Fungal infections: sources and treatments

[Ben]

Dehumidifiers are a fairly inefficient way to control air quality because the most effective ones are fairly expensive in terms of energy costs. If you are a homeowner then I highly recommend looking into a PIV (positive input ventilation) unit, very low running costs and very effective .The unit is installed in the loft space and pushes air into your property constantly as long as the air temperature remains below a set temperature (you don't get as many condensation and damp issues at higher temperatures). The positive pressure inside the building causes humid air to leave through any air gaps available.

I had this one installed, to replace a dehumidifier. The house was very prone to condensation and damp, having been built to run with minimal insulation and an open fire before these things were phased out. It completely eliminated condensation and mould issues, which the dehumidifier had never really kept at bay.

PIV Systems: Positive Input Ventilation | EnviroVent

Discover all our PIV products if you don't want to do a full renovation and you require a whole house ventilation solution. Forget about removing walls.

www.envirovent.com

It's a good solution as long as the ambient temperatures in your loft space don't get ridiculously cold because the unit is low wattage and only raises the temperature of the air it introduces by a few degrees. You are essentially deliberately introducing a draft into a house which has become sealed up with modern glazing and insulation, so it's not perfect.

 

[Freya Stewart]

I got inspired by this thread to start tearing things apart at my house. At the same time, I discovered mold growing under our Berkey water filter. Two places folks might want to keep an eye on is ventilator fans in bathrooms and toilet tanks. I discovered quite a lot of mold in these places in my inspection. I used hydrogen peroxide with Dawn dish soap and mixture a of vinegar and baking soda to tackle these projects.

Ventilator fans should be cleaned every six months, and they should be ran during bathing/showering and kept running for a half hour after to draw moisture away from the bathroom. You may want to regularly check your toilet tank and add vinegar or hydrogen peroxide and let it sit for a while to discourage critters.

I did need some tools to remove the fan for cleaning. It's pretty straight forward, but here's a link with instructions for doing it:

How to Replace a Bathroom Fan (with Pictures) - wikiHow

Installing a new bathroom fan won't take very long, since the connections and wiring are already in place. First, you'll need to carefully remove your old fan and disconnect the vent pipe and wiring. Then, you'll put the new fan in...

www.wikihow.com

 

[Expedition26]

I’ve been living in moldy situations for three years now. So, I figured I would add my two cents as far as cleaning, etc.

I really like Briotech sanitizer/disinfectant for spraying in bathrooms, along windows, on beds and furniture. Anywhere that needs to be disinfected, really. It’s also super safe, they make different formulas that can be used topically or even sprayed in your mouth/nose or in your kids or pets mouths. The topical is really nice for small cuts or burns too.

I also really like the young living oils thieves cleaner. Cuts grime and kills mold. You could probably make a similar solution using vinegar and adding thieves oil to it. But I don’t think that vinegar alone is enough to stop mold. H202 will though so I agree with everyone on that. Hydrogen peroxide is amazing for almost everything.

There is a product called EC3 that has a line of mold cleaners, laundry additives and candles that inhibit mold spores. I tried the laundry additive and didn’t feel like it did much, you could probably just make up an alternative bleach using h202 and it would do the same thing. I have one of the mold inhibiting candles, but haven’t noticed much of a difference with that either.

There is some good science behind using bee propolis diffusers to inhibit mold growth. The only downside is the units are upwards of $100US and the refill capsules aren’t cheap either. But the diffusers smell lovely.

I found that a dehumidifier does work better than just an air purifier for keeping the air breathable, but both are essential. I also keep damp rid bags hanging in closets and the laundry room and bathroom to soak up any lingering dampness.

Opening windows, even in winter, is vital for fresh air and air flow. It seems that a lot of newer buildings were made to be air tight and that’s why we’re seeing an increase in moldy environments. Any lick of dampness and you automatically have a mold situation. Not to mention our vital forces have been dumbed down so we’re all getting sick more when it wouldn’t have affected us before.

Onto the mold inside of us, I’ve been researching strep a lot lately and it seems that strep/mold/viruses/parasites all thrive in biofilm. So, in order to remove that crud we need to remove the biofilm. @gottathink was talking about nebulizing and I think that’s one way to remove the biofilm. I know there’s a book pdf on here somewhere that talks about nebulizing, it was a free downloadable file.

Another way to remove the biofilm it is drinking cistus tea. I’m still searching for more options that are kid friendly other than those two. I’ve been doing a coffee enema every other day but that’s hardly kid friendly.

