A nutritionist from Australia, Amie Skilton, was originally healthy, but two months after moving into a new home, her brain began to malfunction.For example, she forgot her name and suddenly didn’t even know how to dress, so she was diagnosed with type 3Alzheimer’s disease(type 3 Alzheimer’s disease).Later, she found out that it all had to do with leaking water in her new home and the environment was severely dampget mouldyrelated.[1]
After Skillton moved again, into a house with no leaks, her condition slowly improved and her brain function returned to normal.
Type 3Alzheimer’s diseaseAlso known as inhalational Alzheimer’s disease.A study published in 2016 by Dale E. Bredesen, a neurodegenerative disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, suggested that type 3 Alzheimer’s disease is associated with exposure tomoldToxins are treatable diseases.[2]
Although Alzheimer’s is the most commonDementiaAlzheimer’s disease type 3 is a rarely mentioned disease name. Of the many studies on Alzheimer’s, a few have attempted to find a link between mold and Alzheimer’s.
A 2015 study showed that fungal cells and hyphae were found in brain sections from the remains of Alzheimer’s patients, and the morphological classification of fungi includes mold. The researchers concluded that,The cause of Alzheimer’s disease may be a fungal infection,But it is also possible that the patient’s immune system is weakened and the fungal infection is caused.[3]
So, do mold infections really cause Alzheimer’s?ForestLin Zhihao, director of the New Hospital’s Stroke Center and a neurosurgeon, said, “It is not yet a mainstream way of speaking,” and some current studies still cannot clarify the causal relationship between the two.
However, he emphasized that people’s understanding of Alzheimer’s disease is still like a blind man’s elephant. “I believe there are various factors that finally lead to this result (suffering from Alzheimer’s disease).”
Because Alzheimer’s disease is a complex disease, there are many related theories, such as the theory of poor vascular circulation, long-term inflammation, chronic bacterial infection, etc., which are believed to cause dementia.
Mold infection may affect memory, degenerate brain
But what is confirmed is that long-term mold infection does affect memory.
Lin Zhihao has seen many clinical cases caused by mold infectionmeningitiscausing brain cognitive function to be affected or even degraded.
provokemeningitisAmong the molds, Cryptococcus is the most common. Its damage to the brain can be divided into two types, one is directly attacking brain cells; the other is indirect, which damages the brain due to long-term inflammation of the brain. Cryptococcus may also make blood vessels prone to embolism, leading to stroke and brain damage.
The elderly, people with poor immune function, such as diabetes, malignant tumors, long-term steroid use, and people who drink alcohol to the extent of liver cirrhosis, are more at risk of developing meningitis. Symptoms may initially resemble a cold, with a mild headache, low-grade fever, and no apparent discomfort. But in the long run, the brain function will degenerate, the response will become more and more dull, and even epilepsy, half of the hands and feet will be weak.
“I often encounter people who drink alcohol and have cirrhosis in the clinic, and their immune function becomes very poor. If these people have poor hygiene habits or get drunk, they are very likely to be infected by mold,” said Lin Zhihao.
He has also met young AIDS patients, who should be especially wary of meningitis caused by Cryptococcus. Because AIDS patients have poor immunity, infection with Cryptococcus has a high fatality rate, sudden severe headache, fever, epilepsy, and increased brain pressure, which is life-threatening.
In general, mold infections are treated with medication, and many people recover. Whether a patient will have brain-damaging sequelae depends on the amount of mold exposed and the severity of the infection. If it is a person with a long-term chronic infection, a large infection range, etc., it is easy to leave the sequelae of cognitive dysfunction, and the brain becomes difficult to use.
5 ways to keep your family awayget mouldy
Mold is an unavoidable microorganism in life. When people’s immunity is good, there will be no big problem, but when their immunity is weakened, it will pose a greater threat to the body.
