Today I’m sharing some highlights from three different presentations at the recent IMMH/Integrative Medicine for Mental Health Conference – on mold and the connection to oxalate issues, as well as a major trigger of anxiety, panic attacks, depression and depersonalization.
Matthew Pratt-Hyatt, PhD: “The Hidden Threats of Mycotoxins.”
Matthew Pratt-Hyatt, PhD presented on “The Hidden Threats of Mycotoxins.” He shared medically significant mycotoxins and that ochratoxin affects the kidneys and my first thought was: “I wonder if this plays a role in oxalate issues?”
I asked Dr. Pratt-Hyatt after his presentation and he said yes, the mycotoxins produce oxalates and then dietary oxalates can be the tipping point. He wasn’t aware of any research on the mycotoxin-oxalate connection but sees the connection on the Great Plains MycoTOX lab test and Organic Acids test
Dr. Neil Nathan: “Mold Toxicity as an Unrecognized Cause of Mental Health issues.”
One of my favorite presentations was the one delivered by Dr. Neil Nathan on “Mold Toxicity.” He defines mold toxicity and how it can directly trigger anxiety, panic attacks, depression, depersonalization and hallucinations, as well as some of the common complications which can exacerbate mental health symptoms. These include mast cell activation, multiple chemical sensitivities, secondary porphyrias, methylation dysfunction and pyroluria.
I do appreciate the fact that he addressed that there can be PTSD caused by physicians when someone knows they are sick – especially with mold toxicity – and yet they do not feel heard or validated. This can even lead to their families being less supportive.
Dr. Nathan is a brilliant and compassionate practitioner, and the author of the excellent book – Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness (my Amazon link)
Dr. Kurt Woeller: “Metabolic Products in Mental Health – How Fungal, Bacterial, Mitochondrial and Other Compounds Influence the Brain.”
Dr. Kurt Woeller shared more about oxalates and mold in his presentation: “Metabolic Products in Mental Health.” I really like the Oxalate Metabolism diagram that shows the role of low vitamin B6, dietary oxalates including ascorbic acid, collagen and gelatin, mold, yeast and genetics in someone with high oxalates.
On a side note, low serotonin is often a factor with collagen and gelatin but it can be a source of oxalates.
He mentions various health problems associated with high oxalates – pain issues are common and so is fatigue and behavioral issues. Dr. Woeller works primarily with children but I have seen anxiety and depression in adults with oxalate issues too. If mold is one of the triggers then the mental health issues can be further impacted.
In case you missed the previous two IMMH blogs:
- Last week I shared a few highlights from my IMMH presentation: “GABA for Anxiety, Insomnia, ADHD, Autism and Addictions: Research and Practical Applications” – benzodiazepines are not the solution, some new 2019 research on the far-reaching benefits of GABA, and the role of GABA in ADHD.
- The previous week I wrote this blog post on one of the new studies in my presentation: how a combination of GABA and theanine improves sleep and reduces anxiety.
What wasn’t discussed were some of the other mechanisms that may be causing the increased anxiety – such as the impacts of toxic mold on neurotransmitters and low levels of zinc.
Have you been exposed to toxic mold and was this a trigger for your anxiety, panic attacks and other mood issues?
Did GABA, tryptophan and zinc (and other nutritional support approaches) help ease some of the anxiety symptoms while you were remediating your home and detoxing from the mold toxicity?
Do you have oxalate issues and have you ruled out the fact that toxic mold may be a trigger? I personally have oxalate issues (I share more about this here) and plan to do the MycoTOX test to learn more. I’ll keep you posted on what I find.
As a practitioner, do you want to learn more about how to incorporate GABA and the other targeted individual amino acids, tryptophan/5-HTP, DPA, glutamine and tyrosine, into your work to help your clients/patients with anxiety triggered by toxic mold? I invite you to check out my new online practitioner training here: Balancing Neurotransmitters – The Fundamentals. I’m extending the $100 discount offered at IMMH for a few weeks (use coupon code immh2019).