{"id":3934,"date":"2018-08-03T18:53:25","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T23:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iseai.org\/?p=3934"},"modified":"2022-11-15T11:31:30","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T16:31:30","slug":"a-letter-from-dr-ackerley-to-the-australian-parliament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iseai.org\/a-letter-from-dr-ackerley-to-the-australian-parliament\/","title":{"rendered":"A Letter from Dr Ackerley to the Australian Parliament"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note:<\/strong> Please see the Australian Parliament’s recent response, the\u00a0“Report on the Inquiry into Biotoxin-related Illnesses in Australia”<\/em>\u00a0[PDF<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0web page<\/a>]\n

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Neuropsychiatric Consequences of Mold Exposure<\/strong><\/p>\n

By\u00a0Mary Ackerley, MD<\/a>, ISEAI Vice President. Dr Mary’s practice: My Passion 4 Health<\/a>. (Original Article<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Here is a letter I was asked recently to write to the Australian Parliament about the effects of mold on neuropsychiatric functioning. I find it very exciting that one government on this planet is recognizing that mold exposure is a real health issue:<\/em><\/p>\n

Att: The Australian Parliament\u2019s House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport<\/strong>
\nI am a trained board certified integrative physician, MD MD(H) and ABIHM as well as a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Harvard University and a John Hopkins classically trained board certified psychiatrist. I specialize in the treatment of chronic fatigue and biotoxin illness and have treated more than a 1000 patients with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, or CIRS, since 2010.<\/p>\n

More than half of the currently identified symptoms constituting CIRS are related to the brain. These are neurological, cognitive and psychiatric including tremors, memory and focus issues, mood swings, dysautonomias, decreased ability to assimilate new information and hypothalamic pituitary axis dysregulation. An article I wrote in 2014 called\u00a0Brain on Fire<\/a> details my observations that inhalation of the contaminants of a water damaged building can quickly induce psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, rage and suicidal ideation. Since then neuropsychiatric research using PET scanning has validated these observations by showing inflammatory markers are strongly present in ADD, depression with suicidal ideation, OCD, Alzheimer\u2019s and schizophrenia.<\/p>\n

The public mental health implications of inhalational toxicity are staggering. In the US a recent study showed the prevalence of indoor mold growth affected more than 50 percent of households in 5 communities. At least 25 percent of the population is said to be vulnerable to mold. Many of us treating patients feel the number is much higher, and recent HLA data from a wide range of demographics supports this observation. Given that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, how many people could be restored to working capacity by recognizing and treating exposure to mold? Look at the climbing suicide rates worldwide \u2013 could some of these be prevented also by recognizing the toxic contribution of mold inhalation. In schools, how many cases of asthma and ADD could be prevented? Perhaps one of the most worrisome research findings is a Polish study showing a decrease in IQ of over 10 points in children from ages one to 6 who lived in homes with visible mold.<\/p>\n

I have included multiple scientific references supporting these claims. I am optimistic that when the Australian Parliament begins to review the current evidence for chronic inflammation due to exposure to water damaged buildings that they will be motivated to make the changes necessary to support research and treatment.<\/p>\n

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  1. Ratnaseelan, A. M., Tsilioni, I. & Theoharides, T. C. Effects of Mycotoxins on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Immune Processes.\u00a0Clin. Ther.<\/i>\u00a040,<\/b>\u00a0903\u2013917 (2018).\u00a0doi: 10.1016\/j.clinthera.2018.05.004<\/a>\u00a0PMID: 29880330<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Holmes SE, Hinz R, Conen S, et al. Elevated Translocator Protein in Anterior Cingulate in Major Depression and a Role for Inflammation in Suicidal Thinking: A Positron Emission Tomography Study.\u00a0Biol Psychiatry<\/i>. 2017;0(0).\u00a0doi: 10.1016\/j.biopsych.2017.08.005<\/a> PMID: 28939116<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Tuuminen T, Rinne KS. Severe Sequelae to Mold-Related Illness as Demonstrated in Two Finnish Cohorts.\u00a0Front Immunol<\/i>. 2017;8:382. doi: 10.3389\/fimmu.2017.00382<\/a> PMID: 28421079<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Bredesen, D. E. Inhalational Alzheimer\u2019s disease: an unrecognized \u2013 and treatable \u2013 epidemic.\u00a0Aging (Albany. NY).<\/i>\u00a08,<\/b>304\u201313 (2016).\u00a0doi: 10.18632\/aging.100896<\/a>\u00a0PMID: 26870879<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Bredesen, D.E., Amos, E.C.,Canick, J., Ackerley, M., Raji, C., Milan, F., M.F, & Ahdidan, J. (2016). Reversal of cognitive decline in Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u00a0Aging, 8<\/i>(6), 1250-1258. doi: 10.18632\/aging.100981<\/a> PMID 27294343<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Alonso, R., Pisa, D., Fern\u00e1ndez-Fern\u00e1ndez, A. M. & Carrasco, L. Infection of Fungi and Bacteria in Brain Tissue From Elderly Persons and Patients With Alzheimer\u2019s Disease.\u00a0Front. Aging Neurosci.<\/i>\u00a010,<\/b>\u00a0159 (2018). doi: 10.3389\/fnagi.2018.00159<\/a>\u00a0PMID: 29881346<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Ullrich, M.\u00a0et al.<\/i>\u00a0OCD-like behavior is caused by dysfunction of thalamo-amygdala circuits and upregulated TrkB\/ERK-MAPK signaling as a result of SPRED2 deficiency.\u00a0Mol. Psychiatry<\/i>\u00a023,<\/b>\u00a0444\u2013458 (2018).\u00a0doi: 10.1038\/mp.2016.232<\/a>\u00a0PMID: 28070119<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Jedrychowski, W.\u00a0et al.<\/i>\u00a0Cognitive function of 6-year old children exposed to mold-contaminated homes in early postnatal period. Prospective birth cohort study in Poland.\u00a0Physiol. Behav.<\/i>\u00a0104,<\/b>\u00a0989\u2013995 (2011).\u00a0doi:\u00a010.1016\/j.physbeh.2011.06.019<\/a>\u00a0PMID:\u00a021763705<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Indoor, G. & Network, H. Global Indoor Health Network (GIHN) Diagnosis and Treatment of Illness Caused by Contaminants in Water-Damaged Buildings Table of Contents. 1\u201370 (2018). PDF<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Hope, J. A review of the mechanism of injury and treatment approaches for illness resulting from exposure to water-damaged buildings, mold, and mycotoxins.\u00a0Sci. World J.<\/i>\u00a02013,<\/b>\u00a06\u201310 (2013).\u00a0http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1155\/2013\/767482<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Spengler J, Neas LM, Nakai C, et al. Respiratory symptoms and housing characteristics. Indoor Air. 1994; 4:72\u201382.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1600-0668.1994.t01-2-00002.x<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Best Regards,
    \nMary Ackerley MD<\/p>\n

    APPENDIX<\/b><\/p>\n

    Title:\u00a0<\/b>Brain on Fire \u2013 Brain Changes in Mold Illness Webinar<\/a>\u00a0(YouTube)
    \n<\/b>Attendees:\u00a0<\/b>Dr. Mary Ackerley & Dr. Sandeep Gupta
    \n<\/b>Full Transcript:<\/b>\u00a0    https:\/\/www.moldillnessmadesimple.com\/brain-on-fire-brain-changes-in-mold-illness-with-dr-ackerley\/<\/a><\/p>\n

    Frontal Lobes<\/b><\/p>\n