Mold Chikitsa |
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Posted to Subscribers on 4 January 2012 |
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Dear Subscribers, Holidays can be fun but distracting. As most of you noticed, I took a bit of a break from everyday reality, but I'm back in the saddle now and want to discuss the new mold formula. Knowing that review is tedious for some and helpful for others, I will try to find the middle way and include links to previous posts as well as repeat a bit, not everything, but a little to help people integrate the information. As I have written, memory works via a system of associations so everyone hooks on at a different place and then builds a frame of reference using the existing structure with the new additions. In the post on Guduchi, I divided the main health issues surrounding mold into three very different categories: (1) allergies; (2) colonization, and (3) mycotoxins. That post is archived here: http://www.ingridnaiman.com/subscription_posts/mold_emails/guduchi.html According to the literature, only about 25% of the world's population is allergic to mold. The feeling I had when pouring over the professional literature is that from the viewpoint of the pundits, these allergies were a sign of weakness. I.e., they are as irrational and meaningless as allergies to dairy products or pollens. However, in my experience, there is always a cause so we should not be so hasty in dismissing symptoms as a sign of frailty rather than as a warning. Colonization All mold is — in my opinion — dangerous. Experts do not agree on this either because, ironically, they concentrate on toxic molds — or mold toxins — rather than mold behavior. This means that there is very, very little in the official literature about mold colonization inside the body. It is therefore not surprising that mold infections are seldom properly diagnosed. However, it is the colonization that eats holes in organs; and this is only possible because the mold itself is viable and vegetative, meaning it eats, reproduces, domiciles itself, and has metabolic wastes, which are the topic for today; but for those who want vivid images of what the inside of the body looks like when mold colonizes, the material called Fungal Jungle on the University of Adelaide web site is very helpful: http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/ayurveda-health-wellbeing/1033217-mycology-online.html?hl=it I don't want to go over this now. I just want to remind you that to prevent colonization, the system of hyphal structures has to be disrupted so that mold cannot eat. If you take the time to study this material, you will also be convinced that many diseases are misdiagnosed, especially cancer. This is not to say that cancer does not exist much less, as proposed by Dr. Simoncini, that all cancers are fungal. All it means is that some conditions diagnosed as cancer are due to fungal colonization, either yeast or mold. Other cancers may have different characteristics and causes. Mycotoxins The third health issue is mycotoxins. What we were taught in the mold seminar was that the toxicity of the fungi increases in accordance with the agents used to destroy the fungi. The theory was that due to the chaitin shell, the spores themselves can remain viable indefinitely. The truth is, were it otherwise, we would have no effective method of waste disposal or recycling of materials that are no longer useful. Think for a moment of leaves that fall. You cannot put them back on the trees but nature has mechanisms for breaking down the leaves and making soil, soil that is full of fungi and bacteria and whatever herbicides, pesticides, chemtrails, industrial pollution, radioactive fallout, etc. that fell first on the leaves and then worked their way into the ecology of the soil. So, the point made in the seminar was that the more toxic the chemicals are that are used to inhibit mold, the more toxic the metabolic wastes of the vegetative spores will be. This is ample food for thought so if I added nothing more at all to today's post, people would still have plenty to chew on for a while. Many molds produce similar mycotoxins and a single mold may produce more than one type of mycotoxin. The most famous mycotoxins are aflatoxin, ochratoxin, and ergot but there are many others. Aflatoxins are associated with aspergillus mold. This is frequently found on nuts and corn and is often associated with liver cancer. Ochatoxins are produced by both penicillium and aspergillus. They are common in beer and wine and have been linked to urinary and kidney problems. Ergot is often found on grasses and grains and can affect the nervous system or blood circulation, causing a sensation of severe burning in the limbs due to vasoconstriction. This, in turn, can lead to gangrene. To appreciate how potent these chemicals are, it might be worth nothing that LSD is synthesized from ergotamine. Ergot is associated with colder than normal weather before the growing season and wetter than normal weather during the season of rapid growth. As mentioned, there are many more kinds of mycotoxins. The fusarium ones are quite well researched and include trichothecenes which produce chronic illness and eventually death. Trichothecenes are found on grains as well as certain poisonous mushrooms. They also aerosolize when a building is contaminated with stachybotrys mold. They can be harmful as vapors if the vapors contact the skin. Trichothecenes work by inhibiting protein synthesis. Vomiting may be a warning of trichothecene poisoning. It is estimated that 100,000 people in the former Soviet Union died in the 1930s and 40s due to aleukia from trichothecenes. It was first identified in grain in 1932; the fatality rate was 60%. Later, it was weaponized and then prohibited by international agreements signed in 1972. However, the U.S. has been using this substance in Latin America as part of the war on drugs. It is also found in solutions used for contact lens. I wrote about this some years ago and my blood still boils when I hear about intentional use of this almost impossible to eradicate poison. The list of mycotoxins could go on and on and on, but the this is enough to prompt some people to study the problem more and others to take mold more seriously. For the rest, it is enough to keep in mind that mycotoxins are very resistant to breakdown. They are chemicals, not vegetative substances. These chemicals are fungal poisons that remain toxic even if the mold itself is old and not viable. As we know, some chemical bonds are more stable than others and some chemicals are more benign. Mycotoxins range in toxicity from mildly irritating to seriously carcinogenic to deadly. They are very hard to treat so when the research on ochratoxins was brought to my attention, I was excited. The Herbs in Mold Chikitsa There are four herbs in the new formula. All are Ayurvedic and all are rasayana herbs, i.e., herbs that promote longevity. All rasayana herbs are excellent antioxidants and all are capable of tonifying certain systems of the body. In herbal medicine in the West, there is tremendous interest in what are called adaptogens, you might say these are "super" herbs because they enable us to cope better with stress. Rasayanas are not necessarily "better" than adaptogens but the context for understanding them is different so we basically have to work with the ancient Indian mind and try to understand what the great teachers left for posterity. From my studies, I am convinced the system of Ayurveda as well as its precursor, Siddha Medicine, were given to humanity by the siddhars, people with extraordinary powers who may or may not have actually been earthlings. Some regard the siddhars as divine beings but what is relevant to us is that the understanding of the properties of herbs and their pharmacological actions is a mixture of higher insight and understanding combined with clinical observation over thousands of years.
Ashwagandha is a nightshade and is used both as a male tonic and a herb for quick recovery after illness or trauma. It is hepatoprotective and anticarcinogenic, important points since we now realize that mycotoxins can cause cancer. One of its active constituents is as powerful as hydrocortisone. Ashwagandha has natural steroids that enhance endurance and help to keep blood sugar in a normal range. Shatavari is another rasayana herb that is supportive of both the female and male reproductive systems. It belongs to the asparagus family but it is the root that is used medicinally. The root has cooling and nourishing properties, but it is also deeply cleansing to the intestinal tract. Shatavari is also useful for reducing allergic reactions. It improves the functioning of macrophages. Its secret may rest in its ability to protect critical cells in the bone marrow so that recovery from toxic exposures is faster. Guduchi is a famed detoxifier. It is antipyretic and increases urine output. It contains berberine so it can be assumed that it is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. Picrorhiza kurroa is a potent liver detoxifier and febrifuge. It is stronger (and more bitter) than silymarin. It also inhibits tumor formation. In Sum This is such an important formula that I will continue the discussion of the individual herbs, not tomorrow or even perhaps next week, but gradually. In the meantime, be assured that I remain committed to helping you to remain healthy. Many blessings, Ingrid Copyright by Ingrid Naiman 2012
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