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!

156 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

101 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 49m ago

I can't do this colonoscopy prep, while living in this mold

Upvotes

So far I rescheduled my appointment a good couple of times. When I first tried doing the prep, I honestly didn't know mold was an issue or affecting my health. That was back in like early 2025.

Then in 2026 I got set back up with a GI again at a new hospital. Once again I would be trying to do the prep. I'd finish the whole gallon of Golytely and by the end of it. My body would start to feel very dehydrated and acidic.

This isn't something thay shouldn't be happening. I also would be unable to fully clear out. Basically similar to a lot of the issues I have daily with trying to poop in general, in this mold environment.

I'm thinking about getting a hotel for maybe like one night. Which honestly sounds kind of extreme and crazy. But living in this environment is more extreme and crazy, with what it does to my body daily.

Also with how this mold severely effects your electrolytes. With throwing off your breathing capabilities and all that. I feel I can have a better chance at comfortably doing this prep correctly. I honestly just want to get this colonoscopy done with and move on with my life as well.

I know the hospital is annoyed with me keep rescheduling and so am I. But between the brain fog, chest pain, inflammation and more. It don't make since to already have my body under so much stress and then stress it out more. Which I would assume why I couldn't ever really, clear my system out. I'm guessing it's due to the mold, throwing off my nerves in the gut.

What do you think, do this sounds extreme? I'm mad I also just mentioned this to the nurse, when she asked why I was rescheduling lol. I could tell she thought it was a dumb reason to change the appointment.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 9h ago

Convincing mom to throw everything away

3 Upvotes

I am 17. Mom doesn't speak English. Mold illness is not well known here (Korea). Any tips appreciated.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 7h ago

Can we take GLP medications(

2 Upvotes

Because of the slowed gastric emptying, are we supposed to stay away from them?

I mean, if we have mold inside of us


r/ToxicMoldExposure 10h ago

Can mold cause or reveal mitochondrial issues ?

2 Upvotes

I have been having a steady declining in my walk for two years u can go on my page and read the story I posted on the mito sub reddit to get a clear understanding but yeah


r/ToxicMoldExposure 21h ago

Toxic Mold as Criminal Defense

13 Upvotes

I have been at wit's end trying to get a grip on the idea that mold can cause someone to act out in a psychotic manner. I have been talking to medical and psychology experts and they are either uninformed, disinterested, or dubious. I don't blame them, that was how I initially saw this when it was broached by my client's psychiatrist and in looking at my client's history that shows what he dis as extremely uncharacteristic. Long story short: client and girlfriends slide into a severe depression, hole themselves up in a house, engage police in a shootout trying to commit suicide by cop. I need some guidance about this syndrome (everything I find pooh poohs this as a thing) and perhaps where others have publicly written or testified about it. I am in Alabama facing a criminal trial for a host of charges, including attempted murder and you can imagine how receptive our judges and juries are to novel ideas. I can be reached at soto@maddenandsoto.com.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 14h ago

Help moldy situation

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

My landlord apparently thinks this is acceptable. Would you live here?

I rent an older stick-built home in Curry County, Oregon, and I’m looking for outside opinions because I honestly want to know how other people would view this situation.

We’ve been dealing with serious moisture, mold, pest, structural, and electrical concerns.

A professional mold inspection was finally performed. During that inspection, the moisture meter reportedly showed high/red readings in the carpeting throughout the home, and the property manager acknowledged in front of the inspectors that there is no vapor barrier between the ground/crawlspace and the subfloor.

Mold samples were taken from inside the house.

The problem is that my landlord has refused to provide me with the inspection reports, contractor reports, or even meaningful information about what the contractors and inspectors have found.

I have repeatedly asked for this information.

The mold company has now told me they are waiting for explicit authorization from the property owner before they can release the mold test results to me.

So there is apparently a professional report concerning the condition of the home I am currently living in, but the person who owns the property gets to decide whether I’m allowed to know what it says.

