Chronic Sinus Congestion?..Its Mold!

 About 20 years ago a fascinating discovery was published by the Mayo Clinic regarding chronic sinus problems.  Although every doctor in the field treated sinus problems with antibiotics at that time, the antibiotics were doing little good because the problem was/is not bacteria - the problem is mold.  This news made quite a splash for about a day and a half before everyone quickly ignored the results of the many studies.

Why would everyone ignore proof that what everyone was doing was wrong?  Human nature does not like to admit error for one.  Billions of dollars in prescriptions are written for antibiotics for sinus infections for another.  Who would want that to stop?  Think of the economy - but wait, the prescriptions do no good and breed resistant bacteria! 

Meanwhile this astounding and simple truth goes on being ignored.  The research was even more profound because what they found was that not only is mold the cause of virtually all chronic sinus trouble, but that it also can lead to:

1. Asthma
2. Chronic Fatigue (occurs in 95% of EFR patients)
3. Fibromyalgia &
4. Esophagitis (often misdiagnosed as GERD)
5. Depression / PSTD
6. Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

This condition came to be known as EFR - short for Eosinophilic Fungal Rhinosinusitis.  And here is the kicker - 16 to 20% of the population has it!  I only learned the percentage was so high in the last month.  Like most doctors, I was taught that this was only a problem for less than 1 person in 1000.  This ignored research clearly demonstrates that this is a really big and common problem.

This is NOT an allergy.

There are mold allergies and they cause typical allergy type symptoms such as sneezing, itchy runny nose and eyes, etc...  This is an entirely different and much worse condition.  EFR is a whole body hyper reactivity of the immune system to very tiny amounts of mold, yeast, or fungus.  As little as 1 mold spore can trigger up to 30% of all the eosinophilic white blood cells in your body to jump into attack crazy mode.  This is called a superantigen systemic immune reaction.

When your white cells go into attack mode they manufacture toxic poisons which they use to kill invaders of the body.  But when there are no invaders to kill (other than the 1 mold spore) these poisons attack us.  (In a normal person only 2 or 3 white blood cells would be activated to take care of a mold spore, not thousands.) Anyone with fibromyalgia knows what that feels like - your muscles are literally being poisoned by your own white blood cells.  If the over reaction occurs in the lungs then asthma results...in the esophagus then eosinophilic esophagitis.

Mold spores are everywhere all the time.  It takes serious work to clear mold out of your environment.  Most everyone is aware of the horrors of black mold.  To these people, all kinds of normal molds act like black mold.  The toxins produced by the white blood cells damage the sinus tissue and create the chronic inflammation.  In children, chronic ear infections are usually caused by fungus.  The antibiotics doctors use actually makes the body more susceptible to the attack by fungus and yeast.

How do you know if your sinus trouble is EFR?  Simple - if your trouble is only seasonal and involves a lot of sneezing then probably you just have regular allergies.  If you have a bacterial infection, you will get redness and inflammation/swelling in the sinuses but no mucus.  If you have that chronic sinus trouble accompanied by chronic mucus production - you have a 94% chance of having EFR.  Chronic sinus drainage is the diagnostic sign to look for.

If you have chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia you probably have EFR.  The incidence of EFR among fibromyalgia patients is 2200% higher than the normal population.  EFR is also highly related to sleep disturbance, GI problems, and psychiatric problems.

My attention was drawn to this pervasive problem because of all the classes and seminars I have been taking the last couple years on immuno-neuro-endrocrine stress and all the disorders that come from that.  Most of what I have been learning has been how to recognize it, test for it, and treat it.  These problems are what produce the degenerative diseases and auto-immune diseases that are so common in our modern age.  When the question comes up as to what starts these diseases the answer is usually "some sort of emotional, infectious, or toxic stress that overwhelms the normal balance of the body."

As an answer this is kind of vague.  Some big causes we have been learning about are such things as gluten sensitivity as an immune inflammation trigger, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, toxic chemical exposures, and gut inflammatory conditions.  Mold, yeast, and fungus hypersensitivity has been mentioned but never really given much attention to.  Now I have learned that one out of every six of my patients (or more in my case) has this genetic hyper reaction to molds and fungus.  These are the stubborn cases I would so dearly like to be able to bring more ease to their conditions.  EFR may just be the big issue for many of my patients.

