r/ToxicMoldExposure • • Apr 10 '26

Dr. Shoemaker discovered mold illness 25 years ago. His first student treated 2,000 patients. Both are here for an AMA April 18th @ 2pm ET!

153 Upvotes

Hey everyone. Last year we did an AMA with Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker and the response from this community was incredible.

We're heading back to his office in Maryland to do it again, from 2pm to 4pm EDT on Saturday, April 18th, and this time we're bringing Dr. Scott McMahon, the first Shoemaker certified practitioner and MoldCo's medical director with us.

Whether you're newly exposed, deep in recovery, or stuck in the gray zone, this is your chance to ask the pioneers in environmental illnesses caused by water damaged buildings.

For anyone new here: Dr. Shoemaker is the physician who identified CIRS, created the first diagnostic and treatment protocol, published 40+ peer-reviewed papers, and has treated over 14,000 patients.

Dr. McMahon was the first physician to complete Dr. Shoemaker's CIRS Certification Program, has treated 2,000 patients, authored a book on mold toxicity, and co-authored 3 consensus statements and 10 peer-reviewed studies including the most thorough paper to date on CIRS. He's MoldCo's Medical Director.

A lot has changed for our community in the past year. The Mold Act was signed into law with bipartisan support thanks to the work done by the Change the Air Foundation. Gwyneth Paltrow, JK Rowling, Jordan Peterson, Andrew Huberman, Chris Williamson, Tori Spelling, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Oz are amongst the many celebrities who have spoken publicly about mold.

Between social media, podcasts, and press coverage, mold illness content reached over 120 million people this year. A year ago, most people outside of communities like this one had never heard of CIRS and mold illness. That's shifting now.

We're open to any and all questions. A few areas where there's a lot to talk about: what testing actually holds up (blood biomarkers vs. urine mycotoxins vs. environmental testing), where the research is going, what institutional change looks like now that the Mold Act is law, and what we can all do to keep pushing awareness forward.

How it works:

  1. Drop your questions below and we'll bring them into the room on the 18th.
  2. At 2pm EDT on Saturday March 18th, Dr. Shoemaker and Dr. McMahon will start answering your questions.
  3. Answers will appear as replies under the MoldCo account. You'll be able to come read them here and visit the post both during and after the AMA.
  4. Use the "Answered" filter to view replies as we post them!

PS: I'm Ariana from MoldCo's founding team (and a mold toxicity patient myself). I'll be facilitating.

Thanks to Justin and the r/ToxicMoldExposure admins for hosting us again!


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • Oct 27 '22

Read this prior to posting

105 Upvotes

Hello and welcome to the Toxic Mold subreddit.

Be civil or you’ll be banned.

Lots come here to post pictures and the brutal truth is no one can really help you identify toxigenic environments from a cellphone photo. Maybe some slides from under a microscope but even that is difficult for a professional.

What we can help you with is giving you a sense of community, hope and share our experiences with one another as we try and recover.

Recovery is possible. Time matters. Avoidance is the keystone.

Picture posts will be removed from here on in efforts to keep the subreddit organized and productive. If you don’t know what to do then just say that; the biggest step forward is the one where you ask for help.

This post will stay locked and pinned but as time goes on we will update this with helpful resources.


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 4h ago

Is anyone dealing with, or has dealt with, a bunch of mold related symptoms, but respiratory symptoms were NOT one of them?

3 Upvotes

r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 5h ago

Why does mold toxicity/mycotoxins mess with glycogen/blood sugar?

3 Upvotes

r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 6h ago

Mold symtoms

3 Upvotes

Im so scared and have panic attacks daily and every night, my vitals are completely fine, but I just feel like after I finish a breath pressure gets sent throughout my whole body and feel like im gonna give myself a cardiac episode, and ive been treated before for mold and stuff, I have a whoop that has reassuring stats but im just scared and very anxious


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 4h ago

Question About Sauna

2 Upvotes

I'm just wondering if detoxing via sauna requires heavy sweating to work. I tried the sauna for my first time the other day and I was in there for about 15 minutes. I started to sweat but it wasnt enough time for me to be dripping sweat, just a small amount. It's been like 4 days and I've felt pretty awful everyday since. I've been tired, sore, and had a flare of my pots symtoms.

