Archive for the ‘Mold’ Category

Are You Unknowingly Ingesting Toxic Mold?

https://www.lymedisease.org/unknowingly-ingesting-mold/

Are you unknowingly ingesting toxic mold?

By Lonnie Marcum
April 4, 2023

Do you feel like you’re doing everything right and still not getting better? It’s possible something hidden in your daily routine may be sabotaging your healing.

One potential culprit is manufactured citric acid (MCA), often added to food as a preservative and flavor enhancer.

It’s used in processed foods, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, fruit drinks, nutritional supplements, vitamins, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and more.

And here’s the potential problem: this ingredient is mass produced using  Aspergillus niger—a type of mold. People with chronic illness and weakened immune systems may react badly to it. In fact, many patients with persistent symptoms of Lyme disease experience more severe symptoms when exposed to mold.

To date, there have been no human trials investigating the safety of MCA. However, in 2018, two medical doctors at the University of Chicago did a deep literature review and found cause for concern.

In their published paper, they present a series of four case reports of patients who had significant worsening of symptoms after ingesting MCA. By eliminating MCA, each of the patients had a resolution of symptoms.

What exactly is this substance?

Citric acid is naturally derived from lemons, limes and other fruits and vegetables and was widely used in foods and beverages until the early 1900s. In 1917, James Currie, an American chemist, discovered he could mass produce citric acid from mold.

Today, 99% of citric acid in commercial use is manufactured from fermented corn syrup and Aspergillus niger.

In 2016 there were 2.3 million tons of MCA produced, predominantly in China. Approximately 70% of that MCA is used in foods and beverages, 20% in pharmaceutical ingredients and cosmetics, and 10% in cleaning and softening agents.

While the basic molecular formula for natural citric acid and MCA is the same (C-6,H-8,O-7), MCA contains the potential of contamination by impurities and fragments of Aspergillus niger.

When mold enters the body, the immune system recognizes it as a foreign invader and mounts a response to remove it. The specific immune response to mold depends on the type of mold, the individual’s immune system, and the duration and extent of exposure.

Aspergillus niger is commonly found in soil and decaying vegetation. It is extremely resilient, flourishing in both hot and cold climates.

While the FDA currently lists MCA as a safe ingredient, it was developed at a time before the agency monitored food additives. In 1958, the US adopted the Food Additives Amendment, making any ingredients added to food subject to FDA approval. However, Congress excluded from this requirement all food ingredients in use before 1958.

Allergic reactions

Symptoms of mold allergy can include:

  • Respiratory symptoms (coughing, wheezing, worsening Asthma)
  • Skin rash or hives
  • Itchy or watery eyes
  • Runny or stuffy nose
  • Headache
  • Gastrointestinal upset

In rare cases, exposure to Aspergillus niger can lead to a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which requires immediate medical attention.

If you suspect that you may have an allergy to Aspergillus niger or other molds, it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider. They may recommend allergy and mold testing to confirm the diagnosis.

Minimizing exposure

It’s important for people with weakened immune symptoms to minimize their exposure to mold. If you live or work in an environment where you are likely to be exposed to mold, you may need to take steps to reduce your exposure and minimize your risk of developing an allergy.

Ways to minimize mold exposure include keeping your living spaces clean and dry, using air filters or dehumidifiers, and consuming clean food and beverages. In severe cases, more drastic remediation efforts must be taken.

If you have a known mold sensitivity,  I recommend that you read the ingredient of your most frequently consumed foods, beverages, and supplements. Ingredients are listed from highest to lowest content. If you see citric acid high on the list and you notice an increase in symptoms shortly after consuming that product, you might try eliminating the item from your diet.

For more information, see:

LYME SCI: Are hidden ingredients in pills making you sicker?

LYME SCI: Dealing with Lyme disease and mold illness at the same time.

LYME SCI: Lyme? Mold toxicity? Other chronic ills? Read this book.

TICKTECTIVE: All about kids with Lyme, PANS, and mold illness.

LymeSci is written by Lonnie Marcum, a Licensed Physical Therapist and mother of a daughter with Lyme. She served two terms on a subcommittee of the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group. Follow her on Twitter: @LonnieRhea  Email her at: lmarcum@lymedisease.org.

