The Autoimmune Doc Podcast w/ Dr. Taylor Krick - 027 - Mold, Mycotoxins and Autoimmunity

027 - Mold, Mycotoxins and Autoimmunity

11/16/21 • 34 min

The Autoimmune Doc Podcast w/ Dr. Taylor Krick

Youtube Video: Mold Toxicity and Mycotoxin Illness
Youtube Video: Research Review - Neural Antibodies in Patients with Symptoms and Histories of Mold/Chemical Exposures
Youtube Video: Research Review - Mycotoxins Induce Neurotoxicity
I say this all the time, but mold toxicity is crazy. Indoor molds such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys produce mycotoxins, which are also crazy. Mold and mycotoxins can both disrupt the immune system in a myriad of different ways, which is why they are associated with autoimmunity in many ways.
In this podcast, I didn't want to just read stats or research, I wanted to talk about the mechanisms by which molds and mycotoxins can affect the immune system, which are varied and complex. The research is out there on mold, but it can be hard to find because mold toxicity goes by several names - Sick Building Syndrome, Dampness and Mold Hypersensitivity Syndrome, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, Mixed Mold Mycotoxicosis, Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis to name a few - and there are many different molds, and many mycotoxins. When you work with patients and you are aware of these mechanisms, mold is an incredibly common problem. It never ceases to amaze me how many people I see whose symptoms or disease timeline correlate with a prolonged exposure to water damage, a damp or moldy environment, or a history of repeated mold exposures!
Mold is ubiquitous, so your body tries really hard immunologically to tolerate it, and sometimes it tolerates it for a looong time - until one day it stops tolerating it. Mycotoxins from mold can remain indefinitely in tissues, and many have an affinity for the brain, where they disrupt mitochondrial ATP production. Some molds and mycotoxins suppress the immune system, some activate the immune system, some suppress innate immune function and increase adaptive, some do the opposite. Some people have several mycotoxins present at once, doing several different things, along with other pathogens and toxins accumulating faster due to the effects of mold.
You can see how mold exposure and toxicity can quickly become quite complex immunologically!
Molds and mycotoxins can cause leaky gut, leaky sinus, leaky lung, leaky brain, they can deplete glutathione, impact the microbiome, increase pathogen burdens like EBV and CMV, disrupt Th1/Th2 balance, and turn on vicious cycles of inflammation (NFkB, iNOS, NO-ONOO, Th17) - - all of which are underlying mechanisms of autoimmunity.
When you hear all these various mechanisms, you begin to understand why molds and mycotoxins can contribute to autoimmunity, cancer, chronic infection, and even death, not to mention the most common symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog, ENT symptoms, pituitary/thryoid/adrenal/reproductive imbalances, headaches, insomnia. There are a lot of mechanisms, and there are a lot of other variables, including genetics, history, exposure, and everything else in your bucket, but MOLD AND MYCOTOXINS are one of the scariest things on the planet!

Previous Episode

026 - I Just Got REALLY SICK. Here's How. (spoiler - it was mold!)

So, I haven't done an episode for a while now, I'm glad to be back. I got really sick, and it brought some things to the surface with my health that I'm working through. I'm not going to type all the details out in the show notes here, you have to listen to the episode, but long story short my "mold bucket" had been slowly filling up, and I didn't realize it.
Mold is crazy. It's ubiquitous, every human on earth breathes several hundred spores per day, but it can also devastate health, cause crazy symptoms, is carcinogenic or can even be deadly. Mold (or mildew) was one of the plagues God would send on his people for disobeying his commands. There is really good mold remediation advice in the Old Testament of the Bible (Leviticus), and there is a TON of research pouring out about mold and mold toxins right now. I've heard it said that mold science is similar to cigarette science in the 60's but that it is progressing slower, but the research confirms that it causes a TON of chronic health issues, and I see it every single day in my practice.
I believe it's the driver of my autoimmune process, my dad's, and many of my patients. Not all mold people have autoimmunity though, in fact many don't. Not all mold people have sinus issues. Not all mold people have profound fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog, hair loss, ADHD, OCD, PANDAS, joint pain, hormonal imbalances, chronic illness, EBV/viral re-activations, URI's, UTI's, Candida, food sensitivities, migraines, dysautonomia, heart palpitations, blood pressure swings, water retention issues, numbness, tingling, memory loss, balance issues, pain, stiffness, night sweats, weight loss, weight gain, SIBO, IBS, gallbladder/liver/kidney problems, cancer - - - - BUT MANY MOLD PEOPLE HAVE A FEW OF THOSE THINGS, and it's often REALLY HARD to realize or figure out. Many of my mold patients quite literally have been to the ER, a cardiologist, an endocrinologist, a neurologist, a gastroenterologist, a rheumatologist, and they all often point them to the psychiatrist. Good luck with conventional medicine if you have been exposed to mold.
This episode is more about how I pieced my puzzle pieces together this time to realize that it was in fact mold, that some of it was coming from my house, some was coming from my office, some was from the outside environment and the wet dead leaves, but my bucket filled up and I got really sick, this episode is that story.
The next few episodes are all about mold! Mold and Autoimmunity, then Mold Stories from My Clinic, then 2 episodes on Mold Solutions - environment and body solutions, so stay tuned, and make sure to check out these videos from both of my Youtube Channel(s)!
Mold Toxicity and Mycotoxin Illness: https://youtu.be/IjDWMPrra_I
New Research Review - Mycotoxins and Neurotoxicity: https://youtu.be/mZs2kPfcD7M

Next Episode

028 - Mold Toxicity Stories from my Clinic

I have a LOT of mold stories. I even thought of a few good ones that I forgot to tell as soon as I finished recording this episode. I don't think that mold causes everything, or that mold "caused" all these cases, each person is very multifactorial and complex, but listen to the podcast and you will hear about the stories I hear day-in and day-out and you will understand why I think mold is an important factor in so many health conditions, especially complex cases, like those with multiple symptoms and of course - autoimmune diseases.
Often times there are multiple exposures throughout life when a person really thinks back, and often those times coincide with symptom increases or flares. Sometimes the major exposure was a house a person lived in 5 years ago but they've just "never felt the same since". Sometimes it was from renovating the basement or kitchen. Sometimes it was just ripping out some carpet. Sometimes there are spores on a mattress. Sometimes it's under a cabinet. Sometimes it's in the HVAC and it's a bigggg problem. Sometimes there is active mold growth, sometimes there are high spore counts, sometimes there are mycotoxins, VOCs, etc - but prolonged exposure to high amounts of mold causes the body to do crazy things.
Sometimes the person has fatigue. Sometimes it's anxiety, or brain fog, or heart palpitations. Sometimes they have gut issues like SIBO or leaky gut, hormonal issues like thyroid, adrenal, testosterone, or menstrual problems, maybe it's joint pain, hair loss, blood sugar drops, etc. Sometimes they have developed food sensitivities, or allergies to pet dander, or chemical sensitivity. Sometimes they have autoimmunity or a diagnosed autoimmune disease.
SOMETIMES A MOLD TOXIC PERSON MAY HAVE ALL THESE THINGS!
I would never say that mold caused all these things, and I certainly do not suggest that mold "detox" was or is the solution for each of these people, or even appropriate, or that they all even found their solution. These are just stories. Each case is incredibly unique and complex, and I support each case in a personalized way according to their history, lifestyle, lab results, and unique physiology!