Mycotoxins are Hidden Cause of Autoimmune Disease Epidemic
For nearly 20 years, I searched for the answer to my autoimmune disease. I tried hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of supplements and therapies, but very few made the difference. Though I was slowly making progress by targeting my gut, I couldn’t seem to overcome the hump. At that time, I did not know about mycotoxins and thought everything was driven by chronic infection. Unfortunately, this was a lesson I had to learn the hard way.
In this article, I will briefly discuss my autoimmune recovery and how mycotoxins contributed to my illness. Afterward, I will list how mycotoxins can cause autoimmune symptoms. In addition, I will cover common questions about mycotoxins and autoimmune diseases. Scroll down to get started!
My Autoimmune Story
At the age of 20 years old, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I had lost 80 lbs., I had rashes all over my body, chronic muscle pains, sleep issues, food sensitivities, and plenty more. At the time, I had no idea how to approach my “autoimmune condition”. Eventually, I started to use various natural supplements, but it seemed like nothing would work. Little did I know, I was living in a house with high levels of trichothecenes and had developed a severe immune sensitivity to them.
After nearly a decade of severe illness, I finally caught a break. I unknowingly moved out of the house I was living in and into an environment that was better suited for me. Also, I started raw colostrum, which greatly reduced the severity of my reactions to mycotoxins. This continued until I unknowingly moved into another house with black mold mycotoxins.
The Mycotoxin Revelation
Within a matter of a few months, I started to develop strange reactions to things again, had digestive issues with animal products, muscle pains, chronic fatigue, and more. At the same time, my daughter was having EXTREME health issues. After a few years, we finally realized that trichothecenes were setting both of us off. Within eight months of eliminating exposure, changing diet, and plenty of mycotoxin binders, we were both symptom-free. This made it clear to me that my “autoimmune disease” was a mycotoxin sensitivity all along. For more information on what we did to heal, read my mold illness recovery protocol. It has everything you need to heal from mycotoxin illness.
How Mycotoxins Cause Autoimmune Diseases
Immune Cell Toxicity
Mycotoxins like trichothecenes poison your mast cells and throw them into a state of disarray. After being poisoned, these immune cells typically stop functioning correctly and eventually die. Before dying, they tend to wreak havoc in the body by attacking your own tissues. Unfortunately, this leads to chronic inflammation and an escalation of autoimmune symptoms.
Cytokine Overload
Chronic mycotoxin exposure increases inflammatory cytokine production, which can lead to various problems throughout the body. Trichothecenes specifically increase IL-6 and TNF-alpha, which are known to dramatically boost inflammatory presence in the body. When this occurs, chronic inflammation ensues, eventually leading to symptoms mimicking autoimmune disease.
Oxidative Stress
If there is one thing that mycotoxins are good at, it’s creating plenty of oxidative stress. This free radical damage causes disruption in the functioning of the cells, DNA damage, and much more. This oxidative onslaught confuses the immune system, leading it to target your own body’s tissues eventually. To escape this, you must eliminate exposure and use only the best mycotoxin binders. This will take the stress off the body and allow it to recover.
Food Sensitivities
When you are exposed to mycotoxins, the environment within your gut can change. It can also make your immune system more sensitive to foods and open you up to the possibility of leaky gut. Many people with autoimmune diseases have food sensitivities, whether they realize it or not. In my experience, once the exposure has been eliminated, the sensitivities disappear for the most part. Even if food sensitivity persists, its severity is greatly reduced.
Gut Barrier Breakdown
Mycotoxin exposure triggers inflammation of the gut lining and changes the gut environment, increasing the intestinal barrier’s permeability. This allows proteins from foods to enter the bloodstream and aggravate the immune system. Eventually, this turns into autoimmune-like symptoms. This is precisely what happened to me and is happening to countless others.
Disrupted Regulatory T Cells
Mycotoxins impair the function of regulatory T cells. This is critical because these regulatory T cells are essential to immune tolerance. Without them functioning properly, your body perceives anything it is exposed to as a threat and acts accordingly. For example, it starts reacting to foods, smells, stress, and other triggers it didn’t respond to prior. This reactivity cycle then causes chronic inflammation, mast cell activation, and, eventually, autoimmune symptoms.
