Mycotoxins
What are mycotoxins?
Mycotoxins are chemicals produced by mold. When mycotoxins are ingested or inhaled by humans, they can cause serious immune abnormalities in susceptible individuals. Mycotoxins are highly inflammatory to the immune system, and trigger intense immune responses (1). They also rapidly deplete antioxidants like glutathione, our master antioxidant, as well as vitamins A, C, and E (2).Mold is something we encounter every day without knowing it. Some molds are harmless to humans, while others are toxic and can cause serious disease, even autoimmune disease and cancer.
In your daily life, you are most likely to be exposed to mold on contaminated, spoiled food or in water-damaged buildings in which you live and/or work, or frequently visit.
Some of the most common early symptoms reported by individuals with mold intoxication are fatigue, shortness of breath, racing heartbeat, and anxiety. These symptoms are vague and often get either brushed off as “I’m tired, or stressed,” “I just need to get better sleep,” or viewed as something else, like chronic fatigue or simply just “I’m getting older.”
Symptoms of mycotoxin exposure include:
Fatigue and weakness
Chronic burning in the throat and nasal passages
Coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath
Loss of balance
Depression and/or anxiety
Skin rashes
Eye irritation or tearing of the eyes
Headache and/or light sensitivity
Hearing loss
Heightened sensitivity to chemicals and foods
Irregular heartbeat
Morning stiffness and/or joint pain
Muscle weakness
Sleep problems
Poor memory, difficulty finding words
Slower reaction time
Vision changes
Difficulty concentrating
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and/or bloating
Unusual skin sensations, tingling, and numbness
Increased urinary frequency or increased thirst
Disorientation and/or dizziness
Static shocks or metallic taste in the mouthThe Vibrant Mycotoxins test is a urine-based assay for 31 of the most common mycotoxins produced by molds to which humans are exposed. This test is measured on mass spectrometry, using Vibrant’s patent-pending proprietary technology, to produce the most accurate and clinically relevant assessment of difficult-to-detect toxins that can cause serious disease in humans. Vibrant is able to detect mycotoxins, small molecules, as small as 5 pcg, which greatly expands the number of available mycotoxins detected.
Individuals most at risk for mycotoxin exposure include those who live or work in older buildings, those who have known exposure to water-damaged buildings, and those with impaired immune responses or higher levels of oxidative stress.
Mycotoxins complicate human health in a number of ways and their presence in the human body can lead to a number of serious health concerns, including autoimmune disease and cancer.
There may be higher incidence of autoimmune or neurological symptoms in your patients with mycotoxin toxicity. Consider screening for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, connective tissue disorders, celiac disease, and neurological autoimmunity along with mycotoxin testing.
Treatment of mycotoxin exposure should include a holistic approach to eradicate the mold from the individual, thorough and professional removal of mold from environmental sources, and continued testing to monitor reductions in mycotoxin levels post-intervention.
Due to the common co-occurrence of Lyme and mycotoxin exposure from depressed immunity in affected individuals, as well as symptom overlap between tickborne diseases and mycotoxins, consider running the Vibrant Tickborne Diseases panel along with the Vibrant Mycotoxins test.
View a Mycotoxin sample report here.
All of our test prices include a FREE 30-minute consultation with our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist to review your results and answer any questions that you might have.
Not Available in New York state
Only healthcare providers licensed in their state may order laboratory testing.
*Vibrant Wellness does not participate in, take assignment, or accept any private insurance. We do not provide super bills and cannot assist with claim resolution for laboratory tests or consultations.
The Neurological Connection with Mycotoxins - Case Study
Anna is a happy-go-lucky twelve year old that has recently begun middle school. She typically enjoys knitting, reading, hiking, and baking. After only a few months of 6th grade, she began to get daily headaches that didn’t seem to go away with over the counter pain medication.
The headaches became so severe that Anna begins to feel isolated, frustrated, and sad. One month after the headaches begin, Anna begins to notice that her arms are twitching without her wanting them too. This has begun to really scare her as she has also developed daily body rashes and a chronic case of Candida.
Her parents are divorced but remarried and her father has chalked up Anna’s issues to stress from middle school. Anna’s mother has been really worried and has taken Anna twice to the pediatrician with no real outcome or path to follow afterwards.
A few months later, Anna develops heart palpitations on top of her other chronic symptoms that have not resolved.
Anna’s mother suddenly recalls her daughter’s telling her their dad’s house suffered significant water damage from a rainy season two years ago. The water had infiltrated through the wall in the main living area and nothing had been done about it.
Alarmed, Anna’s mom starts researching the potential neurological effects of mycotoxin toxicity. As it turns out, a build up of mycotoxins in the body can very well cause some of the neurological symptoms Anna is suffering from.
Unfortunately, the symptoms of mycotoxin toxicity can mirror many complaints seen today that have no real root cause. Things like headaches, nerve pain/tremors, depression, anxiety, candida, and skin rashes are often thrown in a general “allergies or sensitivities” bucket without a known cause (1,2) but the presence of water damage in a building inhabited by those that are vulnerable and symptomatic should shine a brighter light on the possible presence of mold.
Mycotoxins can affect the neurological system via multiple mechanisms, including the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the suppression of GABA-producing neurons, cytotoxicity (killing of cells), and/or inhibiting cell division, to name a few.
Neurological symptoms of mold toxicity can show up as migraine headaches, tremors, pain throughout the body, imbalance, difficulty walking, and cognition issues. People affected by mold also often report episodes of heightened anxiety and depression (3).
Once Anna’s mother made the connection between the potential for mold toxicity and her daughter’s symptoms, she immediately found an environmental-focused practitioner to order a urine based mycotoxin test which showed high levels of three different types of mold.
One of these – Ochratoxin A, is highly related to exposure to water-damaged buildings. Anna is currently taking supplements to help lower oxidative stress in her body as well as bind the mycotoxins for elimination.
After 3 months on this program, she reports a drastic reduction in tremors, no more heart palpitations, and less headaches. Her father has also agreed to perform remediation in his house to properly get rid of the mold -damaged walls.
If this story sounds similar to something you or a family member or friend has experienced, consider that mold exposure may be at the root of their symptoms. Water-damaged buildings are becoming more and more commonplace due to weather and climate pattern changes across the globe, which have led to greater incidence of flooding.
And, because symptoms can take a few months to develop into something very noticeable, many people often do not attribute their chronic inflammatory symptoms to mold from previous water damage.
If you suspect you have been exposed to mold or mycotoxins produced by mold, consider having your doctor order the Vibrant Mycotoxins panel. It is the most extensive panel available, with over 30 varieties of mycotoxins tested from the widest variety of known toxic molds found in both contaminated foods and environments.
References
1) L. Curtis and A. Lieberman, “Adverse health effects of indoor molds,” Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 261–274, 2004.
2) W. J. Rea, N. Didriksen, T. R. Simon, Y. Pan, E. J. Fenyves, and B. Gri ths, “Effects of toxic exposure to molds and mycotoxins in building-related illnesses,” Archives of Environmental Health, vol. 58, no. 7, pp. 399–405, 2004.
3) Hope J, “A Review of the Mechanism of Injury and Treatment Approaches for Illness Resulting from Exposure to Water-Damaged Buildings, Mold and Mycotoxins,” Scientific World Journal Volume 2013, Article ID 767482
