While COVID-19 has dominated the news cycle for the last 60 days or so, reading between the lines reveals a host of other health issues that we should be aware of, including mold-related illness. From a strictly news perspective, here’s what’s happening across the nation with respect to some of the dangers mold presents in our daily lives: In Seattle, Wash., an award-winning children’s hospital that waged a years-long battle to contain an Aspergillus mold outbreak, was recently sued by the family of a seven-month-old boy who is fending off a mold infection after open-heart surgery. As reported by The Seattle Times last week (see: Mold found in baby’s heart after surgery; family suing Seattle Children’s hospital), the hospital closed its operating rooms in March of 2019, after Aspergillus infections were attributed to gaps in the walls of operating rooms and in the array of air filters that serve them. […]
Health experts often turn to Japan for secrets to a long and healthy life. After all, the Japanese have one of the longest life expectancies on earth, as well as the greatest percentage of people who live past the age of 100. Conventional wisdom often attributes this longevity to the diet of the Japanese people. To many observers, the fact that the Japanese eat lots of fish and seaweed is why they are so healthy and live so long. And it may be true that the Japanese diet is at least partially responsible for their health and longevity, but such reasoning can be dangerous, especially when it is based on false and misleading data. One example of false data is the claim that the Japanese consume more than 13 milligrams of iodine daily in seaweed consumption alone. Some well-known health experts and supplement manufacturers, and retailers have been using this
If you’ve ever wondered what triggers an autoimmune disease, you’re not alone. This question has been a mystery since the discovery of autoimmunity. Normally, our immune system protects our bodies against infection. But with autoimmune disease, that same faithful system malfunctions and attacks healthy cells. The exact mechanism that gives rise to an autoimmune disease still puzzles medical minds. However, evidence suggests that the cause can often be traced to a genetic susceptibility triggered by one or more environmental factors. These can include chronic stress, poor diet, gut dysbiosis, infections, environmental toxins, as well as other stressors. Recent research points to various infectious agents (viruses and bacteria) as being major triggers for several autoimmune diseases, including the following: Autoimmune Disease Infectious Agent Guillain-Barré syndrome Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, Campylobacter (bacteria) Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (hypothyroidism) Epstein-Barr virus Lupus Epstein-Barr virus Lyme disease Borrelia burgdorferi (bacteria) and Borrelia mayonii (bacteria) Multiple sclerosis (MS) Epstein-Barr
While there’s little doubt about what takes priority right now — the virus named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) — there are other threats to your health to be aware of and diligent about. Here in Tampa, it’s just a fact of life that mold is very common in our homes and commercial buildings. And as many of us know by now, exposure to moldy and damp environments can cause a variety of health problems. If you’ve researched toxic mold, you know it can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including the following: Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and/or bloating Chronic burning in the throat and nasal passages Coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath Depression and/or anxiety Difficulty concentrating Disorientation and/or dizziness Eye irritation or tearing of the eyes Fatigue and weakness Headache and/or light sensitivity Hearing loss Heightened sensitivity to chemicals and foods Increased urinary
The history of Hormone Replacement Therapy from a medical doctor’s perspective.
If you follow the news lately, you may begin to think that we are in the midst of a pandemic poised to wipe out three-quarters of the world population. However, while the Coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially deadly and apparently very infectious disease and not something you want to catch, fear and panic are counterproductive and unwarranted. In this post, we explain what the coronavirus is, attempt to alleviate any fear or panic you may feel, and provide some practical guidance to build resilience and prevent infection. What Is the Coronavirus? Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). These viruses are zoonotic, meaning they’re transmitted between animals and people. SARS was first transferred from civet cats to humans, and MERS was first