Last fall the staff at our small charter school allowed me to conduct a science experiment. The experiment asked one question: Do chemicals and/or essential oils affect working memory?
The chemicals used were perfume, dryer sheets, and window cleaner. The essential oils were lavender, peppermint, and rosemary.
We decided to allow each child to participate. Some would be test givers; others would be test takers. More than 40 students participated over the course of two weeks. We conducted control tests measuring the working memory of each participant using Digit Span Testing.
According to Psychology Wiki:
Digit span testing is a measure of memory span which is the number of items, usually words or numbers, that a person can retain and recall. Where numbers are used it is also known as digit span, and the test is called digit repetition. It can be seen as a measure of working memory (or short-term memory, depending on the psychological framework used), although other factors such as attention and comprehension also contribute to the performance on this test.
In a typical test of memory span, a list of random numbers is read out at about the rate of one per second. The test begins with two to three numbers, increasing until the person commits errors. Recognisable patterns (for example 2, 4, 6, 8) should be avoided. At the end of a sequence, the person being tested is asked to recall the items in order. The average digit span for normal adults without error is seven plus or minus two.
Reverse repetition is more difficult and requires more processes besides immediate recall.
Here is one of our test sheets:
The directions were as follows:
"I am going to say a series of numbers for you to remember. When I am finished, I want you to say them in the reverse order in which I said them. Do you understand, or should I give you the directions again?"
On separate days we asked the participants to smell a designated scent for 30 seconds. We had them wait silently for two minutes and then tested them with the alternate set of numbers.
Our findings were inconclusive for the most part, with one significant exception.
Colin's graph shows the increase and decrease in scores for the three essential oils. Rosemary clearly had an impact on working memory. Of the 43 test subjects, 2 scored lower after smelling the oil, 11 remained the same, and 30 showed improvement. What is even more interesting is that those 30 individuals improved by a total of 46 points!
Our experiment simply validates what Greek scholars knew centuries ago. They wore garlands of rosemary during examinations for focus and recall. Shakespeare understood this benefit as well. In his play Hamlet, Act 4 Scene V, Ophelia gives her brother Laertes a flower, saying, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance."
This 2003 study concluded that "rosemary produced a significant enhancement of performance for overall quality of memory and secondary memory factors, but also produced an impairment of speed of memory compared to controls." (We didn't test the speed of the recall, simply the performance.)
What is it about rosemary that helps memory? According to Dr. James Duke, former U.S. Department of Agriculture chief of medicinal plant research, "Rosemary contains more than a dozen antioxidants and a half-dozen compounds reported to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine." Acetylcholine is a vital neurotransmitter, and when compromised, has been implicated in memory deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease. See this article for other reported health benefits of rosemary.
Greek scholars, Shakespeare, and a USDA official all agree with our middle school students. Rosemary is a wonderful herb well worth. . . remembering!
I loved this! As much testing/progress monitoring I do with our students I wonder how much better they would do if Rosemary was injected into our HVAC system?! Thanks for the information my friend.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, was curious how long it took you, once you started the GAPS diet, to feel like your brain was coming back? It is so hard not to get discouraged and wonder if you are doing the right thing...I know I didn't get sick in a day, and I won't heal in a day, but it can be hard to take it day by day. Thanks for sharing. - Nick
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteWe have been on this road for 2.5 years and I would say the last six months have been better. My brain is not fully restored however...but the more I understand the role good healthy fat plays in brain recovery the more encouraged I am. I understand how discouraging it can be....completely understand.
Hi Andrea, and Nick, have you tried hyperbaric oxygen treatments for help in brain recovery, and/or you think it has merit? There's a big clinical trial going on currently, to see if hyperbaric oxygen treatments can measurably help veterans with traumatic encephalopathy brain injury from IEDs etc.
ReplyDeleteI too have brain effects starting with toxic well water in rural Georgia through mold exposure, and feel I lost brain function cognitively and in the area of 'emotional memory', which apparently is stored in a different area in the brain.