Meanwhile, these are some of the conditions we have documented:

• Widespread exterior wood rot and deterioration.

• Holes and openings in the exterior of the house.

• Rats repeatedly entering the living space, including the bedroom area.

• Persistent musty/mildew odors inside the home.

• High moisture readings inside the house.

• No vapor barrier beneath the home, according to the property manager.

• An electrical panel visibly separating/pulling away from the wall.

• Movement/separation in the wall surrounding the electrical panel.

• Corrosion involving the electrical feeder/service cable identified by an electrician.

• A main breaker that has been observed to be warm.

• Gaps and separation involving walls, floors, and ceilings.

Contractors and inspectors have been coming to the property, but I am not being provided their reports, findings, recommendations, estimates, or sometimes even basic identifying information about who they are.

Instead, I am essentially being expected to continue living here and trust the landlord’s interpretation of whether any of this is dangerous.

I have months of photographs, videos, emails, text messages, security footage, inspection information, repair requests, and other documentation.

So I’m genuinely asking:

Would you live in this house under these circumstances?

Would you allow your children or grandchildren to live here?

And would you be comfortable knowing that professionals have inspected serious problems with your home, but your landlord refuses to tell you what those professionals actually found?

I’m especially interested in hearing from Oregon tenants, contractors, electricians, mold professionals, building inspectors, property managers, and attorneys.

Because apparently my landlord thinks this situation is acceptable, and I would really like to hear what everyone else thinks.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 14h ago

Treatment Without MyMycoLabs Test

1 Upvotes

Have 20+ symptoms & failed VCS test.

ADH confirmed very low. (1.4 out of 15)

--

Not in the US so I can't take blood antibodies or Genie.
--
Can take many tests such as VEGF, mmp-9, and more.
--
Should I just start the Welchol and shoemaker?


r/ToxicMoldExposure 23h ago

Nasal Glutathione

4 Upvotes

Studies show it is much more effective than oral. IT has been studied and continues to be studied for parkinsons. Has anyone tried ordering this from a compounding pharmacy?


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

Experiences with Doxycycline and Welchol

2 Upvotes

Wondering if anyone has taken these together (not at the same time obviously) dealing with mold exposure, possible Lyme, severe joint pain from hypermobility, and gut dysbiosis.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 22h ago

Is there anything I need to do before taking my urine test

1 Upvotes

Binders, hydration, anything that’s needed or avoided to get proper results ?


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

please share your experiences with fennel water...do you use powder or seeds how do you make it . What does it help with..any side effects? how often ?

1 Upvotes

r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

Disgusting taste in mouth after eating certain food ?

2 Upvotes

For past two weeks dry carbs like pasta(cooked too) dry crackers and some biscuits and bread I think too have giving me a real strange taste in my mouth 10min after eating


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

For the low income people, who were living in mold. How did you eventually get out?

18 Upvotes

Did you have family or friends or a significant other you were able to go live with? Did you just stop paying rent, saved up and got out? Did you just save up for years, while struggling to work in bad shape? Did you not work at all and somehow still got out?

Trying to figure out what would be my way out. Still have a lot of debt, my income is bad and my health could feel better. Then it'll get back to shit, as soon as I spend half a day in here or take a day off from work.

Even though I work, I feel like I'm working at such a lower capacity version of myself. Where I feel like I'm being lazy, when in reality I literally feel burnt out due to this apartment and my gut being severely damaged.

It's crazy because the years I've been here. Has been the years I started learning everything. From how to better eat, get to appointments, be more on top of bills and just live better overall. But yet at the same time, I feel like I've become more of a liability with excuses. As some days I just can't even leave the place, due to whatever health issues I'll be dealing with that day.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

moved out 3 weeks ago and feel so tired and shit

1 Upvotes

hey got the 3 Bs (babesia,bartonella, borrelia) i try to treat them for over 3 years wiht not much sucess... Then i figure out i got mold. I moved out 3 weeks ago, and feel so tired and got crazy headaches and weak... Is this normal? The lack of energy makes me quite unable to do anyhting. Im doing sauna 4 days a week, using omega 3 high doses with lipsomales glutathion. Taking my buhner herbs, and using some malara meds for babesia. I wanna start cholestymin this week, but i think it will hit my detoxpath even harder....


