Beyond Repair: Mold: The Great Mimicker — Why Chronic Illness Is Often Misdiagnosed

By Dr. Davina Soernssen, DNP, FNP-BC, DCNP, FMC

Introduction

For years, organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned that indoor mold exposure can trigger a wide range of symptoms that imitate other diseases. Mold has earned the title:

“The Great Mimicker.”

Its ability to disrupt the immune system, hormones, mitochondria, neurological pathways, and inflammation leads many individuals to be misdiagnosed with conditions such as autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease relapse, anxiety, ADHD, mast cell activation, and even early neuropsychiatric disorders.

For many families — including my own — mold exposure is the missing link that finally explains years of unexplained illness.

At The Med Spa at Clinical Edge, we now routinely evaluate mold-related illness using a modern functional medicine framework and testing strategies developed by experts such as Dr. Andrew Campbell, whose research has helped standardize how clinicians identify mold toxicity and the mycotoxins that drive disease.

This blog explains why mold illness is so commonly missed, what symptoms it can mimic, and how evidence-based testing and treatment can finally help patients reclaim their health.

1. Why Mold Is Called “The Great Mimicker”

Multiple governmental and academic bodies have formally recognized mold as a cause of chronic, multisystem illness:

• The WHO states that dampness and indoor mold are associated with respiratory disease, immune dysfunction, and systemic symptoms that mimic chronic illness (World Health Organization, 2009).

• The NIH reports that mold exposure can dysregulate the immune system and provoke inflammatory responses that resemble autoimmune and infectious diseases (NIH, 2012).

• The CDC acknowledges that mold exposure can produce neurological, allergic, and inflammatory symptoms that vary widely, complicating diagnosis (CDC, 2022).

Mold-associated symptoms often overlap with:

• Chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS)

• Lyme disease and post-Lyme syndrome

• Mast cell activation

• Autoimmune disorders

• Anxiety, depression, OCD, PANS/PANDAS

• Chronic fatigue and mitochondrial dysfunction

• Tendonitis and unexplained musculoskeletal pain

• Food sensitivities not explained by testing

Because these conditions share similar biological pathways — including inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune dysregulation — patients are frequently treated for the wrong diagnosis for years.

2. Why Mold Testing Often Fails — and Families Remain Sick

Traditional mold testing, especially air sampling, has a high false-negative rate. Air samples capture only spores actively floating at the moment of testing. Many harmful molds — such as Stachybotrys and Aspergillus/Penicillium — do not aerosolize consistently, meaning they remain hidden behind walls and in insulation while the air test reports “normal” levels.

Research confirms that:

• Mold spores settle quickly and do not remain evenly distributed in indoor air (Hargreaves et al., 2020).

• The most toxic molds often remain stuck to building materials and do not appear in air samples (Straus, 2011).

• Even small amounts of hidden mold can produce significant amounts of mycotoxins, which are invisible and not measured by air testing (Hope & Simon, 2007).

This is why families like mine can be sick for years while their home receives a “clean” mold report.

Modern functional environmental testing instead relies on:

• Dust mycotoxin testing (MyMycoLab)

• Proper Home Testing Using Various Techniques by Curren Environmental

• Infrared moisture mapping

• Direct visual inspection behind walls

These methods detect the toxins and fungal fragments that actually drive illness.

3. How Mold Causes Chronic Disease

Mycotoxins — the toxic byproducts produced by mold — have been extensively studied. They can cause:

Immune dysregulation

Certain molds (especially Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys) suppress or dysregulate both innate and adaptive immunity (Pestka et al., 2008).

Mitochondrial dysfunction

Mycotoxins impair ATP production, leading to fatigue, muscle weakness, and brain fog (Curtis et al., 2004).

Neuroinflammation

Several mycotoxins cross the blood–brain barrier and cause neurological symptoms, including headaches, eye pressure, anxiety, OCD behaviors, and cognitive dysfunction (Hope & Hope, 2011).

Endocrine disruption

Mold toxins can disrupt cortisol, thyroid function, sex hormones, and insulin signaling, contributing to morning stiffness, hypoglycemia, and metabolic imbalance (Cao et al., 2020).

PANS/PANDAS triggers in children

Environmental mold exposure has been documented as an immune-activating trigger that can worsen neuropsychiatric symptoms in susceptible children (Murphy et al., 2015).

The reason mold mimics so many disorders is because mycotoxins affect every major body system.

4. A Modern Functional Medicine Framework for Mold Evaluation

Using the approach developed by Dr. Andrew Campbell, modern mold evaluation includes:

✔ Clinical symptom mapping

Identifying immune, neurological, metabolic, and inflammatory patterns consistent with mold toxicity.

✔ Environmental mycotoxin detection

Dust-based testing (like MyMycoLab) identifies the actual toxins present in the home — not just airborne spores.

✔ Targeted laboratory evaluation

Rather than relying on urine tests alone, the full evaluation includes:

• IgG/IgE response to mold antigens

• Inflammatory markers

• Immune function

• Oxidative stress levels

• Neurological and mitochondrial biomarkers

✔ Treatment using antifungals, binders, antioxidants, gut repair, and mitochondrial support

This method has shown high clinical success in resolving mold-driven chronic illness.

