You wake up and feel utterly exhausted. You drag yourself through the day, feeling as though you have lost your mojo. Your pep in your step has diminished for some reason that not even you can identify yet. Maybe it's something like anxiety, irritability or forgetfulness which is causing this change in mood? Either way, all color seems to be washed out of life from what used to seem so vibrant before brain fog took over and turned everything gray - both literally and figuratively speaking. What could be the cause?
Brain fog is a term used to describe the feeling of being mentally cloudy, as well as an inability to remember things or concentrate on tasks. There are many factors that could contribute towards brain fog including poor sleep and nutritional deficiencies, lack of exercise, overconsumption sugar, refined carbs, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, emotional stress/depression, infection, and dehydration.
What Are Mycotoxins?
Mycotoxins are poisonous substances produced by a fungus such as mold (microscopic fungi) in order to kill other competing molds vying for control over certain habitats like food sources we eat everyday. They enter our body through foods, air, dusts, long-term exposure water-damaged homes or buildings, etc. In water damaged buildings or homes, mold species that are harmful to your health can be present in overwhelming numbers.
Once in the body, they commonly take residence in nasal and lung passages aggregating within liver or gallbladder where our bodies try to eliminate them. For those who are overexposed it can be difficult for the body to break down and get rid of mycotoxins which will cause health problems such as depression, fibromyalgia, etc. Although rarely diagnosed by doctors mold toxicity is a large contributor on chronically ill patients with often being misdiagnosed because their symptoms represent both mental disorders (depression) or physical pain-inflammation syndrome (fibromyalgia).
Mold mycotoxins from water damaged homes or buildings are extremely toxic for humans - one out of every four people have a genetic sensitivity where exposure triggers the release of cytokine messengers into the body - prolonged production of cytokines in the body produce inflammatory responses such as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).
LEAKY BRAIN
Exposure to mycotoxins can lead to a condition called leaky brain, in which the blood-brain barrier becomes compromised. You may have heard of “leaky gut” before; it has been scoffed at for years and is mostly seen as a holistic fantasy by medical professionals, but today it's becoming more accepted as thousands of research papers have been written about the topic. Leaky gut can lead to IBS and autoimmune disease. The same thing now appears to be happening with leaky brain — which many doctors deny its existence despite scientific evidence that indicates otherwise.
A leaky brain is like a leaky gut. A person with leaky brain - proteins that make up the blood-brain barrier are broken down and potentially harmful substances that are not supposed to reach the brain pass through tiny gaps in their protective lining, causing chronic inflammatory responses inside of it. Symptoms then follow such as: foggy thoughts, fatigue, muscle pain, depression or anxiety all due to inflammation related conditions happening in your head!
TREATMENT
After identifying the mycotoxin related illness, treatment can be initiated. Treatment begins by removing or remediating the mold sources in your home to prevent future outbreaks and exposure. Mold-remediation experts are best suited for this task as it is dangerous if you do not know what you're doing because of high levels of toxins involved with remediation work.
Next, the body needs to correct the chronic inflammation by supporting the removal of toxins. Therapeutic nutrients are then implemented to support the rebuilding of a healthy blood brain barrier.
Places like "Inception" the first mental health gym, located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, can be found to help remedy some of these issues through body detox programs.
Purging the body of mycotoxins is no small feat, especially because fungi are so pervasive in some environments. Although it may seem to be an impossible task, there are many ways you can win this battle and get better again! If you're suffering from brain fog or other CIRS-related symptoms like fatigue, depression and anxiety I strongly suggest getting tested for mold exposure. Only after you discover the cause can you begin to take the right steps to identify and remediate the mold and give your body what it needs to eliminate the infection and toxins and finally begin to feel healthy again.
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Source: Dr, Matthew Lewis, DC Functional and Integrative medicine
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