4 Ways to Beat Depression, According to a Neurosurgeon

January 18, 2019 by Team Asprey

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At 41 years old, Joseph Maroon was a highly accomplished neurosurgeon. At 42, he was working in a truck stop, had gained so much weight that he struggled to breathe, and was too depressed to get out of bed most days.
Maroon beat his depression, and has gone on to become one of the best neurosurgeons in the world. This article covers four science-backed tools Maroon used to beat depression.
Getting out of depression is exceptionally difficult, but you have more strength in you than you think. Exercise, stable circadian rhythm, honest mindfulness, and working hard toward meaningful goals can beat depression and help you find more resilience in yourself than you thought possible.

[/tldr]

At 41 years old, Joseph Maroon was a highly accomplished neurosurgeon. He was chief of surgery at a prestigious hospital, he had money, he was healthy, he was helping people — he’d achieved his biggest personal and professional goals.

That all changed overnight. In his Bulletproof Radio Podcast episode [iTunes], Maroon describes the biggest downward spiral of his life.

“One day, my father died,” Maroon explains. “My family broke up. I was doing brain surgery in the hospital one week. The next week I literally did not have the ability or strength or resilience to continue.”

One year later, he was working at a truck stop. He had gained weight to the point where he had trouble breathing. He had lost friends and colleagues. He was so depressed that most days he struggled to get out of bed.

Maroon’s fall from grace taught him perhaps the most valuable lesson he’s ever learned: how to climb out of suffering and beat depression, step-by-step, until you’re exceptionally strong.

You can beat depression

Today, Maroon is one of the most celebrated neurosurgeons in the world. He’s also an advocate for changing the way society views depression. He believes that, in the majority of cases, you can work your way out of depression and create happiness and stability in your life.

Fighting depression is not easy — pulling yourself out of darkness requires extraordinary strength — but in the process, you can build a depth of resilience you may not have thought possible. You’re capable of far more than you think. Here’s how to take depression into your own hands.

First, though, a quick disclaimer: this article is not suggesting you get off antidepressants or any other medication. Doing so without a doctor’s supervision can be disastrous. Incorporate these tools into your life to beat depression, and if you feel you can, talk to your doctor about gradually tapering off your medication.

Move your body every day

After his father died, Maroon spiraled to the point where he was too depressed to get out of bed. Exercise is what saved him and helped him beat depression.

“[A friend] called me one day and said, ‘Hey Joe, let’s go for a run,’” Maroon recalls. “We went to the high school track in Wheeling, West Virginia. I made it around four times and said, ‘Never again. I’m exhausted.’ But that was the first night I slept in probably three or four months.

“A light bulb went off. The next day I went down to the track and did a mile and a quarter. Then a mile and a half, then two, then five.”

Today, at 79 years old, Maroon does Ironman Triathlons — a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a full 26.2-mile marathon, all back-to-back. Exercise was the first thing that helped him start to work his way out of depression, and he’s made it a staple of his life ever since.

Lots of research backs up Maroon’s experience. Consistent exercise is as effective as an antidepressant at treating depression, and long-term, exercise is more effective than medication at preventing relapse into depression[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11020092″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448908/”].

Exercise relieves depression in the short-term, too. A single workout rewires your brain for happiness and relaxation. Exercise releases feel-good endorphins (the same chemicals responsible for a “runner’s high”) that immediately lift your mood and create a feeling of calm euphoria[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632802/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6091217″]. Working out also immediately increases serotonin, the target of antidepressants, and can rapidly lift the cloud of depression[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/”]. Finally, exercise increases norepinephrine, which increases your ability to deal with stress[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24032709″]. In rodents, increasing norepinephrine reverses learned helplessness (the idea that you’re stuck in a bad situation and have no hope of getting out of it)[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8255916/”].

And research aside, exercise gives you a sense of accomplishment. It’s tangible proof that you can overcome a challenge and become physically and mentally stronger, day by day.

It can be tremendously difficult to start working out when you’re depressed. Do it anyway, even if it’s the only thing you do all day, and you only run two blocks and head back.

Wake up at the same time every morning

Depression often messes with your sleep schedule. About 75 percent of depressed people have insomnia, and about 40 percent have hypersomnia (sleeping for many hours a day and still feeling tired)[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181883/”].

