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Sunday, September 4, 2011

The Common Toxin that Can Be FAR More Damaging than Pesticides and Heavy Metals

The Common Toxin that Can Be FAR More Damaging than Pesticides and Heavy Metals.  We have had to deal with this problem a number of times here in Northern California.  Especially during prolonged seasonal wet cycles from November through May.  I felt it really important to publish excerpts from this well documented and researched article by Dr. Mercola, on what mold can do to you physically.  It darned near killed me.   


The timing is such that everyone who lives in areas where mold is a problem can have a "head's up" on some very practical things to do to avoid mold development during the forthcoming fall and winter seasons.



"Mold in your home, school or workplace can pose a number of serious health problems that you may not realize are related to mold exposure. This article is part of a series of articles I'm writing about this silent health threat. The focus of this particular article will be on some of the more serious medical conditions—some deadly—with which mold has been associated.
For an overview of mold—where you might find it, how to identify it, and how to get rid of it—refer to this previous article.
In a previous interview with mold expert Dr. Jack Thrasher, he estimated that as many as 40 percent of American schools and 25 percent of homes have mold infestations, unbeknownst to the people occupying those buildings. It follows that adverse health effects of mold may be reaching pandemic levels.
Growing right along with mold are what are called "gram negative" and "gram positive" bacteria. Just like mold, they require moisture and organic material to thrive and are often found growing in the same places as mold, and the synergistic action between mold and bacteria further worsen inflammatory health conditions. Oftentimes, bacterial infections occur alongside fungal infections and make treatment more complicated.
Everyone is potentially at risk for toxic mold exposure, regardless of your geographic region, climate, socioeconomic status, race, age or gender. As with most other medical challenges, knowledge is your most powerful weapon."


"Scientific research has been emerging that connects mold exposure with various health conditions for which the causes were previously unknown. For example, in 2010, Fisk et al published a meta-analysis showing a substantially significant association between residential dampness and mold with respiratory infections and bronchitis. Dr. Michael Gray has compiled a database of conditions reported in the literature of adverse health effects of fungi in man and other species. These include, but are not limited to, the following conditions—some common and some relatively esoteric:



http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/03/molds-making-you-ill.aspx?e_cid=20110903_DNL_art_3

Mold CAN Hurt You

Many common health problems may be associated with mold exposure, but very few people have connected the dots. This is why it is SO important for you to be aware of the seriousness of this problem and become familiar with what to look for.
From a toxicity point of view, some mycotoxins (toxic substances produced by mold) are actually far more toxic than heavy metals, in terms of concentration. Mycotoxins also tend to affect more biological systems in your body than do pesticides or heavy metals, partly because fungi have the ability to dodge your immune system by rapidly mutating, while at the same time producing chemicals that suppress your immune system.
If your immune system is stressed in any way, or if you are extremely sensitive and have allergy-like reactions to a variety of agents (see Multiple Chemical Sensitivity syndrome or MCS), then you may be even MORE sensitive to mold than the average person and have chronic symptoms directly related to mold in your environment. But even if you are generally healthy, mold can still pose a significant risk if you are caught off-guard.

Deadly Mycotoxins Can Cross Into Your Brain From Your Nose and Eyes

Mycotoxins are chemical toxins present within or on the surface of the mold spore, which you then unwittingly inhale, ingest, or touch. These mold toxins are extremely potent and often affect nearly every organ system in your body. Some effects resemble radiation sickness. Some are neurotoxic and produce central nervous system effects, including cognitive and behavioral changes, ataxia and convulsions. Approximately 70 percent of the people with confirmed exposure to toxigenic molds exhibit significant neurotoxicity.
Scientists believe that mycotoxins are the organism's way of holding a competitive edge by defeating other organisms that are trying to thrive in the same environment—like humans, for example.
One of the reasons mycotoxins are so toxic is they can cross directly into your brain. According to Dr. Thrasher, your olfactory neurons are in direct communication with your brain—there is no barrier. Anything you have inhaled or smelled, even if it doesn't have an odor, can go directly into your brain via these olfactory neurons. Mycotoxins have even been found to enter your brain via optic muscles and optic nerves. This lack of a blood-brain barrier has been confirmed in scientific studies.
This creates the potential for mold-induced sinusitis to lead to serious brain complications if left untreated.
More than 200 mycotoxins have been identified from common molds. Mycotoxins interfere with RNA synthesis and may cause DNA damage. Mycotoxins, even in minute quantities, are lipid-soluble and readily absorbed by your intestinal lining, airways and skin. Even spores that are no longer able to reproduce can still harm your health due to these mycotoxins—in other words, "dead" mold spores are every bit as dangerous as "live" ones. The spores do not produce the toxins—rather, it is thought that the toxins are produced when the spores are produced, by the mold colony.
The mycotoxins that have probably received the most attention by researchers are the trichothecenes, produced by Stachybotyrs chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor, two of the molds I'd like to discuss due to their especially toxic effects."

The Common Toxin that Can Be FAR More Damaging than Pesticides and Heavy Metals.  I hope that you will make use of this health warning and protect 
yourselves because the medical costs to deal with a mold problem are in
 the tens of thousands of dollars.  


On top of all that misery, you have the other burden of what it takes to fix your home.   It was extremely costly as we found out.  

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