Mold is a type of fungus that has been found on the surface of the earth for millions of years. They can get inside your home through open doors, windows, and air conditioning systems. Inhaling mold spores or coming into contact with mold can have severe adverse effects on your health. Beyond physical symptoms like headache and allergic symptoms, it can have a significant impact on the brain and nervous system. Symptoms may vary, from mild headaches to more severe issues like memory loss or difficulty walking. While it can affect anybody, certain groups like children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to these effects.

How can mold impact your neurological health?

Mold, such as Cladophialophora bantiana, can cause infections in the brain and spinal cord, leading to serious conditions like central nervous system (CNS) infections. While such infections are rare, they can be life-threatening.

Mycotoxins are toxic chemicals produced by certain mold types. These toxins can be released into the air when mold grows indoors, and breathing them in can have direct harmful effects on brain function. Studies indicate that mycotoxins may interfere with the nervous system’s communication pathways, leading to cognitive issues such as memory problems and mood swings.

In fact, long exposure to mold can lead to a variety of neurological symptoms, which can differ depending on an individual’s health and the severity of the mold exposure. Some of them are:

Headaches are one of the most frequent symptoms of mold exposure. While most of the time, these headaches are described as dull, constant, or pressure-like, they can sometimes mimic migraines, accompanied by nausea or sensitivity to light and sound.

Exposure to molds can also trigger seizures. Mold produces toxic substances like mycotoxins that may disrupt the brain’s electrical activity, leading to seizure episodes.

Mold exposure can cause brain fog, which results in concentration, memory, and mental clarity. Studies suggest that mycotoxins can disrupt normal brain function, making it challenging to process information and think clearly.

Exposure to this fungus can also lead to emotional problems. People with this kind of exposure have complained of anxiety, depression, irritability, and sudden mood swings. This could be due to mold toxins interfering with brain chemicals responsible for regulating emotions.

Mold exposure may trigger inflammation, leading to muscle and joint pain. In case of prolonged exposure, it could lead to the development or worsening of fibromyalgia or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

In some cases, mold exposure may lead to tremors, difficulty walking, or problems with muscle coordination. These issues may be linked to mycotoxins affecting the brain or nervous system.

Mold exposure can impact the brain areas responsible for movement and balance, making it harder to stand, walk, or perform fine motor tasks. Individuals may feel unsteady or experience difficulty using devices like phones or computers.

Delirium is a condition wherein a person experiences confusion or disorientation. An abnormal immune response to mold could contribute to this condition. Delirium can make it difficult for individuals to think clearly or understand their surroundings.

Billionaire entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, known for meticulously tracking his health and pursuing longevity, recently revealed that he has been diagnosed with Autoimmune Gastritis, an incurable autoimmune condition in which the body's immune system attacks the stomach lining.

Describing the disease on social media platform X, Johnson said: "My stomach is eating itself." He also noted that despite undergoing extensive medical evaluations over the years, the condition went undetected because autoimmune diseases often develop quietly, with symptoms that can easily be mistaken for everyday health issues such as fatigue or digestive discomfort.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy cells and tissues, triggering inflammation and damage to organs or other body systems.

The burden of these conditions is significant. In May 2025, researchers from the Mayo Clinic and collaborating institutions estimated that nearly 15 million Americans are living with one or more of 105 recognized autoimmune diseases.

Symptoms Can Be Easy to Miss

Because autoimmune diseases often begin with vague, non-specific symptoms, they can remain undiagnosed for months—or even years.

Dr. Cory Rice, a US-based Functional Medicine physician, said these warning signs frequently go unnoticed until the disease has progressed.

"First and foremost, symptoms of autoimmune disease can come and go, and be on and off, or they can be more persistent in nature," he told Newsweek.

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The Hidden Signs You Shouldn't Ignore

While symptoms vary depending on the various autoimmune conditions, several early warning signs are shared across many autoimmune diseases.

