host posted on May 08, 2009 13:09
Dear Readers,
This year is really going by fast. Doug’s office emailed me and mentioned that Mother’s Day would be coming up in May. Since I am a mom, I thought this would be an appropriate time to present a case that illustrates how lucky we are to have mothers. With that said let’s begin.
Here is the disclaimer. This case study is for educational purposes only. I am using it to show you how a typical patient presents and the things I consider when I make a diagnosis. The patient’s name has been changed to protect his identity. I practice integrative/alternative medicine and my recommendations for treatment are often considered outside traditional practice. It is not my intent to criticize or denounce traditional medicine. I am merely providing an alternative opinion. Most importantly, the information provided here should not be used as a substitute for an examination and/or treatment by a licensed health care provider.
Presenting illness: This case is slightly different because it was presented to me by the patient’s mother. Mr. May is a 25 year old college graduate who, after graduation, became a partner in the family farm. His family grows corn, wheat and soy.
In July 2008, Mr. May was suffered a head injury while wake boarding. He was knocked unconscious for a few minutes. He underwent magnetic resonance imaging of his brain, which was noted to be normal. After harvest season in August 2008, Mr. May began to experience insomnia, problems with his memory, symptoms of depression as well as nausea and vomiting. His family and doctor thought that some of the symptoms he was experiencing were as a result of the head injury he had sustained in July. Despite these symptoms, Mr. May and his father went on a hunting trip to Argentina. The flight was long, the plane’s air conditioning failed and by the time they landed in Argentina both he and his father were dehydrated. They cut their vacation trip short and came home early. Mr. May began to worry about “dementia” because of his memory problems and he became more depressed. His family doctor started him on Lexapro for depression. After being put on the Lexapro, Mr. May began to have suicidal thoughts. This resulted in Mr. May being referred to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist stopped the Lexapro and started Mr. May on Abilify and Pristiq. (Both of these medications are used for mood disorders). While Mr. May was on these medications his condition deteriorated and his mother reports that he was having hallucinations. She stated that the psychiatrist thought “he was crazy.” A neurologist and neuropsychologist were consulted and Mr. May was taken off of the Abilify and Pristiq and was started on Seroquel.
About this time, Mr. May’s mother “found out about Doug Kaufmann and the fungal link.” She realized that her son most likely was suffering from fungal exposure. She relates that her son had eaten the corn directly from their fields. This particular crop was determined by the government to be excessively contaminated with aflatoxin and, as such, was not suitable for human consumption. “All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.” Mr. May’s parents had been told that their son could exhibit problems as a result of his head injury that might not manifest until a few months later. His doctors assumed they were treating a “closed head injury” and never looked elsewhere for a diagnosis.
Mr. May’s mother was able to get some diflucan from her doctor (three pills). She called her friends and, between them, they were able to gather about two weeks of diflucan for her son. After one week on the diflucan, his mood and symptoms began to improve.
Past medical history: Healthy except for above.
Past surgical history: Mr. May has undergone periodontal surgery in the past year. His wisdom teeth have been removed.
Medications: Seroquel
Vitamins/Supplements: Mr. May is on oil of oregano, olive leaf extract, probiotics and Juice Plus
Social history: Mr. May is not married. He does not live at home. He does not use tobacco but occasionally drinks alcoholic beverages. His job as a farmer is physical and he also lifts weights. He recently began the initial phase diet (with some lapses).
Allergies: None
Family history: Mr. May has two sisters who are healthy. His mother and father are healthy.
Review of Systems: Although Mr. May has had some problems with insomnia, since starting on the Seroquel, he has not had any problems with sleeplessness. He has gained some weight since starting the seroquel. His mother reports Mr. May is very irritable on the seroquel but she has noticed that this improves as the medication “wears off.” Mr. May comes over to his mother’s house every evening for his seroquel. The remainder of his review of systems is unremarkable.
Physical examination: No physical examination was performed since this was a telephone consultation. His reported height is 6’2” and weight is 160 lbs.
My hat is off to mom. She figured it out while the physicians would have continued to literally poison Mr. May. Believe it or not, this would be an excellent case for “House” (for those of you who watch the television show). I am not surprised that the physicians continued to treat Mr. May as if he were a closed head injury or a “depression with psychosi.s. You are not ever going to diagnose a problem unless you already know that it can exist. Fungal disease is not mainstream medicine…yet.
Psychiatry has come a long way, for better or worse. Most of us have one of these images in our heads. The first is of a doctor sitting in a chair at the head of a couch where the patient is reclining. The patient is talking while the physician takes notes and asks open-ended questions. At the opposite extreme is an image of a hospital ward “a la One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” complete with straight jackets and padded cells. Well, neither of these is a true picture. Psychiatrists have the unenviable task of diagnosis and treatment of “brain dysfunction.” In the past twenty plus years, psychiatry has become much more of a medication oriented specialty. Big Pharma saw the potential for profits years ago. Big Pharma has invested countless dollars in the development of “happy pills.”
