To Heal From Mold, You Must FIRST Remove the Exposure

by Dr. Donald Dennis, MD

The knowledge that mold exposure may be causing health problems for you or a family member can be overwhelming. There are many “toxic mold” stories out there in the news as well as articles labeling doctors who acknowledge and treat mold as “quacks” that make it even harder for someone to want to go down the mold rabbit hole with their own health.  The available information on mold can certainly run the gamut and can often be more confusing than it is helpful. There are also, unfortunately, many bad actors in the mold space who exploit people who are sick and suffering and looking for answers.  Thus, I have spent the last decade of my career doing what I can to change the landscape and to attempt to put the power back into the hands of the patient–that is why I created both Micro Balance Health Products and Sinusitis Wellness.

My intention is to put a stop to the mold confusion. In my experience, the patient is always the smartest person in the room. If a doctor will take the time to look, listen, and take a detailed history, the patient will often tell you, not always in explicit terms, their diagnosis. The good news is that if the diagnosis includes mycotoxicosis caused by exposure to indoor molds, the patient will also be the #1 person in control of their recovery, not because a skilled, environmentally trained doctor cannot help, but, rather, because if mold is the cause, mold avoidance or eliminating the exposure is the best and simplest cure.  As a matter of fact, Micro Balance was initially created out of the necessity of helping my own patients with mold avoidance. In treating mold patients, I found that the environmental products that could help did not exist.

Mold is the master antigen and creates hyperactivity to all other allergens, even reactivity to some benign substances.  I had many patients who were sick in their homes and needed help addressing the mold without additional chemical exposure. After all, you CANNOT treat a toxicity-induced illness with additional toxins! That is both dangerous and counterproductive. Rather, you must remove or physically eliminate exposure as much as possible as the FIRST and MOST IMPORTANT line of defense, and then use natural products to further address exposure that work and then do not add to the patient’s toxic load. We discovered that the proprietary blend of citrus seed extracts used in the EC3 products does just that. The products address the environmental mold and mycotoxins in the air, on surfaces, and on washable fabrics (hence EC3–air, surfaces, clothing) without leaving chemical residue, VOCs, or any toxic trail behind.

The rest of this article is a closer and more in-depth explanation of the Environmental Treatment Protocol intended to provide direction and insight for anyone out there struggling with mold or environmental allergens in their home or indoor spaces. It details how to go about using all of the EC3 products for the best outcome. As you know, I am an ENT surgeon; my education is in treating bodies, not buildings. Thus, I developed this protocol with the help of a skilled and knowledgeable Building Biologist, a renowned toxicologist, and a 3rd party lab to test the products for best usage and efficacy before bringing them to the general customer market. We also further refined our usage directions and instructions with my patients as they used them in their own homes. The below protocol is now a guide and tool for patients and customers alike.

The Environmental Treatment Protocol

AN EFFECTIVE DO-IT-YOURSELF METHOD FOR MINOR MOLD ISSUES OR FOR TEMPORARY LIVING SITUATIONS, LIKE TRAVEL OR RENTAL HOMES:

The Environmental Protocol uses a combination of the following products:

Before you begin, remember that mold is insidious and difficult even for professionals to completely remove. Using a single-pronged attack is seldom completely effective. Our patented system is designed to address mold throughout a space–on surfaces and belongings where spores can settle, in the air where spores and mycotoxins gain entry through your nose, and on your clothing where mold can hitchhike inside or where spores can gain contact through your skin and close proximity to your nose. Our environmental protocol uses sprays, candles, cold-mist fogging, a laundry additive, air filters, moisture control, and sometimes HEPA vacuuming.

Before Cleaning

Understand that prior to cleaning, you should remove as much contaminated material as possible and undertake whatever demolition and fixing of water intrusion need to be done. (Note: Those who are very sick and sensitive to mold should not be present for any demolition or removing moldy items). Any cleaning prior to those events will not bring significant results and will only address any mold very temporarily. Also, be sensible when removing contaminated items by securing them in heavy-duty plastic bags before moving them through other parts of your home. If the area is large, professional containment and remediation are advised. Microscopic spores can be scattered far and wide when air is circulated. Additionally, do not sit on furniture in other rooms while wearing your work clothes. Cross-contamination can occur by cleaning mold and then being in other parts of your home in your cleaning clothes. The EC3 Laundry Additive is wonderful for this purpose, and all clothing should be washed with it per bottle directions.