According to Dr. Rice, common symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Low-grade fever
• Joint pain
• Unexplained rashes or hives
• Dry eyes and dry mouth
• Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
• Mouth ulcers
• Increased sensitivity to cold temperatures

He said when people suffer from fatigue, "it is usually both profound and debilitating."

Dr. Rice explained that many people try to manage this overwhelming exhaustion by relying on caffeine and other stimulants, taking thyroid medications or hormone treatments, or opting for therapies such as intravenous infusions and vitamin B12 injections.

However, when an underlying autoimmune disease is responsible, these approaches often fail to provide lasting relief.

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Why Autoimmune Diseases Are Often Diagnosed Late

One of the biggest challenges in diagnosing autoimmune diseases is that their symptoms overlap with those of many other medical conditions.

Johnson also said that "2-5 per cent of people have this (autoimmune disease). Likely more, because it hides".

Symptoms may also appear intermittently before becoming more persistent.

"It all depends on the disease process in play and the severity or progression of the disease itself in a particular person as to whether symptoms are more constant or intermittent," Rice said.

He added that many primary care physicians are not routinely trained to identify autoimmune diseases in their early stages. As a result, patients are frequently referred to specialists, including rheumatologists, only after symptoms have become more pronounced.

"Unfortunately, by this point, the autoimmune disease may already be far along in whichever parts of the body are impacted," he said.

Dr. Rice emphasized that recognizing symptoms early and obtaining a timely diagnosis can help slow disease progression and improve long-term outcomes.

The United States is currently experiencing one of its worst Cyclospora outbreaks in recent years, with health officials still unable to determine the source of the infections.

According to the latest data, the outbreak has spread across at least 18 states. Michigan has reported at least 1000 cases, emerging as the hardest-hit state. With around 40 hospitalisations, no deaths have been reported so far.

Cyclospora Outbreak In The US

The outbreak is being investigated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state health departments. Investigators have not yet identified a single contaminated food source.

Several other states have also reported rising case counts. New York City has confirmed hundreds of infections since May. Health officials believe the actual number of infections is likely higher because Cyclospora is not routinely tested for in people with diarrhea. Symptoms usually begin about one week after exposure and can last weeks if untreated.

Also read: Walked Through Floodwater Recently? 5 Things To Do After Reaching Home To Minimise Risk Of Infections

About Cyclospora

A Cyclospora infection can be mild or severe and may last for weeks or even months. It is typically treated with antibiotics. People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS or cancer, are at greater risk of severe disease.

Cyclospora infection commonly causes:

• Prolonged watery diarrhea
• Severe abdominal cramps
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Weight loss
• Bloating

Health authorities in the US continue to advise people to wash fresh produce thoroughly, maintain good hand hygiene, and seek medical care if they develop prolonged watery diarrhea, especially if symptoms persist for several days.

Does India’s Monsoon Raise Risk Of Cyclospora?

While there is no indication of a similar outbreak in India, infectious disease experts say the country's monsoon season creates conditions that can facilitate the spread of intestinal parasites if food and drinking water become contaminated.

HealthandMe spoke to Dr. Devashish Desai, Consultant, Infectious Diseases at Ruby Hall Clinic, if India, too, faces a possibility of a parasitic infection like cyclospora, especially in monsoon season.

Dr Desai said, “The answer is yes. India's monsoon creates conditions that favour the spread of several water and food-borne infections, including Cyclospora. Heavy rainfall can contaminate drinking water sources and fresh fruits and vegetables with sewage or infected soil. Consuming raw salads, unwashed herbs, or untreated water significantly increases the risk of infection.”

Unlike bacteria, cyclospora parasites require time in the environment before they become infectious, meaning direct person-to-person transmission is uncommon. Instead, contaminated food and water remain the primary sources of infection. This makes maintaining hygiene from farms to kitchens essential for prevention.

The expert added, “Although Cyclospora outbreaks are not commonly reported in India, the environmental conditions during the rainy season make vigilance essential. Strong food safety practices, clean water, and good personal hygiene remain the most effective defences against this preventable parasitic infection.”

Although India has not reported a similar outbreak, experts say the current situation in the US is a stark reminder that food safety and sanitation become even more critical during the monsoon.