Do you have chronic sinus drainage, chronic mucus in the back of your throat all year round without the constant sneezing of allergic rhinitis (stuffy nose)?  Do you have asthma, or chronic fatigue, or fibromyalgia, or GERD along with this sinus mucus production?  If you do, the following protocols are for you.

Your system is in a state of chronic inflammation overreacting and fighting any mold, yeast, or fungus that has set up shop in your body.  The main areas that must be addressed are the sinuses, the throat and esophagus, the GI tract (intestines and colon), possibly ears, and possibly vaginal canal.  Molds, yeasts, and fungus love to live in these areas.  You must kill them and flush them out of your system.  Drugs that try to kill these growths are very toxic to your liver and often the question is who will die first, the fungus or the patient.  Fortunately Mother Nature already has many natural plant compounds that are very good at destroying molds, yeasts, and fungus because plants have to fight these things off just as much as we do.

One of the most powerful anti mold/yeast/fungus compounds that has been discovered is the oil of the simple household herb Thyme.  This oil (called thymol) has been found in many many studies to destroy mold, yeast, and fungus on contact.  Many other plant essential oils have similar properties, but thymol is the most powerful found so far that our body is able to tolerate.  The dosing is very important, as even thymol can be toxic to humans in the wrong dose.  In just the right dose however, thymol is a powerful way to destroy mold, yeast, and fungus in the human body without any negative consequences (unlike drug interventions).  (Take note you overachievers out there - this is not one of those situations where "if some is good then more must be better" applies.  Use this protocol only as directed.)                 

Three products have been developed for cleaning the bad guys out of your system.  A nose/sinus rinse, a gargle/douche/ear drop compound, and a combination of the probiotics and prebioitics specifically designed for combating the bad guys in the gut.  Use all three of these at the same time to get rid of the mold/yeast/fungus all at once, otherwise any untreated area will re-infect the other areas.

Additionally, if you have mold in your home or work environment, you must eliminate either it or your exposure to it.  Mold likes moisture.  This recent Mercola article talks about mold remediation.  To test whether mold is a problem in your environment, simple agar test plates can be placed in various locations around your house to see if mold is present.  (Agar plates are used by microbiologists to grow bacteria and mold to see what types are present in a test sample of something.) 

For the sinuses a sinus rinse humorously named Boogey Buster works to kill fungus, yeast, bacteria, and viruses.  It is based on plant extracts such as the thymol I mentioned earlier.  Three sprays in each sinus 3-4 times a day will get rid of the offending molds and fungus up in the sinus passageways. 

The second product to eliminate fungus from the back of the throat and esophagus when used as a gargle 3 times a day (swallow after gargling), or used as ear drops, or as a vaginal douche is called "A Good Thyme" (in reference to the thyme oil in it).  For people with really severe or recurring sinus congestion, this product can be added along with some sea salt to a mechanical nasal irrigator like this one.

The last product is a special probiotic and prebiotic blend that specifically fights fungus (likes candida) as well as provides the basic nutrition to help heal the damaged gut lining - butyrate.  It seems that although lactic acid forming bacteria are normal and good for babies in the gut, they are not the best for adults.  Lactic acid inhibits the formation of the most important food source for colon cells - butyrate - a short chain fatty acid.  Without enough butyrate, your colon cells curl up and die.  In a health person this food is created by the breakdown of certain consumed fibers by the right bacteria in the colon.  This blend of the right bacteria and the right fibers is called Immuno-Synbiotic.  This serves as the third leg in the elimination protocol for fungus/mold in the body.  Most people begin by taking 3 capsules 2 times per day for 1 full bottle then cutting down to 2 capsules 2 times per day for another bottle or two.  This plus extra glutamine (found at the health food store) will nourish the gut back to health and eliminate gut fungus and mold.

Even if you don't have EFR or any gut fungus problems, the inadequacies and toxins in our normal American diet damage our gut every day.  Taking Immuno-Synbiotic is a valuable support for everyone's general health.

I will have a few of these three products in the office next week, but if you have chronic sinus congestion - particularly if you also have one of the other conditions that go with it like fibromyalgia, then I would recommend you let me know you want these products by emailing me at david@fairoakshealth.com  so I can order more if needed.

