Think mold is only a summer phenomenon? Think again. As Edward R. Close, PhD, PE, Fellow, ISPE tells us in his article on Winter Mold, there is a chance your flu like symptoms could be caused by mold.

The relationship between mold and health is poorly understood by most people, even doctors and other health-care professionals. While numerous studies show links between mold exposure and almost every illness known to man, why this should be so is not only poorly understood, but completely overlooked or disregarded by many. My research (see “Nature’s Mold Rx, the Non -Toxic Solution to Toxic Mold”) suggests that mold, viruses and bacteria work together to weaken our defenses and bring on colds, flu and other debilitating conditions. There are many myths about mold that are widely believed, like “mold is not a problem in dry climates; there’s no mold problem if I don’t see or smell mold; bleach will take care of it: mold can’t start or grow in cold weather”, etc. I’ve debunked the myths of dry climate, smell and bleach in other articles, but in this discussion, I’m going to focus on the myth that there are no problems with mold in cold weather:

In the wintertime many, if not most “seasonal” colds and flu are caused, and/or promoted and greatly facilitated by mold exposure.  Here’s what happens: When you turn off your AC in the fall, there’s often a lot of moisture left in the drain pan under the cooling coils (e.g., the A-coil in your central HVAC system). If there is any dirt, debris, etc. blocking drainage, dents in the drain pan, or anything that allows water to stay in the system, when the heat comes on, you have perfect conditions for mold to blossom in your air ducts. I’ve seen mold exposure symptoms mistaken for colds and flu when the heat comes on in the winter, with no odor or other outward signs to indicate the true cause of the health problems, i.e., mold.

The solution is simple: Diffuse Thieves^® essential oil blend into the system intakes, or in the central system itself, until the oils have penetrated the entire system. You’ll know this is accomplished when the aroma in the outlet air is as strong as in the vicinity of the intake. This usually takes eight to twelve hours in the average home. To be sure that you are preventing the wintertime mold bloom in your heating and air conditioning system, after continuous diffusing for eight to twelve hours, put the diffuser on a timer and run it for fifteen minutes every four hours. If you are using an efficient cold-air diffuser, a fifteen ml bottle of oil should last for about a month. Our experience shows that this practice can save you a lot of misery and money in doctor visits and over-the-counter cold medicine in the course of a winter.