Reference

Sweis IE, Cressey BC. Potential role of the common food additive manufactured citric acid in eliciting significant inflammatory reactions contributing to serious disease states: A series of four case reports. Toxicol Rep. 2018 Aug 9;5:808-812. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2018.08.002. PMID: 30128297; PMCID: PMC6097542.

For more:

Category:

Mold, research, Supplements

Pro Figure Skater On Managing Lyme As An Athlete

https://www.globallymealliance.org/blog/a-professional-figure-skater-discusses-managing-lyme-disease-as-an-athlete

Professional Figure Skater Discusses Managing Lyme Disease as an Athlete

by Carolyn Budreski  on March 8, 2023

<span id="hs_cos_wrapper_name" class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_text" style="" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="text" >Professional Figure Skater Discusses Managing Lyme Disease as an Athlete</span>

It’s not easy living with Lyme disease– especially for athletes who rely on the strength of their bodies to excel in sports.

Imagine this: you’re running late. You hop in your car, and the gas is on empty. There is no time to stop and fill up. So, you spend your entire trip wondering if you’ll have enough fuel to get where you need to go…

Life as an athlete with Lyme disease is a bit like this. We have to be really careful with our fuel– and sometimes we unexpectedly have a lot less than expected. When flu-like lethargy hits, we have to learn to manage.  Sometimes nerves don’t fire that should– which can make everything (especially jumping as a figure skater) very tricky. We have to be mindful of Lyme triggers, our diet, and making sure to plan as best we can to maximize our training without causing a Lyme flareup.

Screen Shot 2023-03-07 at 3.28.59 PMI’m Carolyn, I’m 39-years-old, and I have chronic Lyme disease.  I’m an adult figure skater, aerialist, photographer, actor, wife, and mom.

The first step for me when I was diagnosed, was to find a coach who understood: someone who understood that I was not being lazy when I couldn’t push through on days where I was in a full blown mast cell or Lyme flareup.  Who understood that skating in an older rink wasn’t an option because of mold.

If you’re reading this, and you already have Lyme, you don’t need me to describe the searing sensation of broken glass in your joints, like someone using your connective tissues to put out their lit cigarettes. Adding insult to injury is the incredible amount of inflammation that comes with Lyme– which means shifts in balance, swelling, and pain. It means some days my skates feel three sizes too small, and my balance point is off.

But skating in a Lyme flareup doesn’t just feel like I’m skating in someone else’s missized skates– it feels like I’m skating in someone else’s body.

Why not just quit? Because I am stubborn, and skating is part of me.

Screen Shot 2023-03-07 at 3.28.26 PMI’ve started skating outdoors as much as possible, because older rinks aren’t an option. The mold spores that others might not notice are detrimental for a Lyme patient. I have ice skates and also in-line figure skates, so that I can be outdoors in the fresh air as much as possible.

I’ve incorporated stretching, flexibility work, and off ice work, for the days that I don’t have enough fuel in the tank to skate. On high inflammation days, I focus on edgework over spins and jumps.

Most importantly, I practice self-love and compassion. As a teenager, my goal was to go to the Olympics, and every step away from that goal was a source of shame and self-punishment. Now, I’m grateful to just be able to skate at all. Instead of pounding my body trying to land double and triple jumps, I focus on big beautiful single jumps. I’m grateful to be able to do even that.

***

The above material is provided for information purposes only. The material (a) is not nor should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor (b) does it necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of Global Lyme Alliance, Inc. or any of its directors, officers, advisors or volunteers. Advice on the testing, treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient’s medical history.
GLA Contributor

Carolyn Budreski 

GLA Contributor

*Opinions expressed by contributors are their own. Carolyn is an adult figure skater with late stage Lyme disease. She’s used her skating & coaching in the film industry, where she works as a stand-in and an actor. She also runs a photography business, focusing on weddings, newborns, and content creation. During the pandemic, she was featured on Sports Illustrated’s website advocating for cold water therapy as a treatment for Lyme disease. She’s also an aerialist, polar dipper, wife, and mom.

For more:

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Mold

All About Kids With Lyme, PANS, & Mold Illness

https://vimeo.com/765481249  Video Here (Approx. 1 hour 30 Min)

Ticktective with Dana Parish: All About Kids with Lyme, PANS, Mold Illness

Learn about the signs of Lyme and co-infections in children in this installment of Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s TICKTECTIVE podcast.

