May 2010 Column LAKESHORE GUARDIAN

How safe is that? We always have white dust all over everything in our home while we burn it. So is it a good idea to keep it going or to burn the wood pellets in it instead? We grow our own corn and have been burning it for two years now and the burner is inside our home. I am concerned because our 17 year old son plugs up the minute he comes home and my husband has to clear his throat several times a day. Thank you so much for your time. Bonnie

A…Great question, Bonnie!  According to Luke Curtis, MD, an industrial hygienist and physician, and many others, the inhalation of mycotoxins (fungal by-products) is just as potentially harmful as the eating of it.  Having said this, it appears to be the corn itself, not the corncob is where the problem lies.  According to the journal of The American Medical Association in 2002, our corn supply in America is “universally contaminated” with mycotoxins.  That being the case, if you are only burning the cobs, a potent anti-fungal component of the cob called Xylitol renders it free of mycotoxins.  However, if the corn still has kernels on the cob, this might account for the congestion and sore throats you are experiencing….or could that be from eating the corn?   

Q…Dear Doug, I so enjoy your show and have learned so much.  One of the things that stunned the most was the link between alcohol and breast cancer.  I abide by what you said.  Also, I am more aware of women who get breast cancer, their age and their alcohol connection.   It is a stunning revelation.
      I have a question about my son.  He is 23 years old, is in law school and has always been a high achiever.  I have taught him to take natural products like:  Green Magma (similar to a barley green), multiple vitamins and minerals, and probiotics. The question now is:  When I kiss him on his head  why does he have a moldy smell?  All his life he has had an odor and I thought he might outgrow it.  He is better, but still has that moldy smell.   Why?  What could it be?  What would you recommend?  Any light you could shed on this would be greatly appreciated.   THANK YOU very much, Cynthia

A…OK, for all readers, I need to respond, not to Cynthia’s relevant question, rather to what my heart tells me will become one heck of a lawyer!  Imagine a lawyer whose mother kisses his forehead!  That bond prepares law students far better than any book he will ever open.  I am humbled to communicate with you, Cynthia!
The smell of mildew on the skin is almost always due to an environmental factor rather than a leaching of toxins from beneath the skin.  There are, of course exceptions; When he was young, did you live in an older home, perhaps with a basement?  Did it ever leak?  The skin is one of the largest organs in the body and is composed of several layers, each better than the one beneath in capturing and maintaining odors. The occasional absence of deodorant proves that.  If he is away in college now, ask him tell you about potential mold exposure.  Many of us can remember times when we were relegated to school dorms, or $250 apartments, almost always conducive to mold growth.  Ahh, youth!
There are blood tests that do show the presence of molds inside the body.  Often, we see slowed learning and cognitive problems develop when this occurs.  Your son is in law school, which pretty much rules out learning disabilities.  I recall a case like this many years ago that responded favorably to the daily use (for several months) of chlorophyll in a glass of water to rid a mildew smell on the skin of a patient in a hospital.  She never knew if it was literally under her skin or due to environmental exposure….nor did she care 90 days later!  You are an amazing mother!  If every lawyer’s mother kissed him, our litigious world would take one large step backwards to a better time!

Q…Doug, I think for years I have had a fungal problem, I get throat infections sometimes after sweets. (I try to avoid them.) I just got an infection after some tequila too! (I just wanted to unwind.) I’ve been sick for three weeks now and it has turned to bronchitis. I went to my doctor and asked if it was fungal and told him my diet did this. He said he didn’t think it was fungal. I’m now on azithromiacin. I tried to avoid a visit to the doctor and tried oregano oil and eating healthier, but I failed! Hopefully the antibiotic won’t hurt me. Is there a home fungal throat test? Thank you, Sandy

A…Did you read my mail 40 years ago, Sandy?  You are not alone in your quest for good health, because my history is much the same as yours!  
Surely, I thought, we need doctors and drugs!  Surely, we the people cannot possibly understand infections ourselves, or get well without a Z-Pak!  I was right there with you, Sandy.   Although I do not recommend this, I have not visited a doctor in 39 years.  When I get sick, I know why.  If I didn’t, I’d go to a doctor. In virtually every instance, I caused my illness.  3 years ago, I was shopping at a used bookstore (very old medical books were naively honest) and I opened a 75-year-old medical book.  As I inhaled, I instantly knew that I was going to be sick.  The stench of mildew made my throat sore immediately and I went home and began what was to become 5 days of supplemental and dietary therapy aimed at reversing the reaction caused by the mold that was clinging to my mucous membranes. Most likely, any one else would have been placed on a Z-Pak, but I’ve always been hungry for information; not chemical or doctor information, but information on why I got sick…what was “the cause?”.   Joint pain, tissue swelling, brain fog, and the like can all be chalked up in my life to a sugar binge, too many grains or a glass of alcohol.  I vividly remember the last time I took an antibiotic.  It took me longer to fix the problems caused by the antibiotic than the disease itself!   

Sandy, when the student is ready, the teacher appears.  I was young once and loved my sweets and tequila like many in their youth.  But my want to feel great and be disease free as I aged set precedence over addictive eating patters.  I no longer unwind with alcohol, rather with outdoor jogs or a good book.  It took me years to figure this out, but it doesn’t have to take you that long.  Many who say “hello” to this logical lifestyle, say “goodbye” to their physicians.  No home fungal throat test needed, just a desire to feel great all the time!