What is Hell Toxin (HT) sometimes referred to as HCCT? Hell Toxin is a group of unidentified environmental toxins experienced by hundreds or perhaps thousands of people.
The toxins all known as HT have similar properties to each other (sometimes they are differentiated into different strains), and are experienced in similar ways to folks who are reactive.
Many who have gone through mold avoidance or been exposed to toxic molds experience this toxin and react to it.
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The Typical Reaction
The typical reactions to this toxin are burning and other skin irritations, sometimes even resulting in what looks like burn marks. However, not everyone who is reactive to HT gets a burning feeling or tingling sensation on the skin.
Keep in mind that burning alone, does not define an HT reaction or presence of the toxin. I have seen many people over the last year panic over skin burning, itching or other irritations, who found out it was to a myriad of toxins or allergens that were not HT. Those who “simply have burning” can usually easily, or much more easily, find the cause and avoid it.
I have also seen folks mistake EMF sensitivity for HT reactivity as well. EMF sensitivity abates with the absence of the trigger and there is no physical toxin that is present that can spread. It can be confusing to figure out the difference in some cases.
The typical experience includes a high ability to cross-contaminate. At the mildest stage, this could simply be spreading by water, instead of it washing out or improving with washing like most toxins, and having to throw out items instead of cleaning them.
But in the more typical advanced reactivity stage, it is highly cross-contaminating and it cannot be mistaken for something else.
Will I Unmask to HT with Mold Avoidance
Keep in mind that unlike cyano, or mystery toxin or stachy, not everyone who embarks on mold avoidance will become sensitized/reactive to HT, most don’t. This is a misconception that everyone will “unmask”, and this came from MT (Mystery Toxin) and HT being discussed together and discussed more widely in the forums now.
I also don’t consider HT to be an outdoor toxin the way MT is, though it certainly can contaminate outdoor environments.
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Do I have HT?
If you are unsure whether you have HT, check in with a few folks who have a lot of experience to run them by your reactions, symptoms, and experience.
Dr Daniel Cagua-Koo helps patients through physical treatments and cleaning protocols. I help folks in the beginning stages on how to manage this toxin which can become quite costly and devastating. Please get more than one opinion if you are unsure. There are a number of ways that experienced folks will look at how the toxin acts to identify it.
Signs you have HT (you might not have them all):
- Burning, tingling, itching of the skin or feeling of something tingling in the air or something that feels like radiation
- Cleaning things with water and regular soap does not get rid of it and at the very least worsens the toxin (for example, in the least reactive stage you wash a piece of clothing and it spread to everything thing else in the wash).
- A more advanced version worsens drastically with water
- It is not possible to wash it out of clothes (other than a few successes with very special protocols)
- The toxin can worsen dramatically with some efforts used to kill or compete with it. Almost all the products used to kill or clean can also “blow up”
- If you are successful with cleaning it, it is only from specialized methods.
- Electronics, paper, plastic are the quickest to get contaminated and the hardest to remediate
- It worsens around electronics (or EMFs in general)
- It contaminates things in ways that mold or bacteria cannot contaminate things, for example being unable to be cleaned off metal or ceramic with soap and water
- The toxin can feel like it has a charge in advanced reactivity. Because it acts like a charged particle, it can jump, and cling
- In advanced stages, it can spread quickly. Unless you physically improve with treatments or detox the toxin usually spreads if it’s not cleaned with special products
- You will likely feel this on specific items like from certain warehouses and certain new products. Many new electronics do have this (I speculate it is the aluminum-based Flame Retardants in part), certain clothing brands, phone brands, and warehouses should be bad to you otherwise it’s not likely you are reacting to the same thing
How do we know we are all Reacting to the Same Toxin?
One other way to tell is that those who have this reaction react to the same items, there are brands of electronics, clothes, entire warehouses in Kentucky, and other common stores and places where we find the same toxin – and while we are all a bit different – our experiences with the toxin are similar enough to have been able to define this as a toxin in the environment and not just an internal reaction.
We have also sent items to each other and to Dr Dan and visited each other or visited buildings or homes of another reactor to see if we are talking about the same toxin and we have found we do react to the same places or items and therefore have identified it through these ways.
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Why do we not get it Tested?
Many discussions have taken place on how to get this toxin properly tested and identified, however, a large amount of funding is needed to undertake this testing.
Mold testing experts and industrial hygienists have given their thoughts on this and after taking in the information, have agreed that the amount of funding needed is very high, and is not available at this time.
Keep in mind we do not know what this toxin is. Dr Daniel Cagua-Koo hypothesizes that it has a biological component to it as well as another non-biological component (likely a metal).
Most people who react to it seem to agree with this assessment and theory.
Where to send it for testing and how to collect it are other challenging areas. The substance acts in similar ways to candida auris but has not been identified as the same thing.
While prominent doctors have not spoken publicly about it, many doctors who treat mold illness, CIRS, and related illnesses do acknowledge this toxin. I do not want to mention their names here. Wilson practitioners also seem to be aware of this toxin/reaction.
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What informs our Hypotheses on what this Toxin is
While we can hypothesize based on our symptoms and how the toxin acts, we start to confirm a theory based on what kills or cleans it up, as well as places it is likely to be found.
What are the Main Cleaning Protocols
Kill methods (do not usually resolve the problem on their own, they are one step of the cleaning protocol).
They include: Silver Hydrogen Peroxide, Hydrogen Peroxide (without silver, up to 30%), Ozone (though extreme caution here, I don’t recommend ozone on or near HT, but some have used this), boiling, flamethrower torch, antimicrobial essential oils, tinctures or teas: black pepper, tea tree oil, cedarwood oil (those are Canada and here are the US links: pepper, tea tree, cedar). Sage, juniper (wood), turpentine, and citronella can also be used.