For millions of people living with diabetes, the condition is not managed in moments; it is managed in the countless choices made between moments. From planning meals and staying active to monitoring glucose levels and following treatment schedules, people living with diabetes make countless decisions every day that shape their long-term health.

In clinical practice, we often see that the success of treatment is determined not only by how effective a therapy is, but also by whether it can be realistically sustained over years and decades. This is why the future of diabetes care must move beyond advancing therapies alone and focus on developing treatment approaches that are simpler, more flexible, and designed around patients' lives.

Diabetes In India: A Growing Public Health Challenge

Despite being one of the most widely recognized health conditions today, diabetes is still often misunderstood as simply a condition of “high sugar levels”. In reality, it is a metabolic disorder that develops when the body either does not produce enough insulin or is unable to use insulin effectively.

While genetic factors play an important role, rapid urbanization, sedentary lifestyles, changing dietary patterns, and rising obesity have contributed significantly to its increasing prevalence. Today, nearly 101 million adults in India are living with diabetes, according to the ICMR-INDIAB study.

Why Early And Consistent Diabetes Care Matters

With diabetes, time itself becomes a critical risk factor; the longer a person lives with the condition, the more severely it affects multiple organ systems. Diabetes can affect the heart, kidneys and nerves, with complications developing silently over several years. While improvements in the management of key cardiometabolic risk factors such as blood pressure, lipids and glycaemia have helped improve outcomes in several areas, lifestyle-related factors continue to contribute to long-term risks. This highlights the need for early risk identification, timely intervention and continuous monitoring to reduce the long-term burden of disease.

The Daily Burden Of Living With Diabetes

The progressive nature of diabetes also means that care is not limited to clinic visits; it extends into everyday life. It requires individuals to make repeated decisions throughout the day, and this constant cognitive load can become overwhelming, often leading to treatment fatigue and difficulty in maintaining consistent control.

Thus, treatment adherence is one of the strongest determinants of diabetes control. Yet real-world adherence is shaped by multiple overlapping factors. Limited understanding of the disease and its often-silent progression, along with psychological challenges such as anxiety or depression, can affect a person’s ability to remain consistent with treatment.

At the same time, complex treatment regimens, polypharmacy and the long-term burden of managing a chronic condition can make adherence more challenging. Financial constraints, limited access to medicines, and gaps in regular follow-up and patient–provider communication further add to the difficulties of sustained diabetes management.

Together, these factors contribute to poorer glycemic control, higher complication rates, increased hospitalizations and reduced quality of life.

Innovations Are Transforming Diabetes Care

Recognizing the realities of living with diabetes, care has increasingly shifted towards approaches that balance clinical effectiveness with practicality in everyday life, with greater emphasis on long-term sustainability and individual patient needs. Supporting this shift is a new generation of innovations in diabetes care that is making it more personalized, flexible and easier to manage, including:

Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) has helped shift focus from HbA1c alone to include dynamic measures such as Time in Range (TIR) and glucose variability, enabling more real-time, personalized adjustments.

Oral therapies such as DPP-4 inhibitors (gliptins) and SGLT2 inhibitors (gliflozins) have expanded treatment options by helping improve glucose control while supporting more personalized and holistic diabetes management.

Newer ultra-long-acting basal insulins and ultra-rapid-acting mealtime insulins have improved glycemic stability.

Once-Weekly Insulin: A New Option For Patients

More recently, innovative solutions like once-weekly insulin icodec have been available globally that offer a simplified regimen, reduced treatment burden and improved patient adherence. This weekly insulin is now approved and launched in India for adults living with diabetes. This novel therapy could potentially reduce the practical burden of treatment and make long-term management more achievable in real-world settings.

Ultimately, the future of diabetes care will not be defined by how strictly patients follow treatment schedules, but by how well treatment fits into their lives. When care is designed around patients rather than systems, adherence becomes more natural, outcomes improve more sustainably, and diabetes management becomes less about daily struggle and more about improving the quality of life for those with diabetes.