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that 95% of the adult U.S. population currently suffers from a “mood disorder.”1 That’s a pretty frightening estimate! If this is true, perhaps it is time for us to re-examine what is considered “normal.” The use of depression medications has skyrocketed, helped substantially by clever marketing by Big Pharma. Most of us want to be happy, bouncing balloons, right? Approximately one in ten American women take an antidepressant drug.
So what drugs are we talking about? These are the “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors” (SSRI’s) such as Lexapro, Paxil, Celexa, Prozac and Zoloft. In 2004, there were 26 million prescriptions for Lexapro dispensed. We are talking billions of dollars.1 Serotonin is a neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that allow the brain to accomplish all of its functions including thinking, feeling, sleeping and mood regulation. There are many other neurotransmitters but for the purpose of this article we are only addressing one, serotonin.
Our brain is made up of countless cells called neurons. Although our heads “look solid,” there are tiny spaces between the cells. (It gives a whole new meaning to “holes in our head.”) It is in these spaces that the neurotransmitters work. The brain is always active and the activity may be a thought or emotion.1 When a neuron is activated, it releases a substance (neurotransmitter) into the space between the cells. The neuron that releases it we will refer to as the pre-synaptic cell. The space between the cells is called a synapse. The neurotransmitter goes across the synapse and binds to the neighboring cell (post-synaptic) causing the cell to be activated. When the serotonin has activated the post-synaptic cell it gets reabsorbed by the pre-synaptic cell that released it. It happens so fast, it’s like electricity.
The serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) are named for what they do. They prevent the serotonin from being reabsorbed from the synapse. If the serotonin is not reabsorbed, it causes constant stimulation of the neighboring cells. The SSRI’s do this by poisoning an enzyme that helps to reabsorb the serotonin. The problem with constant stimulation of the neuron by serotonin is that it may cause an opposite or unexpected effect such as agitation, insomnia, anxiety, amnesia or suicidal thinking.
How could depression be a serotonin deficiency and wouldn’t it be better to give the body the raw materials to make more serotonin rather than poison an enzyme system?
Why am I telling you all of this? It is important that you understand that poisoning an enzyme cannot be good. The brain produces about 10% of the body’s serotonin. The other 90% is produced in the intestinal tract. With the majority of our body’s serotonin being present outside of our brain, we haven’t really begun to understand the full functions of this neurotransmitter. (Wow! I’ll bet your brain neurons are being “activated” by that thought.)
We know that there is a fungal link to depression. I believe it all starts in the gastrointestinal tract with fungal overgrowth (leaky gut). This leads to poor absorption of nutrients and decreased vitamin production. The result of this is a relative vitamin deficiency. I also believe that it affects serotonin production (although I do not have any studies to prove this).
Aflatoxin is a mycotoxin produced by the mold Aspergillus.2 It is often found in peanuts and white or yellow corn. Aspergillus can attack the corn in the field and result in production of aflatoxin prior to harvest. Acute aflatoxin poisoning can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, cerebral edema, convulsions, coma and death. Chronic aflatoxin exposure leads to a high risk of developing liver cancer and suppression of the immune system. This mycotoxin is a recognized as a worldwide problem.
With regard to Mr. May, I feel certain that he had some degree of gastrointestinal fungal overgrowth; most people do unless they make a deliberate effort to correct this problem by diet and supplements. I also believe he had acute aflatoxin poisoning. This precipitated the downward spiral of symptoms as a result of fungal dysbiosis and traditional medical treatment with antidepressants.
After talking with Mr. May’s mother, I recommended that Mr. May be started on ketoconazole and nystatin, as well as daily probiotics. I also recommended that he start on an iodine supplement to support his thyroid. I recommended that he continue on the initial phase diet. Diet is extremely important. With regard to his antidepressant medication, I recommended that he start on some natural supplements and minerals that have been associated with “depression.” We hope to wean him off of the antidepressant.
As a follow-up, Mr. May’s mother reports that he is improving on the antifungals and diet. Thanks Mom!
I realize that many of the readers may be on antidepressant medications. Please do not stop your medications on your own. Stopping these medications abruptly can cause serious side effects. You should be under the care of a health care provider when discontinuing these medications. In the meantime, you can start with the initial phase diet and exercise.
For those of you who are interested in learning more about the fungal link to chronic medical disease, I recommend:
The Fungus Link Volumes 1-3 by Doug Kaufmann.
1: Brownstein, D. Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do!
2: Kaufmann, D. The Fungal Link. 2000
Lynn Jennings, M.D.