Death of Healthy Cells
When healthy cells are exposed to trichothecenes, they undergo “programmed cell death.” This means that, simply from being exposed to the mycotoxin, the cell eventually dies prematurely. When this occurs among a large number of cells, it can cause the immune system to become more irritated. This leads it to perceive various things as threats that it should not.
Detox Pathway Blockage
Mycotoxins like trichothecenes have been shown to impair both phase 1 and 2 detoxification. This means it can block the removal of toxic chemicals from your body. This can cause a lot of stress on the liver and kidneys as toxins start to accumulate in the blood. In addition, mycotoxins often slow down the frequency of bowel movements. By impairing BOTH of the elimination channels, it can cause BIG problems in no time. If anyone knows about detox problems, it’s me. I couldn’t have a bowel movement without an enema for over 3 years. In addition, I was peeing clearly for several years, which indicated a severe detox impairment.
Neuroinflammation
Certain mycotoxins, like trichothecenes, can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause neurological inflammation. This can lead to behavioral issues, learning problems, hyperactivity, seizures, mental health disorders, and plenty more. In addition, it can cause a communication disruption between the brain and the immune system. This can lead to immune malfunction, where it targets the body’s tissues like it does with autoimmune disease.
Autoantibody Production
Mycotoxins trigger autoantibody production, which can cause many of the symptoms associated with autoimmune disease. Normally, these antibodies attack invaders and remove them. When they are not functioning correctly, they can attack your own cells, leading to organ malfunction and more. This can cause symptoms of joint pain, rashes, muscle aches, and plenty more.
Hormonal Disruption
Mycotoxins can disrupt the HPA axis, which plays a massive role in hormone production. When the hormone levels are off, it can cause the immune system to become even more reactive. This is what happened to me. When I was extremely sick, I had the testosterone levels of a 90-year-old man. I have not only experienced hormone dysfunction myself but have seen this in plenty of other clients as well. When someone with an autoimmune disease has a severe hormone imbalance, it almost always points to mycotoxins.
Mitochondrial Damage
Mycotoxins can damage the cell’s mitochondria, leading to cell malfunction and energy depletion. With less energy, the cells start to send out mixed signals, which the immune system can interpret as signs of distress. This then aggravates mast cells, which release inflammatory chemicals, triggering the symptoms of autoimmune disease.
Imbalance of Gut Bacteria
Mycotoxins like trichothecenes can negatively impact the microbiome. Not only do they suppress the growth of beneficial bacteria like bifidobacterium and lactobacillus, but they also encourage the growth of pathogens. In addition, they impair enzyme production, leading to protein and fat digestion issues. When this occurs, the gut environment can change VERY quickly. The last thing you want is undigested food rotting in your stomach if you have autoimmune disease.
B Cell Dysregulation
The role of B cells is to produce antibodies to the infections you are exposed to. Unfortunately, mycotoxin exposure can lead to B cell dysregulation, where the immune system produces antibodies to its own tissue. When your immune system starts to target its own tissue, this can turn into an autoimmune nightmare. This is what happens in plenty of autoimmune cases, though they typically fail to identify the underlying cause.
Chronic Inflammation
Mycotoxins cause chronic low-grade inflammation, which can persist for years after exposure is eliminated. Since the body is exposed for such an extended period, it can remain in a state of hypervigilance, which causes it to have abnormal reactions to foods, supplements, fragrances, and more. When this occurs, you are inches away from full-blown autoimmune symptoms.
Disrupted Protein Synthesis
Certain mycotoxins like trichothecenes can impair protein synthesis within the cell, which disrupts their ability to function and repair. When these immune cells can’t create proteins, they can’t communicate properly. This can lead the immune system to perceive these malfunctioning cells as potential threats, so they start to attack and remove them. This attack on your own tissue is a signature of autoimmune disease.
