The reason why my POIS is worse in the winter

[Vandemolen]

My POIS symptoms are worse in the winter. I just discovered one the main reasons. The central heating in my house is alays on. That makes the air in my house very dry. And because my nasal mucosa are sensitive when I get POIS they get a bit infected. In the summer the central heating is off. My POIS symptoms are not so bad then. My solution is to use the humidifier more. And to open my windows more.

[Vincent M]

Our woodstove has a similar negative effect on my POIS.

[Vandemolen]

Air conditioning is also bad for my POIS symptoms. In The Netherlands I can live without air conditioning, but not without central heating. 

[Vandemolen]

I think that Fluticasone helps in the winter against a dry nose.

[Vandemolen]

I bought a new humidifier and some plants. My skin, nose and eyes are very dry now. On day 1 of POIS I always stay at home. Maybe that makes my skin even more dry. The general malaise is maybe caused by a dry skin. I thought it was because of vitamin D that my POIS is less worse in summer than winter. But maybe it is because of the central heating at home.

[aswinpras06]

I bought a new humidifier and some plants. My skin, nose and eyes are very dry now. On day 1 of POIS I always stay at home. Maybe that makes my skin even more dry. The general malaise is maybe caused by a dry skin. I thought it was because of vitamin D that my POIS is less worse in summer than winter. But maybe it is because of the central heating at home.

Dear Vandemolen

A allergic reaction caused by mold spores and mycotoxins which are high during winter can also cause chronic dehydration.  Many of us here have that dehydration problem which is very difficult to solve just by drinking water or electrolytes.  I have mold infection in my lungs because of living in a very humid place with little ventilation for about 30 years not knowing about that and  have damaged my lungs completely.  I am moving to a new place by this month end. 

Mold tries to dehydrate and decay everything it infects.  So in people who are allergic to mold it does the same thing by causing chronic dehydration.  Mast cell issues and histamine intolerance are also very high among people with mold allergy.  Unless it is addressed the mast cell problems can never be cured.    Most of our POI's symptoms are mast cell issues and thus may have mold allergy as root cause.

[mike_sweden]

i have this dehydration problem too

and drinking water does not work!

i lived in a mold infected apartment for some years

[Journey]

This is what puzzles me the most because there is zero visible mold anywhere at my apartment but I am still considering what if it is in some tiny amounts which then could be causing MCAS for me however idk how to test that

[Vandemolen]

I think Aswin is right. I cancelled the humidifier. I have a mold allergy too because I lived in a badly appartment for more than 10 years. Maybe an aircleaner will help?

[Clues]

This is what puzzles me the most because there is zero visible mold anywhere at my apartment but I am still considering what if it is in some tiny amounts which then could be causing MCAS for me however idk how to test that

Hi Journey. I had a minor mold issue in my apartment and had a specialist survey it. He measured (among other things) the mold level in the air using a Mycometer Air. He told me IIRC that there is a non-zero background amount of mold in most (all?) homes, as it gets carried with air particles from the outside. Not saying you're wrong, just wanted to point out that there are probably "tiny amounts" in every home. The amount he found in my home was not quite enough to say with certainty it was more than the background amount, even though there was visible traces of mold on my window frames.

Btw just to be clear, I'm not arguing against an MCAS link, in fact I think I have MCAS myself also.

[Journey]

This is what puzzles me the most because there is zero visible mold anywhere at my apartment but I am still considering what if it is in some tiny amounts which then could be causing MCAS for me however idk how to test that

Hi Journey. I had a minor mold issue in my apartment and had a specialist survey it. He measured (among other things) the mold level in the air using a Mycometer Air. He told me IIRC that there is a non-zero background amount of mold in most (all?) homes, as it gets carried with air particles from the outside. Not saying you're wrong, just wanted to point out that there are probably "tiny amounts" in every home. The amount he found in my home was not quite enough to say with certainty it was more than the background amount, even though there was visible traces of mold on my window frames.

Btw just to be clear, I'm not arguing against an MCAS link, in fact I think I have MCAS myself also.

I mean MCAS could be caused by the mold and if not then the mold itself is causing POIS somehow? Maybe it blocks those hormone receptors or some other receptors. As far as I remember mold could do that, because it attaches to receptors and stuff and then changes some things. Did you do something about that mold?

[drop247]

My theory is that the rapid change in temperature going from inside to outside or back inside is a mast cell trigger.

[Muon]

It's all of the above. The central heater circulates air in a loop from floor to ceiling, more exposure to particles, dust, mold etc. The increased moisture you put into your room is beneficial to pathogen growth especially fungus. Rapid Temperature changes could trigger symptoms.

(Changes in) Environmental status will affect mast cells and it will affect you when they are too reactive, it won't bother healthy people. There could be something going on with sensory signaling as well (CBD can act on sensory neurons btw).

Since there is no doctor around that is competent enough to research mast cell behaviour in POIS you will be running in circles if this is the pathophysiology of your POIS and other symptoms.

Other than that, you should dump all this info into a dedicated thread of yours Vandemolen (lifestyle category). Put all of it next to eachother. The combination of symptoms doesn't make any sense unless you factor mast cells in IMHO.

[Clues]

I mean MCAS could be caused by the mold and if not then the mold itself is causing POIS somehow? Maybe it blocks those hormone receptors or some other receptors. As far as I remember mold could do that, because it attaches to receptors and stuff and then changes some things. Did you do something about that mold?

I definitely had POIS way before I had this mold issue. I had small amounts of mold in my home for 3 years at most, and I've had POIS for more than 20 years. However I suspected it might be a mast cell trigger and so was quite keen to eliminate it. I got rid of it by scrubbing my window frames with a chlorine solution, on the advice of the specialist.

To anyone wanting to remove mold: Don't combine chlorine with other cleaning products! Also, I think chlorine itself is a mast cell trigger (can't remember where I read it, sorry), so try not to get too much on your skin. I failed at this and my hands were dry, cracking and wrinkled for weeks afterwards.

I do feel better now and have weaker POIS symptoms than I did a year ago, but I've been making multiple diet and lifestyle changes, so it's impossible to know if removing the mold was helpful in my case.