Is Mold Exposure a Root Cause of Chronic Lyme?
Could Erik Johnson style mold avoidance be the missing link to healing Lyme Disease?
Erik Johnson style mold avoidance has become popularized for its success in the Lyme community. One Exposing Mold online community member shared this experience last week:
“I tested CDC positive for Lyme in 2016. After Erik Johnson style mold avoidance, Lyme doesn’t seem to be a factor [for me] anymore.”
Although Lyme Disease is caused by Borrelia bacteria, mold is often referred to as a Lyme trigger. However, could it be that mold is more than a Lyme trigger?
Reactivated viruses of all varieties, fungal overgrowth such as Candida Albicans, and chronic or recurring bacterial infections are common clues of immunosuppression observed in the toxic mold exposed population.
Protein synthesis is required for the immune system to function properly. It creates antibodies to fight pathogens. Mold exposure can disrupt protein synthesis, inhibiting the body’s ability to create antibodies to fight these pathogens. An immune system unable to create antibodies would allow more damage to be done to the host than a healthy functioning immune system would allow.
Many mycotoxins have immunotoxic qualities which can inhibit immune system function. Immune system failure is an under prioritized aspect of mold illness by both patients and clinicians. Ignoring the common thread of immune deficiency in mold-exposed individuals causes patients and clinicians to focus only on the viruses or bacteria they can identify on their tests. It is a mistake to ignore immune suppression clues and only focus on what can be found on testing.
Erik was given a warning by his commanding sergeant during his U.S. Army, biological warfare training in the 1970s: if widespread immune system failure happened in a population, doctors and researchers would miss it by only focusing on which pathogens or diseases they can verify on testing.
“How do you know doctors would ignore the clues of immune system failure and only blame what they can find on testing?” Erik asked his commanding officer.
“Johnson, you ask too many questions.”
This month in Patreon, we are going to discuss the effect toxic mold may have on viruses, bacteria, and parasites in relation to ion channel function as a mechanism currently being investigated by Griffith University for ME/CFS.
Join us at patreon.com/exposingmold to join the conversation.
Writer: Kealy Severson, Founder and President, Exposing Mold Inc.
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