How’s August going for you? We can enjoy the last few weeks of summer – the freedom of being outdoors and basking in the sun.
Here are this months Tidbits:
Article: ALLERGIES AND MOLD
Are your allergies driving you crazy this summer?
I’ve written about allergies before – highlighting how inflammation is the main cause of an allergic response because it is attached to the person not the food or pollen.
It’s not the food ‘s fault that creates the allergic reaction but the Inflammation caused by your immune intolerance.
Mold and fungus is all around us and it’s almost impossible to wipe them out of your life. It’s in the air, the earth, in your home and in materials we use. No matter how clean you keep your home or work environment, yeast, mold and fungus will be growing within a 24 hour period.
Mold and fungus are a family of organisms that are found throughout nature. Unlike plants, mold needs food and water sources to thrive. This food source is often in the form of a carbohydrate material, such as wood or cellulose and in food its some fruits, vegetables and of course in meat, dairy, and beans.
People can develop fungal infections of various types, especially those with poorly functioning immune systems. Molds can also cause severe immune reactions as a result of colonizing (living in, but not causing an actual infection) in the lungs or sinuses causing asthma or other sinus related illnesses.
There are types of molds that do different things:
- Aspergillus is the most common indoor and outdoor mold. It is also associated with allergic bronchopulmonary disease. It is found in foods such as wheat and corn. There are processes to remove aflatoxin mycotoxins from crops after harvest and agricultural limits are set for the maximum amount of aflatoxin mycotoxins allowed in food (20 parts per billion)
- Alternaria is a common outdoor mold. Allergy to this mold is associated with severe asthma.
- Cladosporium is the most common known for airborne outdoor mold.
- Yeasts are commonly found in the air during wet periods in agricultural areas or in foods. It also led to an allergic disease called Candida Albicans – one of the most difficult allergic symptoms to get rid of. It exists in small colonies in the digestive tract of a healthy people. Almost everyone has a small portion of Candida in their body. When in a balanced state it will not cause illness but when there’s an imbalance of bad bacteria, Candida can spread into the tissues, bloodstream or lymphatic system and become an overgrowth causing chronic conditions. Many Candida illnesses stem from taking drugs, antibiotics, birth control pills, immunosuppressant’s, high sugar diet, carried from the mother at birth, lowered immunity or mold in the environment, to name a few.
Foods are another source of mold and fungus. Foods are prone to developing mold spores that will contaminate it. If you have a sensitivity to environmental mold it can also cause sensitivity to mold in foods. It is recommended to avoid mold and yeast in foods such as:
- bread and crackers
- Beer, wine and other fermented benverages
- vinegar and pickled vegetables
- dried fruit and commercial fruit juices
- Many cheeses and other aged foods
- Commercial toamato sauce
- Balck tea
- Yeast extract, (common in commercial soups and sauces)
- Mushrooms
- Anything malted
- Smoked foods, including meat and fish
- Grapes adn cranberries, (even fresh)
- Melons, (loaded with mold and contains antigens that cross-react with mold.
When mold is found on the surface of foods, it can cause allergenic reactions. When too many aflatoxins (mold toxins) deplete good bacteria in the gut, it creates an opportunity for an allergy to emerge. Higher phytonutrient (vegetables) content in foods lowers the aflatoxins creating an anti-fungal effect as does organic foods.
You can also test for mold and fungi of allergies using an IgE or IgG tests. IgE tests for 25 + foods and IgG tests for 80 + foods and allergens. again its foods -the real issue is your immune system
Here are some recommendations to help with your immune system:
- Remove the known stresses that affect the allergens, chemicals, bad bacteria fungus and mold
- Repair the intestinal lining eating a proper diet, herbs or supplements
- Replace or reculture with beneficial colon bacteria using probiotics supplements and diet
- Replenish with a holistic lifestyle bringing more of immune balance to your life not just diet. This means managing stresses and engaging in mental relaxation.
Other supplements to add to your regular diet can also help with detoxification of allergic responses: Zinc supports symptoms of the common cold and build antiviral defenses, glutathione an amino acid and antioxidant made in your cells, and NAC ((N-acetylcysteine) an amino acid and antioxidant that helps with glutathione and has respiratory benefits for reducing mucous secretions that build up in the sinuses. Vitamin D always essential for supporting immunity. Take as capsules and found in your local health food store.
you can also check out the work of Leo Galland (one of the founders of functional medicine) and his research on allergies and read his book called The Allergy Solution.
WHAT’S COMING THIS FALL
I’m travelling for the month of September and will not be offering any sessions, programs or posts.
- For September, the Practice Together sessions are cancelled and will resume October 1st, 2024. Enjoy listening to past recordings of meditations and somatic movement sessions,
Read more and register for future dates
- Reset Your internal system with a Fall Cleanse, beginning October 21st to 27th Treat yourself to a seven-day fall cleanse! to prepare for winter. (This is a virtual event). In fall, we let go of stagnant energies that we’ve been holding on to and create new beginnings that support internal growth.
Read more about it and register HERE.
- Release, Nourish, Evolve wellness Day with Nicole Levy, returns this fall. Back by popular demand, Nicole Levy and Rani Glick will host their seasonal wellness day on Friday November 15th from 10 am to 3 pm.
SAVE THE DATE – Friday. November 15th Read more about it and wellness-day”>register.
PRACTICE TOGETHER
- Join us for PRACTICE TOGETHER on Tuesdays at 6 pm and Thursdays at 10 am.
On Tuesdays, for the first 25 minutes, we practice qigong movement sitting and standing followed by a meditation for 25 minutes. Read more about Qigong and meditation.
Register for Mindful Tuesdays at 6:00 pm.
On Thursdays, we practice Somatic movement to release stress from the body and improve posture, alignment and functionality (from injury, stress or overuse).
Register for Somatic Movement on Thursdays, at 10:00am Read more about somatics here
Happy to chat about your experiences or discuss any questions you may have. I look forward to sharing these practices and events together!
My best in health,
