fibre that does not aggravate your digestive system, cause bloating, or worsen constipation. Refer to your treatment notes for specifics on the different types of fibre you can choose from. As long as you don't have any problems from different types of fibre, it is fine to include a variety of types of fibre. If your gut reacts to fibre, you will typically respond best to a fibre supplement labeled "Low FODMAP." These can be purchased in health food stores, through Fullscript, or online.
Even if you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I still recommend adding extra fibre, which typically consists of a good dose of soluble and insoluble fibre. Extra fibre is extra helpful when dealing with mold toxins. There really isn't such a thing as "too much fibre."
Liver & gallbladder (bile) support
You can think of bile like your body's natural soap. It's a yellow-green fluid made by your liver and stored in your gallbladder. Bile plays a major role in getting rid of toxins.
Your liver filters chemicals and toxins out of your blood. These toxins are then dumped into bile, which transports the toxins into your intestines to be flushed out when you have a bowel movement. If bile isn’t flowing well—due to sluggish digestion, gallbladder issues, or other factors like an overwhelming amount of toxins—toxins can build up and make you feel worse. Supporting healthy bile flow is key when detoxing! In fact, gallbladder issues like "gallbladder sludge" or gallstones can be a sign you are burdened with too many toxins for your liver and gallbladder to keep up with.
I will usually prescribe a supplement to help support healthy bile production as you move through treatment. This is to ensure your body has enough "soap" to get the toxins out through your stool.
Your liver filters chemicals and toxins out of your blood. These toxins are then dumped into bile, which transports the toxins into your intestines to be flushed out when you have a bowel movement. If bile isn’t flowing well—due to sluggish digestion, gallbladder issues, or other factors like an overwhelming amount of toxins—toxins can build up and make you feel worse. Supporting healthy bile flow is key when detoxing! In fact, gallbladder issues like "gallbladder sludge" or gallstones can be a sign you are burdened with too many toxins for your liver and gallbladder to keep up with.
I will usually prescribe a supplement to help support healthy bile production as you move through treatment. This is to ensure your body has enough "soap" to get the toxins out through your stool.
Binders
Binders are like sponges that soak up mold toxins in your gut so they can’t get reabsorbed into your body. When mold toxins leave your liver, they get dumped into bile and sent to your intestines for elimination. But if nothing grabs onto them, they can get reabsorbed, keeping you stuck in a cycle of toxicity.
Binders—like activated charcoal, bentonite clay, or cholestyramine—attach to these toxins and help shuttle them out through your stool. Adding in 2-3 binders during mold treatment prevents toxins from recirculating and making you feel worse.
Certain binders have an affinity for certain types of mycotoxins. So when you reach this step in treatment, binders will be selected based on the types of mycotoxins that were positive on your mold test. Binders are added one at a time and starting with very low doses, gradually increasing to therapeutic doses.
In people who are very mold-sick, even binders can cause aggravations. So like with everything in our mold protocol, it is very important to go low and slow, only using as many treatments as your body can comfortably tolerate without any aggravations. You will only. move on to the next step in treatment when your body is able to tolerate the treatments in this step: 2-3 binders, liver support, and fibre.
Binders—like activated charcoal, bentonite clay, or cholestyramine—attach to these toxins and help shuttle them out through your stool. Adding in 2-3 binders during mold treatment prevents toxins from recirculating and making you feel worse.
Certain binders have an affinity for certain types of mycotoxins. So when you reach this step in treatment, binders will be selected based on the types of mycotoxins that were positive on your mold test. Binders are added one at a time and starting with very low doses, gradually increasing to therapeutic doses.
In people who are very mold-sick, even binders can cause aggravations. So like with everything in our mold protocol, it is very important to go low and slow, only using as many treatments as your body can comfortably tolerate without any aggravations. You will only. move on to the next step in treatment when your body is able to tolerate the treatments in this step: 2-3 binders, liver support, and fibre.
Other detox support
To even better support you during this phase and through the rest of the treatment protocol, I may recommend extra strategies to help your body deal with toxins. These might include:
Sweating / Sauna
Sweat is an effective way to increase elimination of toxins such as those from mold. If you have access to a sauna, this can be a helpful treatment tool. Some people will choose to invest in a sauna as part of their mold treatment journey. Sweating can trigger mast cell activation, so like all other treatments, it is important to start very slowly and monitor symptoms before committing to a full sauna protocol.
If no sauna is available, sweat through exercise or a hot bath are also great options for maximizing the detox power of your sweat. To increase sweating with exercise, you can wear warmer clothing than needed when exercising, and/or increase the intensity of your exercise.
If using this strategy, I highly recommend supplementing with electrolytes in water.
Dose and frequency of "sweat therapies" will be clarified in your treatment notes. If you are comfortably already sweating regularly during the week, keep it up.