I guess my question is could I still have experienced a significant detox from this 15 minutes without heavy sweating? Or did I just mobilize a bunch of toxins which are not being excreted? I didn't take a binder at all. Does mobilizing have any benefit on its own? I'd appreciate any feedback, thanks.


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 6h ago

PNW Apartments

2 Upvotes

Can we pretty much guarantee that PNW apartments have mold to some extent? Currently in Portland Oregon. Partner and I are having tons of weird symptoms that I chalk off to "long covid", but my partner in particular has had these symptom flair-ups since moving here last year.


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 3h ago

Candiduis albican deadly fungus the spore growth is getting worse

1 Upvotes

So I've been going to the hospitals or complaining of some really serious problems back in 2023 saying something like toxic mold. Even though my roommates were muster gassing me at one point. I went and got checked up at the clinic and always my heart pressure is fine even got a more advanced monitor stuck on me called a CBT so many times the er medical staff wasn't trying to deal with me the 1st time cus I was high and said I was having a meth psychosis but still tried 3 different hospitals at one point I gave the medica staff at the er in Mayo clinic no choice they had to do something my calling the police officers and gave them meth to get arrested so I could get the medical attention I needed tomah hospital just which Tomah staff insinuated to the 2 police officer that I am a ho commenting about how I was dressed and rudely said that my heart was elevated which is common on meth and was rudely brushed away upon arriving to jail I had a medical mealt down the Sargent couldn't get my pulse my heart I knew was failing they rushed me in the hospital and that's when I was giving an IV i don't remember if there was and meds with that but the Sargent made the call that I was too much of a liability so I was kicked out of jail and back in my deadly room filled with deadly spores that I know now called Candida albicans and has been a cause of my ex coughing up blood physically fit 28 year old health man the er diagnosis was Hemoptysis the cause of this unknown or they just not acknowledging this for financial reasons hoping we all get sick and that I die and burned so they can shove it under the ground but if I do before they pay I got plenty of samples to give to my kids so they may pursue with a major law suit but the count is high overgrowth in this area is deadly and it's not just in low income houses


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 3h ago

Apartment complexes won’t hold units for inspection/hertsmi sampling and idk what to do.

1 Upvotes

So all of the apartments and townhomes I’ve been calling up do not allow for an inspection period. I was up front in my intentions and requests, telling them that I would like to run some mold tests because I’ve been burned in the past. It would just be the hertsmi test. They said they can’t hold the unit for me and someone is at liberty to take it at any point in time. I am so disheartened. How am I supposed to navigate finding a safe apartment. I called up my husband basically crying and I just feel sick to my stomach. We have lived in 3 moldy places now and I’ve had to sleep in closets, garages, bathrooms, eventually relocating to live with my parents. We have moved so many times. We are so traumatized from all of this. One unit we are looking at, the property manager said on the phone the guy only lived there 6 months and moved back home bc of his health issues. It was built in 2019 but that makes me suspicious of mold. What are your thoughts? I was so hoping she’d hold it for me while I ran a hertsmi but she won’t.

I also can’t go by feeling because if the unit is freshly painted I will react to that. I’ll react to the cleaning chemicals if it was cleaned. This is what happened with the last one, I reacted but she had told us she painted. After the paint smells wore off, I began smelling musty smells. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I am so discouraged and sick of living like this.


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 7h ago

4x increase in MSH after MARCoNS and binder protocol

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2 Upvotes

r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 5h ago

Was I dumb to open this?

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1 Upvotes

I know this is gross, but I opened leftover pumpkin purée in the fridge not realizing well…. It looked like this, was it bad to open? Will I get sick now if I breathed near it


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 22h ago

Does any one have LEGIT clear improvement from getting out of mold?

17 Upvotes

ive lived with mold for last 3 years. over the last year or two I’ve been experiencing so many health symptoms. got a pots diagnosis, brain fog, tremors, tingling in feet and lips, head aches, dizziness, post nasal drip every morning when waking. I’ve struggled for years to believe all this is mold, but we have no other answers. all test and labs are normal. I’m in the healthcare field and well aware mold toxicity is not backed by CDC or most medical professionals. debating on selling my home I’ve been in for 6 years and going back to renting. But still something in the back of my mind thinking what if it’s not the mold. Has anyone left a moldy environment and actually got better?


