Multiple Sclerosis: #2 - A Chronic Mycotoxicosis?

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http://campaignfortruth.com/Eclub/220903/multiplesclerosis1.htm

 

 

Multiple Sclerosis: A Chronic Mycotoxicosis?

by David Holland, MD

 

 

(Dr. Dave Holland is the co-author, with Doug Kaufmann, of the new book, " The

Fungus Link, Volume 2. " Inside this follow-up to their book " The Fungus Link, "

you'll not only learn about the dangers of antibiotics. You'll also learn about

the ins and outs of natural and prescriptive antifungals. Additionally, Doug and

Dave share with you the role fungi and their mycotoxins play in what are

unfortunately everyday diseases such as prostatitis, ear-nose-throat disorders,

weight problems (including obesity and anorexia), autoimmune diseases, hormonal

disorders, neurologic diseases, hair loss, and eye problems.

To order either of these books, call 972-772-0990, M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Central, or go to causesandcures.com.)

 

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, one of several non-profit organizations

dealing with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research funding and patient assistance,

raised almost $74 million dollars in the fiscal year 2001. It spent $64 million,

of which $54.8 million went toward program expenses, and $6.6 million was

directed at fundraising efforts. Two million goes toward administrative costs.

The CEO alone makes over $300,000. (1)

 

Still, in the 57 years of the society's existence, no cause for MS has been

assigned. I use the word " assigned " and not " found, " because I believe a cause

has already been found. In our book, " The Fungus Link, Volume 2, " Doug Kaufmann

and I discuss the role of fungal toxins, called mycotoxins, in the etiology of

MS. The evidence brought forth by various scientists over the years and compiled

in a small section of this book is quite compelling. It is so compelling that,

at this point, I believe scientists will be forced into a position of proving

that mycotoxins are NOT the cause of MS, a task at which, I believe, they shall

not succeed.

 

MS is characterized by destruction of the protective sheath - called the myelin

sheath - around nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. As a result, the

transmission of nerve impulses to other nerves, muscles, and vital organs is

interrupted. This impaired nerve function translates into symptoms such as

difficulty in walking, abnormal, " pins and needles " sensations throughout the

body; pain and loss of vision due to inflammation of the optic nerve, tremors,

uncoordination, paralysis, and impaired thinking and memory (2). In addition,

muscle wasting, bladder dysfunction, fatigue, osteoporosis, and a host of other

problems may develop either directly or indirectly due to this nerve damage.

 

Although there is a genetic predisposition toward MS, as proven in studies of

twins, only a third of those that are genetically susceptible will get MS,

indicating there is still an outside factor involved (3). MS is more common in

those born and raised above the 37th parallel (a line extending from Newport

News, VA to Santa Cruz, CA); however, if a person moves to an area of low risk

(i.e. below the 40th parallel) prior to adolescence, they assume the lower risk

of their new location. These last points support the idea of an environmental

exposure link to the disease.

 

If outside causes are to blame, then Oppenheim, an early 1900's researcher, was

the closest in his assertion that MS is caused by an environmental toxin. Other

researchers of his day thought that there was a defect in the blood vessels or

in the glial tissues. Pierre Marie, in the late 1800's, felt that MS was caused

by an infectious agent. However, despite all of the " infection " theories that

have been tested over the past 150 plus years, not one - whether bacteria,

virus, Chlamydia or scrapie-like agent - has proven to be the culprit.

 

So, let's apply what we already know about MS and see if we truly know the cause

of MS or not. Mycotoxins are chemicals made by fungi. They are found in grains

that have been contaminated with fungi and mold. Some mycotoxins are used for

medicinal purposes. Antibiotics, such as penicillin and the cephalosporin drugs,

are fungal metabolites - they are mycotoxins. Alcohol is a mycotoxin. Aflatoxin,

the most carcinogenic substance on earth, is a mycotoxin. The most commonly

contaminated crops are peanuts, corn, and wheat.

