is there any way to treat brain fog caused by mold senstivity?

I have lived with mold-induced brain fog for a long time. I am happy to share what I have learned but want to make sure that I understand your post.

When you say 'moldy place' are you referring to a geographic area (like Florida or Seattle) or your abode?

Do you have other mold-related symptoms (asthma, runny nose, fatigue, heart palpitations, upper and lower GI symptoms, etc.)?

Do your brain fog symptoms vary with mold exposure level?

@jeff0117 -

Hi. I am not the original poster, but can you explain how you were able to confirm indefinitely that your brain fog was caused by mold exposure?

I have asthma with heavy exposures, my brain fog went away at times when I slept in the desert for example, when I mean a moldy place I mean a place which had a lot of mold in it.

@nrd1 -
I have done challenge testing after a cleanup period. When the outdoor mold levels are low I can turn off my mold-related symptoms for a couple of weeks by staying in a highly-filtered ‘residential clean room’, wearing a hooded PAPR (powered air purifying respirator) with a HEPA cartridge when I am ‘dirty’ areas of the house, and staying on a mold-free diet. It doesn’t take a lot of mold to trigger my brain fog and other mold-related symptoms after I have ‘stayed clean’ for a week or so.

You may want to look into Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). There are doctors who are well versed in CIRS, it’s really important to go to a group who understands how to treat CIRS. I have been going through treatment for CIRS for months at this point, but can say I have started to turn a corner. It may be worth checking out.

@winnievo Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I’m sorry that you’re suffering from CIRS. How did you find the doctors who are treating you now?

Who and where are these CIRS doctors?

My doctors just say it’s all in my head. I must be crazy !!!!

my doctor says it’s triggered asthma
and treats me accordingly

@winnievo-
I would be interested in hearing any details of your treatment protocol and any associated symptom improvements that you are comfortable sharing.
I am a retired, non-medical research scientist who has lived with a mold-induced multisystem/multisymptom illness for over 50 years. For the past 20 years I have maintained online access to a medical school library and regularly search Pubmed for articles that are relevant to my illness.
When articles about mold-induced illness began to appear in the popular media, I knew that I responded to both indoor and outdoor molds. The mold toxicity theories that were originally put forward by Shoemaker and others were limited to indoor mold species that were known to produce highly toxic bioaerosols.
I decided to consult a ‘mold doc’ in 2002 and I selected Vincent Marinkovich from the group of qualified MD’s. (https://www.globalindoorhealthnetwork.com/marinkovich). My choice was primarily based on his academic credentials and research accomplishments.
Marinkovich did not know the specific mechanisms that caused mold-induced illness but his patients (myself-included) typically presented with significant levels of mold specific IgG, little/no IgE. and systemic symptoms. In 2004 he published a paper in Medical Mycology (https://docslib.org/doc/5581273/fungal-hypersensitivity-pathophysiology-diagnosis-therapy) that summarized his diagnostic criteria and treatment protocol. He did not think that mycotoxins caused mold-related illness and wrote: “Hyperactive immune systems responding to the influx of fungal antigens following chronic exposures are much more likely to be a cause of symptoms in most individuals.”
The research papers on fungal immunology that have been published in reputable scientific and medical journals for the past 20 years have supported Marinkovich’s conclusion. For example, the recognized North American authority on mycotoxins and mycotoxin-related illness (J David Miller https://carleton.ca/chaimcentre/2016/david-miller/ ) published a paper in 2023 in which he clearly states that the health effects of mycotoxins are insignificant in comparison to the innate immune response to a fungal beta glucan compound. He also talks about this in Episode #731 of IAQRadio (https://www.iaqradio.com/j-david-miller-phd-bioaerosols-health-effects-secondary-metabolites-endotoxins-more/). The relevant portion of the interview video begins at the 42:10 time mark and ends at 56:00.

Marinkovich’s treatment protocol can be described in one word – avoidance. In his 2004 paper he wrote that “it is important to recognize that there are three sources of exposure: The airborne particles, mostly spores, which result from water intrusion at home, school, and work; ingestion (as in the enormous amounts and types of fungal products used by the food industry); and colonization of skin, lung, sinuses, and other mucosal surfaces.” In my case, Marinkovich’s treatment has worked, and I am currently able to stay symptom-free for weeks at a time. Unfortunately the lifestyle modifications, financial investment, and engineering skills that were required to get to this point were significant. For this reason, I don’t think that most people who suffer from mold-related illness will be able to reduce their symptoms to a negligible level. The good news, however, is that almost every reduction in my mold exposure has resulted in a noticeable health improvement. You don’t have to be symptom free in order to feel a whole lot better and I believe that almost all reductions in exposure level are helpful.

I don’t know if I can sustain my current level of avoidance as I age and wouldn’t hesitate to make an appointment with a CIRS-certified physician if I knew that Shoemaker’s treatment protocol was effective. I have searched for detailed ‘success stories’ from people who have gone all the way through the Shoemaker Protocol and so far I haven’t found any. I would appreciate any detailed info that you and other members who are currently on the Shoemaker protocol are willing to share.

Hello! I didn’t know I was suffering from CIRS before I was diagnosed with it. After going to a ton of traditional medical doctors who weren’t able to help, I decided to take the functional medicine route which has helped me tremendously. I recommend looking into functional medical doctors that treat CIRS or toxin-related illnesses. Living Health Integrative Medicine in Annapolis, MD is very well versed in CIRS and I have seen significant improvement since working with them. But, if you so have CIRS, please know it takes a VERY long time to get under control and it can feel extremely overwhelming and hopeless when you do not see improvement at first. But please know there is help out there and CIRS is becoming more and more well known. You’re not alone! 🩵