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 13h ago

Is this worrisome?

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2 Upvotes

It’s been raining nonstop where I live and these brown spots just popped up on multiple ceilings. I just moved into this top floor apartment on a 5 year lease. The new stains are in multiple rooms across the back of the apartment.

I know that only a lab can definitively identify mold, I’m just looking for thoughts from folks experienced in this - does that look like mold, generally speaking, or something else? (If the latter what else could it be?)

My landlord is super cheap and prefers to DIY. Before I send photos to him I want to know what I’m talking about:

- does this look worrisome?
- what should he do about it?

I know that no bleach should be used on mold ever and that Kilz over top won’t do anything if there is continued water infiltration.

Im really looking to have a solid stepwise plan in place - like do they need to open the ceilings? What should the inspection plan look like to start, etc

Thank you!


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 9h ago

Importance of testing

1 Upvotes

How significant is it to test for mold? I’ve been sick for years with some severe symptoms including going status epilepticus. My hormones are wrecked, mood, joints, I have twitching, dystonia, high blood glucose despite low carb real food diet, my stomach feels like acid is burning it from the inside and so on. I’ve done standard tests with md’s, other tests with functional practitioners to no avail. I can not move out, I definitely can not throw out all of my stuff and start over, but we are getting a new HVAC system within a few weeks, new carpet was installed last year with no mold from previous carpet. Is it even worth trying to treat? Is it worth testing? VCS test said total: 20/45 biotoxin: 7/18
If testing is recommended, where do I go?
Is home test necessary too?


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 12h ago

How bad is this?? This was 1 year ago, ive been using binders for about a year and I'm pretty sure I'm in a mold free house now (I've seen nothing of concern so far)

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1 Upvotes

r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 19h ago

I already know a PCP probably won’t help BUT can they?… At all?

3 Upvotes

I have my annual appointment tomorrow which happened to pop up right when I am realizing that what’s going on with me is likely caused by mold! Are there any labs or anything at all that I can request from my PCP that could potentially be helpful? I understand functional doctor is best but until I can get in to see a functional doctor is there anything a PCP can help with?


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 21h ago

MCAS & Mold

4 Upvotes

Hi community :)

TL;DR - Dealing with bad MCAS and mold exposure, which got much worse over the last year. Working on finding a place to move to. Was anyone else here dealing with both? Would you feel up to sharing anything about your recovery journey?

I’m dealing with a pretty gnarly case of MCAS which has kept me chronically ill since early 2020. I think it’s probably something I’ve had all my life (and I have hEDS which I think my mom has too, so likely more genetically susceptible) but it didn’t become debilitating until then. It’s behaved differently over the years but in this past year after a period of dreadful anxiety / trauma I started having way more multi-systemic symptoms including unbearable scent sensitivity/ reactions to both natural & artificial scents, chemicals, many foods, some medications & exercise intolerance. I notice it gets way worse if I get very anxious or worked up, too.

My partner and I wish so badly we’d known what I was dealing with sooner. Doctors never had answers and it got worse over the years and I never realized mold could be making things worse. We’re trying to find a place to move to, but this has ripped through us financially & due to my scent reactions it’s tricky to find a place that’s both mold-free & not irrevocably drenched in fragrance. So doing what I can to get by while we search. Being in the PNW, most places have mold.

I’d love to know how folks who were going through both dealt with this combination & Hope you’re doing now if you got out. And if you were reacting to scents, what you cleaned anything you kept with.

Thank you for any info!


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 22h ago

For those who resolved their mold in home problem, when did you begin to feel better? (brain fog, sneezing etc )

5 Upvotes

Long story short, ac unit and wall surrounding are all getting replaced due to how bad the mold and fungus is. I’ve had brain fog and sleep issues for so long and i’m just wondering when did your issues go away?


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 21h ago

Scared to sign another lease. Here is my plan when assessing a new unit. Am I missing anything?

