I know some of you dont like long articles, but this is pretty interesting:

[Guest guest]

notice the references to antibiotics and 'corn' products. Some stated

they were allergic to corn:

Multiple Sclerosis: A Chronic Mycotoxicosis?

by Holland, MD

(Dr. Dave Holland is the co-author, with Doug Kaufmann, of the new

book, " The Fungus Link, Volume 2. " Inside this follow-up to their

book " The Fungus Link, " you'll not only learn about the dangers of

antibiotics. You'll also learn about the ins and outs of natural and

prescriptive antifungals. Additionally, Doug and Dave share with you

the role fungi and their mycotoxins play in what are unfortunately

everyday diseases such as prostatitis, ear-nose-throat disorders,

weight problems (including obesity and anorexia), autoimmune

diseases, hormonal disorders, neurologic diseases, hair loss, and eye

problems.

To order either of these books, call 972-772-0990, M-F 8:00 AM to

5:00 PM Central, or go to causesandcures.com.)

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, one of several non-profit

organizations dealing with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research funding

and patient assistance, raised almost $74 million dollars in the

fiscal year 2001. It spent $64 million, of which $54.8 million went

toward program expenses, and $6.6 million was directed at fundraising

efforts. Two million goes toward administrative costs. The CEO alone

makes over $300,000. (1)

Still, in the 57 years of the society's existence, no cause for MS

has been assigned. I use the word " assigned " and not " found, " because

I believe a cause has already been found. In our book, " The Fungus

Link, Volume 2, " Doug Kaufmann and I discuss the role of fungal

toxins, called mycotoxins, in the etiology of MS. The evidence

brought forth by various scientists over the years and compiled in a

small section of this book is quite compelling. It is so compelling

that, at this point, I believe scientists will be forced into a

position of proving that mycotoxins are NOT the cause of MS, a task

at which, I believe, they shall not succeed.

MS is characterized by destruction of the protective sheath- called

the myelin sheath- around nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. As

a result, the transmission of nerve impulses to other nerves,

muscles, and vital organs is interrupted. This impaired nerve

function translates into symptoms such as difficulty in walking,

abnormal, " pins and needles " sensations throughout the body; pain and

loss of vision due to inflammation of the optic nerve, tremors,

incoordination, paralysis, and impaired thinking and memory (2). In

addition, muscle wasting, bladder dysfunction, fatigue, osteoporosis,

and a host of other problems may develop either directly or

indirectly due to this nerve damage.

Although there is a genetic predisposition toward MS, as proven in

studies of twins, only a third of those that are genetically

susceptible will get MS, indicating there is still an outside factor

involved (3). MS is more common in those born and raised above the

37th parallel (a line extending from Newport News, VA to Santa Cruz,

CA); however, if a person moves to an area of low risk (i.e. below

the 40th parallel) prior to adolescence, they assume the lower risk

of their new location. These last points support the idea of an

environmental exposure link to the disease.

If outside causes are to blame, then Oppenheim, an early 1900's

researcher, was the closest in his assertion that MS is caused by an

environmental toxin. Other researchers of his day thought that there

was a defect in the blood vessels or in the glial tissues. Pierre

Marie, in the late 1800's, felt that MS was caused by an infectious

agent. However, despite all of the " infection " theories that have

been tested over the past 150 plus years, not one- whether bacteria,

virus, Chlamydia or scrapie-like agent- has proven to be the culprit.

So, let's apply what we already know about MS and see if we truly

know the cause of MS or not. Mycotoxins are chemicals made by fungi.

They are found in grains that have been contaminated with fungi and

mold. Some mycotoxins are used for medicinal purposes. Antibiotics,

such as penicillin and the cephalosporin drugs, are fungal

metabolites- they are mycotoxins. Alcohol is a mycotoxin. Aflatoxin,

the most carcinogenic substance on earth, is a mycotoxin. The most

commonly contaminated crops are peanuts, corn, and wheat.

Often, other foods such as barley, apples, sorghum and rye can be

contaminated as well. Some mycotoxins are produced in our body by the

yeast in our intestines or vaginal tract. In one study, 3 women

severely symptomatic for vaginal candidiasis were found to have

vaginal fluid samples with significant levels of a mycotoxin called

gliotoxin (4). From our environment, we can be exposed to mycotoxins

through countless routes: ingestion, inhalation, skin contact, etc.

The question is, once inside the body, can these mycotoxins damage

nerves? Let's answer that question now.

We already know that, in MS, there is a loss of molecules called

sphingolipids from the white matter in the central nervous system

(5). What is not well known is the fact that mycotoxins can actually

disrupt sphingolipid biosynthesis (6). Specifically, gliotoxin, as we

mentioned above, on a slightly larger scale can induce nerve cell

death (apoptosis).

Gliotoxin is a heat stable chemical made by Aspergillus, Candida, and

other species of fungi. (7). Not coincidentally, scientists have

recovered a heat stable toxin from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of

MS patients. In this particular study, they took the CSF from MS

patients, heat-treated it to destroy any infectious germs, and then

exposed it to nerve cells in a laboratory culture. What happened? The

nerve cells died! They called this heat-stable toxin " gliotoxin. "

The source of gliotoxin appears to be, again, primarily from the

yeast and fungi within the human body. As such, gliotoxin is less

important as an agricultural scourge than are other mycotoxins such

as fumonisins, made by Fusarium and Aspergillus fungi, and the

penetrim D toxin made by Penicillium crustosum. Fumonisins are a

group of mycotoxins that happen to be neurotoxic as well as

carcinogenic. They are " universally present in corn and corn-based

products. " (8). Penitrem mycotoxins are found in things such as moldy

apple products. Penetrem D can cause tremors, convulsions, limb

weakness, and ataxis (unsteady gait), " not unlike the symptoms

observed in MS. " (9).

