1. Symptoms from Airborne Mold
If mold is in the walls, floor, ceiling and tiles in your house, it will periodically release spores into the air as a way to reproduce. These spores are usually so tiny as to be invisible to the naked eye. However, if you breathe them in, you'll know it if you have a mold allergy. As long as mold spores are in the air in your house, you'll be experiencing such symptoms as watery eyes, an itchy throat, a runny nose, stuffy head, post-nasal drip, coughing, wheezing and sneezing. If mold is a chronic problem in your house, and you're allergic, you may get frequent upper respiratory infections or chronic bronchitis.
2. Symptoms from Mold on Food
You don't have to see mold on food for it to be there. Many foods are susceptible to microscopic mold growth if they've been kept unrefrigerated. Chocolate, nuts, dried beans, baked goods and flour can all develop mold that you may not see. Even the yeast that's used in leavened bread is a mold that can give you allergic symptoms if you're allergic. Symptoms of allergic reactions from ingesting mold on food include constipation, lethargy, difficulty concentrating, dizziness and problems with memory. If you have a mold allergy, you may find that you have to refrigerate certain foods that other people keep in their cabinets. You may also have to give up leavened bread if your symptoms are severe.
3. Penicillin is a Mold, Too
The common antibiotic drug penicillin is also a mold, and highly sensitive people may find they have to avoid it. If you're allergic to penicillin, you'll know almost instantly after being exposed to it (either orally or as an injection, in most cases). Symptoms of a reaction can range from moderate respiratory disturbances, like wheezing, to skin symptoms, such as hives and rashes. There is also the danger of an anaphylactic reaction that would require immediate medical intervention, since this type of reaction can be life threatening. Most people find out in early childhood whether they're allergic to penicillin, since it's likely it will be one of the first drugs a pediatrician will try for a mild infection. However, some people never have an opportunity to try penicillin until they're adults, so they won't know if they're allergic until that time.
