Mycotoxicosis: A new emerging cofactor in Alzheimer's, environmental illness, and treatment-resistant syndromes - Quantum Medicine Update

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  July, 2002  by Paul Yanick, Jr.

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Today, much attention has been directed to the dangers associated with stealth infections with little attention being directed toward the diverse mechanisms by which mycotoxins affect nerve action, cause immunosuppression, and may contribute as a co-factor in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Mycotoxins are secondary toxic metabolites produced by many species of fungi that are increasing in processed foods at an enormous rate. According to the World Health Organization, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, and cancer can be caused by mycotoxicosis. (1)

Mycotoxins are neurotoxins that can produce a wide spectrum of behavioral and cognitive changes, ataxia and convulsions. According to Michael R. Gray, MD of the Arizona State Division of Emergency Medical Services, mycotoxicosis "has been extensively described in peer-reviewed literature in the early and mid 20th century -- although this literature is not readily accessible on computerized databases, such as Medline and Toxline search systems, because these sources often do not include titles before the 1960's. Nonetheless, mycotoxicosis has clearly been demonstrated to have been the cause of several major human epidemics, usually involving ingestions of foods prepared with mold infested grains and cereals, or from the consumption of livestock which had been fed mold infested feed." Many studies have documented that mycotoxicosis is a causative factor in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome, respiratory and neurological disorders and that mycotoxins are carcinogenic, nephrotoxic, and hepatotoxic. (2-6)

Iris R. Bell, MD from the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center and other researchers were able to trigger abnormal brain wave activity when a patient was exposed to an immunologically-active mycotoxin or other toxins. Abnormalities on EEGs and other objective neurophysiologic modalities within fifteen seconds of an exposure, even when administered in a double blind fashion. (7-9) This research documents that mycotoxins and xenobiotics have direct, biological roles in initiating and/or perpetuating nervous system-related illness. (7-10)

Today, despite many impressive research studies, mycotoxicosis has been ignored in clinical entities of unknown etiology. A.V. Constantini, MD from the University of California, School of Medicine, San Francisco has linked mycotoxicosis to gout, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, scleroderma, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. According to Constantini, "The dietary connection to environmental health is increasingly being made clear in that the causation of the major diseases related to diet are not due to the food but rather to the fungi and mycotoxins present in the food chain." (11)

The health implications of mycotoxin exposure are far reaching because evidence exists documenting that one class of mycotoxins, aflatoxins are mitogenic to T4 lymphocytes and will cause symptoms related to T4 lymphocyte deficiencies. (12-13) Moreover, researchers have documented that aflatoxins in foods constitute a risk factor to mothers and babies during pregnancy, (13-15) and to Kwashiorkor, a disease of obscure etiology characterized by edema and low serum proteins, variable skin and hair changes, apathy, and immunosuppression. (16)

Neurogenic Inflammation in Alzheimer's and Environmental Illness

Neurogenic inflammation has been defined as a pathway distinct from antigen-driven, immune mediated inflammation. Stimulation of chemical-irritant receptors by mycotoxins and xenobiotics can explain how the overlapping effects of everyday exposures to a wide range of toxins can cause the symptoms of Alzheimer's and can provide a model for understanding multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, sick building syndrome, and environmental illness. (17-18)

Mycotoxins are deleterious to cellular and organ physiology and unequivocally increase a person's risk for degenerative disease. (19,20) Mycotoxins and other toxins in food as a cause of stress-induced illnesses remains obscure as the presence of a contaminating mold in food or toxins is not considered evidence of disease causation by the commercial food and agricultural industry. The conditions or factors affecting mycotoxin occurrence include how the food is stored and processed and a number of other biological and environmental factors. (19)

Increasing Mycotoxicosis: A Result of New Food Irradiation Practices?

More clinical efforts are sorely needed in identifying and eliminating mycotoxin stressors now hidden in the majority of foods. Tapping into the life-governing functions of the body while measuring the body's sensed and perceived responses to mycotoxin challenges, known as quantum meridian stress measurement (QMSM), allows the practitioner to observe and learn how mycotoxins may influence meridian-organ functions. Clearly, information on how systems and organs of the body respond to stressors, especially at the central nervous and autonomic nervous system (ANS) levels, may provide relevant adjunctive information to understanding how mycotoxins can disrupt delicate physiological systems and escalate the threat of stealth infections such as hepatitis C.