First, let’s review some definitions to make sure we are all on the same page:

A persistent toxin is one that is not efficiently eliminated by the body. A neurotoxin is a toxin that causes trouble in the nervous system.  Mycotoxins (mold toxins) fall into both of these categories and one more: Neurophilic Toxins. A neurophilic toxin is, literally, one that loves the nerves. But unlike true love, it is not a love which benefits the other, but a destructive and disruptive sort of smothering.

The Problem

In my Overview to Mold Poisoning post, I explained that the normal elimination routes do not work because of this unfortunate feature of mycotoxins:

Whenever toxins are removed by the liver, they are shunted into the gall bladder along with the supply of bile, which will be used to digest the fats in the next meal eaten. Therefore, the gall bladder contains a mixture of bile (a critical element of digestion) and toxic substances which have been recently recovered. The gall bladder empties into the beginning of the small intestine by contracting when the first food containing any fat or oil is tasted.

Here is a translation of the above that is easier to hang onto when you are in a brain fog:

When you begin to eat a fat-containing food, any mold poisons collected in your gall bladder will be released with the bile into your digestive tract. When this happens, they meet a rich bed of nerve endings and immediately re-poison you.

There. That’s the elevator speech version, but I give it to you (the mold victim) not for awkward elevator conversations, but for your own daily use in training yourself in a new and difficult habit: Eliminating Neurotoxins. To accomplish this, what is needed is a substance that can catch those toxins, bind them, and force them to get in line with all the other wastes in your digestive tract so they can be deposited in the toilet, where they really belong.

The Solution

When I was suffering from severe mold toxicity in 2006, I learned that such a magic bullet was what I needed, but the only option I could find in my research was an obscure drug called cholestyramine. This prescription drug was developed as a bile absorber for the treatment of high cholesterol, and is capable of chelating (binding and removal) of a  wide array of substances. Having no other leads, I did “talk to my doctor” about the stuff, knowing full well that he would put me off as I was pregnant (cholestyramine is a class C drug), and indeed he did. But you don’t have to be pregnant to find good reasons to eschew cholestyramine. The substances it binds include a large set of essential nutrients, so its overall effect long-term will have detrimental effects for sure.

I was back to the drawing board. After weeks of Google searches and little hope, I finally found a goldmine of information about my exact situation: The Klinghardt Neurotoxin Elimination Protocol. He discussed the persistence of neurotoxins as others had, but instead of cholestyramine, he recommended chlorella algae to be used as the toxin chelator. Chlorella is a mere food, a single-celled alga, and for me, a complete miracle.

When I followed Dr. Klinghardt’s instructions for exactly how to use it, chlorella worked. And it worked well. And as long as you buy a quality brand of chlorella, it is completely safe.

How I Use Chlorella

Step 1. The hungrier the worse. That is, the hungrier you are, the worse your need for chlorella, and the greater your temptation will be to skip it this time. You’ll see why in a moment.

Step 2. Take at least 15 tablets, with water only. Most chlorella supplements come in little pressed round tablets with no other ingredients. If your chlorella comes is capsules or caplets, the number of pills will go down, but fear not. Precision is not the goal here. The goal is to actually take enough at one time. Dr. Klinghardt’s advice is sound: if there is anything perceived to be a “side effect,” your dose is too small.

Step 3. Set a TIMER for 25 minutes. That part’s easy, but eating nothing until it rings is the hard part.

Step 4. When the timer goes off, grab something to eat containing significant fat. We like to call it our “fat dose” just for simplicity. Milk, cheese, peanut butter, coconut oil, and bread with butter all pop to mind.

Step 5. Eat a decent meal immediately even if you don’t feel like it. If you stop eating right after the fat dose, the digestion can be slowed down and your energy will lag. If the mold has been suppressing your appetite, this is a chance to get some good food into you without risking exacerbating your symptoms.

The Chlorella I Buy

It’s here: Clean Chlorella

There are others and I think they are effective, but I have not found a better deal than Clean Chlorella, and I know I’ve never tried a better chlorella product than this one. I’m really grateful it’s available because the old one I used came from Japan where there is now too much nuclear radiation for me to feel safe buying chlorella from there!

Hard to imagine there are no questions among my readers. Post a comment if you want to know more and I’ll do my best to answer them all!

Update: Here is a printable version of the Chlorella Protocol for your fridge!

Photo credit: plymouths / CC-BY-2.0

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