 

I am excited about finding a basic cause of the system wide stress that is wiping out so many of my patients.  Further work has to be done to bring each person back up to health, but until a basic cause like toxic mold and fungus is dealt with we never really get ahead of the stress patterns. 

 

Good Journey,
David     
   

 

 

New Tai Chi Classes

Wow, our first set of Tai Chi classes ended on August 31st.  The time flew by and I look forward to seeing many of you again as we start up the next series of classes on Monday, September 19th.

I observed progress in every student, and was pleased to hear that they could see the progress in themselves too.  Some of the comments that I heard were, "my balance is better", "I couldn't stand on one leg before I started the class", "I notice that I have more movement in my life now", "I enjoy the practice of tai chi", "I notice that I am standing up straighter, shoulders back and looking straight ahead when I walk, instead of hunching my shoulders and looking down", "I love it, I am having fun."

 
I enjoyed meeting each of you, and sharing in your achievements!

Tai chi has many health benefits and can be practiced by everyone.  I invite others to join in and try a tai chi class.

Classes will be held on Mondays 2:30 - 3:30, 4:30 - 5:30, and 5:30 - 6:30.  Thursday mornings 10:00 - 11:00.  

 

Kathy Villegas

 

 

 

 

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Health Challenge #5  Stop eating cereals and breads made with flours.

     I have suggested this to many of you individually and the usual response I get is "What is there to eat for breakfast?" Around my house breakfast and dinner look alike. Your body actually likes its biggest protein meals early - before 2pm. Free-range eggs are a wonderful choice for those looking for a traditional breakfast. But for us any combination of vegetables and protein works to get us going in the morning.

     Some of you are wondering what I mean by "breads made with flours". Most breads are made with flour - usually some type of wheat flour. All breads made with flours are too high on the glycemic index. The alternative is breads made solely with sprouted grains. If you have no problem with gluten or gliadin (the allergenic proteins in most grains) then sprouted grain breads may work well for you. Give these a try. They are usually better toasted as they tend to be more crumbly than flour based breads.  Even better is to use my Miracle Protein Bread made from ground blanched almonds and egg whites.  It is high in protein, magnesium, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and low in carbohydrates/ no sugars.  One to two slices can actually be used as a meal replacement.  With the flavor enhancer packets the Miracle Bread can taste like chocolate bundt cake, or lemon poppyseed cake, or gingerbread, or a savory Italian garlic bread.

    In case you are wondering cereals includes Muesli and granola. They may look good for you, but they aren't. Would it hurt you to eat a bowl once a week - probably not much. Will it hurt you if you eat it every day - absolutely (unless you are one of the starch tolerant people).

 

     If you missed any of the previous health challenges -

 

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Why Almost All Sinus Infections are Misdiagnosed and Mistreated

I find it interesting that over the years whenever I get a doctor's health newsletter or take a seminar on some new aspect of health diagnosis, Dr. Mercola will have an article in his email newsletter about 3 weeks later.  Sometimes I think he takes the same seminars I do.  Anyway, here is an article he did on sinus trouble that supplements todays main article quite well.

 

Sinus misdiagnosis

 

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My son Devon forwarded this photo essay to me on this wonderful home made by a real do-it-yourself kind of guy with help from his father-in-law and friends.

"Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions."

~ John Randolph

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About Dr. DeLapp

Dr. DeLapp has been a philosopher, non-force Chiropractor, medical intuitive, and health innovator for over 30 years.  He began experimenting with  medical intuition in 1972 while studying physics at UC Davis.  In addition to physics he designed and completed an individual major in the philosophy and psychology of education.  Shortly after he choose to pursue a career in the only truly health oriented profession available at that time, Chiropractic.  He graduated with honors in 1981 with his doctorate and opened a private practice. 
Since that time he has continued his research into the effects of consciousness and learning on health. 
He developed the Biomagnetic Retraining system for correcting movement abnormalities. 
Since 1991 he has focused on developing a powerful system for uncovering and assisting the mind-body connection in health and personal growth.  The in-depth coaching, guided by the subconscious direction from the body, is called Heartflow and the simpler mind-body retraining for health and unfoldment he has named Gracework.  Both are available at Fair Oaks Health.

Dr David DeLapp DC
Chiropractor

Ellen Flowers FGM
Spiritual Life Coach

 

Vita-Mix