Got Mold? Watch This If You Have Fall Allergies

Here’s a real stumper. Why do fall mold allergies get worse once it starts to freeze? Shouldn’t allergies get better once things are frozen?

❄️ It’s Jack Frost’s fault.

Yes, fall mold allergies get better once everything is frozen, but that takes weeks of a transition period. As the leaves and debris pile up, the frost essentially “waters” the mold as it thaws. That little bit of moisture assists mold in doing its job – to compost organic material.

But that means more spores floating around the outdoor air. Not a problem if you aren’t sensitized to mold. Big problem if you are.

Indoor mold exposure sensitizes your respiratory passages and immune system to kick into fight mode the minute they see a fungal spore – any fungal spore. This can make being outdoors challenging if you’re in mold recovery. Fall mold allergies may have you feeling like you’re living in a fog or constantly getting a cold that never resolves. 🤒

My patients have found that indoor air filtration reduces their overall particle burden, which in turn, improves their outdoor air tolerance.

Onion soup is a consistent winner to reduce symptoms, but without the cheese and bread which can increase phlegm. We also use things to soothe and stabilize respiratory passages, such as nettles and the herb called mullein, also known as velvet dock (doesn’t that just sound perfect?). We also stabilize mast cells with compounds like vitamin C and quercetin, as well as the often forgotten vitamin E in the form of mixed tocotrienols.

There are so many tools at your disposal. Get creative. Get outside and enjoy the fall colors!

TRANSCRIPT

Hi guys!

I just wanted to share a conversation I just had on the trail. The question was, “Why are my fall allergies getting worse now that we’re getting frost and it’s getting cold? Shouldn’t it go the other way around?”.

So fall allergies are usually mold allergies. I mean take a look at all those leaves behind me. Every time a leaf falls on top of another leaf and that creates a food source and then it rains and the mold gets watered, that mold can grow within 24 to 48 hours. 

So why then is it getting worse after the mold starts to die? And you have to understand mold. When mold dies it breaks open. So yes you get fall allergies. You get worse as the mold is growing but then as it starts to die, mold can become more toxic because it dumps out fragments of DNA and it dumps out mycotoxins. Those are those mold gasses I talk about. So those are coming up through that trail right there and that can be making you sick. 

So if you have fall allergies and you’re getting worse during the frost you may want to look at your indoor environments. Look at your home, your school, your work, that kind of a thing, and your church. Places where you spend a lot of time. You may be getting sick from indoor mold that’s presensitizing you to the outdoor molds. 

I hope this is helpful.

This content is health information and not intended as personal medical advice. Viewing will not establish a doctor-patient relationship. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition. The information discussed is not intended to replace the advice of your healthcare provider. Reliance on information provided by Dr. Jill Crista, employees, or others appearing at the invitation of Dr. Crista is solely at your own risk.