How Long on Antifungals?

There are a few differences between people who are symptomatic from a moldy building and those who aren’t.

One key difference?

🗝 The people who develop symptoms have had a fundamental shift in their flora (think microbiome.)

In other words, they become the moldy building!

Yep, mold moves in… into sinuses, respiratory passages, and your gut. This creates a body burden of fungal overgrowth.

And mold knows darn well it’s breeching past its allotted space 😈 because it becomes excessively territorial. It will spit out mycotoxins to hold its over-reaching territory.

So if fungus is the fire 🔥, and mycotoxins are the smoke 💨 [props to Brian Karr @moldfinders for this analogy]
– then in order to get rid of the smoke (aka mycotoxins)
– you need to put out the fire (aka fungal overgrowth.)

How do I help my patients with this? As an ND, I usually start with herbs.🌱

Since I’m not restricted to pharmaceuticals, I don’t have to wait until my patient has an invasive fungal infection to start antifungals. These drugs aren’t without side-effects, so careful doctors are rightfully cautious in prescribing them.

Instead, I have a massive toolbox full of antifungal herbs (and pharmaceuticals when needed) to completely get rid of the fungal fire when it’s smaller and easier to put out.

Note that this can take a loooooooong time. Fungi are tenacious, and good at dodging bullets. So I often hear, “how long do I have to be on these antifungal herbs?” My answer? Until there’s no more smoke.


TRANSCRIPT

How long do I have to stay on antifungals?

Here’s a question I get a lot. And in my practice what I’m using to monitor how you’re doing is not just your symptoms but I’ll often look at a urine mycotoxin test.

So what I like to see is that if mycotoxins are the smoke and the fungus that set up shop in your body is the fire, we want to make sure we put out all the fire. And by the way, thank you Brian Karr for that great analogy. So once all the fire’s put out, meaning there are no mycotoxins showing up —  you either put out the fire or detoxed them — then we can start to wean off antifungals. That’s how I’d do it.

That’s how I break the mold and take back your health!

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