Mold and mycotoxins

[TheBrain]

Liz,

Thanks for your update. I'm sorry to hear about your re-exposure to mold at work and discovering mold in your furnace at home—and what you faced with the remediation. I'll keep all of that in mind, in case I need to do remediation. I continue to hope my CIRS is from prior exposures to mold.

I can see how re-exposure would complicate matters for you. I'm glad you're tolerating the Welchol and have experienced some cognitive improvements over time. I guess this journey is a long one, given you've already been on the Welchol for a year and a half.

I've recently read about extreme mold avoidance as an option. One thing I've learned from this reading is that there are people with CIRS who are much, much sicker than I am. I hope to never need to do extreme mold avoidance, but it's good to know about it.

A local clinic offers 30-minute FIR sessions for $17. If you buy 8 sessions at once, you get a 10 percent. It's very reasonable. I hope you have a similar offering in your area.

My husband just started a fire in the fireplace. I can't miss that infrared heat.

I wish you the best and hope you can get away from mold and heal your body.

[TheBrain]

I thought I’d post some of the resources I’ve come across during my research on mold and mycotoxins.

Here’s one about mold and mycotoxin exposure from tea.

Mold and mycotoxin contamination of tea: contamination of processed tea with fungal mold and mycotoxins is not something that immediately springs to mind in the same way as for coffee. But risk is there and potentially wider due to the spectrum of plant ingredients used in herbal and medicinal teas, as well as Camellia sinensis for black and green tea.

The article doesn’t provide citations, but the author is a tea expert.

I drink a lot of tea.

[TheBrain]

LAC1965 why are you doing the ERMI instead of the HERTSMI-2? If you have a mold genotype and CIRS, you can do the cheaper version of the test which looks at the 5 toxins Shoemaker is concerned with. Look into this test and see if it works for you.

Here’s a bit more information on testing an indoor environment for mold using HERTSMI-2 from SurvivingMold.com’s ERMI/HERTSMI-2 FAQ.

Question: I just learned from one of my patients that Mycometrics is now offering a 5 species ERMI based on the HERTSMI-2 for only $125. Given your experience with the HERTSMI-2, do you think the 5 species version is good enough in most cases?

Answer: Mycometrics consistently has a better detection limit than other companies when done side to side. I don't know why that is. The use of HERTSMI-2 was designed for assessing risk of known patients for illness from re-exposure. It is not the same as asking IF the person is exposed. ERMI gives Group I and II that NIOSH adds together. If the number is over 30, then that is not good. The total ERMI is quite helpful looking at total fungal burden as well, so I get those at baseline and when I have confirmed the illness then I can see saving a lot of money by just asking for HERTSMI-2.

[TheBrain]

Here’s a list of Mold Illness Practitioners. Not all of them are Shoemaker-trained. The introductory text states the following:

Following is a list of practitioners who have experience in treating toxic mold illness and who have received positive reports from patients.

Please send comments about practitioners on this list or suggestions of additional practitioners to info@paradigmchange.me.

Results of a poll about practitioners are in the Paradigm Change blog post “2017 Medical Practitioners Poll: Which Ones Do Mold Group Members Believe Have Helped Them?”

[TheBrain]

The following text comes from the web site of Sonia Rapaport, MD. She is Shoemaker trained. If I end up needing to see a Shoemaker-trained practitioner, I’ll see her. I don’t think the far infrared (FIR) sauna is part of the Shoemaker protocol, but she uses it in her practice.

Of course, I wish her web site provided sources for the “studies.”

http://havenmedical.com/haven-therapeut ... red-sauna/

FIR saunas help induce up to three times the sweat volume of traditional saunas and is thought to be seven times more effective at detoxifying metals such as mercury and aluminum, as well as cholesterols, nicotine, alcohol, ammonia, sulfuric acid, and other environmental toxins when compared to conventional heat or steam saunas.

Studies support the benefits of FIR saunas in the treatment of chronic issues such as hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis and congestive heart failure (see below). Regular use of a FIR sauna is a powerful adjunct in detoxification of biotoxins, can enhance circulation, help heal infections, and decongest internal organs. In addition to detoxification, FIR saunas relax muscles and soothe the nervous system, offering a quiet, meditative environment to unwind and center. Treatments help to balance the autonomic nervous system, improve oxygenation, induce sweating, dilate peripheral blood vessels, improve tendon and ligament flexibility, increase overall systemic alkalinity (decreasing acidity), produce heat shock proteins, and help resolve edema and exudates.

