“Flamenco burns the excruciatingly painful, the mundane and the brutally ugly in a flame of eternal beauty, bliss, and perfection.” 
– Marna Zinatelli 

Toxic mould exposure and recovery

It is important to acknowledge that Flamenco For Food only exists because it is possible to recover from toxic mould exposure. This condition is much more common than most people realize, and many sufferers remain unaware that their chronic health condition is due in part or entirely to previous or current mould exposure. For this reason, I have chosen to disclose details of my condition and recovery. It is only thanks to countless courageous and generous others who were willing to share that I was able to learn what I needed to do to recover. 

Although exposure to mould is a normal everyday experience and part of life, like many things, there is a threshold beyond which the body cannot cope. This is part of the complexity of this condition. What further complicates matters is that people experience different reactions, and some are more sensitive than others. Like other chronic conditions, it can be difficult to diagnose, and most allopathic physicians and specialists are not trained to treat it. Although functional medicine specialists and other holistic care providers have the experience and skills to address this, they are generally beyond the financial reach of many, especially when illness interferes with the ability to earn an income. To make matters worse, most health insurance providers do not know how to respond to claims made by individuals struggling with this condition. This, of course, further contributes to financial strain. 

The first step is to determine that there is exposure. This is often not obvious, as the exposure can come from any environment. In my case, four basement floods in my home over a two-year period created conditions that gradually led to toxicity. It was only thanks to my holistic health network that I was able to even consider having my home assessed, as there were no indications that mould could be an issue. Thankfully, I found a skilled and compassionate mycologist with years of experience who confirmed the toxicity and guided me to remediate my space. Unfortunately, it often takes a long period of exposure to produce symptoms and a long period of time to recognize the source. By then, it is not usually a simple matter of recovering once the space is cleared of mould. In my case, I was told by several well-meaning dermatologists that my condition was not due to mould, despite mycological reports and blood work that matched (which needed to be done in the US). I was told that it was a genetic condition and that I would never recover. In my case, the symptoms manifested in my skin, and I quickly developed what is controversially referred to as Corticosteroid Discontinuation Syndrome (aka Red Skin Syndrome). This condition led to symptoms that were even more debilitating than those from the initial mould exposure. Those close to me watched my skin deteriorate to the point where people who knew me could not recognize me. I lost so much weight that none of my clothing fit. I lost most of my hair and experienced severe chronic pain. Furthermore, I began to experience severe environmental sensitivities, including to most fabrics and foods. Medical treatments all worsened my condition.

Mercifully, thanks to my amazing circle of family and friends, my brilliant, open-minded, and supportive family doctor, an excellent team of holistic care providers, and four years of using what I called “101 healing strategies”, I began my slow journey back to health. I currently continue most of these activities. Those close to me use the word “miracle” to describe my recovery. 

The top things that helped me recover: 

- A super-supportive life-partner (note: most leave when confronting these situations) 
- Super-supportive family and friends 
- Spiritual practice 
- Very skilled and compassionate mycologist and remediation experts 
- Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS) 
- Ramila Padiachy
- Acupuncture (especially the NADA protocol) 
- Fasting
- Super-clean diet
- Very long walks in nature 
- Barbara Diaz Dance 
- Very kind, supportive women in the Lindenlea Community Centre fitness classes 
- MacKay United Church Music and Meditation events 
- University of Ottawa Transformational Leadership course 
- Red Light Therapy
- Heart-rate variability (HRV) training 
- Feldenkrais
- MELT method
- Yoga
- Laughter yoga 
- Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) 
- Not giving up, when day after day, I wanted to…    

Marna Zinatelli