Another question is do you think it's worth having a functional MRI of the brain to get more data on one's brain, such as Dr. Amen of Amen Clinics recommends? I get confused by cost-benefit of so many things.
Thanks, Karen
The caps and garlands of peppermint at marriage ceremony led to the sits, or loving ballads of the Troubadours mentioning peppermint.
ReplyDeleteKaren,
ReplyDeleteHyperbolic oxygen makes sense for the brain. I know many have benefitted.
We had some brain mapping done which showed a traumatic brain injury but did not have the MRI. I decided to direct our energy toward the science behind gut/brain connection rather than pursue other methods. Hyperbolic oxygen would be on my list, though!
Thank you so much, Andrea. Your comments section (& whole endeavor) is like a support group, in addition to the incredible information.
ReplyDeleteLosing brain function IS so hard, without support, and still so many people "not in the mold know" don't understand. Some people, even relatives, think I'm imagining my very real brain changes. Ouch!
Thanks for creating a community who understand, and I admire your positivity solutions focus. Makes me get off my too stuck, grieving, & problem-based mentality. Thanks!
Karen
Here's what I know what I know what I know what I know. The neurololgical impact of a toxic mold exposure is real. You are anything but crazy. In fact you're probably doing far better than you realize.
ReplyDeleteI look back and see that learning all of this about nutrition and the functions of the human body has helped rehabilitate my brain....funny and ironic that the fact that I had to find all this on my own (with the encouragement of those who have been there)....something I resented at the time...has been the very thing that has helped. Thanks for the encouragement, Karen.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI have had both a straight MRI and an MRI spec on my brain. Frankly, I was surprised anything showed up on the MRI...given all of my "fog" I wasn't sure it was still there! Ha. The first MRI ruled out a tumor (which is good) but didn't tell me much other than that, and the MRI Spec was looking for lesions caused by mold. That didn't show much either. So, neither really did anything unfortunately. I am starting down the path of true diet clean up (meats and veggies only for awhile) in hopes that over time it will restore some sensibility. I have not heard much about the oxygen therapy other than read in numerous places that mold/fungus can reduce oxygen flow to the brain. I guess at this point, I'm going to give my body every chance possible to heal by eating well, drinking well (water only) and exercising. Sounds silly, but at this point - 15 doctors later - nothing has helped. But I have a wife to support and kids to raise, so I can't give-up, although I want to on so many days. Andrea, I know that you've tried so many things, especially in the early days, but was curious if you ever took any presription anti-fungal drugs to "kick off" your healing? I take a bunch of natural stuff (coconut oil, garlic, etc) but have thought about taking a few tablets of diflucan over the course of a few weeks to hopefully eradicate the fungus. I know the risk in liver toxicity but I guess my thought was that I certainly wasn't going to load up on them...maybe just one or two over a two week period. God bless you all. -Nic
Nic,
ReplyDeleteI only went the natural route so I can't comment on the antifungal drugs. I do know that you obviously have a very good instinct...I would listen to it.
Thanks Andrea. You said something profound..."listen to your instinct"...isn't that so true? Amidst all the doctors telling me I needed a therapist, need to go on testosterone supplements, etc, I always felt in the back of my mind that is was fungal/mold related. I guess time will tell if I'm right. God Bless. - Nic
ReplyDeleteNic and Andrea,
ReplyDeleteI have been working on detoxifying my family from mold exposure for about 8-10 years now, though for the first years of that we didn't know we were dealing with mold. Long story short, we have tried just about everything out there, and for my son and myself antifungals have been essential for brain functioning. We were on a special diet for about 2 years (still follow it partially) called "Feast Without Yeast" by a Dr. Semon. His practice was focused on dealing with Candida. In his books, he says that clinically he saw about 1/3 of the improvement in his patients from diet alone, and felt that about 2/3 of the improvement came from antifungals (he used Nystatin in his practice). He felt also that the Nystatin, if used without following the diet, did not work.