Waking up at different times every day confuses your biology. It stops producing hormones and brain chemicals at the right daily intervals, which can lead to further depression[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3630972/”].

Getting your body on a structured sleep schedule can make a bigger difference than you might think. One of the most effective non-pharmacological treatments to beat depression is getting patients on a consistent sleep-wake cycle[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181887/”]. Waking up at a set time is more important than going to bed at a set time.

You don’t have to wake up early if it doesn’t feel right to you. Just pick a time and stick to it, whether it’s 6 AM or 10 AM. The first couple days will be a real challenge. You’ll probably wake up feeling groggy, especially if you’re dealing with insomnia, and you may be exhausted throughout the day. But if you can just set an alarm and get out of bed when it goes off, you can cause major shifts in your body that gear you toward happiness and stability.

Pro tip: if you really struggle with getting up when your alarm goes off, buy an old-fashioned alarm clock, set it, and put it in the bathroom. That way you can’t stay in bed and hit the snooze button.

Don’t underestimate the power of routine when you’re depressed. Get on a steady sleep schedule and add some structure to your day.

Practice spirituality or mindfulness of some kind

Before you skip this section: mindfulness doesn’t have to be religion, and you don’t have to believe in anything metaphysical (although you certainly can).

For Maroon, it was Buddhism that gave him perspective on his depression.

“I thought of quitting life and had self-destructive thoughts. I was in a very, very bad, dark place…[For me], the most important thing is Buddhist awareness, mindfulness, having insight into where you are on a daily basis.”

Buddhism’s central tenet is that life is suffering. If you think about it for a moment, it’s pretty evident that the Buddhists were spot-on: life is painful and difficult, and it doesn’t get easier. When you’re depressed, that pain can feel overwhelming. It’s easy to fall into a victim’s mindset and lament all the bad things in your life. It’s also tempting to wish for things to be easier.

For Buddhists, the response is mindfulness: sitting with the pain of existence until it’s no longer overwhelming. Mindfulness works; Buddhist monks are consistently happier than the average person, and are able to cope with stress far better, too[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21391415″]. This is despite the fact that monks live a brutally spartan life. They eat very little, have almost no stimulation in their lives, wake up at 4 AM every morning, often have inadequate housing and minimal protection from the elements, and so on.

Life isn’t going to be easy, but you can make yourself strong enough to handle the suffering it brings you. We’re not suggesting you make your life as austere as a Buddhist monk’s. Instead, try a simple mindfulness meditation, where you focus on your breath going in and out for 5-10 minutes. Your mind will likely bring up all kinds of restlessness and horrible thoughts. Let them be, be patient with yourself, and stay focused on your breath. Every time you sit with your challenges — observing them instead of judging them — you’ll increase your capacity to deal with hardship.

Get started with this 30-day meditation challenge. It includes both guided and unguided meditations that will bring you into the present moment and make you stronger.

Set goals (no matter how small) and work hard toward them

Maroon’s final tool for overcoming depression is work.

Set a goal for yourself and work hard toward it. If you’re so depressed that you can’t get out of bed, make your goal getting out of bed and going for a walk or run.

If going to a coffee shop gives you overwhelming anxiety, make your goal to go to that shop and order a coffee every morning, until you can handle that anxiety without letting it take you over.

There are two things that happen when you set goals. The first is that you voluntarily face challenges in your life, which changes the dynamic from being a victim of difficult things to being someone who overcomes them. Research on people with phobias (irrational terror in response to things or situations) shows that the best way to overcome a phobia is to gradually expose yourself to it. Brain scans show that the terror doesn’t decrease; the person’s ability to handle the terror increases[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384187/”].

In other words, when you face challenges in your life, the challenges don’t get easier. You get stronger, to the point where you can handle them. This is where the second benefit of goals comes in. Setting a goal and achieving it means overcoming obstacles between you and that goal. Learn more here about how to set goals and actually achieve them.

Overcoming things infuses your life with a deep sense of meaning[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3149846/”]. Working hard to overcome challenges makes people happier in a way that lasts, and builds permanent resilience to future challenges[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132556/”]. You also show yourself that you’re capable of more than you thought, which increases self-worth and is one of the leading ways to combat depression long-term[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11488379″].