I recommend washing skin with soap and water immediately after sweating and drinking lots of water while sweating to help flush toxins out through the kidneys.
If no sauna is available, sweat through exercise or a hot bath are also great options for maximizing the detox power of your sweat. To increase sweating with exercise, you can wear warmer clothing than needed when exercising, and/or increase the intensity of your exercise.
If using this strategy, I highly recommend supplementing with electrolytes in water.
Dose and frequency of "sweat therapies" will be clarified in your treatment notes. If you are comfortably already sweating regularly during the week, keep it up.
I recommend washing skin with soap and water immediately after sweating and drinking lots of water while sweating to help flush toxins out through the kidneys.
Castor oil packs
Castor oil packs refer to the application of castor oil over the liver to help with detox by supporting your liver, lymphatic system, and digestion—all key players in getting toxins out of your body. Castor oil comes from the castor bean.
When you apply a castor oil pack over your liver, the oil helps your liver process and remove toxins more efficiently. It also stimulates lymphatic flow, which is like your body's drainage system, carrying waste and toxins away. Plus, castor oil can help with digestion and bile flow, which are essential for flushing out toxins through your stool.
Many people find castor oil packs gentle yet powerful for detox, reducing inflammation, and promoting overall healing.
Castor oil packs can be implemented at any point during the mold protocol, and are generally most effective if done 3 times per week minimum. Castor oil packs should not be used during menstruation.
There are two main methods that can be used:
Option 1: Traditional method (instructions here).
Option 2: The easy/cheat way:
When you apply a castor oil pack over your liver, the oil helps your liver process and remove toxins more efficiently. It also stimulates lymphatic flow, which is like your body's drainage system, carrying waste and toxins away. Plus, castor oil can help with digestion and bile flow, which are essential for flushing out toxins through your stool.
Many people find castor oil packs gentle yet powerful for detox, reducing inflammation, and promoting overall healing.
Castor oil packs can be implemented at any point during the mold protocol, and are generally most effective if done 3 times per week minimum. Castor oil packs should not be used during menstruation.
There are two main methods that can be used:
Option 1: Traditional method (instructions here).
Option 2: The easy/cheat way:
- Simply massage a dime-nickel-sized amount of castor oil over the liver (right upper quadrant of abdomen under right breast) at bedtime
- Castor oil is sticky so you will want to wear an old T-shirt to prevent staining sheets.
- If needed, you can use a solution of baking soda and water to wash off residual oil in the morning. However, you might also absorb it.
- You can do this every night for on-going gentle detox support.
Lymphatic drainage massage
Lymph is a fluid in your body and one of the main ways your body gets rid of waste and toxins from the body. Think of the lymphatic system like sewer pipes. When your body is trying to get rid of a bunch of toxins and dead immune cells all at once, you can get blocked up pipes so your waste delivery system doesn't work as well.
Lymphatic drainage is a way to manually unclog the pipes to keep the waste moving. While there are several ways to move lymph like lymphatic massage, exercise, jumping on a rebounder (trampoline), here are two specific techniques you can use to manually move lymph:
Option 1: Dry Skin Brushing:
Option 2: Face lymphatic massage:
Moving lymph is generally considered good and helpful. You do not need to worry about over-doing it.
Lymphatic drainage is a way to manually unclog the pipes to keep the waste moving. While there are several ways to move lymph like lymphatic massage, exercise, jumping on a rebounder (trampoline), here are two specific techniques you can use to manually move lymph:
Option 1: Dry Skin Brushing:
- This is a gentle detoxifying and lymphatic drainage strategy in which you manually brush your skin to help unblock lymph
- Dry skin brushing uses a soft bristle brush, like you use in the shower.
- Here is a video that explains how to do it
- It is gentle enough that you can do it every day. I recommend doing it right before a shower so that you then wash off all the dead skin cells.
Option 2: Face lymphatic massage:
- If your main symptoms are related to sinuses, headaches, nasal congestion, throat pain, or swollen lymph nodes in your head and neck, this strategy may help a lot.
- Video tutorial here
Moving lymph is generally considered good and helpful. You do not need to worry about over-doing it.
Step 4: Treat mold in sinuses
In this next step, you'll actually start the process of killing mold in the sinuses – one of the main locations where mold will colonize. Mold in the sinuses is responsible for many mold-related problems like frequent illness, sinus problems, brain fog, headaches, asthma, an more.
In this phase, you'll be prescribed a series of nasal sprays designed to kill fungus and break up biofilm in the sinuses. How long you stay in this phase will depend on your symptoms and how your body responds to treatment. There are many prescription and natural treatments you'll get to choose from. Keep in mind these will be added to the existing supplements you are already using (fibre, liver support, and binders).
