Do I have mould illness?
If you suspect that mould is affecting your health, then there are tests you can do to confirm that this is the case. There isn’t one definitive test that will tell you, but rather a sequence of testing which will give a fairly clear picture if you have mould illness (aka mould toxicity)or not.
We have listed these tests from the easiest/less expensive to the more complex/expensive and this can generally be a good order to do things. Not everyone needs to do the more expensive testing if the other tests all point clearly to mould illness
LOOK AT YOUR LIFE
Do you currently live, or have lived in a house with obvious mould? Have you worked in a building with leaks or water damage? When did you symptoms start and can you correlate it with a mouldy environment? Do you feel better when you are outside, or in another environment? Have you tried everything else under the sun to improve your health with no or little success? Have your other family members or pets also developed health issues since moving into a house?
For some people these questions provide a clear indicator that mould is affecting their health.
COST: FREE
MOULD ILLNESS QUESTIONNAIRE
Dr Jill Crista, a leading expert in mould illness, has developed a questionnaire after years of seeing patients with mould illness . This questionnaire goes through symptoms and history that are common with mould illness or mould toxicity. While many of these symptoms can be attributed to other conditions, she has found that if you have a number of them together then it is a good indicator of mould illness
Dr Crista and Dr Neil Nathan are currently in the process of validating this questionnaire as an accurate predictor of mould illness.
COST: FREE
VISUAL CONTRAST SENSITIVITY
This is a simple, online vision test you can do for biotoxin illness, which includes mould but also other toxins like lyme and spider bites. The test measures how well your vision can see contrast in light, gray and dark bar patterns. It has been shown to be a highly sensitive test for biotoxin illness – only 8% with the condition will pass the test. It was developed by the military to test soldiers who had been exposed to biotoxins
For an accurate test you should
- Wear your corrective eyewear
- Have sufficient lighting
- Have 20/50 visual acuity or better
- Follow the online instructions carefully
This test can be done either at vcstest.com (first test free, then $25USD) or survivingmold.com ($15 per test or discount for multiple tests).
If you want to be thorough, you can do the tests from both sites and go with the worse result.
COST: FREE - $25 USD
BLOOD TESTS
This can include some tests commonly checked by family doctors, such as
- Complete blood count
- Liver enzymes
- Creatinine
- Globular filtration rate
- Anti-diuretic hormone
- Immunoglobulin subclasses
- Iron panel (serum iron, saturation, ferritin, transferrin)
- Vitamin D (25 OH)
- Thyroid panel- TSH, T4
- Immunoglobulin testing for mould (for allergies)
While these tests wont be able to diagnose mould illness by themselves, they can provide important clues as to how your body is functioning. You may need to work with a doctor or health practitioner who is familiar with mould illness to interpret these tests.
COST: Some tests can be funded if ordered through your GP, but others may need to be self-funded and can range from $10-$60 per marker
URINE MYCOTOXIN TEST
This urine test from Mosaic Diagnostics is available in NZ can be shipped to back to USA easily through Fxmed in Hastings. MycoTOX screens for eleven different mycotoxins, from 40 species of mold, in one urine sample
While this test will show if there are excessive mycotoxins level in the body, it won't show whether the exposure is current or in the past. The advantages of this test is that it is easy to perform at home, and if a certain mycotoxin is identified you can be more specific with your healing protocol.
This video shows what results it shows.
Cost $550 + interpretation of results
OTHER TESTING
There are some other tests which can be useful for both directly testing for mould illness, and for checking general body function and health.
SHOEMAKER TESTS
Dr Richie Shoemaker has developed a panel of tests for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (a specific diagnosis of mould Illness). While we haven't used these tests, and are not Shoemaker trained, we can help you to obtain these test kits in New Zealand if needed. These blood tests include
ADH/Osmolality C3a, C4a, Leptin, MMP-9, MSH, PAI-1, TGFb-1, VEGF, VIP
MYCOTOXIN ANTIBODY TEST
This blood test looks at the body's immune response to mycotoxins. It can be useful if you want to know if you are currently being exposed to mould. This test will need to be ordered from mymycolabs.com in the USA (US$380 plus shipping) and requires a blood draw. This test requires a certain amount of immune "power" so if you are immune compromised you may not get an accurate result.
ORGANIC ACID TEST (OAT)
This urine test is relatively easy to get in NZ and can be shipped to back to USA.
The Organic Acids Test (OAT) offers a comprehensive metabolic snapshot of a patient’s overall health with over 70 markers. It provides an accurate evaluation of intestinal yeast and bacteria. While it doesn't test specifically for mycotoxins or mould, it does have several markers that can suggest mould illness including
- some intestinal fungal markers can indicate colonisation of mould species in the gut
- high oxalates can be caused by candida and aspergillus colonisation in the gut
We have run alot of these tests and found them to be very useful.
COST $390 + intepretation
HAIR TISSUE MINERAL ANALYSIS (HTMA)
A HTMA can provide information about mineral levels, heavy metal levels, and also biochemisty. By looking at the ratios and patterns in the test, you can also find out metabolic rates, energy levels, stress response and endocrine function.
These tests are from Analytical Research Labs, Inc., which tests the level of 20 minerals and toxic metals in a sample of hair. It is a tissue mineral biopsy that is non-invasive, relatively inexpensive and very accurate.
COST $130 + intepretation
What tests shall I do ?
This depends on your situation and also your budget. If you just want the best testing, we would generally recommend doing the first 3 steps, a Urinary Mycotoxin Test (or mycotoxin antibody test) and blood tests. An organic acid test (OAT) and Hair Tissue Mineral analysis are also useful for determining overall
health and nutrient/mineral levesl. Getting all of these tests done means that you can be quite specific with your protocol, and then have the option of retesting down the track to see if the tests have improved.
For those on a budget. If the first 3 steps are all pointing towards mould illness then you may be able to skip the mycotoxin testing. You may also be able to get some of the blood markers run by your GP
If you need help deciding what tests to run in your situation, or interpreting tests that you have done, you can book a support call with us