Basically, beating depression will be hard. It’ll be a battle, and anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t being straightforward with you. But you can do it. If you’re depressed right now, push yourself to do something challenging, no matter how small, and build from there. You’ll find that you’re a lot stronger than you thought.

Melatonin for Sleep: Everything You Need to Know About the Snooze-Inducing Hormone

January 18, 2019 by Team Asprey

[tldr]

Melatonin, aka the sleep hormone, is produced by our pineal gland to help regulate our biological clock. It’s activated by light and dark and is secreted at night.
Melatonin can be derived from plants and used as a supplement to help improve sleep, and it’s often used as a treatment in sleep disorders, as a remedy for jet lag, and among shift-workers.
As a supplement, melatonin is mostly safe, but it can produce side effects such as grogginess, dizziness, and headaches — especially if you’re taking too much. Your best bet is sticking to a 0.3 milligram dose, which is significantly less than you’ll find in a standard supplement dose.

[/tldr]

Wouldn’t it be great if you could pop a pill for better sleep? A pill that’s non-habit-forming, doesn’t require a prescription, and doesn’t make you do strange things like eat in your sleep? Well, maybe you can. While more satisfying zzz’s in pill form sounds too good to be true, there’s promising evidence that melatonin, the naturally occurring hormone in our bodies, can be harnessed as a supplement for better sleep.

What is melatonin?

Melatonin is a multitasking hormone produced by the brain’s pinecone-shaped pineal gland.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4334454/”] Melatonin plays several roles in the body, including helping to regulate blood pressure, boost immune function, and manage cortisol levels.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1325257/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3775223/”] But melatonin is probably best known for its soporific powers. Chief among its responsibilities is regulating the body’s circadian rhythm so it knows when to rest and when to wake up. That’s why melatonin is often referred to as the body’s sleep hormone.

How does melatonin work?

Melatonin is controlled by light and darkness. When we’re awake and the sun’s out, we don’t produce any melatonin. But at night, the onset of darkness signals to our pineal gland to release melatonin into the bloodstream. Your melatonin levels begin to increase about two hours before you go to bed, typically around 9 p.m., and peak about five hours later. As melatonin levels rise throughout our body — it’s found in a variety of our organs, including our eyes, bones, ovaries/testes and gut — our body knows it’s time to drift off to Slumber Town.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4334454/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676828/”]

Supplementing with melatonin

Humans aren’t the only organism that produces melatonin. It’s also found in meat (eggs and fish are particularly high in melatonin compared to other animal products)[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409706/”] as well as leaves and seeds, in which it protects plants from oxidative and environmental stress. As a result, many plants are a good source of melatonin. But melatonin is also extracted from these leaves and seeds and conveniently packed into melatonin supplements, for all of your sleep-hacking needs.[ref url=”https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05322.x”]

Melatonin pills

Melatonin supplements are used to treat a variety of sleep and circadian rhythm disorders, ranging from insomnia to jet lag. It also makes sleep more efficient and helps people fall asleep faster. Melatonin supplements work the same as the melatonin we naturally produce works. Ingested melatonin simply adds to our melatonin levels, so people who are melatonin-deficient will likely experience the biggest benefit from supplementing with melatonin. And according to research, there’s no need to worry that supplements will interfere with your body’s ability to produce melatonin on its own.

Melatonin dosage

To get the most out of melatonin supplements, take them one to two hours before you hit the sack.[ref url=”https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05322.x”][ref url=”https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01616412.2017.1315864″][ref url=”https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0748730403256796″] You’ll see melatonin recommended in a range of doses, starting at around 0.5 milligrams up to 10 milligrams for people with sleep disorders, with the most common dosage being around 3 milligrams. But even this is probably way more than you need. You’re better off basing your melatonin intake on increments that mirror how much melatonin our bodies produce at night. According to clinical studies, the optimal dose is 0.3 milligrams, which is the amount of plant-sourced melatonin you’ll find in one dose of Bulletproof’s Sleep Mode supplements. Sleep Mode is also formulated with other synergistic snooze-boosters, including L-ornithine, a stress-relieving adaptogenic amino acid, and MCT oil, which gives your body the energy it needs while at rest. These ingredients work together to help you fall asleep faster, without the morning grogginess.