Still another route to lessen our mold burden is detoxing mold by using the homeopathic poly mold blends. Starting with 30c twice a week and moving up in potency every week. I haven’t been diligent with this but I feel like I’ve been working on every other aspect of “the work” lately and homeopathy has taken a back seat.

 

[Expedition26]

Oh and when in doubt just use a prescription anti-fungal. I was going crazy trying to clear up tinnea versicolor with tea tree oil and I finally went to the doctor and got an anti-fungal and it cleared right up. Anti-fungals don’t seem to have side effects like antibiotics do either. I ordered some ivermectin and anti-fungals from India so if it happens again or someone else needs I’ll have them on hand.

 

[Expedition26]

Forgot to mention (I could honestly write a paper on mold ), I have hygrometers in multiple rooms to measure the moisture levels in the air so anytime the humidity is above 50% I turn the dehumidifier on or crack some windows depending on the weather. Hygrometers are inexpensive too.

I also bought a digital moisture meter (partially to prove to my landlord and significant other that there is water damage/accumulation/leaks in places) and it will read the moisture levels on walls/floors. More of a tool to detect where there could be moisture than anything else. A thermal imaging camera will do the same thing and be more accurate but they are insanely expensive.

 

[gottathink]

One thing that has helped a great deal controlling mould in my home is scraping down condensation that has settled on the windows in winter time. I then dry the window sills with an old towel. I do this every morning if there is a build up of moisture in the house.

@Expedition26 the info I think you are referring to about nebulising is in the Bicarbonate soda thread. I have a bit more to add to it. Been overtaxed with work recently so will post it soon.

 

[Gwenllian]

Still another route to lessen our mold burden is detoxing mold by using the homeopathic poly mold blends. Starting with 30c twice a week and moving up in potency every week. I haven’t been diligent with this but I feel like I’ve been working on every other aspect of “the work” lately and homeopathy has taken a back seat.

Do you know what the blend consists of, Expedition26?

BTW, I wouldn't worry about not taking the remedies on a regular basis. AFAIK taking the remedy once and then wait until it has done its job before you take another dose is a good way to go.

Useful Things To Know About Taking Homeopathic Remedies

Never follow the dosage instructions on the vials of homeopathic remedies that you buy in the health food store or on-line. The FDA requires this information to be printed on the bottles, but it is overdosing for homeopathic remedies. Also do not pay attention to the indications on the bottle. Any remedy can have hundreds or thousands of symptoms that it can help with, but there is only space to print one symptom on the remedy vial.

For constitutional treatment a single dose of a homeopathic remedy can hold for many weeks or months without needing to be repeated. The sign I am looking for to know it is a good time to repeat a remedy is the return of symptoms that had improved after the first dose of the remedy. When a person takes a homeopathic remedy there is usually an initial reaction period that can last hours, days, weeks or months, depending upon the circumstances or how deeply rooted a symptom is. Unless the patient is in pain or distress, I prefer not to interfere with this initial reaction period.

I stress the above point, because many people treat the fluctuations in the initial reaction period as indications that it is necessary to repeat the remedy, or change the prescription. This is not accurate and slows down or interferes with the healing process.

In most cases, I like to evaluate the response to the remedy at seven weeks from when the patient received the remedy, That is when I usually schedule the first follow up consultation. At that time I make a base-line chart of the patient’s symptoms that tracks what changes have taken place. I would then only repeat the remedy, if the symptoms that had improved on the base-line chart begin to relapse, as that is an indication that the dose of the remedy has gone full circle, exhausted its action, and it is now safe and advantageous to repeat.

In many cases a remedy is not needed at the follow up consultation, because the patient is doing well, there is no evidence of a relapse and the healing process is unfolding well. In other cases at the first or second follow up consultation or some time down the road, there may be a sign that the remedy given has worked well, but that symptoms that had gotten better are starting to return, and the patient feels ready and the homeopath feels that repeating the remedy would be a good idea.

An acute illness can be a different kettle of fish, though.

 

[Nienna]

Anti-fungals don’t seem to have side effects like antibiotics do either.

They might not have the same side-effects as antibiotics do, but they do have side-effects. Some can make you lose hair, some can cause problems with the pancreas and some can cause problems with the liver. There may be more, this is just what my doctor told me about them as he's had me on them for a while. I can't remember which does what, but before taking an antifungal, it would be a good idea to find out what the side-effects are. fwiw

 

[Expedition26]

The homeopathic detox blend I have is actually called Poly Fungal Plus. I just emailed the ps11 collective to see what the exact blend was because it isn’t listed on their website. For some reason they don’t get into specifics unlike other sites probably because they are geared more toward selling to practitioners vs lay people, but you can still order things if you have a practitioner’s code. I’m sure there are pharmacies in Europe that don’t require a practitioner’s code either. I believe Wren Lloyd was one of the homeopaths that formulated PFP and she’s based out of the UK.

