Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Symptoms of Fungal Exposure.....do you have any of these?

Symptoms of Fungal Exposure (Mycotoxicosis)
Susan Lillard-Roberts

Mold toxicity is often the end result with constant exposure to mold of a toxic substance.  A common misconception among allergists who are untrained in this type of toxicity levels in humans, which is technically not their area of expertise unless they have trained specifically in environmental medicine with their  background in immunology, is to do general allergen testing.  Most tests usually result in an unequivocal result, a 2+ or less.  This induces some physicians to order allergy shots, regardless.  These shots are absolutely worthless to a person who has been heavily exposed to these mycotoxins as they are already in a state of toxicity.  If anything, this could exacerbate the problem.  Because many doctors are not trained in this field, they may try to "guess" at a diagnosis. 

In laymen's terms, molds produce mycotoxins.  These substances, although unseen by the naked eye, are ingested and then enter the body through the skin, mucous and airways.  Once ingested, mold has the requirements to colonize and spread.  In doing this, it can compromise the immune system and damage everyday processes of the body.  Mold and yeast are interchangeable only in their dimorphic state, which is often a big misconception, although both are fungi. There has long been a theory of a connection between Autism Spectrum Disorder onset and Candida Albicans in the body.
The following are a list of the most common symptoms of fungal exposure (bear in mind, people never fit all of below criteria). Most people with some forms of mycotoxicosis meet at least 8 recent symptoms of the following criteria:
  • Respiratory distress, coughing, sneezing, sinusitis
  • Difficulty swallowing, choking, spitting up (vomiting) mucous
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
  • Burning in the throat and lungs (similar to acid reflux and often misdiagnosed)
  • Asthmatic signs; wheezing, shortness in breath, coughing, burning in lungs, etc.
  • Irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pains
  • Bladder, liver, spleen, or kidney pain
  • Dark urine
  • Dirt-like taste in mouth, coated tongue
  • Food allergies/leaky gut syndrome/altered immunity
  • Memory loss; brain fog, slurred speech, sometimes leading to dementia
  • Vision problems
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Large boils on neck (Often a sign of Anaphylaxis)
  • Thyroid irregularities 
  • Headaches
  • Anxiety/depression, heart palpitations - confusion.
  • Extreme blood pressure, cholesterol, or triglycerides irregularities
  • Ringing in ears, balance problems, dizziness
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Intermittent face flushing; almost always systemic (Called the Mylar Flush)
  • Numbness in face and limbs, intermittent twitching
  • Night sweats and hot flashes (Especially around the head)
  • Multiple chemical sensitivity
  • Nose bleeds
  • Bruising easily
  • Rash or hives, bloody lesions all over the skin
  • Reproductive system; infertility, changes in menstrual cycles
  • Sudden weight changes
  • Cancer
  • Hair loss
  • Joint stiffness and pain
  • Heart attack
  • Seizures
  • Inadvertent facial movements or extremity jerking
  • Hypersensitivity when re-exposed to molds, which can lead to anaphylaxis
  • Anaphylaxis upon re-exposure to mycotoxin producing molds
  • Death, in extreme cases

2 comments:

Erin Niedergall said...

THIS BLOG IS A GOD SEND!!! MY daughter, Cara has suffered intensely for 3 years with almost all of the symptoms you have described! I will pass this along to her and we will PERSEVERE with the Lord's direction!!!

Karen Bundy Barlow said...

I am so glad you found it,too, Erin!! Once I get done with this year's homeschooling at the end of this month, I hope to add some more recipes and articles. I have put my whole family on this several times in the last 22 months. I would like to write about what it is like have 3 kids on this! It's been such a blessing to walk through this journey...knowing that God has provided me with the strength to make it. It's NOT easy! But it is SO worth it. Please keep me posted on how your daughter is doing and if I can help in any way. You can email me at kebarlow@bellsouth.net .

Praying for Cara! How old is she?