Melatonin side effects

Overall, the side effects of melatonin are pretty toothless. Unlike other sleep aids, like benzodiazepines and z-drugs (think: Ambien and Lunesta), melatonin does not cause dependence or withdrawal symptoms.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4334454/”] The most commonly reported melatonin side effect is daytime drowsiness. Other melatonin side effects include nausea, headache, and dizziness.[ref url=”https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/074873049701200627″] If course, if you’re taking other medications, you should check with your physician before popping a melatonin. It has been known to interact with some antidepressants, blood pressure medications, sedatives, antibiotics, and antihistamines.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014953/”][ref url=”https://www.poison.org/articles/2015-sep/melatonin”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5263083/”]

And lest you think melatonin supplements are a family affair, it’s worth noting that though melatonin supplements has overwhelmingly been deemed safe for adults, it has not yet been approved for kids or teens.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3380753/”]

Melatonin overdose

Even though the overwhelming verdict is that melatonin is safe, you can have too much of a good thing. Overdosing on melatonin has not been shown to be fatal, but it can produce the aforementioned side effects, like dizziness and grogginess. In one known case, after taking 24 milligrams of melatonin (that’s eight times more than the standard dose and 80 times more than Bulletproof’s recommended dosage), a man became lethargic and disoriented, but returned to normal and did not continue to have issues once he lowered his dosage.

In addition, large doses could potentially cause amenorrhea (skipped periods) in women, due to it suppressing gonadotropin-releasing hormones, but if you can easily remedy this side effect by simply stopping your melatonin supplements.[ref url=”https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05322.x”]

The Impact of Impacts on the Brain – Joseph Maroon #559

January 17, 2019 by Dave Asprey

Feeling Stressed Out? The Definitive Guide to Stress Management

January 16, 2019 by Team Asprey

Stress is an epidemic, and it wrecks your body in more ways than one. Fortunately, you don’t have to let stress hold you back.
These Bulletproof-approved stress management tips are designed to help you cool down in the middle of a hectic day and build your resilience over time.
Meditate. Go outside. Work out. Get better sleep. These techniques work because they give your brain and body time to recharge.
Certain types of stress can make you stronger. Physical and mental challenges can rewire your brain so you’re better prepared to handle whatever life throws your way.

Raise your hand if this scene is familiar: You’re frazzled after work, so you binge on comfort foods that taste so good but make you feel like a bloat-monster. When you try to go to bed, you lie awake for hours. You start the next day feeling hungover and sluggish, which makes it that much harder to face obstacles at work and home and life, so you feel even more wiped out. Repeat ad infinitum. Ugh.

Stress is an epidemic, and it wrecks your body in more ways than one. It makes your hair fall out, your pants fit tight, and your immune system (and your hormones, gut, mood, and poor, overloaded brain) go haywire. The good news is, you don’t have to let stress hold you back. Keep these Bulletproof-approved stress management techniques in your personal toolkit. They’ll help you take a step back from your biggest stressors, recharge in the middle of a high-strung day, and prepare for anything life throws at you.

A hectic schedule? No problem. A last-minute deadline? Bring it on. What are your go-to methods to navigate stressful waters? Share your tips in the comments.

Stress management tips for the chronically stressed out

Meditate

In Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey’s new book “Game Changers,” meditation was one of the most commonly cited recommendations top-level leaders and innovators made to perform better at life. “In huge numbers, they talked about meditating and using breathing techniques to find a state of peace and calm,” Asprey says.

It makes sense: On a biological level, meditation has been shown to significantly reduce levels of stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine. Left unchecked, these hormones contribute to system-wide damage, including chronic disease, fatigue, sleep difficulties, and depression. Learn more about the benefits of meditation for stress relief.

It’s easy to start a meditation practice. Try one of these meditation apps to get your om on. Download the free 20-minute guided yoga nidra meditation on the Bulletproof Library of Resources. For extra biohacker points, meditate in a sensory deprivation tank. Whatever you do, aim to meditate for at least five to 10 minutes every day. Slowly increase your time once it starts to feel like a habit.