 

Often, other foods such as barley, apples, sorghum and rye can be contaminated

as well. Some mycotoxins are produced in our body by the yeast in our intestines

or vaginal tract. In one study, 3 women severely symptomatic for vaginal

candidiasis were found to have vaginal fluid samples with significant levels of

a mycotoxin called gliotoxin (4). From our environment, we can be exposed to

mycotoxins through countless routes: ingestion, inhalation, skin contact, etc.

The question is, once inside the body, can these mycotoxins damage nerves? Let's

answer that question now.

 

We already know that, in MS, there is a loss of molecules called sphingolipids

from the white matter in the central nervous system (5). What is not well known

is the fact that mycotoxins can actually disrupt sphingolipid biosynthesis (6).

Specifically, gliotoxin, as we mentioned above, on a slightly larger scale can

induce nerve cell death (apoptosis).

 

Gliotoxin is a heat-stable chemical made by Aspergillus, Candida, and other

species of fungi. (7). Not coincidentally, scientists have recovered a heat

stable toxin from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MS patients. In this

particular study, they took the CSF from MS patients, heat-treated it to destroy

any infectious germs, and then exposed it to nerve cells in a laboratory

culture. What happened? The nerve cells died! They called this heat-stable toxin

" gliotoxin. "

 

The source of gliotoxin appears to be, again, primarily from the yeast and fungi

within the human body. As such, gliotoxin is less important an agricultural

scourge than other mycotoxins such as fumonisins, made by Fusarium and

Aspergillus fungi, and the penetrim D toxin made by Penicillium crustosum.

Fumonisins are a group of mycotoxins that happen to be neurotoxic as well as

carcinogenic. They are " universally present in corn and corn-based products. "

(8). Penitrem mycotoxins are found in things such as moldy apple products.

Penetrem D can cause tremors, convulsions, limb weakness, and ataxis (unsteady

gait), " not unlike the symptoms observed in MS. " (9).

 

As there are different classes of MS (chronic progressive, relapsing-remitting,

etc.) it may very well be that the different classes are being caused by

different classes of mycotoxins. In addition, the regional differences in the

prevalence of MS might be explained by the particular agricultural products that

dominate the most affected areas. For example, the part of America that lies

above the 37th parallel also happens to encompass the cornbelt. Remember that

corn is universally contaminated with mycotoxins (7). This area is also

represented by much of the wheat belt. Is this just a coincidence, or good

evidence of an environmental exposure risk factor?

 

Let's talk about some of the latest treatments for MS. Dr. Mercola has already

stated in a previous article that most MS drugs are a waste of money (10). The

new buzz on the town, however, is that statin drugs (cholesterol-lowering drugs)

have proven effective in slowing the progression of MS (11-13). Their

effectiveness should not surprise us, in light of the fungal/mycotoxin theory,

when we also learn that statin drugs are antifungal (14).

 

Dr. Mercola has also mentioned in previous articles that Vitamin D as well as

plain old sunlight can reduce mortality from and positively influence the immune

system in MS (15,16). Other researchers have explained that the reason why these

work is, once again, Vitamin D, whether taken in the form of a cod liver oil

supplement or made naturally by our body from sunlight exposure, is

anti-mycotoxin (14).

 

Finally, let's talk about diet again. Last year a German researcher claimed that

eating smoked sausage in childhood was responsible for causing multiple

sclerosis later in life. (16). Dr. A.V. Costantini, retired head of the World

Health Organization's collaborating centre for mycotoxins in food, helps us out

here by explaining that smoked and aged meats are often contaminated with

mycotoxins (18). Thus the cause of MS, according to these and other researchers,

is right in our food.

 

In another of Dr. Mercola's articles, he talked about how starving mice with an

MS-like condition resulted in fewer symptoms and decreased progression of the

illness (19). Why does starvation work? In our humbled opinion, it could be as

simple as: the fewer foods taken in, the fewer mycotoxins that enter the body.

