How Mold and Mycotoxins Burden Our Detoxifying Organs from Mosaic Diagnostics on Vimeo.

Overview

Various molds like Aspergillus can produce toxic chemical compounds that damage cellular function. The mold itself can trigger immune reactions which drive inflammation, but mycotoxins (aka mold toxins) have their own chemical properties when targeted against the kidneys and liver which can lead to detoxification interference. This lecture by Kurt N. Woeller, D.O. will discuss some of the mechanisms involved that underlie liver and kidney problems linked to certain mold toxins.

Q: Is fungal sinusitis a mold problem?

A: Mold is a type of fungus, so if there is mold in the sinuses then it would be a cause of fungal sinusitis.

 

Q: Can one beat it with a nasal spray alone as opposed to a whole-body approach?

A: Yes, this is possible if the mold is isolated to the sinuses.

 

Q: How do we treat it? Apart from remove the toxic mold? Botanicals, antibiotics etc.?

A: Every patient is different. Here’s a good article about diagnosing and treating mold exposure. Here’s a good article about 8 binders for mycotoxins.

 

Q: If a client has been diagnosed with vasculitis and is not able to pass urine regularly, is this related to a specific nephron structure or general?

A: Vasculitis is inflammation of blood vessels and both arteries and veins can be affected. If a specific blood vessel providing blood flow to a nephron or specific part of the nephron is inflamed this could adversely affect the cells of the nephron and therefore kidney function. Lack of blood flow that is severe can leads to death of cells that could lead to necrosis.

 

Q: To what extent can renal function recover if the mycotoxins are properly removed?

A: This depends on a lot of factors such as the level of exposure, duration of exposure, underlying tissue damage, healing capacity of the affected cells, etc.

 

Q: I presume the hepatic function can generally recover more readily.

A: The liver has increased capacity for healing compared to other organs in the body. However, the same or similar factors as mentioned previously with regards to the kidneys applies to the liver or any organ.

 

Q: I’m assuming that the oxalates Aspergillus can also cause oxalate kidney stones, correct?

A: Yes. If Aspergillus is producing oxalate, and these oxalates find their way into general circulation and into the kidneys they could cause or contribute to kidney stones.

 

Q: Once you get rid of mold, how long can internal systemic effects last?

A: This depends on a lot of factors such as the level of exposure, duration of exposure, damage that has occurred to tissue function, healing capacity of affected cells, general health of patient, etc.

Q: I think of oxalates as disruptive crystals capable of mechanical disruption of structural components of organelles and membranes. Hence capable of triggering release of those usually sequestered compounds that can trigger apoptosis or necroptosis, etc.

A: I think this is a good description too.

Q: What about when Organic Acids Test mold markers are elevated, but no MycoTOX Profile markers come out elevated?

A: This is a scenario that can happen. Just because Aspergillus appears to be colonizing the digestive system as detected by elevated OAT markers (#2, #4, #5, or #6), it does not automatically mean corresponding Aspergillus mycotoxins will be produced at high levels and detected on the MycoTOX Profile. However, in most cases in my experience (approximately, 80-90% of people) there are corresponding mycotoxins seen.

Kurt N. Woeller, DO

About the Author

Kurt Woeller, DO, FMAPS

FOUNDER OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE ACADEMY
Kurt N. Woeller, DO, FMAPS, is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, integrative and functional medicine physician, and biomedical Autism Treatment Specialist in clinical practice for over 25 years.

Dr. Woeller is the education director and main course developer for his Integrative Medicine Academy (https://integrativemedicineacademy.com), an online academy for health professionals. He is also the Organic Acids Test (OAT) seminar creator and presenter for Mosaic Diagnostics Laboratory (formally Great Plains Laboratory’s GPL Academy) Mosaic EDGE seminars and has been involved in monthly educational webinars for GPL/Mosaic Diagnostics, and other organizations for over a decade.

His private practice, Sunrise Functional Medicine (https://mysunrisecenter.com), focuses on specialized diagnostic testing and treatments for individuals with complex medical conditions like autism, autoimmune, gastrointestinal, certain neurological disorders, and other chronic health conditions. Dr. Woeller is a Fellow of the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS).

He has served as a clinical consultant for various laboratory companies, i.e., Great Plains Laboratory, BioHealth Laboratory, providing health practitioner education regarding functional and integrative medicine.

You can follow Dr. Woeller for ongoing education articles and videos through his Substack at https://drwoeller.substack.com/ and his YouTube channel for Integrative Medicine Academyhttps://www.youtube.com/@integrativemedicineacademy. Finally, listen to Dr. Woeller’s latest health professional interviews through his Functional Medicine Doc Talk Podcast – https://functionalmedicinedoctalk.com.