Hack your brain

Did you know you can rewire your brain so it’s easier to chill out? The vagus nerve is a two-way network of communication between your brain and your major organs. Your vagal pathways regulate things like anxiety, respiration, and heart rate. By hacking your brain, you can effectively reduce overall stress. Learn how to strengthen your vagus nerve. Here’s the short version:

Heart rate variability (HRV) training: When you’re calm, your heart rate naturally varies. But when your brain is preparing for a fight-or-flight response — aka, freaking out — your heart rate steadies. HRV training teaches you how to control your brain’s stress response. In “The Bulletproof Diet,” Asprey uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) brain-wave monitoring machine to track his HRV. You can also use a device like the OURA ring, which gives you detailed information on your HRV, body temperature, breathing rates, and more.
Cold thermogenesis: Cold exposure tones the vagus response and measurably reduces stress markers. Don’t want to blast yourself with a cold shower? Try this ice face hack.
Diet: Did you know there’s a connection between your mood and what you eat? Stress can cause an imbalance in your gut bacteria, leading to serious GI disorders like IBS and food allergies — which stress your body even further. The critters in your gut also play a key role in your happiness level. Check out these signs your gut is unhealthy and how to fix it.
Improve myelin production: The vagus nerve is coated in myelin, a protective covering of fat. The condition of your myelin impacts your mood, attention, and cognitive ability — so, it’s pretty important to take care it. Find out how.

Use supplements to relax

Adaptogenic herbs help you adapt in the face of stress, and they’re powerful supplements to add to your stress management toolkit. They work in a few different ways: Ashwagandha reduces stress by helping the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal glands communicate effectively and by regulating testosterone overproduction, while kava contains psychoactive kavalactones that put you in a state of relaxed focus. Discover the best adaptogens to feel less stressed and laser-focused.

Then there are nootropics, or smart drugs. Nootropics enhance brain function and some can provide natural anxiety relief without medication. Your results may vary based on your individual biology and what’s stressing you out. For example, your brain uses an amino acid called L-tyrosine to increase the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Supplementing with L-tyrosine can improve your brain’s resilience to physical and mental stress. Learn more about the best mood-boosting supplements for depression, anxiety, and stress.

Give your mind a break

When you need a quick hack to wind down in the middle of a hectic day, keep these methods in your back pocket:

Watch this fractal video to lower your stress in seconds
Use one (or all) of these deep breathing exercises to lower your heart rate and blood pressure pressure.
Try this tapping exercise (Emotional Freedom Technique) on seven specific acupressure points to relieve anxiety and stress
Take a walk outside (barefoot) to benefit from earthing, the practice of putting yourself in direct contact with the earth’s negative charge. The practice has been shown to reduce stress and improve sleep. Learn more about earthing here. Even if you can’t be barefoot, spending time in nature (aka forest bathing) lowers stress hormone levels, blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart rate variability.
Stop making so many decisions. Decision fatigue is a real problem that saps your willpower and makes it harder to focus. Automate your life, switch to a capsule wardrobe, delegate what you can, and check out the Bulletproof 30-Day Decision Fatigue Challenge for more hacks.

Change your diet

Bad news: Sugar may taste good, but it’s stressing you out — specifically, your gut. Sugar, gluten, dairy, and food additives (like MSG) behave like drugs in your body. When you’re emotional, you’re primed to turn to them for comfort — also known as emotional eating. Switch to a high-fat, low-carb diet to stay full longer, maintain steady blood sugar, and feed your brain with healthy fats. Learn more about what to eat to keep your brain young and strong, even in the face of major stressors.

Go to sleep

Once more for the people in the back: GO TO SLEEP. Quality sleep regulates your hormones, gives your body time to repair itself, and improves brain function. A lack of restorative shut-eye raises your blood pressure and stress hormone levels. You don’t have to necessarily get more sleep — just better quality. Find out how to hack your sleep here.

Want to follow an easy, laid-out series of steps to help you sleep better? Check out the Bulletproof 30-Day Sleep Challenge.

Exercise

Your body was built to move, and exercise helps you feel better when life is wearing you down. It eases muscular tension to help you feel more relaxed.And it helps you sleep better, which is an overall good move for mental health. Try these five mood-boosting workouts you can do anywhere.

Why it’s okay to feel stressed out sometimes

Here’s an unconventional stress management technique: Embrace it. Certain kinds of stress — specifically, the “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” type — actually makes you stronger, according to Andrew Herr, a Department of Defense biotechnologist, in this Bulletproof Radio (iTunes) podcast episode. Herr says the military uses psychology and physical challenges to make their soldiers more resilient to stress.