Therefore, you should always pay attention to whether the home environment is damp and moldy. Li Junzhang, vice president of National Cheng Kung University and director of the Environmental Trace Toxic Research Center, pointed out that whether the environment is humid or not is determined by temperature and humidity. If you feel sticky after sweating, it means that the sweat on the skin is not easy to volatilize, which means that the environmental humidity is high.
There are also several places to observe whether the home environment is humid and prone to mold growth:
● After a long period of rain, water droplets appear on the walls as soon as the sun comes out.This indicates that the wall has a high water content and the ambient humidity is too high.
● Blackened caulk on windows and walls.Silicone resin (polysiloxane, commonly known as silicone) is a commonly used caulking agent at home. If you find that the silicone resin on windows and walls is black, it means that it has been moldy, which may be due to high humidity.
● The quilt and sheets felt damp.
● Windows are prone to water seepage in rainy days.It means that the room is prone to dampness.
In addition, there are several practical and good ways to avoid mold in your home environment:
1. Turn on the dehumidifier to adjust the humidity
Spaces with frequent activities, such as bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms, can control the humidity between 50 and 60 degrees, and the human body will be more comfortable.
For a space such as a study where books, computers and other items are placed, the humidity can be set at 40 degrees to below 50 degrees.
2. Dry the bathroom and kitchen with a dry towel
Kitchens and bathrooms are places that are prone to mold in the home, especially the bathroom. If it is too humid for a long time, mold will grow in the grooves of the tiles.
Li Junzhang suggested that the person who takes a shower at the end should use a dry towel to dry the water droplets on the bathroom walls, faucets and shelves. The floor is wiped with a wiper to the drain holes. “If you do this, it will not be easy for mold to grow, because most of the water is wiped dry.” He cited himself as an example. “We always have a dry towel in the bathroom at home.”
After using the kitchen countertop, dry it with a dry towel. In addition, the kitchen must be ventilated and the windows must be open.
3. Separate the bathroom lights from the exhaust fan switch
Under normal circumstances, the bathroom light and the switch of the exhaust fan are connected together, and the moment the switch is pressed, both are turned on or off at the same time. “But my house is separate,” said Li Junzhang. “If you do this, you will find that the bathroom has been used for many years and will not grow mold.”
He explained that the advantage of separating the two is that after using the bathroom, you can turn off the lights and let the exhaust fan continue to run until the bathroom is dry. If you use a variable frequency exhaust fan, the power consumption will not be too high.
4. Before the rainy day, clean up the discarded branches and leaves of the pots and gardens
Pots in the home and flowers and plants in the courtyard often have fallen leaves, flowers or pruned branches. Such waste should be cleaned up as soon as possible, and should not be piled in the courtyard, especially before it rains. Because there are many microorganisms on the plant, it is easy to mold after absorbing water and moisture.
At the same time, do not water every day to avoid the soil being too wet. Under normal circumstances, watering once every 3 to 4 days or 4 to 5 days is sufficient.
5. Handle wall seepage problems early
If you find that the wall will seepage, please ask the leakage personnel to deal with it as soon as possible to stop the seepage from the source.
If you already have mold in your home, there are ways to clean it up:
Mold-prone bathrooms and kitchens:First, wear gloves and a protective mask, which blocks most spores from inhaling. Then, spray the mildew cleaner on the moldy place, wait for 10 to 30 minutes, just brush lightly, it can be removed, and finally rinse with water.
Take a shower after you’ve cleaned it all up, so the spores attached to your body won’t spread to other places.
Wooden furniture:The moldy parts can be scraped off locally, and then painted to repair. But Li Junzhang suggested that it is best to throw it away. Because mold can grow into the wood, even if the surface is removed, it is still there. The painting is only temporary. After a long time, when the paint peels off, the mold will grow again.
Also, wooden furniture is usually coated with preservatives, varnishes, and lacquered wood is less prone to mold. If the mold is really moldy, it also means that the furniture should be replaced.
Silicone for windowsills:It is recommended to ask a professional to excavate and refill.
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Responsible editor: Li Qingfeng