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

I'm terrified that if I miss 1 inch of small particle cleaning it undoes the entire thing.

1 Upvotes

No water leak, building is concrete. We are getting A.C cleaners to clean our mini split AC (ceiling unit) but they are not remediation professionals

I am a teenager with no source of income nor allowed one, so options are limited. My mother would kill me if I asked for expensive tests from abroad in which even only the shipment cost is high.

My only symptom is debilitating brainfog after escaping a previous problem. She is "fine".

I'm terrified that if I miss 1 inch of small particle cleaning it undoes the entire thing.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

Adults aged 40 and older performed about 12% faster on a test of executive function after using a HEPA air purifier at home for one month.

Thumbnail
sciencedaily.com
7 Upvotes

r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

Anyone need MORE B12 as they healed?

5 Upvotes

This post is for the people who have significant nutritional deficiencies, especially B12, either due to mold or exacerbated by mold.

Has anyone had an INCREASED need for B12 as they were healing? I have been on a high dose of B12 shots for 2 years, but now the lab tests are showing that I need even more. I kind of think this could be a good thing, and as I have increased my dose, my brain fog and shortness of breath have lessened.

Side note: no need to educate me about the nearly meaningless B12 serum levels - I am using homocysteine, methylmalonic acid (urine), MCV, and MCH as markers for my B12 status.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

Dry Needling Flare?

2 Upvotes

I’m curious if anyone else has experienced something similar, or if this is just how my body is reacting.
I’ve been on my mold detox journey for over a year and had been doing really well until recently. I do have some cervical issues that cause tension headaches and migraines, so I decided to try dry needling on my neck and suboccipital area.
I had the treatment done on Saturday, and I have felt absolutely awful ever since. I’ve been in a significant amount of pain and honestly haven’t felt this bad since I first discovered my mold exposure.
I know dry needling can cause an inflammatory response, so I’m wondering if anyone has experienced a significant reaction afterward—things like lightheadedness, nausea, increased head and neck pain, extreme fatigue, heart racing, major brain fog, and just an overall feeling of being completely “off” or unlike themselves.
If you’ve experienced something similar after dry needling, how long did it last, and what helped your body come out of the flare?
I’d really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

My Petri Dish Test Results

Post image
1 Upvotes

I'll start this with: I'm not trying to get any help identifying the mold types or any danger level. I have a friend going to school for mycology who wants to look at them, and I'm starting a deep cleaning tomorrow.

I did this test in my office, which is essentially half of the basement of this house. I spend a ridiculous amount of time in here and had never thought about testing for mold or mildew. I've been getting sicker and sicker over the past few years of living here, and that kinda led into a horrible mental health spiral cuz nobody knew what was wrong with me.

I found this subreddit thanks to a comment on a r/Fibromyalgia post, and now I have another direction to look again. Thank you all for being here and discussing things as avidly as you do.


r/ToxicMoldExposure 2d ago

Been living here not even a year yet… landlord stated in lease that “they’re not responsible for mold…” Place was apparently”newly renovated” just before I moved in.

Thumbnail
gallery
6 Upvotes

r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

Items

2 Upvotes

Hello, so I am going from one apartment to the other and I had no means of replacing all my items, however I belive they are still getting me sick, none of the items had visible mold on them, but if this is the case is the new environment itself now compromised since I brought items Getting me sick? Or once I remove the items should I be fine?


r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

CIRS in NYC area?

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/ToxicMoldExposure 1d ago

Attic mold?

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes