Mold Growth Might Cause Parkinsons
Just down the road at Rutgers University, a recent study has concluded that mold growth may cause similar symptoms as Parkinsons disease. The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and how this team of researchers got to this conclusion regarding these shocking mold side effects is a fascinating story, and one that starts very close to home for the team leader, Joan Bennett.
Joan Bennett is Rutgers own resident fungus expert. Being a skeptic of sick building syndrome, which has been one of the main causes in the rise in mold inspections and mold remediation, she never fully supported the idea that the air inside of the places that we dwell can make us sick. Well, she was proved wrong.
Owning a home in New Orleans, she definitely experienced one of the leading causes of severe in-home mold growth when Hurricane Katrina cause her home to flood in 2005. She did what any biologist would do, and decided to take samples of the growth in her home so she could study them in her temporary home, New Jersey. While she was collecting these samples, she noticed that she felt ill, experiencing nausea, dizziness, and headaches despite the fact that she was wearing a face mask and protective gear. This experience led to the new research discovery.
Key Stats And Facts About Pd In The United States
10 Key Stats and Facts About PD In The United States
What Causes Parkinson’s And Is There A Cure
The causes of Parkinson’s are as yet unknown. Some poisons, mould toxins and synthetic medications, for example, can give rise to the condition. Additionally, there are some genes that can be a trigger if they become damaged. Extensive brain damage can also cause Parkinson’s symptoms.
Researchers have not yet been able to find a way to cure Parkinson’s or slow its progression, although this is an area of great research. However, with medication symptoms can be effectively controlled to improve your quality of life.
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Role Of Fungal Mould In Parkinsons Investigated
18 November, 2013By NT Contributor
Can damp, mouldy rooms increase risk of Parkinsons? Study shows fungi can affect how brain chemicals function, the Mail Online reports. But before you start frantically cleaning your home, the study in question involved flies, not humans.
In Parkinsons disease the neurotransmitter dopamine is reduced, causing problems with initiating movement, tremor at rest and muscle stiffness.
In this study, the researchers exposed flies to one of the molecules produced by fungi that gives them the characteristic musty smell found in mouldy environments: 1-octen-3-ol. Flies exposed to the molecules had difficulty with movement, loss of dopamine neurons, reduced levels of dopamine and died earlier than flies not exposed.
Exposure to the molecules also caused difficulty in the dopamine system on human embryo kidney cells in the laboratory.
This is an interesting study but it cannot prove that living in a mouldy home causes Parkinsons disease. Further large epidemiological studies in humans would be required to show a clear association between exposure and risk of developing Parkinsons disease.
However, prolonged exposure to damp mouldy environments is not recommended as this could increase the risk of you developing asthma, allergic rhinitis and chest infections.
What Is Parkinson’s And What Makes You Think I Have It
Parkinsons is a progressive neurological disorder;and is considered to be one of the most common neurological conditions.
Every case of Parkinsons is different and not everyone will experience the same symptoms. For example, not all people develop tremor and for some, rigidity is the major symptom. With modern medication, symptoms can be well controlled.
Our movements are controlled by nerve cells in the brain which pass messages to one another, and to the rest of the body, using chemicals called neurotransmitters. An area of the brain called the substantia nigra produces one of the neurotransmitters that controls movement: dopamine. In people with Parkinsons, 70-80% of dopamine-producing cells gradually deteriorate and are lost this is called neurodegeneration.;Cell death occurs naturally with ageing, but in Parkinsons the process is much faster.
The loss of dopamine-producing neurons results in low levels of dopamine in the part of the brain that controls movement and balance. When nerve cells do not pass on brain messages properly due to a lack of dopamine, movement is no longer controlled smoothly and the symptoms of Parkinsons appear. The most common;symptoms are tremor, stiffness; and slowness of movement.
Difficulties that are not related to movement can also occur, such as pain, sleep disturbance and depression. These are known as non-motor symptoms.
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Who Is At Risk For Mold Toxicity
While anyone can become ill from exposure to mold and its mycotoxins, some are more susceptible than others.
People who already have allergies or asthma can be more severely affected by mold toxicity than those who do not have allergies.
Also, people who are already ill, have immune suppression, or who have respiratory illnesses are more likely to have noticeable and intense symptoms resulting from mold exposure.
Symptoms of mold toxicity are relatively persistent and should not be ignored.
Mold Health Impact : Bipolar And Schizophrenic Tendencies
Glutamate is an amino acid found throughout every part of the body. In the nervous system, however, glutamate is used as a neurotransmitter. When patients are exposed to extreme levels of mold toxins, glutamate levels rise dramatically, causing patients to exhibit bipolar and schizophrenic tendencies. The sad reality is that most psychiatrists will not link their behavior to a mold toxicity issue; leaving thousands of patients misdiagnosed. In fact, if a patient whose bipolar tendencies are a result of mold toxicity is prescribed bipolar medication, the result wont be a normalization of mood. Instead, it will result in a feeling of emotional numbness or detachment. Fortunately, when Dr. Sponaugle identifies mold toxicity in a patient who exhibits bipolar tendencies, he can utilize intravenous toxin removal to help resolve these symptoms.
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Coughing And Shortness Of Breath
The irritation and inflammation caused by mold often lead to frequent coughing that is otherwise unexplained.
The throat and lungs are irritated continuously when repeatedly exposed to mycotoxins. If the issue isnt addressed, this coughing can develop into more severe conditions such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
The same inflammation that causes irritated, constricted airways that lead to wheezing and coughing can eventually lead to shortness of breath.
This gives a feeling of tightness in the chest. It may feel like you are unable to take in a full breath.
Mold As A Possible Cause Of Parkinson Disease
Exposure to mold growth has been associated with a negative impact on human health. The most commonly mentioned mold related illnesses are allergic reactions, i.e., mold allergy. Individuals who are susceptible to mold react when they inhale spores and fungal fragments.
Mold allergy symptoms vary from person to person and range from mild to severe. The symptoms may include sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; cough; itchy eyes, nose and throat and watery eyes.
As mold and bacteria grow they emit volatile organic compounds responsible for much of the distinctive moldy odor common in water damaged buildings. There are over 200 compounds identified as MVOCs in laboratory experiments.
None these compounds can be regarded as exclusively of microbial origin or as specific for certain microbial species. The health effect often associated with MVOC exposure is eye and upper-airway irritation. However, in human experimental exposure studies, symptoms of irritation have appeared at MVOC concentrations several orders of magnitude higher than those measured in indoor environments.
Whether 1-octen-3-ol occurs in water damaged buildings in concentrations high enough to cause Parkinson disease in humans is currently;not known.
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Sneezing And Nasal Congestion
While many things can trigger sneezing, its also a symptom of mold toxicity that should get your attention. If youve never had allergies or hay fever symptoms and youre positive you dont have a cold, those sneezes could be indicative of mold exposure.
Sneezing is the immune systems standard response to allergens. It could also be a warning sign that your home has a mold problem.
Be Your Own Health Advocate
Every drug carries risks.The Save Institute recommends avoiding prescriptions drugs except in matters of life and death. The dire, life-altering consequences of DIP are a striking example of why this recommendation is so important for maintaining your health.
Do your own research about the potential side effects of any drug, and always seek a natural remedy instead of a synthetic drug. In the case of osteoporosis and osteopenia, reversal is possible through a combination of diet, exercise and bone-healthy lifestyle choices.
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Rutgers Researcher Joan Bennett’s Work Follows Her Own Illness Suffered While Cleaning Up Flood Damage From Hurricane Katrina
Scientists at Rutgers and Emory universities have discovered that a compound often emitted by mold may be linked to symptoms of Parkinsons disease.
Arati Inamdar and Joan Bennett, researchers in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers, used fruit flies to establish the connection between the compound; popularly known as mushroom alcohol and the malfunction of two genes involved in the packaging and transport of dopamine, the chemical released by nerve cells to send messages to other nerve cells in the brain.
The findings were published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Parkinsons has been linked to exposure to environmental toxins, but the toxins were man-made chemicals, Inamdar said. In this paper, we show that biologic compounds have the potential to damage dopamine and cause Parkinsons symptoms.
For co-author Bennett, the research was more than academic. Bennett was working at Tulane University in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. Her flooded house became infested with molds, which she collected in samples, wearing a mask, gloves and protective gear.
Inamdar, who uses fruit flies in her research, and Bennett began their study shortly after Bennett arrived at Rutgers. Bennett wanted to understand the connection between molds and symptoms like those she had experienced following Katrina.;
The study was funded by Rutgers and the National Institutes of Health.
Indoor Fungus Is Not The Only Culprit
But theres even more to the link between fungus and Parkinsons disease.
A 2006 study also found that a Candida infection could lead to the onset of the disease. The authors noticed that the infection caused the dopamine to convert into salsolinol. This compound has a toxic effect on the brain and disrupts the activity in the central nervous system.
