Mold Remediation: Lessons learned
In 2017, my entire basement had to be remediated because of mold. Fast forward to 2024, and my master bathroom has sprung a leak that traveled down two stories to my basement and created a problem on all three house floors! My master bath and bedroom, downstairs kitchen and offices, and basement all needed mold remediation, stat! Talk about a turn-my-life-upside-down kind of experience. I went through it all in 2018 – finding a contractor, insurance, health setbacks, packing up and moving, recovering my health – and in 2024, in a new house no less, I had to do it all over again…. needless to say I have learned a ton and gained a lot of wisdom.
In 2018, before a mold remediation problem was identified in my home, I struggled for five weeks with breathing issues, sleep issues, and neurological symptoms. By the time I had to remediate again, seven years later I was much less reactive, thanks to my Medical MediumⓇ protocols. In both situations, and I would recommend this to anyone reading, as soon as the scope of the problem was identified we prepared a solution. For us both times it was remediation.
In 2024, it became clear we would have to pack up and completely move whilst in the remediation process, and I was faced with the stress and overwhelm of health flares, running a business, remediating our home, and finding routine and balance for my family.
Mold exposure can come from all different places- home, work, studios, and school, to name a few. What makes mold worse are construction materials made with powerful industrial chemicals, fungicides, and chemical fragrances. Add in a leaking pipe and poor ventilation, and you have a powerful and persistent growing problem.
My 2nd story master bathroom, where the problem started in 2024, was taken down to the foundation.
The ceiling of my office was completely torn out because it was like the Amazon rain forest in here with the leak!
My 1st floor kitchen and the adjacent bathroom, being completely dried out in 2024.
Health Issues
Mold is not the cause of chronic illness. Mold is a trigger.
Two people can be exposed to mold and have completely different experiences: one can be completely OK with little to zero symptoms, while the other suffers incredibly. It all comes down to what is underlying in the body. Underlying viral issues are at the root of the problem. When exposed to mold, your immune system can weaken, and those underlying pathogens get a window of opportunity to become more active. By lowering the immune system, mold can trigger a flare of any underlying viral issue.
Mold is a top trigger for Lyme Disease. I was diagnosed with Neurological Lyme Disease the year before my exposure to mold after my spider bite (in 2017), so it is no surprise that my neurological symptoms flared after exposure. Take into account the fluctuations a woman’s immune system has every month with her menstrual cycle, and women are more at risk of health issues triggered by mold exposure than men.
Protocols I focused on immediately after mold exposure:
- Adding aromatic herbs to my diet, even eating them straight in fresh form!
- Upping my daily intake of spirulina to 2 teaspoons daily, which helps remove mold from your body
- Fresh aloe vera daily.
- I upped my consumption of chaga from 1 tsp to 2 tsp.
- I added in rose hip tea.
- I upped my consumption of apples, berries, kiwis, apricots, dates, figs, melon, oranges, honey, pears, pomegranates, celery, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, and cruciferous vegetables.
For a more in-depth look at what my immediate thoughts and actions were after I realized my house needs remediation, my family has been living in a moldy environment, and I have to act NOW, check out this blog.
Recovering Health
After you have identified mold as a trigger for your symptoms, you have to focus on long-term recovery. Because almost everyone is dealing with underlying viral issues, this will be an important step as this means almost no one will walk away unaffected!
This is where the Medical MediumⓇ protocols for health are so important. I leaned heavily into them in 2018 during my first long-term exposure, as I had to recover from neurological fatigue, brain fog, and chronic fatigue.
For long term recovery I focused on:
- Cleansing my body and liver, as the key to health is a healthy liver.
- Lots of sleep! This is so your body’s immune system can catch up while it juggles mold, viruses, and bacteria.
- Immune supplements such as zinc, vitamin C, B12, Spirulina, and magnesium glycinate. Check out this Medical MediumⓇ blog, which breaks down 12 immune system boosting supplements.
- Herbs such as cat’s claw, lemon balm, olive leaf, and nettle leaf.
- The Mold Exposure Shot from Brain Saver.
- The Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie.
- Celery juice and aloe water.
- I avoided foods that feed chronic illness and slow down the body.
Check out these Medical MediumⓇ resources on mold exposure:
- Medical MediumⓇ podcasts, Mold: The Crazy Maker, and Environmental Illness.
- Medical MediumⓇ YouTube video: Day 5 Brain Shot Therapy Challenge – Mold Exposure.
- Medical MediumⓇ Blogs & Healing Stories: 1. Mold Exposure 2. Mold Illness Trigger 3. Worried about Mold & Chemicals
We will go over the topic of health in greater detail in my workshop!
How To: Eco Living
The bottom line is that where it is wet in a structure is where mold will grow- this means addressing pipe leaks, bathrooms with poor ventilation, using quality materials when building, and having a sturdy roof over your head. If you live in a rainy environment, make sure your downspouts point away from your house. Having a dry home is so important. Because mold is fed by chemicals and dampness, it is really important to create a non-toxic and dry home environment.
My number 1 tip I can offer from this experience is this: if you are faced with the obstacle of remediating your home from mold, and you are staying while this takes place, work to get one or two rooms in your home as clean as possible and spend all your time there until the situation improves. This will help with peace of mind and create a center from which you and your family can navigate life more thoroughly.
Check out my other resources on mold remediation and eco living:
- Blog- Hydrogen Peroxide: My Multi-Purpose Miracle Cleaner
- Masterclass- Low Tox Living: Discover how to deep clean your home and body so you can thrive.
- Free Resource – Purify and Revitalize: 5 Ways to protect your home from toxic nasties.
- Blog- How to Breathe Cleaner Air
- Masterclass- Greening Your Home
The Mold Workshop: Expert Advice
Because of my own experiences with mold and house remediation, I started to dig deeper into toxic mold exposure. It is such a common occurrence and problem in human-built structures. If you don’t do your due diligence, a small problem can go from bad to worse really quickly.
Due to popular demand, I have created an in-depth workshop surrounding everything I have learned from my own experiences, in addition to everything I have learned from experts, their books, and public research. The workshop will include Live Q&As with me, guest expert calls by David Silver, Ryan Blaser, and Daniel Stih, pre-recorded teaching content, and a public forum where you can post your questions and connect further with your cohort.
This workshop touches upon Medical MediumⓇ information (books, radio shows and podcasts, lives and videos, blogs & healing stories) and Non-Medical MediumⓇ references (statistics, books, guest experts, public recommendations, and research).
Some of what we will dive into includes:
- Emergency mold remediation and prevention.
- What to look for in a contractor.
- The best low and non-toxic materials to use for remediation.
- Recovering your health from exposure: Why Medical MediumⓇ protocols are the most powerful for your health and which to use.
- How to navigate insurance coverage.
- What the experts are saying about Mold.
- Public research regarding the socio-economic disparities connected to living conditions and mold.
- What to do when mold remediation is not a possibility.
- Which books do I recommend for reading?
- Dos and don’ts when it comes to mold remediation, cleaning up mold, and mold test kits.
- And so much more!
To your health, happiness, and peace,
Muneeza
P.S…. Learn the power of greening your home!
This powerful masterclass will teach you how to avoid toxic fumes and residues in your household to make your family healthier.
I also reveal all of my favorite non-toxic and safe beauty products.
Join me in this Masterclass where I can help you learn how to heal and maintain health and wellness for you and your family with greening home methods!
