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Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins - or the toxins resulting from fungi - have been gossiped about in the naturopathic literature for decades now. They are usually described as a virulent pathogen causing many problems ranging from cancer to heart disease, IBS to MS, diabetes to CFIDS. I've been reading a lot about mycotoxins lately, so - like some aging movie starlet happily collecting her few thou playing the older, expendible slashee in a teen slasher movie - the fungal etiology of practically everything seems to be enjoying another 15 minutes in the limelight.

Can't say I disagree too much with the contention of the virulence of fungus, molds and yeast because I find so much fungus and mold dysbiosis in my testing of patients. Not just in my newbies, but in the old timers who have been seeing me for years and have learned how to take good care of themselves; they will unknowingly stumble upon a mold in Mexico from the fresh salsa or a mold from a mattress in an older motel in mid-America or an old and virulent black mold from a silent leak behind the tiles in their own shower. It happens to me and it could happen to you very easily.

(Here's where I give the maintenance appointment plug: "It's really good to check in with me every 3 or 4 months just to check and make sure that you haven't picked something up...blah blah blah.")

In lieu of the serendipitous exposure which no one can prevent, here are a few ways to lower our dose of daily mycotoxins - just by eliminating entirely or cutting back severely on foods known to contain high doses of mycotoxin. The Fungus Link, volumes I and II by Dr. Dave Holland with Doug Kaufman describes a list of the top-10 mycotoxic foods. Get ready. A lot of the mycotoxic foods are. . . grains.

1) Alcoholic Beverages: Alcohol is actually one huge mycotoxin. It is aged by the saccharomyces yeast or brewers yeast. And whatever mold-contaminated grain the alcohol is made from be it rye, wheat, corn or barley can introduce yet another mycotoxin into your favorite brew.

2) Corn is "universally contaminated" with fumonisin and other fungal toxins such as aflatoxin, zearalenone and ochratoxin. Aflatoxins are carcinogins while the other two cause estrogenic and kidney related problems. Corn is everywhere. For example a Chicken McNugget from you know where is a tiny piece of corn-fed chicken covered by a corn-based batter that is sweetened with corn syrup!

3) Wheat and all it's products are heavily contaminated with mycotoxins, probably because all wheat is stored in enormous silos for months on end promoting the growth of molds and fungus. The grains will then be ground as is without the removal of the toxins.

4) Barley is susceptible to mycotoxin-producing fungi.

5) Sugar is the primary fuel for the molds and fungus which create the mycotoxins. Plus, the sugar beets and cane are often contaminated.

6) Sorghum is used in many products even though you and I don't know a lot about it. Start reading labels.

7) Peanuts: A 1993 study demonstrated 24 different types of fungi that colonized the INSIDE of peanuts , even after the exterior of the peanut was sterilized. This would be the same peanut used to make the peanut butter that you slather all over your toast in the morning. The same study found 23 different fungi on the INSIDE of corn kernals.

8) Rye is a grain ergo is contaminated with molds and fungus.

9) Cottonseed is made into oil and used in many, many products packaged in a bag, box, can, jar or wrapper. This is why I suggest you not buy packaged foods.

10) Hard Cheeses: Your favorite bleu or Stilton or Roquefort is riddled with mold. That's what all that delicious blue stuff is. However, not all cheeses are aged with molds. For example, Gouda is made with lactobacillus which is down right healthy. You might want to ask your cheese purveyor which are the "healthier" cheeses and eat more of those.

Dr. Holland also mentions rice, oats, and beans as marginal. I recommend that you buy only a weeks worth of these products to reduce the sitting around in your cupboard, getting moldy element. I have also heard that Lundborg, the huge rice company in California, is having a lot of trouble with moldy rice fields.

Here's a laundry list of diseases caused by fungi and their mycotoxins from The Garden of Eden Longevity Diet by A. Constantini et al.

AIDS Alcoholic cirrhosis Alzheimers Anorexia Atherosclerosis Biliary Cirrhosis Crohns's Cushing's Diabetes Gout Heart Failure Hyperactivity Syndrome Hyperlipidemia Hypertension Infertility Inflammatory Bowel Disease Kidney Stones MS Meningitis Nephritis Obesity Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Psoriasis Pulmonary hypertension Raynaud's RA Scleroderma Shoulder and arm pain Thrombocytopenic purpura Vasculitis


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