Many patients come to Tendwell with a sense that something is off—but no clear answers. Sometimes they already suspect mold exposure. Other times, they’ve seen multiple specialists—ENT, neurology, gastroenterology—and still don’t feel better. Their labs may be “normal,” yet symptoms persist.
Many patients come to Tendwell after mold exposure, trauma, chronic illness, or perimenopause saying the same thing: “I feel like my body is stuck in fight-or-flight.” If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken. You may be experiencing nervous system dysregulation — and there is a physiological reason for it.
If you’ve been navigating mold-related illness or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), you know how overwhelming the symptoms can be. From brain fog and gut troubles to rashes and sudden allergic-type reactions, it often feels like your body is “on high alert” all the time. One medication that can bring real relief in these cases is ketotifen.
Have you been struggling with vague, persistent symptoms — brain fog, fatigue, sinus congestion, anxiety, dizziness, gut issues — and have been told, “Your labs are fine” or “It’s just stress”? If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone — and it’s possible that mold exposure is part of the picture.
As a functional medicine clinician, I often have mold toxicity on my mind when consulting with clients. Mold exposure is more common than many people realize, and its effects on the body can be far-reaching. If you’ve been feeling unwell with unexplained symptoms, mold could be a hidden culprit.
Person scraping bubbles off ceiling Mold is everywhere outdoors—and sometimes indoors. While our bodies are designed to detoxify mold mycotoxins, some people have genetics that make this process less efficient. I call them “mold canaries”—people who are especially sensitive to mold. Officially, they’re diagnosed with CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome). This explains why two people in the same moldy environment can have very different health responses.
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) is a condition that can occur in individuals with a genetic predisposition who are exposed to biotoxins. Sometimes people who have CIRS are referred to as “mold sensitive”. These humans make up more than 25% of the population and actually have genetic variations functional medicine doctors can test for. CIRS is a complex health condition that arises when the body's innate immune system responds abnormally after being exposed to these biotoxins-- especially those produced by toxic molds. Biotoxins are also produced by other creatures but for this article, we are focusing solely on mycotoxins and fungal toxins. People with CIRS genetics have bodies that struggle to eliminate mycotoxins effectively, leading to a chronic inflammatory response.