How to Test a Person to See If He Has Mold Poisioning

Mold poisoning is caused by mycotoxins produced by toxic mold. These mycotoxins damage the body's myelin, the membrane that protects your body's nerves. Since nerves are vital for most body processes, mold poisoning can drastically impair your health. Diagnosing this condition is difficult, but there are several tests that can help determine if mold is responsible for your symptoms.

Instructions

• 1

  Evaluate the symptoms you have that make you suspect mold poisoning. The Allergyscape website reports that mold poisoning can cause memory loss, anxiety, personality disorders, breathing difficulties, nose bleeds and abdominal pain. Additional symptoms include hair loss, skin rashes, fatigue, headaches, cough, numbness in extremities, tremors and fibromyalgia.

• 2

  Document these symptoms to bring to your physician to request further testing. Many doctors will not test for mold poisoning and many insurance companies will not cover the costs of testing. Determine whether your doctor is willing to explore the possibility of mold poisoning. If he's not, the School Mold Help website has a list of doctors in many communities that will perform these tests.

• 3

  Ask the physician to test your blood for specific mold antibodies. The presence of these antibodies only show that you have been exposed to mold but do not render a diagnosis of mold poisoning. You can also request a blood test for the level of biotoxins in your body. If you've been exposed to mold, your blood will contain more biotoxins. The Biotoxin Illness website has a list of doctors who will test for these.

• 4

  Ask your physician to order some general tests that may show abnormal results when you have mold poisoning. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, one of these is a simple white blood cell count. An elevated white blood count might indicate exposure to mold. The spirometric test measures lung function, which can decrease with mold poisoning.

• 5

  The Visual Contrast Sensitivity test (VCS) is more specific for mold poisoning. You can take the test online at the Chronic Neurotoxins website. Gather these results and work with your health professional to decide if you are suffering from mold poisoning and to come up with an effective treatment plan.