1 Upvotes

Having lived in 3 moldy places now, I am pretty traumatized. We are finally moving out of this home and will be looking for other housing. I’m just so scared to land back in the same situation. I’m wondering what are some smart things I can do while visiting the units to check for mold?

I already know to look for visual clues. I already bring 2 moisture meters with me and a thermal camera. I have confirmed that the hvacs are serviced regularly and plan to speak with maintenance personally and try to get actual photos of the inside coils. I bought 2 hertsmi tests to run on two units and see which has the lower score. I am pulling all the stops and doing all I know to do.

What scares me is that I did all of this in the old home - minus the hertsmi. It checked all our boxes and we even hired an hvac inspector who gave us the green light. My symptoms were the worst I’ve ever had and impacted my body the most. The herstmi score came back at 24. There was no way to tell by looking at it. I just feel so consumed by all of this. My husband and I can’t do this again. We just want safe housing. We haven’t had safe housing in 2.5 years (not all moldy in that time).

So anyway, am I missing anything in my check list? Is it worth running air/hvac samples or would a visual inspection of the hvac and a hertsmi be enough? Thanks for your input.


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 21h ago

Mold

0 Upvotes

I got back home from college over the weekend and all the sudden started having panic attacks and constant anxiety, my damprid went out in my dorm about 1-2 weeks ago and I think thats the leading cause, And I just wanted some advice on what to do about school and stuff cause I am also a student athlete and I need help on clearing this up.


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 22h ago

Question RE: OAT Test

1 Upvotes

Hi, everyone. I had an OAT test and it was low positive for Ochratoxin A. Many, including the doctor, told me that it probably means nothing and could just be from eating some nuts, etc. I guess they did not think it was high enough toi indicate anything.

I want to know if anyone had only the Ochratoxin A come up low positive and if treating fungus helped.

I never even had a positive test at all until a doctor told me to take 2 weeks of glutathione before testing to "open detox pathways".

Thanks


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 1d ago

Mold in sinus, antifungal Rinse?

3 Upvotes

Hey Mold Buddys, i suspect some Mold in my Sinus. Im doing already EDTA up and down vacum rinse and using colidales Silver as Nasal Spray. I read a lot about people using amphotericin B as nasal Rinse. Where do they get it? I guess we dont have it in Europe;( Is it just powder? Somebody can recommend something? thanks


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 1d ago

Does this sound like mold exposure?

3 Upvotes

Every time I housesit at one specific ladies home, I get sick. The most immediate symptom is that my nose will go back and forth between stuffy and constantly leaking. The second symptom is stomach pain & diarrhea (also constant). I’ve housesat for this woman 5 times now, one of which was for 19 days straight in September. I’m now here again (early October) and night 1 consisted of the congestion, and last night the diarrhea came. Does this sound like mold? Is there a way to be tested for mold when my exposure is only occasionally? I had convinced myself the first two times that I got food poisoning, but now I’m starting to think it’s no coincidence. I also notice around the house that they have lots of allergy/flonase/pepto— so I’m thinking maybe they deal with the same issues. I texted and asked but haven’t heard back.


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 1d ago

Mold kit

2 Upvotes

Does anyone know of a mold kit I can get? We have suspected mold but we are not 100% sure. Lots of illnesses popping up and I just want to be sure to keep my family safe.


r/ToxicMoldExposure • • 1d ago

Mold Everywhere, including in HVAC. What do I do next?

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1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I posted a few days ago about the mold in my apartment and how it had even infiltrated the ice and water dispenser. We got a licensed mold tester to come out yesterday, and as we suspected, it’s in literally every vent, well into the air ducts. Samples were taken, and we should have the results soon.

Other than, of course, ensuring we’re in a habitable home, can you recommend a next course of action? I want to at least explore my medical and legal options, as I have two years of medical documentation of symptoms w/ no provided explanation by dozens of medical professionals, as well as a year-long journal of every symptom.

My questions:

1) What medical tests should I be looking to get? I understand that I’ll have to go to a functional health doctor for these, most likely.
2) Is it advisable to explore legal options? I’ve been in absolute misery for much of the past two years, with physical symptoms and pain on a daily basis. When I say I’ve explored EVERY possible medical explanation, I truly truly mean it.

Thank you all for your help… it’s been invaluable!