You see, if we are following the standard, food-pyramid, grain-based American

diet, we are consuming on average from 0.15 to 0.5mg of aflatoxin per day (8).

Aflatoxin is the only regulated mycotoxin in America, so what level of exposure

we have to the other, known mycotoxins in our diet that we've discussed is a

guess, at best. So starvation diets not only deprive us of calories. They also

" deprive " us of disease-causing, carcinogenic mycotoxins.

 

If indeed mycotoxins cause MS, then there are a number of steps one must take to

minimize exposure to fungi and their mycotoxins. We just finished talking about

diet. Since mycotoxins are commonly found in grain foods (7,8), then it would be

wise to minimize grains in our diet. Doug Kaufmann outlines his Initial Phase

diet in our book, The Fungus Link, Volume 2. As well, Dr. Mercola has published

his book, The No-Grain Diet, which offers equally valuable information.

Secondly, we should minimize our exposure to antibiotics.

 

Antibiotics are, for the most part, derived from fungi and are therefore

classified as mycotoxins. If we've taken lots of antibiotics in the past, we

should attempt to correct the damage done by these by taking a good probiotic

supplement. Lastly, if we have any obvious signs of fungal infection in our

body, and to us, simply having MS might qualify as an obvious sign, it might

behoove us to take natural or prescriptive antifungals for a period of time.

Remember that gliotoxin can be made by fungi and yeast that are already in the

body, not necessarily by fungi that reside in contaminated foods.

 

Doug and I hope that we've given you some insight to this " mysterious " disease

of MS. It seems, according to the research we've pointed to, that the cause for

this disease is right before our eyes. Now, we just need to apply this

knowledge. Future research should be directed at treating the disease as if it

were caused by fungi and their devastating mycotoxins.

 

http://www.mercola.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

 

1. The Charity Navigator. Charitynavigator.org. July 2003

2. Nationalmssociety.org. Sept. 2002

3. Murray, J. Infection as a cause of multiple sclerosis: theories abound

because no one knows the answer yet. Editorials. British Medical Journal. Vol

325:1128. 16 Nov 2002.

4. Shah, D.T, et al. In situ mycotoxin production by Candida albicans in women

with vaginitis. Gynecol. Obstet. Invest. 1995;39(1):67-9

5. Harper. Review of Physiological Chemistry, 16th ed. 1977

6. Miller-Hjelle. PKD: an unrecognized emerging infectious disease? Emerging

infectious diseases. 3(2):113-127. 1997. CDC

7. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. Mycotoxins: Risks in Plant,

Animal, and Human Systems. Task Force Report 139. Jan 2003. Ames, IA

8. Etzel, R. Mycotoxins. Journal of the American Medical Association. 287(4):

425-427. Jan 23/30, 2002.

9. Iserloh.com/pheitrem.html. July 2003

10. http://www.mercola.com/2003/mar/5/ms_drugs.htm

11. Bouchez, C. Cholesterol drug may offer hope for MS patients.

HealthScoutNews, April 2003;

12. Edelson, E. Cholesterol drugs may treat multiple sclerosis. HealthScoutNews.

Oct. 7, 2002,

13. Verrengia, J. Statin drugs show M.S. promise. Associated press. News.

Nov 7, 2002

14. Costantini, A.V. Fungalbionics Series: Etiology and Prevention of

Atherosclerosis. Johann Freidrich Oberlin Verlag. Freiburg, Germany. 1998/99

15. http://www.mercola.com/2000/may/28/sunlight_m_s.htm

16. http://www.mercola.com/2001/apr/25/vitamin_d.htm

17. Murphy, D. German researcher claims smoked sausage linked to multiple

sclerosis. Meatingplace.com. Sept. 2002

18. Costantini, A., et al. Prevention of Breast Cancer: Hope at Last.

Fungalbionic series. Freiburg, Germany. 1998

19. http://www.mercola.com/2003/feb/12/starvation diet/htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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