Though many in the conventional medical world repeat the mantra that no study proves that mold toxins cause human illness, repetitive claims do not make imagination into reality. Ehsanifar and colleagues review a number of studies which support the reality we see in patients, the reality that mold and its toxins do cause neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in many people. Reading this paper and papers from its bibliography will lead those seeking truth to a different conclusion than mold toxicity deniers.
While you can access this paper yourselves online, this review of their review will save you some time in getting the gist. As such, here are number of takeaways from the article, alongside some commentary from me.
Early on, they describe how mold is not the only microbial produced toxin, mentioning that bacterial toxins likely outweigh mold toxins in our environment. This serves as an important reminder that we are continually in contact with multiple toxins and this combination likely has a greater impact than any single toxin in most cases.
They then mention how air sample testing only measures the spores floating in the air at a specific time, not what might be there on a different day under different conditions. Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency “warns that 50% of fungal and mold growth can be hidden from the human view”. Then, you have to remember that some studies suggest that nanoparticles from mold may outnumber larger spores by 1000 to 1. Your house isn’t proven safe from mold just because you don’t see it and the air sample test doesn’t show it.
Various studies show that mycotoxins can affect our cellular functioning in a variety of study proven ways. They mention inhibition of protein synthesis, disruption of RNA and DNA synthesis, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptoses, oxidative stress damage, changes in cell membranes, and blocking of the cell cycle. The immune system can exhibit antimicrobial activity, cytotoxicity through T Cells, and inhibition of superoxide release. The nervous system may affected through disruption of the Blood Brain Barrier, activation of inflammatory pathways, depletion of reduced glutathione, apoptosis, changes in microglial activation and myelin disruption.
They reference studies on how T-2 toxin can cross the BBB. They mention how deoxynivalenol lowers BBB integrity and can trigger cytotoxic effects. Other mycotoxins can trigger oxidative stress damage and damage the myelin sheaths covering nerve fibers. Several researchers, including some from Rutgers, have or are investigating links between mycotoxins and multiple sclerosis. The adverse effects of mold toxins on humans clearly cannot be denied or further ignored.
In other studies, researchers have found measurable changes in various neurologic studies. These included changes in EMG (electromyography). Others showed changes in EEG measurements. Again, this deserves our attention and further study.
In more clinical based studies, many have found neuropsychiatric symptoms in various mold exposed individuals. These symptoms have been measured objectively with various neuropsychiatric tests. To be fair, some studies have not demonstrated objective differences with mold exposure, but I would still say that the proof outweighs the denials.
In the end, they do discuss a comparison between testing with antibodies for mold in diagnosis and using urine mycotoxin levels. I am not convinced by their argument for antibody levels, but they don’t provide as much proof as they do in the areas above, so we’ll have to settle that debate later.
In helping others restore healthier, more abundant lives, acknowledging the reality of mold toxicity requires reading many articles like this one and applying them to both individual patient care as well as raising awareness for many who do not realize that mold may be behind their nagging symptoms.
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Original Article
Ehsanifar, M; Rajati, R.; Gholami, A.: Reiss, J. Mold and Mycotoxin Exposure and Brain Disorders. Journal of Integrative Neuroscience. 2023:22(6) 137. Https://doe.org/10.31083/j.jin2206137
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
Colson Potter writes copious fiction and nonfiction, including a weekly Proverbs post and his blog at Creational Story.