Patented Protocols backed by Laboratory Findings

The EC3 Candles and Mold Solution Concentrate have been granted US Patents as part of an effective mold-cleaning protocol. Furthermore, RealTime Laboratories conducted controlled studies to assess the Mycotoxin (mold toxins) removal capability of the products. The is the first natural product that has been proven to remove mold toxins.
Read the lab report HERE.

The lab report states the following information:

EC3 Candles reduced the known level of mycotoxins to 0 (zero) within 3 hours.

EC3 Mold Solution Concentrate at varying dilutions effectively removed mycotoxins.

The Environmental Protocol Steps for Success

STEP 1:

FIND where the mold problem is by using the test plates. We advise customers to use 1-2 test plates to test the air in each room. You want to use approximately 1 plate per 600 square feet for air testing, so if a room is large, you may need more than one plate. We also advise TAP testing either a rug/carpet or a large piece of furniture in each room. The more you can be detailed during your testing, the easier it will be to identify the main sources or locations of mold growth. The test plates come with detailed instructions.

Once you find your key locations of mold growth, you need to understand how the area is becoming damp enough to grow mold. Mold only needs 50% indoor humidity to grow. Thus, you may not have a leak or water intrusion, but just an indoor humidity problem. Whatever the moisture issue, it needs to be solved. You can immediately begin reducing the mold in the area – but it will not STAY gone until the underlying issue is repaired.

STEP 2:

Use dehumidifiers to lower the indoor humidity or repair the water issue causing the mold growth. Remove and/or completely dry out any wet or damaged building materials or furnishings. If anything has visible mold growing on it, remove and discard it. It is not worth it for your health to attempt to clean belongings with visible mold growth. In all matters concerning building materials or your belongings, WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT! You are worth so much more than your things.

STEP 3:

Place a HEPA purifier filter in each room you spend 1 or more hours in each day. It is truly important to reduce the particle count in the air you breathe! HEPA filtration helps to remove mold spores and allergens from the air. Additionally, keep your filters changed per your purifier’s manufacturer recommendations. Dirty filters do not provide protection. You must maintain your machine so that it can do its job to help keep your breathing air safe.

STEP 4:

Place an EC3 Candle in approximately every 600 sq ft of space where you spend 1 or more hours each day.

HOW TO USE EC3 CANDLES

Place EC3 Air Purification Candles in each room you are going to spend 1 hour or more in each day. Burn candles continuously for 3 hours the first time you light them. This reduces the fungal load in the room and results in a more even burn. Then, burn the candles for a minimum of one hour every day thereafter for best results. If you have severe symptoms, burn the candles as long as necessary to get relief. Recent lab results show the EC3 Candle reduces known spore counts from too numerous to count to 0 in 3 hours, and it removes mycotoxins that molds secrete! Make sure to place more candles in larger rooms. Each candle will last approximately 22 hours if burned as stated. Candles are ideal to use when traveling or to use in guest rooms that are seldom used prior to having guests over to freshen the air.

STEP 5:

Spray mist the entire house with mixed EC3 Mold Concentrate (diluted per bottle instructions) or EC3 Mold Spray. Do this weekly or more often if mold counts are not going down. If the counts remain above the levels of 0-2 for moderate to severe symptoms scores, or 0-4 for slight symptoms, simply double the Environmental Treatment Protocol (using the spray, candles, and HEPA purification steps) until you achieve your results required for health.

HOW TO USE EC3 MOLD SOLUTION CONCENTRATE

Using a garden sprayer, paint sprayer, pump spray mist bottle, or EC3 Sani-tizer Fogger, spray mist all surfaces including floors, walls, ceiling, clothes, shoes, or anything in your home around the mold contamination. We actually advise spraying everywhere and everything, because mold does not stay in one place, but migrates all over the home many times. Concentrate your efforts in or near the mold problem, though. Allow the spray to air-dry. It is safe for all materials, surfaces, fabrics, etc., and can be done as often as needed. EC3 can also be used to spray your car heating and air system. As stated before, if an item is covered with visible mold it really is best to discard it.

