Wednesday, 29 July 2015 12:45

The Dangerous World of Toxic Environmental Mold

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If you're perpetually exposed to mold, it can shrink your brain and destroy its function.
That mold growing in your basement is more than just a nuisance. 

Mold exposure can damage every organ in your body, including your brain.

In fact, if you're perpetually exposed to mold, it can shrink your brain and destroy its function.

But, according to Neuropsychiatrist Daniel G. Amen, MD, you CAN make it better; you're not stuck with a moldy brain.

The first thing you need to do, says Dr. Amen, is to stop the toxins.

Your brain cannot heal in a toxic environment.

Get your house tested by people who really know what they're doing, and get it cleaned up as soon as possible.

Second, you need to recognize and eliminate the other toxins in your life, particularly your diet (sugar, artificial sweeteners, pesticides). Not enough physicians take peoples' diets seriously, but nutrition plays such an integral role in a healthy brain.

One way you can detox is to use an infrared sauna.

Third, you need to provide your brain with the nutrients it needs. Dr. Amen has many of his patients on a high-quality multivitamin and a high-quality fish oil supplement, which helps boost blood flow and blood sugar stabilization, as well as antioxidant levels.

There's not just one "quick fix." It's a very comprehensive program to clean up the toxic mess in your brain.

What are some of the symptoms of mold toxicity?

Symptoms can include brain fog, mood swings, depression, migraines, fatigue, sleep disorders, joint pain, weight gain, short-term memory loss, and focus and concentration issues. In some cases, your personality may change and your IQ can even lose points.

Because these symptoms can also be indicative of other health conditions, it can create a hardship of getting your friends and family to understand, not to mention getting doctors to take you seriously. Oftentimes an MRI or EEG will not show any toxicity of the brain, and a SPECT scan is needed.

It's easy to recognize trauma and diseases like cancer from the outside, but these symptoms can be difficult for others to comprehend. 

The key is finding the right doctor who can diagnose you properly and get you the treatment you need.

In the accompanying audio segment, Dr. Daniel Amen joins Naturally Savvy hosts Andrea Donsky and Lisa Davis to discuss what mold toxicity is, why it's so dangerous, symptoms, and treatment approaches.

Additional Info

  • Segment Number: 5
  • Audio File: naturally_savvy/1531ns3e.mp3
  • Featured Speaker: Daniel Amen, MD
  • Book Title: Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program that Allows You to Health and See the 7 Types of ADD
  • Guest Twitter Account: @DocAmen
  • Guest Bio: Daniel Amen is dedicated to optimizing and healing the brain. He is a physician, double board certified psychiatrist and nine-time NY Times bestselling author. He is the Founder of Amen Clinics in Costa Mesa and San Francisco, CA, Bellevue, WA, Reston, VA, Atlanta, GA, and New York, NY. The clinics have the world’s largest psychiatric database of functional brain scans, totaling nearly 100,000 scans on patients from 111 countries. Dr. Amen is the lead researcher on the largest brain imaging and rehabilitation study on NFL players and he is the co-creator of The Daniel Plan with Rick Warren and Mark Hyman, a program to get the world healthy through religious organizations.
  • Length (mins): 10
  • Waiver Received: Yes
  • Host: Andrea Donsky, RHN and Lisa Davis, MPH