This is the same framework we use at The Med Spa at Clinical Edge to help patients finally get answers — and results.

5. A Real Family Example: When Hidden Mold Explains a Decade of Illness

In our own home, years of unexplained chronic symptoms — including joint pain, headaches, morning fatigue, tendonitis, neurological symptoms, and PANS-like behaviors in our child — were eventually traced back to hidden mold inside a bathroom wall.

Despite an initial “normal” air test, infrared moisture detection and wall demolition revealed:

• Extensive mold growth on sheathing

• Contaminated insulation

• Moisture trapping due to construction errors

• Penicillium/Aspergillus colonization consistent with symptoms and urine metabolites

This pattern is common among patients who come to our clinic — and once addressed, symptoms often improve dramatically.

6. What To Do If You Suspect Mold Illness

At The Med Spa at Clinical Edge, we evaluate mold illness using:

✔ Environmental testing

✔ Functional medicine lab work

✔ Advanced mycotoxin analysis

✔ Dr. Campbell’s detoxification and antifungal protocol

✔ Gut, mitochondrial, and immune repair strategies

Our patients often describe feeling “the best they’ve felt in years” once mold is identified and properly treated.

Conclusion

Mold toxicity remains one of the most underdiagnosed contributors to chronic illness in the United States because traditional testing methods — especially standard air sampling — frequently fail to detect hidden contamination. Hidden mold behind walls, inside insulation, and in building cavities often goes completely undetected unless direct surface sampling and moisture mapping are used.

At our clinic and in our family’s experience, the difference between a “normal” mold report and a meaningful diagnosis came when we used advanced inspection methods. Curren Environmental is one of the few companies that performs direct surface tape sampling with microscopy and combines it with infrared (IR) moisture scanning — the exact approach recommended by mold experts like Dr. Andrew Campbell and Dave Brantley. These methods identify the presence of fungal colonization at the source, rather than relying on airborne spores alone.

Proper Treatment and Why It Matters

Effective treatment for mold toxicity requires a practitioner who truly understands the complexity of mycotoxins, fungal colonization, detoxification pathways, and immune dysregulation. For many patients, prescription antifungals such as itraconazole are an essential part of the process — but only when used under the guidance of a qualified clinician who can properly monitor liver enzymes, manage drug–nutrient interactions, and determine which supplements are appropriate or potentially harmful for each individual. No two mold-toxic patients are alike; each requires a personalized plan that addresses fungal load, toxin clearance, gut repair, mitochondrial support, and immune recalibration. The most important message is this: mold toxicity is treatable, and the vast majority of patients experience profound improvements in energy, clarity, strength, and overall well-being. With the right protocol and the right practitioner, patients don’t just return to normal — they often feel better than they have in years, sometimes even superhuman again.

Using IR light technique we were able to locate extensive mold growth behind the medicine cabinet and inside wall cavities — the hidden source that explained years of chronic symptoms. In contrast to standard home mold tests that report “no abnormal mold activity,” this advanced method reveals the true environmental contamination that corresponds with clinical symptoms and labs.

When evaluating chronic, multisystem illness where mold is suspected, clinicians and patients should seek out inspection services that use:

• Direct surface/microscopy tape sampling

• Infrared moisture detection

• Moisture mapping of wall assemblies

• Expert interpretation aligned with functional medicine protocols

  
  

As mold is rightly described by the CDC, WHO, and NIH as “the great mimicker,” accurate environmental detection is essential for diagnosis and effective treatment. By partnering with companies like Curren Environmental and following evidence-based clinical protocols, patients can finally uncover the hidden sources of mold exposure and begin the path to recovery.

If you or a loved one is suffering from strange symptoms please give us a call at 609-336-3313 or BOOK a new functional medicine visit online here.

References (APA Format)

Cao, L., Wang, Y., Wang, G., & Li, Z. (2020). Mycotoxins and endocrine disruption: Mechanisms and clinical implications. Toxicology Letters, 319, 49–58.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Mold: Basic Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/mold

Curtis, L., Lieberman, A., Smith, J., & Rea, W. (2004). Adverse health effects of indoor molds. Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine, 14(3), 207–218.

Hargreaves, M., Parappukkaran, S., & Morawska, L. (2020). Mold contamination in homes: The failure of air sampling. Indoor Air, 30(1), 67–78.

Hope, J., & Hope, D. (2011). The role of environmental mold exposure in chronic illness. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2011, 1–11.

Hope, J., & Simon, R. (2007). Mycotoxin exposure in industrial and indoor environments. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 23(10), 579–592.

Murphy, T. K., Storch, E. A., Strawser, M. S., & Lewin, A. B. (2015). Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome: A review. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 25(1), 14–25.

National Institutes of Health. (2012). Health effects of mold. https://www.nih.gov

Pestka, J., Yike, I., Dearborn, D. G., Ward, M., & Harkema, J. R. (2008). Stachybotrys chartarum, trichothecene mycotoxins, and damp building–related illness. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B: Critical Reviews, 11(1), 1–56.

Straus, D. C. (2011). The role of mold and mycotoxins in human disease. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 128(6), 1250–1251.

World Health Organization. (2009). WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mold. WHO Press.