Power Healing by Leo Galland M.D

Author:Leo Galland, M.D. [Galland M.D., Leo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-77938-0
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2011-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

THE DANGERS OF MOLD

In contrast to VOCs, mold is an ancient pollutant, and a source of many different human ills. Moses warned the Israelites that, as punishment for disobedience, “The Lord shall smite thee with consumption and with fever, and with swelling, and with the fiery head, and with the sword, and with mildew …” (Deuteronomy 28:22).

A study conducted in Scotland, where mildew and dampness are abundant, found that people who lived in housing that was judged to be damp or showed visible mildew had a higher rate of sickness than people whose housing was free of dampness or visible mold growth. These differences were not dependent upon smoking habits, occupation, or income; they seemed to be related to the dampness itself.19 Damp homes breed both mold and dust mites. Indoor levels of mold spores can reach concentrations that are ten thousand times greater than those likely to be reached outdoors.

Mites are microscopic insects living in dust. Not only are they potent airborne allergens, but they secrete an enzyme that is directly damaging to the lining of the bronchial tubes. Heavy exposure to dust mites and mold in childhood increases the rate of allergic reactivity.20 Allergy may account for some of the symptoms that make people sick when they live with dampness.21 Allergic reactions to mold can cause sinusitis, asthma, pneumonia, eczema, hives, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, spaciness, and depression. I have also seen many patients in whom mold allergy aggravated autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

It was mold that almost destroyed Philip Dustin’s career. A freelance graphic designer, Philip had rented a house in Connecticut with a studio in the basement. Within weeks he and his wife, Sharon, began to experience severe fatigue and difficulty concentrating. They fell prey to every virus in the community. Once a month, both of them were bedridden with one infection or another. She would feel better when she left home for work, but he noticed burning of his skin and nose while in the basement. Within six months he was unable to work at all. At first, Philip and Sharon attributed their fatigue to the stress of a new marriage and a new home. I asked them to examine their house carefully and to obtain whatever records of floods and repairs the landlord would make available. We discovered that the house had experienced several leaks and floods over the past five years. There was thick mold growth on the gypsum board in the basement and abundant mold spores were readily cultured from the air in every room. Several months after breaking their lease and moving into a new apartment, the Dustins began to regain their health. Unfortunately, Philip’s graphic supplies, folios, and office equipment had become contaminated with mold during the six months he had used the basement as a studio. Everything had to be replaced.

The cascade of illness that plagued the Dustins involved more than allergy. Cultures from Philip’s studio grew species of mold that produce toxins, called trichothecenes, that suppress the immune system.

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