I typically start with gentle nasal treatments and increase in the strength of the medicine as your body shows us what it can tolerate. Since we are now killing mold in this phase, it is more common to potentially see aggravations from antifungal treatments. It is always important to go only go as low and slow as your body can handle. This is especially true in this phase of treatment.
In this phase, having professional guidance to help navigate which treatments to use (and how much) will be really helpful. It's also helpful to have a guide to help you determine when it's appropriate to move on to the next step.
In this phase, you'll be prescribed a series of nasal sprays designed to kill fungus and break up biofilm in the sinuses. How long you stay in this phase will depend on your symptoms and how your body responds to treatment. There are many prescription and natural treatments you'll get to choose from. Keep in mind these will be added to the existing supplements you are already using (fibre, liver support, and binders).
I typically start with gentle nasal treatments and increase in the strength of the medicine as your body shows us what it can tolerate. Since we are now killing mold in this phase, it is more common to potentially see aggravations from antifungal treatments. It is always important to go only go as low and slow as your body can handle. This is especially true in this phase of treatment.
In this phase, having professional guidance to help navigate which treatments to use (and how much) will be really helpful. It's also helpful to have a guide to help you determine when it's appropriate to move on to the next step.
Step 5: Treat mold in digestive system
In this final step, we'll turn our attention to killing mold in the digestive tract – yet another one of the main locations where mold will colonize. Even if you do not have many digestive symptoms, I will still want to treat your gut for mold as "clean up." However, many times people will have mold in their gut and not know it. Often this hidden fungus can cause issues with your immune system, brain fog, skin rashes, frequent yeast infections, urinary tract symptoms, and many other problems.
In this phase, you'll be prescribed a series of oral anti-fungals designed to kill fungus and break up biofilm in the digestive tract How long you stay in this phase will depend on your symptoms and how your body responds to treatment. There are many prescription and natural treatments you'll get to choose from.
I typically start with gentle treatments and increase in the strength of the medicine as we go. Just like with the sinuses, since we are killing mold, it is more common to potentially see aggravations and issues as treatments are used. It is always important to go only go as low and slow as your body can handle.
In this phase, having professional guidance to help navigate which treatments to use (and how much) will be really helpful. It's also helpful to have a guide to help you determine when it's appropriate to move on to the next step.
Once this step is complete, you should now have experienced a dramatic improvement in your health. I might recommend a few ideas for next steps to help fortify your immune system and help prevent future mold infections.
In this phase, you'll be prescribed a series of oral anti-fungals designed to kill fungus and break up biofilm in the digestive tract How long you stay in this phase will depend on your symptoms and how your body responds to treatment. There are many prescription and natural treatments you'll get to choose from.
I typically start with gentle treatments and increase in the strength of the medicine as we go. Just like with the sinuses, since we are killing mold, it is more common to potentially see aggravations and issues as treatments are used. It is always important to go only go as low and slow as your body can handle.
In this phase, having professional guidance to help navigate which treatments to use (and how much) will be really helpful. It's also helpful to have a guide to help you determine when it's appropriate to move on to the next step.
Once this step is complete, you should now have experienced a dramatic improvement in your health. I might recommend a few ideas for next steps to help fortify your immune system and help prevent future mold infections.
When to re-test for mold
I don't typically bother with re-testing if someone's symptoms are improving as they move through treatment, and especially not if someone feels much better after treatment and is satisfied that they have achieved their health goals.
However, re-testing is certainly an option if you are hitting a wall with treatment or if you reach the end of the 5-step protocol and continue to have symptoms. Re-testing will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
In general, I am always open to ordering any tests you may want. I am mindful of the cost of tests and will only recommend testing if I feel it will be clinically meaningful to do the test.
However, re-testing is certainly an option if you are hitting a wall with treatment or if you reach the end of the 5-step protocol and continue to have symptoms. Re-testing will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
In general, I am always open to ordering any tests you may want. I am mindful of the cost of tests and will only recommend testing if I feel it will be clinically meaningful to do the test.
Final thoughts:
I can't over-emphasize the importance of only moving through treatment as fast as your body will allow without causing aggravations. Jumping to step 4 before carefully moving through Steps 1-3 is a huge mistake that can present major health setbacks. Going too fast is the number one issue I see sabotaging treatment success.
If you are not too sick from mold, moving through these steps can be quite quick with a full recovery just around the corner.
If your health has been significantly impacted by mold, this is pretty normal and more common than you might think. I know how frustrating and debilitating mold illness can be and I am honoured to support you through this journey.
If you are not too sick from mold, moving through these steps can be quite quick with a full recovery just around the corner.
If your health has been significantly impacted by mold, this is pretty normal and more common than you might think. I know how frustrating and debilitating mold illness can be and I am honoured to support you through this journey.