Impaired Protein/Fat Breakdown
When exposed to mycotoxins consistently, you start to have issues breaking down your proteins and fats. Typically, proteins are the biggest issue because they are the most complex. The problem is, most people with autoimmune disease have no idea what is happening in their gut until it’s too late. After years of undigested proteins, the gut favors pathogenic and histamine-producing bacteria, and responds negatively to carbs and fiber. This is what happens in nearly every case of autoimmune disease. To heal, you must transition from a diet reliant on protein/fat to one emphasizing FIBER and carbohydrates. I have tried both ways of eating, and trust me, the latter is better!
FAQ- Mycotoxins and Autoimmune Diseases
Are mycotoxins the primary cause of autoimmune disease?
Autoimmune disease develops after years of being triggered daily. The most common way that someone gets triggered is in their diet, environment, or through stressful situations. Though mycotoxins may not be the only cause of autoimmune disease, I would say that they are a leading cause. In my experience, most autoimmune patients have some degree of sensitivity to mycotoxins. How big a role it is playing in their symptoms varies from person to person and can only be determined after taking necessary action.
How common is mycotoxin illness in the USA?
Mycotoxin illness is far more common than people think. When homes in the United States were tested for mold, 47% had significant problems. The reality is, a large portion of the homes in the world have mycotoxin levels which are well beyond healthy limits. Unfortunately, with mycotoxin illness, often the symptoms are different from person to person. This makes it hard to identify if mycotoxin poisoning is happening across a large group of people. Nonetheless, I would say that at least 20% of chronic illnesses are due to mycotoxin sensitivity.
Which mycotoxin is most likely to cause autoimmune disease?
Trichothecenes are the most dangerous mycotoxin class by far. They can cause severe immune dysfunction, which leads to mast cell hyperactivity and defective regulatory T cells. When this occurs, immune tolerance breaks down, and you become reactive to things you are eating, inhaling and stressful events. Trust me, trichothecenes should NOT be taken lightly. They are so toxic they were used in biological warfare.
Can I overcome autoimmune disease by targeting mycotoxins?
Yes, I saw my daughter go from disabled to symptom-free after six months of eliminating exposure. This was after several years of watching her suffer symptoms that no health professional could understand. After addressing the environment for her, I realized that many of the symptoms I couldn’t shake suddenly disappeared. It was a shock to me! The reality is, you never know how much mycotoxins are affecting you until you have fully eliminated exposure. For example, I couldn’t conclusively determine that mycotoxin sensitivity was the primary cause of my autoimmune disease until I was finally symptom-free. Only then could I connect the dots and see the entire picture.
How can I confirm mycotoxins are causing my autoimmune symptoms?
There is no way to conclusively determine how much mycotoxins affect your symptoms until you FULLY eliminate exposure. Despite this, some tests can show you how much they are impacting your immune system and body. The best test for determining if mycotoxins are an issue is the IgG/IgE mycotoxin blood test. This will measure how your immune system reacts to various mycotoxins. If your body is showing strong IgG/IgE reactions to certain mycotoxins, you are being exposed to molds that produce these toxins.
Conclusion- Mycotoxins are Hidden Cause of Autoimmune Epidemic
When you’re struggling with an autoimmune disease, you must make sure that you don’t buy into the diagnosis. You can overcome autoimmune disease by identifying triggers in your diet, environment, and lifestyle. Out of these three things, mycotoxins are probably the most important. The reason is, if you don’t identify them as an issue, you will chase your tail for years.
In summary, if you are willing to make changes to your diet and environment, you can dramatically improve your quality of life and eventually overcome your autoimmune symptoms. I have not only experienced this myself, but I have seen it in my daughter and plenty of my clients.
If you have any questions about mycotoxin illness or mast cell activation, get in touch. I’m willing to help and blessed to have the opportunity!
Happy healing everyone!
Matt Nedin
Certified Holistic Nutritionist
EndSickness, Founder
Phone: (734) 846-8619
Email: endsickness@gmail.com
WhatsApp/Telegram: +17348468619