[circular]

Interesting it mentions improves tendon and ligament flexibility. While good for many I have that problem with other high heat modalities, including warm water bath and hot tubs. I think the effect is less so if at all with wet and dry saunas, but I wonder if that’s only because I don’t tolerate them long without my blood pressure going too low. I wonder if, given the same amount of exposure, there’s something unique about FIR saunas that acts adversely in tendons and ligaments for hypermobile people, or whether longer exposure in any sauna would exacerbate that.

[TheBrain]

Circ, I can see how "improving" tendon and ligament flexibility would be the exact opposite of what you'd want to do. Good question about FIR sauna vs. any sauna. I suspect that hasn't been studied, but I'd bet there are anecdotes from hypermobile people to be told.

[TheBrain]

Here's an article from Sayer Ji at GreenMedInfo: Research Confirms Sweating Detoxifies Dangerous Metals, Petrochemicals. It's about sweating in general, not specific to sauna use only and no mention of mycotoxins.

Sayer Ji quotes the following from one study he reports on:

Toxic elements were found to differing degrees in each of blood, urine, and sweat. Serum levels for most metals and metalloids were comparable with those found in other studies in the scientific literature. Many toxic elements appeared to be preferentially excreted through sweat. Presumably stored in tissues, some toxic elements readily identified in the perspiration of some participants were not found in their serum. Induced sweating appears to be a potential method for elimination of many toxic elements from the human body.

[TheBrain]

And here's one of the articles that Sayer Ji mentions in his article: Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury in Sweat: A Systematic Review

Abstract
Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury exposures are ubiquitous. These toxic elements have no physiological benefits, engendering interest in minimizing body burden. The physiological process of sweating has long been regarded as “cleansing” and of low risk. Reports of toxicant levels in sweat were sought in Medline, Embase, Toxline, Biosis, and AMED as well as reference lists and grey literature, from inception to March 22, 2011. Of 122 records identified, 24 were included in evidence synthesis. Populations, and sweat collection methods and concentrations varied widely. In individuals with higher exposure or body burden, sweat generally exceeded plasma or urine concentrations, and dermal could match or surpass urinary daily excretion. Arsenic dermal excretion was severalfold higher in arsenic-exposed individuals than in unexposed controls. Cadmium was more concentrated in sweat than in blood plasma. Sweat lead was associated with high-molecular-weight molecules, and in an interventional study, levels were higher with endurance compared with intensive exercise. Mercury levels normalized with repeated saunas in a case report. Sweating deserves consideration for toxic element detoxification. Research including appropriately sized trials is needed to establish safe, effective therapeutic protocols.

I found the following text from this article of particular interest:

It has been noted that among people whose health is compromised by toxicants, heat regulatory mechanisms of the autonomic nervous system are often affected, resulting in a failure to sweat readily [3]. In these cases, along with diet and nutritional supplementation to remediate biochemical imbalances, interventions to consider include brushing the skin, niacin to assist with vasodilation, and exercise prior to sauna use [50]. Clinical experience is that with persistence and ample hydration patients do eventually start to sweat. This is often a sign that the autonomic nervous system function is beginning to improve. With enhanced ability to sweat, detoxification is facilitated, which can ultimately result in clinical improvement.

When I first started using a far infrared (FIR) sauna, I didn't sweat much. My sweating capability has improved, but there's still lots of room for improvement. The most sweating I did was after doing housecleaning that involved a lot of crouching, so the use of my legs. I've decided to add in exercise as I wait for the sauna to warm up.

My functional medicine practitioner got sick from mold in her office building. She had horrible pain from cholestyramine (apparently from being low in bile salts), so she stopped that and decided to buy a FIR sauna. She didn't sweat much initially, but she now sweats profusely. Even her longish hair gets sopping wet.

[TheBrain]

My insurance company approved the MRI with NeuroQuant! It's scheduled for January 16. My doctor requested copies of whatever documentation I felt comfortable submitting to order to get this approval. I ended up outing myself as an E4/E4, and I feel okay about it.