While not a body system, pain as a symptom of mold toxicity deserves special attention. Mold toxic patients suffer more pain for a variety of reasons and this pain disrupts life in a variety of ways. After considering the mechanisms, we’ll consider the impact of mold induced pain on patient lives.
First, mold works through a variety of mechanism to cause and amplify pain. At a more simple level, damage to the nervous system alters how pain is perceived. The oxidative stress of mold toxins causes nerves and their wiring (axons) to misfire. If the misfiring occurs in pain related nerves, tingling, stinging, or just aches can occur. Beyond the direct injury to nerves, damage to other tissues and impaired healing processes create ample opportunities for pain. When tissue is damaged, inflammation ensues and brings pain followed by dysfunction.
There are other mechanisms besides damage to nerves and tissue which can lead to pain. For example, excessive histamine can trigger migraines in some individuals and irritable bowel pain in others. In other cases, many individuals are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a disease of increased pain have mold toxicity underneath their symptoms. Unfortunately, mold toxicity sufferers can hurt and hurt without seeming explanation for long periods of time until they receive proper root cause diagnosis and therapy. The conventional system does not recognize mold toxicity as a trigger or amplifier of pain, so these patients continue to suffer, sometimes being blamed for their symptoms.
Besides the actual experience of pain which others cannot visibly see nor understand fully, the unpredictability of the pain can leave many unsure if they should try to work or exercise or go out one day or not. When they try to push through it, they may suffer for days or weeks with worse pain. When they try to rest in order to avoid the pain, they become deconditioned and hurt more. They feel like they cannot win and never know when the next wave of pain will hit. It is a very disheartening situation day in and day out.
However, once these individuals have someone identify mold or other biotoxins like Lyme behind their pain, proper therapy can lead to relief and a healthier more abundant life. Without the mold-triggered pain, they can return to work, play, sleep, and life.