Other methods that may work in this stage are high temps over 40C for prolonged periods and enzyme cleaners.
Break down or compete with the toxin – enzyme cleaners break down a number of toxins from biological to chemical.
Enzymes used on HT include MoldToxin Klear (US), Enzyme Komplete (Canada) and Liquid Ate (Canada and US).
Probiotics help to compete with the toxin, the main one used in EM1. Teraganix is the brand used throughout the US and Europe.
I have also used probiotics soaps (I really like the soapnut probiotic soap, although it’s not essential), and made a lotion using oral probiotics mixed with body lotion, any oral probiotic will do – this part is essential for me.
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Binders. Binders that work to help clean up the toxin include Bar Keepers Friend, Zeolite (Odourout), Pectin, quaternary ammonia (Steramine, Shockwave, Unscented Downy).
Repopulate the biome with EM1 after killing and binding.
I have found enzymes and cedar tea (soak cedar branches, the green part, in water, boil it at least twice and then soak overnight) to both be good cleaning products that work for kill and clean up.
Cleaning Protocols
Silver Peroxide protocol (most are not using silver anymore, because the benefits are not worth the risks, it’s not really needed).
Dr Dan’s Protocols – now simplified to HP, quats and Barkeepers in one bottle, followed by enzymes or EM1.
Mix to 3%-30% HP, plus Steramine or other similar quats, with Barkeepers either mixed in the bottle or sprinkled on separately. Generally, you might start with 6-10% HP depending on your strain with about 1/3 of each product.
Follow with balancing the biome more with Enzyme Komplete or EM1.
High concentrations of HP burn the skin and are dangerous to work with. They are dangerous to breathe in too if you spray of fog.
Sara Tamames Protocol with boiling and EM1 (includes soap nuts and swiffer). I would say only works on mild strains and/or mild reactivity.
In this protocol, you pour boiling water over clothes in a bucket. Then when that cools you pour it off. Then you soak in EM1 overnight.
Vulpex protocol (soaking item in vulpex overnight, followed by a soack in quats and then oxyclean). This seems to work only for those partially masked or less sensitive.
Plants, teas, extracts and essential oils in the above list. I use cedar tea.
Protocols for Personal Care of the Body
I have found probiotics mixed into unscented body lotion to be a big help.
I also find that spraying Liquid-Ate to be a lifesaver. It neutralizes the toxin that is on the skin, helping me to get into a clean area like the bed, uncontaminated. It has a very light citrus scent may not be noticeable to those with a normal sense of smell.
I follow that with the Yes to Tomatoes Charcoal Wipes (warning they are scented), to wipe the remaining small amount off of the skin (I have also used to them to protect items like cards).
I have also used EM1 and cedar tea to wipe down the skin.
Swimming in a chlorine pool has been a good way to decon, I have found, and many others have too. I have not found it hard to decon from my skin and hair, personally. Though some have a lot of struggles with their hair.
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Hair Washing
I haven’t had my hair be prone to contamination but others have. They have used baking soda, essential oil shampoo, anti-dandruff shampoo, and other strategies.
The consensus on ordering supplements and personal care products is that Vitacost is usually good.
Helping prevent the spread in the environment
I use 6 mil poly on beds and change it out when necessary. It’s a better idea to use sleeping mats and discard them when necessary unless you have this more under control since it’s not possible to remediate a bed.
It is better to be off the ground though, a camping cot can help.
At times I have put foil over floors and sometimes on the face of cabinets to help prevent the spread. Just regular heavy-duty foil. It’s by no means a perfect block, but it has helped me. Cardboard is also a decent block.
The main prevention is to prevent contaminated objects and people from coming into the environment.
Airtight metal and glass containers can be of some help, but it’s not the same strategy as sequestering other toxins like mold.
Breaking from HT
If you have a certain case of HT that you need to “break” from it I recommend joining the Facebook group and reading through other folks’ accounts of breaking from HT.
There are various experiences breaking from HT
1) those who did a successful clean break – some people had to do it many times to get clear
2) those who broke but it didn’t work they ran into it again or found that maybe the source was colonization and very quickly were back in the same situation
3) those who are fine with living with some of it around so are not trying to break from it 100%. They might just break from stronger strains/the worst item or end up bringing down their internal reactivity.
Breaking 100% is a difficult task and takes a lot of planning.
Healing
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Many folks have healed from a variety of methods.
Interim management is possible.
If you need support with managing emerging contamination or planning a clean break please get in touch by email.
I nearly killed myself because I could not envision a life where I managed to keep HT out of my house. I was working at least 4 hours a day on the effort. It can't be done. My doctor saved my life when he said "You cannot avoid your way out of this. Read Annie Hopper's book." I started DNRS within a few weeks. (If DNRS isn't for you, there are other neuroplastic methods of healing the constant panic created by a damaged limbic system.) Now, although I can still feel larger amounts of HT, I am not afraid of it. I really don't like the *feel* of it, but I don't react to it. It will always be in our lives and our homes. I refuse to keep destroying items. I wash and dry new clothes by machine, even if I feel HT on them. Most importantly, not only am I still alive, I am living my life. I go places. I go to stores and concerts and my kids' schools and out to social events. I can walk without fear through Walmart and Target. I buy things. I buy fleece and electronics without having touched them first. I don't toss things (which always made me feel terrible for both the financial cost and environmental cost.)
Brain retraining may not be the only way out of the hell hole, but it does work for some people, including me. … I've communicated with a number of people who won't try to heal their brains because they are afraid "what if HT is really hurting my body?" My response is this: Would you rather hide from life with little hope of ever really living again, or would you rather live your life with the possibility that something might be hurting you? There is ALWAYS possibility that something — thousands of somethings — might be hurting us. I chose to live my life.