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Mold Toxins And Parkinson’s Disease:
There is a strong link between specific mold neurotoxins and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.One can have a urine test for poisonous mold toxins to detect for elevated levels of these neurotoxins.Mold types, detection, mitigation and detoxification are all covered.
Climate change is causing more hurricanes, floods and rising water leading to water intrusions and an increase in mold infestation.Humans are spending record amounts of time indoors exposed to mold toxins harbored by drywall, carpeting, upholstery, ceiling tiles, ventilation ducts, plants , etc.There are over 100,000 species of molds but only about two dozen cause health problems for humans and even fewer are known to be related to Parkinson’s disease.
Watery Or Irritated Eyes
When allergens are present, the body releases histamines as part of its immune response. This histamine release is what causes the eyes to water excessively when exposed to toxins from mold.
This reaction from histamine may be the bodys way of flushing out allergens and toxins. It can serve as a warning to you that your environment may contain dangerous black mold.
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Mold Health Impact : Parkinsons Disease
A Parkinsons disease diagnosis often results in a feeling of hopelessness. One of Dr. Sponaugles patients, Amy; however, did not give in to depression. Amy credits the onset of her illness to her exposure to high levels of black mold during her time spent assisting with humanitarian efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In just one month, Amy started to experience profound neurological interferences in her ability to walk. Eventually, Parkinsonian rigidity and episodic paralysis left her bedridden. After being unable to improve with the help of traditional Parkinsons medication and integrative approaches, Amy came to Sponaugle Wellness Institute. Receiving treatment at Sponaugle Wellness allowed Amys health to improve in ways she was unable to accomplish elsewhere. Learn more about her progression and treatment at Sponaugle Wellness in her VIDEO: Learn More About Amys Parkinsons Symptoms as a Result of Exposure to Black Mold
Do I Have Toxic Mold Poisoning
Last Updated on by Matt Pratt-Hyatt PhD
Home»Blog»Do I have Toxic Mold Poisoning?
Today Im going to deal with a common question, Do I have toxic mold poisoning? Another common question that is similar is Is mold really that serious, isnt mold everywhere? I will try and answer both of these questions. Most people are aware of mold because we see it every day.
There are literally thousands of species of mold, however, not every species produces toxic compounds. However, water damage is becoming more and more common, which is leading to more mold and mycotoxin production in homes, offices, and schools. However, even if the mold isnt producing toxins you might be reacting to the spores themselves.
Lets briefly talk about the two items you might be reacting to, what symptoms you might expect, and how to test to see if this is what is causing your problems.
The most serious problems caused by mold are caused by small molecules call mycotoxins, which are produced by mold when they feel threatened. Think of this like the ink an octopus produces or when a skunk sprays someone. For some mycotoxins, low levels are not problematic for most individuals.
These mycotoxins are found in low amounts in food. However, other mycotoxins such as the Trichothecenes are toxic in much smaller quantities, but only in water-damaged buildings, and they are much more toxic. Trichothecenes are produced by Stachybotrys, otherwise known as black mold.
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The Hit And Run Syndromes
Mold-induced ME/CFS, ;toxin triggered Gulf War Illness , trauma associated fibromyalgia, toxin initiated Environmental Illness, Borrelia triggered long-term Lyme disorder and perhaps infection-triggered ME/CFS may all have one thing in common; a single trigger ;which if removed does not ;relieve the illness! Some people with mold-induced ME/CFS do recover by removing themselves from the moldy environment but others do not. Accident triggered fibromyalgia does not resolve itself once the injury is healed. ;GWS patients are still sick decades removed from the Gulf War. The pathogen issue in Lyme and ME/CFS is more complicated but its possible that for many, the initial infections were resolved , but the illness remained.
Some sort of system reset appears to be occurring in all these disorders.
Combination Of Factors Might Have Caused Epidemic
Dr. Kishorbhai Gangani, internist at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital explained that India was relatively lucky during the countrys first wave of COVID-19, but that a combination of factors set the stage for the current surge in COVID-19 and mucormycosis cases.
According to Gangani, elections and associated mass rallies were happening, and it was a time of year when many weddings happen and crucially, there were no COVID-19 restrictions.
Government probably focused more on elections than on anything else, he said. At that time it was happening all over India, and the focus was shifted. It was bad timing.
Gangani explained that a typical Indian wedding can involve up to 1,000 people, and that the countrys infrastructure was never ready for a surge of this magnitude.
And the strain they have is very virulent, and they didnt expect that this was going to be a fast transmitting strain and more virulent which will make more people sicker, faster, he added.
With so many people experiencing compromised immunity from COVID-19, a surge in mucormycosis became more likely.
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