Here’s a not-so-fun fact about mold…
According to recent studies, up to 50% of schools in the U.S. have indoor air quality issues, which often lead to mold growth and contribute to exacerbations of asthma, allergies, and eczema among children.1
It’s definitely not an ideal situation, but no need to add a hazmat suit to your back-to-school shopping list just yet.
If you’ve read my book, Healthy Kids, Happy Moms, you’re probably familiar with the five main triggers of inflammation.
One of the most challenging triggers to detect and control is environmental toxins, like mold. Oftentimes we don’t even know it’s there, but it can wreak serious havoc on our bodies.
Kids spend about 8 hours a day in school. This means it’s a coin toss as to whether they spend the majority of their day in an environment with mold.
If your child experiences more flare-ups of asthma, eczema, and allergies when they go back to school, it may be worth exploring this further and taking some extra proactive measures.
Thankfully, there are a few things we can do to fight back against mold (without having to start a mold remediation business)!
Nutrition and Supplements
Supplements alone are never the end-all-be-all. However, they can help prime the body to have less of a reaction when exposed to certain “threats” in the environment. Using supplements alongside a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet, proper hydration, good sleep hygiene, and plenty of physical activity strengthens the immune system and may lessen flare-ups (so they are less frequent and less severe when they do happen).
A digestive system that is working properly is critical. A great place to start is with HKHM Digestive Enzymes to help the body absorb nutrients from food. Some patients have seen reduced symptoms from simply taking Digestive Enzymes. But remember, consistency is key when it comes to the digestive system!
Phosphatidylcholine (PPC), the largest of the four basic phospholipids, constitutes ~80% of the membrane surrounding every cell.2,3 It is integral to cellular structure, from the outer membrane to the intricate structures within the cell, like mitochondria (the energy powerhouse). Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to nearly every disease known to man, so supporting mitochondrial health is critical to overall well-being.4
Histamine is another key factor in how our bodies respond to environmental toxins, especially those with severe allergies and asthma. HKHM Hist-Assist (capsules) or HKHM Hist-Assist Jr. (chewables) help manage your body’s histamine response to lessen symptoms of allergies, asthma, and eczema.
Air Quality
We breathe in about 10,000 liters of air daily. Giving our lungs clean air is critical to our overall health, especially for kids with lung issues such as asthma.
We can’t always control the air filtration in schools or office buildings, but we can control the air in our homes. Investing in an in-home filter capable of removing environmental toxins can pay dividends for the whole family.
There are many options on the market when it comes to air filtration. The Austin Air Filter Junior Unit is what we recommend and what I use in my home and office.
It’s the only clinically proven air purification solution on the market and has outperformed more than 100 other purifiers in government tests. It uses activated carbon combined with the medical-grade HEPA technology recommended by the CDC, EPA, and WHO.
The Austin Air filter was selected to be used in a study by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in kids with asthma who were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. They showed a reduction in ER visits by 20% in kids who had the filter in their home.
Breathe easy knowing your air is clean!
References:
- Howard EJ, Vesper SJ, Guthrie BJ, Petty CR, Ramdin VA, Sheehan WJ, Gaffin JM, Permaul P, Lai PS, Bartnikas LM, Cunningham A, Hauptman M, Gold DR, Baxi SN, Phipatanakul W. Asthma Prevalence and Mold Levels in US Northeastern Schools. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021 Mar;9(3):1312-1318. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2020.10.012. Epub 2020 Oct 19. PMID: 33091637; PMCID: PMC7946701.
- Jelske N. van der Veen, John P. Kennelly, Sereana Wan, Jean E. Vance, Dennis E. Vance, René L. Jacobs, The critical role of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine metabolism in health and disease, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Biomembranes, Volume 1859, Issue 9, Part B, 2017, Pages 1558-1572, ISSN 0005-2736, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.04.006.
- Mitochondrial Membranes, Structural Organization
C.A. Mannella, in Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry (Second Edition), 2013 - Nicolson GL. Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Chronic Disease: Treatment With Natural Supplements. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2014 Aug;13(4):35-43. PMID: 26770107; PMCID: PMC4566449.
