Natural Options (often integrated with conventional medical therapies):
CholestePure is often suggested as a natural option for those who cannot tolerate or want to avoid cholestyramine.
Garlic, oil of oregano, pau d’arco, olive leaf extract, caprylic acid (found in coconuts), barberry, and grapefruit seed extract are some of the natural antifungals.
Dr. Grace Ziem’s Chemical Injury website contains a nutritional and environmental protocol for chemical injury.
Glutathione therapy is often vital to recovery. For more information, see this article.
Skin Remedies:
Rashes often appear during mold exposure, as well as during the detox process.
Ketoconazole cream is a topical antifungal cream. Other skin remedies include tea tree oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, and grapefruit seed extract (diluted).
Charcoal soap can be used as a detox agent. It can be combined with ketaconazole shampoo lather.
Epsom salt baths are helpful.
Antifungal Diet:
One goal of an antifungal diet is to starve the fungus, thereby halting the cycle that often occurs. Sugars and processed carbohydrates feed the fungus. Natural health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola discusses the benefits of an antifungal diet in his article titled Forget Antibiotics, Steroids and Medication – Starve This Toxin Out of Your Body.
For a helpful comparison of various antifungal diets, including a downloadable chart, see our article on Gut-Restorative Diets.
Brain Retraining:
The entire body is impacted by mold exposure. Digestive tracts are hit hard, and so are endocrine systems. The brain is invariably involved as well.
Brain retraining programs often play a part in recovery based on the premise that the amygdala, a critical structure of the brain, is involved with protective mechanisms related to chemical and immunological threats. The amygdala often becomes hyperreactive to environmental triggers in response to toxic exposure, without the affected person realizing it.
Examples of brain retraining programs include:
Alternative Health Options:
A wide variety of alternative health options exist. Practitioners may not be familiar with the specifics of mold exposure but can address the need to detox.
These are a few of the numerous options available: orthospinology (a chiropractic specialty), ONDAMED, acupuncture, oxygen chamber therapy, IV therapies, chelation therapies, far infrared sauna, and much, much more.
It’s important to note that a healing crisis can occur as detox from mold exposure begins. This is known as a “Herx Reaction”and is an increase in the symptoms caused by toxin circulation and inflammation. It is, therefore, not unusual to get worse before getting better.
If you are overwhelmed as you consider all of these options, remember that the detoxification process takes time. Trust your instincts. Begin with mold avoidance and diet as you consider the next step on your journey to recovery.
This article has been summarized from Moms Aware for Dee Jensen’s website – HeartToHeartMessages.com.