As there are different classes of MS (chronic progressive, relapsing-

remitting, etc.) it may very well be that the different classes are

being caused by different classes of mycotoxins. In addition, the

regional differences in the prevalence of MS might be explained by

the particular agricultural products that dominate the most affected

areas. For example, the part of America that lies above the 37th

parallel also happens to encompass the cornbelt. Remember that corn

is universally contaminated with mycotoxins (7). This area is also

represented by much of the wheat belt. Is this just a coincidence, or

good evidence of an environmental exposure risk factor?

Let's talk about some of the latest treatments for MS. Dr. Mercola

has already stated in a previous article that most MS drugs are a

waste of money (10). The new buzz on the town, however, is that

statin drugs (cholesterol-lowering drugs) have proven effective in

slowing the progression of MS (11-13). Their effectiveness should not

surprise us, in light of the fungal/mycotoxin theory, when we also

learn that statin drugs are antifungal (14).

Dr. Mercola has also mentioned in previous articles that Vitamin D as

well as plain old sunlight can reduce mortality from and positively

influence the immune system in MS (15,16). Other researchers have

explained that the reason why these work is, once again, Vitamin D,

whether taken in the form of a cod liver oil supplement or made

naturally by our body from sunlight exposure, is anti-mycotoxin (14).

Finally, let's talk about diet again. Last year a German researcher

claimed that eating smoked sausage in childhood was responsible for

causing multiple sclerosis later in life. (16). Dr. A.V. Costantini,

retired head of the World Health Organization's collaborating center

for mycotoxins in food, helps us out here by explaining that smoked

and aged meats are often contaminated with mycotoxins (18). Thus the

cause of MS, according to these and other researchers, is right in

our food.

In another of Dr. Mercola's articles, he talked about how starving

mice with an MS-like condition resulted in fewer symptoms and

decreased progression of the illness (19). Why does starvation work?

In our humbled opinion, it could be as simple as: the fewer foods

taken in, the fewer mycotoxins that enter the body. You see, if we

are following the standard, food pyramid, grain based American diet,

we are consuming on average from 0.15 to 0.5mg of aflatoxin per day

(8). Aflatoxin is the only regulated mycotoxin in America, so what

level of exposure we have to the other, known mycotoxins in our diet

that we've discussed is a guess, at best. So starvation diets not

only deprive us of calories. They also " deprive " us of disease-

causing, carcinogenic mycotoxins.

If indeed mycotoxins cause MS, then there are a number of steps one

must take to minimize exposure to fungi and their mycotoxins. We just

finished talking about diet. Since mycotoxins are commonly found in

grain foods (7,8), then it would be wise to minimize grains in our

diet. Doug Kaufmann outlines his Initial Phase diet in our book, The

Fungus Link, Volume 2. As well, Dr. Mercola has published his book,

The No-Grain Diet, which offers equally valuable information.

Secondly, we should minimize our exposure to antibiotics.

Antibiotics are, for the most part, derived from fungi and are

therefore classified as mycotoxins. If we've taken lots of

antibiotics in the past, we should attempt to correct the damage done

by these by taking a good probiotic supplement. Lastly, if we have

any obvious signs of fungal infection in our body, and to us, simply

having MS might qualify as an obvious sign, it might behoove us to

take natural or prescriptive antifungals for a period of time.

Remember that gliotoxin can be made by fungi and yeast that are

already in the body, not necessarily by fungi that reside in

contaminated foods.

Doug and I hope that we've given you some insight to

this " mysterious " disease of MS. It seems, according to the research

we've pointed to, that the cause for this disease is right before our

eyes. Now, we just need to apply this knowledge. Future research

should be directed at treating the disease as if it were caused by

fungi and their devastating mycotoxins.

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References:

The Charity Navigator. Charitynavigator.org. July 2003

Nationalmssociety.org. Sept. 2002

Murray, J. Infection as a cause of multiple sclerosis: theories

abound because no one knows the answer yet. Editorials. British

Medical Journal. Vol 325:1128. 16 Nov 2002

Shah, D.T, et al. In situ mycotoxin production by Candida albicans in

women with vaginitis. Gynecol. Obstet. Invest. 1995;39(1):67-9

Harper. Review of Physiological Chemistry, 16th ed. 1977

-Hjelle. PKD: an unrecognized emerging infectious disease?

Emerging infectious diseases. 3(2):113-127. 1997. CDC

Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. Mycotoxins: Risks in

Plant, Animal, and Human Systems. Task Force Report 139. Jan 2003.

Ames, IA

Etzel, R. Mycotoxins. Journal of the American Medical Association. 287

(4): 425-427. Jan 23/30, 2002.

Iserloh.com/pheitrem.html. July 2003

http://www.mercola.com/2003/mar/5/ms_drugs.htm

Bouchez, C. Cholesterol drug may offer hope for MS patients.

HealthScoutNews, April 2003;

Edelson, E. Cholesterol drugs may treat multiple sclerosis.

HealthScoutNews. Oct. 7, 2002,

Verrengia, J. Statin drugs show M.S. promise. Associated press.

News. Nov 7, 2002

Costantini, A.V. Fungalbionics Series: Etiology and Prevention of

Atherosclerosis. Johann Freidrich Oberlin Verlag. Freiburg, Germany.

1998/99

http://www.mercola.com/2000/may/28/sunlight_m_s.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2001/apr/25/vitamin_d.htm

, D. German researcher claims smoked sausage linked to multiple

sclerosis. Meatingplace.com. Sept. 2002

Costantini, A., et al. Prevention of Breast Cancer: Hope at Last.

Fungalbionic series. Freiburg, Germany. 1998

http://www.mercola.com/2003/feb/12/starvation_diet.htm