Why? As difficult as it may be, pushing your limits rewires your brain to handle stress like a boss. You don’t have to be a soldier to benefit from hormesis. Take a cold shower, get out of your comfort zone, try intermittent fasting, or do a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. These challenges boost your resilience by boosting your body’s repair functions and building new connections between brain cells. Plus, it’s fun to get uncomfortable every once in a while. Learn more about the benefits of hormesis.

Bodybuilders are the Original Biohackers – Fairfax Hackley #558

January 15, 2019 by Dave Asprey

How to Deal With Black Mold and Recover From Mold Poisoning

January 11, 2019 by Team Asprey

Black mold is extraordinarily toxic, and more common than you might think. An estimated 22 percent of people and half of all buildings in the U.S. have a mold problem.
The good news is that the word about mold is spreading, and it’s becoming easier and easier to deal with black mold and mycotoxins (the toxins mold produces).
This guide will tell you how to test for black mold, permanently remove it from your home, and flush mycotoxins from your body and repair the damage they do.
Mold can make you feel hopeless and like your health is out of your hands. Don’t worry; with these steps, you can take control of your body and brain and get rid of mold for good.

Black mold is nasty stuff. It causes chronic fatigue, mood swings, allergies, asthma, unexplained weight gain — even cancer.

Mold contamination is also more common than you might think. In a recent Podcast episode [iTunes], geneticist and mold researcher Dr. Andrew Heyman explains why.

“We estimate that 22 percent of the population is vulnerable to [black mold exposure],” says Heyman. “Forty million people and at least half of all buildings in the U.S. have a mold problem.”

Heyman goes on to say that people frequently overlook black mold, partly because it often shows up in hard-to-reach places, like ventilation systems in commercial buildings or apartment complexes.

The good news is that, thanks to researchers like Heyman, people are more aware of mold than ever before. It’s easier to detect than it was in the past, and once you know you have it, there’s plenty you can do to address the issue. Let’s take a look at the three steps you can take to get black mold out of your life and help your body get back to full strength after mold exposure.

1. Test for black mold and mycotoxins

Mold can grow in your home for a variety of reasons. If you notice any of these things, you may want to test for mold:

Musty smell
Water damage, soft/wet walls, bubbling paint
Leaking pipes
Discolored wood or walls
Unexplained fatigue
Trouble concentrating
Sudden mood swings

And a few common places to check for mold are:

Bathtub or shower caulking
Window sills (they sometimes collect condensation in the winter, which causes mold to grow in the wood)
Under the bathroom/kitchen sink
Toilet tanks

The different black mold tests

The first thing to do is verify that you have black mold. Symptoms of mold exposure are almost identical to other fatigue issues, like Lyme disease and chronic fatigue syndrome. And because mold can grow behind walls as a result of burst pipes or water damage, it’s often hard to pinpoint where mold is in your home.

If you can see black mold — in the caulking around your bathtub or below your kitchen sink, for example — and you have no reason to suspect it’s elsewhere in your house, you may be okay skipping a formal test. Otherwise, you have a few different options when it comes to testing for mold in your home:

Mold culture test. This test includes a petri dish with a swab. You expose the petri dish to either the air or, through the swab, a specific area in your home, and then you cover it and let it sit for 48 hours. If you get lots of growth in the petri dish (particularly black growth), you have a mold problem. If you get little to no growth, you’re okay. Mold culture tests are fast and cheap (under $10, plus a little extra if you want to send the culture to a lab for analysis). A mold culture test is a good option if you suspect mold in your workplace or school. The downside is that the test won’t tell you where mold is — only if mold is present.
ERMI test. Environmental relative moldiness index (ERMI) testing will tell you with much more specificity what mold is in your home and how big of a problem it is. ERMI tests will run you $200-$300.

In addition to testing for environmental mold, you may want to test your own body for mycotoxins — the damaging compounds that mold spores create. Mycotoxin contamination is what causes serious health and performance problems. It’s good to know if you have mycotoxins in your system.

GENIE test. The Genomic Expression by Nanostring: Inflammation Explained (GENIE) is the best way to tell whether you have mycotoxicity or something else (it also tests you for Lyme). The GENIE test looks at 215 genes that turn on in a particular pattern in response to mold. GENIE is the most accurate mold test on the market.

2. Clean black mold and get rid of it for good

Once you know how bad your mold problem is (both in your environment and in your body), it’s time to get rid of the problem.