Dana Parish, co-author of the book CHRONIC, interviews Charlotte Mao, MD, MPH, a Harvard-trained pediatric infectious diseases physician and Invisible International’s curriculum director.

In this discussion, Dr. Mao reviews Lyme testing, Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric symptoms (PANS) triggered by Bartonella, and how mold toxins can complicate the course of illness.

For more:

Category:

Bartonella, Lyme, Mold, PANS

9 Symptoms of Black Mold Exposure

https://sponauglewellness.com/conditions/toxic-black-mold-treatment/9-symptoms-of-mold-toxicity/

9 Symptoms Of Black Mold Exposure

By / 

Mold toxicity, though common, poses a severe health threat to those who are affected by the condition. Exposure to Stachybotrys chartarum, or black mold, causes many health problems throughout many bodily systems.

If mold toxicity isn’t addressed right away, problems persist and worsen. This is especially important when those with compromised immune systems are exposed to mold.

Your health could be at stake if your home has black mold. Read on to learn more about black mold and the nine symptoms of mold toxicity that you should never ignore.

What Is Black Mold?

Not all dark-colored molds are black mold, but a variety of the various types of mold are documented on record. Black mold is a greenish-black mold that is gelatinous in form because of its wet top layer. If the moisture source that encouraged its growth has dried up, the mold can appear powdery.

Black mold releases mycotoxins, which are byproducts of their metabolic processes. These mycotoxins can be dangerous to humans and cause many health problems.

Learn More – How Much Mold Is Harmful?

Black mold frequently grows in areas of the home where moisture is high and where water condenses.

These areas include:

  • In the kitchen, especially under the sink and inside cabinets
  • In the bathroom, especially in and around the shower and tub
  • In the walls where pipes make be leaky
  • Around windows and window sills
  • In fireplaces and chimneys
  • In the attic, especially near vents, the water heater, or the furnace
  • In the basement, especially around ducts, pipes, or a sump pump

These areas should be checked often and kept clean and dry. If possible, measures should be taken to reduce moisture so mold is less likely to grow in these places.  (See link for article)

_______________

SUMMARY:

Anyone can become ill due to mold but those who have allergies, asthma, or suppressed immune systems can be more severely affected.

  1. Sneezing, a runny or blocked nose can be warning signs that you have a mold problem.
  2. Mold causes headaches and migraines.
  3. Having a dry, sore, or irritated throat can also be a sign of mold.
  4. Wheezing is a common sign of mold.
  5. Coughing & shortness of breath can be a sign of mold.
  6. Having watery or irritated eyes can be a sign of mold.
  7. Nausea and vomiting can occur with mold allergies.
  8. Eczema, rashes, hives, itchy, scaly red skin – can all be allergic reactions to mold.
  9. Itchy eyes, nose, and throat can be a reaction to mold.

Refer to link for details, treatment options, and more articles on mold.

For more:

Category:

Mold

‘I Feel Incredibly Robbed’: The Debate and Deadly Effects of Lyme Disease in Colorado

https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mountain-pbs/lyme-disease-colorado-ticks/  Video Here (Approx. 7 Min)

‘I feel incredibly robbed’: The debate and deadly effects of Lyme disease in Colorado

by  Alexis Kikoen
Published on
Samantha Davis and her 3-year-old son Felix look through pictures of her husband, Nate, after he lost his life to complications from Lyme disease and mold poisoning.

Rocky Mountain PBS

DENVER — Samantha Davis and her 3-year-old son Felix sit together at their kitchen table. A large pile of photographs sits in front of them, and they slowly start to make their way through it.

“Oh my gosh, what are we doing?” Davis asks Felix as she shows him a picture. “Rafting with Papa!” he excitedly responds.

Davis continues to flip through the stack and lands on a picture of her husband wandering through a canyon in Moab, Utah. Her expression becomes somber.

“Here’s Papa in Moab, probably the year he got bit,” she sighs. “We had no idea what the early symptoms of Lyme disease were, or what untreated Lyme could do to you.”

