ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Mold and mildew have taken over thousands of homes across Southwest Florida. It’s a nightmare that many, including Nancy George, can’t seem to wake up from. “It gets into everything,” she said. “It’s in the walls, it’s in the floors, and it could be in the ceilings because most of them have been closed up for so long.” The place Nancy once called home is now covered in mold, past the point of repair. Her boyfriend’s house down the street is also covered in mold. “Mold is a huge problem here, for everybody,” Nancy said. “Almost all of these homes are gone because of the mold.” For now, Nancy is living in a camper with her boyfriend outside his home. They are both still waiting for FEMA disaster assistance money. “I’m at the mercy of the Christian companies now to see if they will come and help me remove stuff,” Nancy said. It’s a tough situation for Nancy as she deals with a chronic health condition. “Like I said, I have COPD, I can’t be in anything that’s growing mold,” she said. Nancy knows she’s not the only person dealing with mold in Southwest Florida, but she’s eager for help. “I would like to see us get towards at least moving into something solid and sound,” she said. Mold spreads fast and it’s not something to play around with, especially when you already have a compromised immune system. “Being in that environment and breathing in those spores is very common and very toxic,” said Dr. Eddie Maristany, co-director of Naples Center for Functional Medicine. Maristany is a board-certified internal medicine physician and one of 1,200 Institute of Functional Medicine Certified practitioners (IFMCP) worldwide. “Functional medicine is an emerging field in which we as physicians are actually looking at what’s the root cause for disease,” Dr. Maristany said. When it comes to fighting mold toxicity, Maristany said functional medicine may be a patient’s saving grace. “Doctors in functional medicine are saying, why are we not testing actual mycotoxin levels, and can we get rid of mycotoxins,” he said. Mycotoxins are harmful substances that come from mold, and lead to an array of health problems such as chronic headaches, colds, and sore throat. Dr. Maristany often tests mold-exposed patients for mycotoxins, and helps the patient get rid of them as quickly as possible. “I know people that had mold exposure five years ago, and they come to our office and they are still sick,” he said. Dr. Maristany showed me the labs from a patient he treated in 2020. He tested the patient’s toxin levels, which were shockingly high. “He had a ton of this toxin called mycophenolic acid,” Dr. Maristany said. “Regular levels are less than 37 and his was 3,383.” It was clear why that young, seemingly healthy patient always felt sick, tired, and achy. His immune system was fighting mold. “One of the most common symptoms of mold toxicity is immune dysregulation…because it’s fighting mold, it doesn’t have any troops left,” he said. “The front-line is lacking…all the troops were fighting another country–the mold.” After just four months of taking mold binders, which essentially are substances that help your body get rid of toxins, the patient’s health improved dramatically. “So basically, it took over a year but we cleared all of the mycotoxins from his system,” Dr. Maristany said. It was a remarkable recovery for a patient who felt sick most of his adult life. “That’s the beauty of functional medicine…we are trying to really go underneath and go a little bit deeper in our standard of care,” Dr. Maristany said. Dr. Maristany expects a surge in mold-related illnesses this year, as people recover from Hurricane Ian. His goal is to raise awareness that testing and treatment are available in the functional medicine space.