There is also a mold combination formula with Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicilium, and Stachybotrys. Which could be helpful if you can’t get the poly fungal plus.

I didn’t mean to say anti-fungals have no side effects, just fewer than antibiotics. I’ve never taken a round of anti-fungals for more than week so I’ve never seen harsh side effects. But I have seen antibiotics cause a CIRS flare in my kid in under four days. So I’ve seen them disrupt a gut micro biome quickly.

 

[XPan]

Onto the mold inside of us, I’ve been researching strep a lot lately and it seems that strep/mold/viruses/parasites all thrive in biofilm

Antibiotics + DMSO

I read several years ago in a book about DMSO (Dr Hartmut Fischer) that when you take antibiotics against a certain type of germs, and combine it with DMSO (orally) - the penetration of the antibiotic goes deeper, including destroying biofilm

 

[Expedition26]

I received a response from the collective. Poly Fungal Plus includes:

Candida Alb, Paraps, Auris

Clostridia Diff

Alternia Alt

Aspergillus Niger, Fum

Fusarium Sap

Merulius Lac

Mucor Mucedo

Penicillinum

Rhizopus Nig

Sporobolomyces

Trichophytum Rub

Ustilago

Cladosporium Herb

House Molds (Helios)

Stachybotrys Char

Torula Cer.

Ringworm

The house molds are in the blend that Helios makes. I’ll have to look on their site to see if they are listed. Hope this helps for anyone who wants to try the homeopathic route to detox.

You can do the protocol I listed above, taking a potency 2x a week and going up in potency every week. Or you could do what is called a CEASE protocol where you start at 30c and take that every week (2x) and stay at that potency until you feel it’s run it’s course (no longer working or it makes you irritable) and then move up and do the same thing. But that way of detoxing could take months if not years.

 

[Benjamin]

This is probably already known here, but I'll just post it here since it applies to mold and other things. These two transcript sections deal with ozone.

S26, July 1997:

Q: Well, Percy is in the kitchen because he gets so hysterical when there is thunder. Why does he get so frantic?

A: Sensitive to ozone.

S28, Sept. 2002:

Q: (Ark) Change of subject. I want to build an ozone generator. That is, I had an idea that it may be a good idea. Who knows, it may be a very bad idea because we may die due to ozone. It kills germs, it might kill us. [laughter] We ordered a transformer and it will be our first experiment with high voltage. So, question about ozone: Can we play with ozone? Is it a good idea?

A: Allow it to run while out of the room, limit long term direct exposure.

The Uvonair website mentions:

Ozone is used in low atmospheric doses in hospital wards - to sterilize rooms and bedding, office spaces, veterinarian rooms, commercial kitchens, factories, schools, boats, cars, recreational vehicles and more to keep air sterile and to keep places smelling clean and fresh.

This page from This Old House talks about ozone generators as being one of the best ways of removing pollution from your house. The title alludes to a (updated but still out-of-date) buyer's guide, which it is, but has a lot of other info. Fwiw, I have an ultraviolet type of generator (Uvonair 3000) that I use periodically in rooms (except the one that now houses our hbot because it is unknown if the O3 will affect the seals of the chamber).

5 Best Ozone Generators (2024 Guide)​

Ozone generators are highly effective at removing stubborn odors like cigarette smoke, mold, and pet odors from all areas of your home. Since they neutralize odors rather than masking them, we find that ozone generators are one of the best ways that you can help remove air pollution in your home.
...

Type​

Ozone generators use different operating mechanisms that affect qualities like ozone output, energy usage, and size. Our research showed that there are four primary types of ozone generators on the market: cold plasma, corona discharge, electrolytic, and ultraviolet.

Cold plasma​

To split oxygen molecules and emit ozone, these ozone generators create an electric field using cold plasma. The cold plasma is created using two adjacent neon tubes. Though bulky, cold plasma ozone generators produce relatively little heat compared to other types of generators.

Corona discharge​

A powerful and efficient ozone generation method, corona discharge involves splitting oxygen molecules with an electrical current. The current splits these molecules into single oxygen atoms, which instantly recombine to form ozone gas.

Electrolytic​

Engineered to treat water, electrolytic ozone generators create ozone by pumping water into the generator, which splits the oxygen molecules.