Clean mold yourself. If your mold problem is small and visible, like caulking around your bathtub, you can get rid of it yourself. You just want to make sure you use the right cleaning solution. Bleach won’t kill mold entirely, and as the chlorine in bleach dissipates, the bleach turns into water, which creates the perfect environment for new mold to grow. Cleaning vinegar (stronger than kitchen vinegar) will kill mold, as will industrial chemicals like Moldex. Always wear a P100 respirator so you don’t inhale mold spores while you clean. Goggles are a good idea too, and a full body suit for larger mold infestations.
Get rid of mold-contaminated items. Clothing, carpet, drapes, caulking, and paper goods like books and files will all absorb mold spores and can cause new mold growth. If they’ve been in an area with black mold, get rid of them, or in the case of cloth goods, get them professionally dry-cleaned. Throwing out belongings is a bummer, but it’s better to be safe than to have to deal with a new mold problem all over again.
Professional mold remediation. If you have water damage or major mold contamination in hard-to-reach places, hiring a professional is your best bet. Mold remediation can be expensive, but professionals have the tools to find and eliminate all the mold in your entire home.

Put the time, effort, and money into handling your mold problem fully. It’s better than having the mold return in a few weeks, and you can rest easy knowing you’ve gotten rid of it entirely.

3. Help your body get rid of mycotoxins

Note: you have to get rid of mold in your environment (that includes the foods you eat, particularly coffee) before you can hope to successfully detox from mycotoxins. If you don’t, you’ll just keep accumulating new mycotoxins as you get rid of old ones. You may stall mold poisoning, but you won’t start to get rid of it — especially considering that it takes 35 days for your kidneys and bladder to flush out the more stubborn mycotoxins.

Once you’ve gotten rid of the source of mold, it’s time to get your body back into fighting shape. Mycotoxins mostly target your mitochondria, which explains why mold poisoning affects brain and heart function more than anything else (they’re the two parts of your body that are most mitochondria-dense).

To recover from mold toxicity, you want to boost your mitochondria as much as possible, while also clearing out lingering mycotoxins. These mold recovery therapies will help:

Phosphatidylcholine: Your brain mitochondria incur a lot of inflammation and damage from mycotoxins. Phosphatidylcholine is an essential component of mitochondrial membranes; it helps your mitochondria build up their defenses and get back to functioning properly after serious damage. Dr. Heyman notes that you want to make sure you get oral phosphatidylcholine; some people go for an IV, and while an IV won’t hurt, it doesn’t contain related phospholipids that you get from a phosphatidylcholine supplement. Take 1-2 grams (1000-2000 mg) of phosphatidylcholine per day, with food. You can also eat a few pasture-raised egg yolks, which are packed with phosphatidylcholine. Make sure the yolks are runny so you don’t destroy this precious nutrient.
Glutathione: Known as your body’s master antioxidant, glutathione is particularly good at protecting your mitochondria from the damaging effects of oxidative stress. Glutathione will help your mitochondria ward off damage enough that they can begin to repair themselves.
Synapsin: Synapsin is a prescription nasal spray made of Rg3, a component of ginseng that supports glial cells, special cells in your brain that clean up toxins and protect your neurons from damage. Synapsin also contains nicotinamide riboside, which further protects your brain from toxins and stress. You’ll need a doctor to prescribe you Synapsin; here’s a list of doctors who specialize in treating mold poisoning.
Cholestyramine and activated charcoal. These toxin binders are the central part of the military’s protocol for mold poisoning. They adsorb mycotoxins and remove them from your body. Cholestyramine is particularly effective, but you’ll need a prescription for it. Make sure to take these toxin binders at least 60 minutes away from other supplements. They’ll bind to good stuff as well as bad.
Ozone therapy. This is less well-studied for mold recovery, but can make a big difference in recovering mitochondrial function and clearing out mold. It’s important to do ozone therapy with a doctor’s supervision; it can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s a more detailed guide to ozone therapy, and exactly how it helps with mold.

Mold exposure can be incredibly frustrating. It can make you feel like you have no control over your environment, your health, your weight, your emotions — your life in general. If you’re dealing with mold, don’t despair. These tools can help you get rid of mold and mycotoxins and return to your healthy, high-performing self.

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