EC3 MOLD SOLUTION CONCENTRATE DILUTION INSTRUCTIONS:

Amount Desired Mold Solution Concentrate Distilled Water
1 Gallon 16 oz. 112 oz.
1/2 Gallon 8 oz. 56 oz.
1 QT. 4 oz. 28 oz.
1 PT. 2 oz. 14 oz.

Fogging with EC3

Fogging is the optimal way of doing this “spraying” step. Fogging with the EC3 Sani-tizer Fogger and EC3 Mold Solution Concentrate allows you to completely fill the air and cover the surfaces in every room with EC3 Mold Solution in a very short amount of time. The EC3 is safe for humans and pets, so you do not need to leave your home or wear protective gear while fogging. It gives your indoor spaces the largest “dose” of our mold and mycotoxin eliminating remedy possible.

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR STEP 5:

We also advise thoroughly wiping everything down after spraying. You do not have to do this step, but remediators have found that the best results come from wiping every surface around mold contamination 3 times for best results.

HEPA Vacuuming with a certified bagged HEPA vacuum is also helpful. Any dust removal or mitigation practices are helpful for mold. Mold needs organic material to use for food. When you remove as much dust as possible, you are removing both mold spores and the material that molds feed on. Without a food source, it is less likely that high indoor humidity could cause mold to take hold in your home.

STEP 6:

Wash all of your clothing, sheets, and bedding with a mild, unscented detergent and EC3 Laundry Additive. The laundry additive is highly concentrated and contains the original EC3 formula proven to eliminate mold spores and mycotoxin with the added antimicrobial and odor-eliminating benefits of tea tree oil and tangerine oil. It is designed to add to the fabric softener or bleach reservoir of your washing machine. It is safe for all washable fabrics and will rinse over your clothing before its final spin cycle. It is important to use the laundry additive in every load to ensure that your washables are mold-free and STAY mold-free. Mold can definitely impart musty odors in clothing and the EC3 Laundry Additive addresses that part of the issue.

LAUNDRY TIPS:

Never use fabric softener or perfumed/fragranced detergents. These additives usually contain toxins and any softener or fragrance deposits a film on your clothing that mold can stick to easily. Using scents or softeners makes mold become more deeply ingrained in your clothing, thus making them harder to effectively clean. It can also become almost impossible to remove musty smells from clothes that have been washed with softener or scents.

For fabrics with deep, ingrained odors or for things that have been in a moldy environment, use the DEEP CLEAN INSTRUCTIONS on the laundry additive bottle. These instructions will ensure that those items come clean and will be safe for you to use, wear, or be around while you are healing.

FINAL ADVICE ON DIY MOLD CLEANING:

This may sound extreme, but imagine that instead of using the word “MOLD”, you replace it with the word “LICE”. What would you do if instead of mold you had LICE in your home? What items would you discard (for example, fabric items that cannot be washed)? What items would you clean thoroughly ( for example, solid items like wood or metal)? Where would you put clothes that had been washed in EC3 Laundry Additive after you removed them from the dryer? Not back in the closet or drawer with the lice! Instead, you would remove all the items from the closet or drawer, clean both of these spaces, and place only items back in them that had been washed thoroughly, right? Well, try to treat this process as if you were dealing with lice. Try to think of how to control the spread and infestation. Be meticulous about how you handle and clean things. Doing it right and thoroughly the first time will make your life healthier and easier in the long run.

IF you are not improved by following the above steps, you can try DOUBLING THE PROTOCOL!

Double your use of the EC3 Candles and their burn time, and spray EC3 Mold Concentrate twice as often or fog twice as often. You can continue this increase of EC3 products until you get results. (Note: The EC3 Candle is the fastest way to get results, burn one or more continually until you FEEL the results.)

If you have severe environmental mold contamination (when you smell mold or see that the mold counts are always excessive even after cleaning and moisture mitigation) the home might be too toxic for you to recover in. Thus, in order to prevent severe illness, you must either move to a mold-free location or get a professional person to evaluate and address the cause of the problems properly. TRUST YOUR BODY. Your body and how you feel inside the space should be the most important barometer for your health. Even if you have done EVERYTHING and used professionals if you do not feel good, the home is not fixed yet and may require additional cleaning or for you to move to get better.

Questions? Comments? We love your feedback. Please write to us below or email us at newsletter@sinusitiswellness.com.
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