Ultraviolet​

Ultraviolet ozone generators are the least efficient and powerful. They work by emitting UV light to create ozone and split oxygen molecules. Ultraviolet ozone generators are typically suited for smaller spaces such as a bedroom.

...

Tips For Using an Ozone Generator​

While using an ozone generator can be a highly effective way to eliminate harsh odors and rid your home of pollutants, they can cause damage if they are not used properly.

There are several important things you need to keep in mind when using an ozone generator, including:

Clear the room before use​

Before using an ozone generator, you should make sure that the room in question is unoccupied. When people are exposed to ozone, it can cause respiratory problems, including throat and lung irritation.

It’s especially important that elderly people, pets, and children aren’t in a room when an ozone generator is running. You should also remove things like indoor plants.

Don’t run it longer than needed​

Ozone generators typically need to run between 3-10 hours to be fully effective, depending on the size of the room. However, it’s better to undershoot that estimate and turn the generator back on for another run than to overestimate and leave it on too long. An ozone generator that’s been left on can leave a noxious odor that could cause irritation or illness and could last in the air for days or even weeks.

Always run your ozone generator in a well-ventilated space with minimum humidity to reduce the risk of leaving a noxious smell after use. Opening windows after the machine is done running can help dissipate the ozone faster.

Wait until it dissipates before re-entering​

After an ozone generator runs, ozone can stay in the air for several hours, with a specific amount of time depending on the power level of the device and the size of the room.

Generally, a good rule of thumb is to wait at least four hours before reentering a room after using an ozone generator. If you need to manually turn off the device and it doesn’t have a timer setting, you should cover your nose and mouth before entering the room.

I leave mine run in a closed room for not more then an hour (not 3-10 hours!). I turn it off and let the room sit with the door closed for about another hour and then open a window for awhile depending on the outside temperature.

 

[Tycho]

Oh and when in doubt just use a prescription anti-fungal. I was going crazy trying to clear up tinnea versicolor with tea tree oil and I finally went to the doctor and got an anti-fungal and it cleared right up. Anti-fungals don’t seem to have side effects like antibiotics do either. I ordered some ivermectin and anti-fungals from India so if it happens again or someone else needs I’ll have them on hand.

Ivermectin isnt anti fungal, is it? I did read that anti fungal medicaments would be "en gros" extremely bad on the body.

 

[Expedition26]

Ivermectin isnt anti fungal, is it? I did read that anti fungal medicaments would be "en gros" extremely bad on the body.

No, I think it’s more similar to an antibiotic than an antifungal. I took ivermectin for the first time last week and it seemed to have more of an antibiotic effect than an antiparasitic effect actually.

FWIW I’ve seen better antiparasitic results with homeopathic remedies (as in visible worms in stool, sorry if that’s TMI). Maybe the ivermectin is working more on eggs or microscopic parasites though.

 

[Benjamin]

Reading the latest article on the Cassiopaean Substack, this entry regarding parasites (like fungal infections) caught my attention and thought I would post it here as a reason why we should clean out are systems as best we can.

June 12, 2008
​

Q: (Perceval) Is someone without an emotional center [e.g., a psychopath or schizoid] very susceptible to being possessed or “walked into”?

A: No. What self-respecting “spook” would want to eat at a restaurant that serves food made of air? Like stone soup before the neighbors came.

Eno writes: “Parasites seem to be very good at finding food sources. […] their livelihood is gained entirely by riding or reaching from world to world to feed upon the likes of us […] But precisely what are they ‘eating’? Apparently, some sort of negative energy produced by humans. All I know is that they thrive on whatever energy we put out when we’re divided, stressed, frightened, angry, and full of hate. When we’re united, calm, happy, and full of love, parasites not only lose their food supply, most seem repelled.”

A little earlier in that article, this section was quoted from S29, Mar. 1996.

A: Can be enhanced. Warning!! Littlest one is most susceptible to total possession by extremely STS oriented forces during sessions, and must be kept away at all costs!!!! There have been instances where perceived health disturbances by this one and others have been, in reality, up to 30 percent possession! Lungs are the "weak link," and it is your psychic abilities that have caused the troubles in the past.

Q: (L) You mean that what I am doing is causing problems for my children?

A: No.

Q: (L) Then why have my psychic abilities caused health troubles in the past?

A: Because you were less aware at that point, and your abilities went into a surge.

An increase of psychic ability draws an increase of parasitic infection, mostly through the lungs, which hinders further psychic growth by those parasites feeding off of the negative energy generated by the host. Knowledge repels parasites.

Good article.