Davis lost her husband Nate Watters on June 5, 2021, to complications from Lyme disease and mold poisoning. He was 36 years old. (See link for article)

__________________

SUMMARY:

  • The article predictably asks the question if Lyme even exists in Colorado.  The problem with this illogical and ignorant question is it doesn’t take into account the fact that travel.  The fox, deer, bird, and people travel everywhere picking up ticks and dropping them everywhere.  I can’t believe we are still having this discussion.
  • A singular thinking doctor in Colorado (Dr. Shawn Naylor) points out that there are numerous strains of borrelia that cause Lyme-like disease, and while they may not be picking up Borrelia burgdorferi, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t other strains causing illness, and absence of evidence is not proof of absence.  Borrelia is a fastidious organism and extremely hard to find. The “discoverer” of Lyme, Willy Burgdorfer stated so in this important 4 min video.
  • The fact this man had a EM rash (which is diagnostic for Lyme) and didn’t get diagnosed and treated is a clear reminder that Lymeland remains in the Dark Ages.  When is the medical profession going to take this seriously enough to train doctors appropriately?  Simply put: this man did not have to die.
  • IMO the hands/skin pain and rawness is an indicator that should point doctors to another strain – a European strain that causes skin manifestations (not something I see much of here in WI but still exists).   This picture is from a year old study and even shows the hand involvement.       

  • Then the barrel of monkey symptoms came tumbling out: (weight loss, facial swelling, body lesions, fatigue, graying hair, muscle pain, etc) should have sent off red-light warning bells. But, the medical system stupidity continues.
  • The guy even manages to test positive for Lyme.  But again, due to flagrant stupidity, doctors regurgitate the mantra that it must be a false positive because Lyme isn’t common in Colorado, and Lyme “doesn’t look like this.”  Wow.
  • The ignorance is blatantly pointed out by an entomologist and Lepidopterist manager that states the black legged tick does not naturally occur in Colorado, therefore Lyme disease transmission is rare to non-existent.  As the saying goes however; gargage in, garbage out.

    • First, ticks carry all sorts of nasty diseases they can transmit and they can all look somewhat similar. Second, testing for ALL of these pathogens is abysmal, which means it’s not getting picked up which explains why things are often “rare” when they are not. Third, even IF patients are picking Lyme up from nearby states, what does it matter?  You have sick people and they need to be diagnosed and treated.  It’s ironic to me that globalization is embraced for everything until it comes to tick-borne illness.  Then, for some illogical but nefarious reason, it’s all about geography and limitations (where ticks are and where they aren’t – where things are rare, and where they aren’t) when people and animals move about freely. Fourth, it’s unacceptable that we are still in this quandary and that doctors are still taking this tact when it’s been proven there are numerous genospecies that cause illness in animals and humans, including:
      • a peer-reviewed research paper published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases in September 1994, a new genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi was discovered in wood rats and ticks found in Northern Colorado.
      • A second paper published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in August 2000 gave the new Borrelia isolate a name – Borrelia bissettii. The strain has been identified in at least three different tick species in Colorado and has been isolated in humans displaying clinical symptoms typically associated with Lyme disease. According to the study, “It is therefore possible that some cases of Lyme disease in the United States may be caused by B. bissettii.”  
  • The fact Naylor, the singular thinking doctor, has to “speak carefully” on the subject demonstrates perfectly that Lyme/MSIDS has become highly politicized (like COVID) and politics trump science.  Naylor points out that the deceased man ran into denial from doctors despite testing positive multiple times on the western blot. He states doctors want to err on the side of ignorance than acknowledge that this is severely under-studied. Doctors also know that if they defy the accepted narrative, they will be hunted down and persecuted (just like we are seeing with doctors treating COVID). The persecution of doctors is extremely taxing, stressful, time consuming, and full of risk.  It takes strong, determined doctors to defy this tyranny, which is why we desperately need to decentralize the public health monopoly.
  • Doctors are getting their orders from the top-down, which starts in the government and then trickles down to research institutions, medical schools/professional organizations, and hospitals/clinics.  There are vast conflicts of interest in this pyramid scheme.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that up to 90% of tick-borne disease cases go unreported nationwide.  Hello!
  • Naylor then points out that states that are not considered to be “endemic” have much more complex and arduous reporting requirements, which turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy keeping these states forever non-endemic, even when they aren’t.
  • And this is how the CDC controls the narrative. They are in charge of parameters be it with reporting, testing, diagnostics, treatment guidelines, you name it.  Until this corrupt organization is shut down we will never have truth.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Mold, Ticks