As Nystatin is a prescription drug, I used an OTC drug called SF722 for myself from Thorne Research (my son used the Nystatin). SF722 is now available at many compounding pharmacies, or you can order over the internet. Dr. Semon's diet, by the way, is somewhat similar to GAPS, but is very low meat and allows well-cooked rice and rice noodles. He found in his clinical trials that the neurotoxins from meat can cause significant issues for people, while the well-cooked rice did not.
Anyway, I am a big fan of antifungals, and my son still uses them daily after many years. He simply functions much better cognitively with them. We have done many rounds over the years of diflucan, and used it for a year every day. Our doctor feels the liver toxicity issue is overblown--in the autism community, where small children are being treated with diflucan, liver issues are very rare. My doctor had never seen anyone have a problem though she did monitor liver function while kids were taking them. Adding milk thistle to your regimen and other liver support would always be a good idea while taking it, though.
Good luck!! The fight is well worth it!! Andrea, your site is just a goldmine of information--thank you for all the time you spend on your blog!
Blessings,
Amanda in Virginia
Wow, thanks for sharing Amanda. I plan to "kick" things off with Diflucan...although, I shouldn't say "kick" things off however as I've been on a restricted diet for more than 6 months now. I only have a few Diflucan pills. Therefore I plan to visit with my doctor about getting on a plan in which I could use them at a more frequent interval and over a longer timeframe. Thanks Amanda, and continued best wishes. Oh, what anti-fungals do you continue to take today?...just the SF722? Or others too? - Nic
ReplyDeleteAndrea, you need a chat board so we can all share notes on things!
ReplyDeleteNic, I still do rounds of SF722, though right now I'm trying Vitamin Research Products' KandidaPlex, which I do not think works as well for me. Andrea has mentioned that a doctor can test you to see which strains of mold you are dealing with, and prescribe antifungals accordingly. Is your doctor willing to do that? If now, I think that trial and error is the only way. If you don't see improvement from one, try another. One may work where another does not.
Your doctor might be willing to try the Nystatin. It is very safe; considered to be the safest of the Rx antifungals. SF722 was very effective for me; I took two capsules with each meal.
Are you doing the GAPS diet? There are several diets which, in my experience, work well on mold. If you have a tough time with GAPS, you might look at the "Feast Without Yeast" diet which includes grains but not much meat. It is easier, I think, for many, especially if you don't do well with meat. I personally feel the key is to watch your meat intake--it is easy to rely too heavily on meat, while the veggies really should be about 80% of the diet. Post again if you are struggling with GAPS.
Another possibility that might help is to add zinc and B6 supplements. Mold infection can cause a condition called KPU (also called pyrolurria, pyroluria, or HPU). It is a condition that essentially causes your body to dump out all of its zinc and B6. Your immune system without zinc is said to be like a gun without bullets. My family has done very well with these supplements. Your doctor should be able to test you for KPU if you ask--the test is very inexpensive. If you have spots on your fingernails, you are definitely VERY zinc deficient, and I have read that if you have spots, you have KPU. Adding the zinc and B6 has been one of our best interventions to date, and one of the easiest as well. It has allowed us to tolerate exposure to molds in other buildings for the first time in since our initial exposure. Google "pyroluria Dr. Bob" and you can read an excellent post on KPU. It is new information, though, that mold causes this condition (other things, like trauma, cause it also) so you might not find much info on the internet yet connecting toxic mold and KPU. Andrea, you might be interested in looking into this also. The zinc and B6 have brought us big gains here.
Andrea, I hope you don't mind us using your comments board to share ideas. If you'd prefer, I could give Nic my e-mail....
Blessings,
Amanda
It's no problem Amanda...but we do have a forum on momsAWARE...so far we have discussed cleaning and personal care products...and a bit of mold...feel free to discuss there or here...whatever works for you guys.
ReplyDeleteAmanda,more good stuff, thank you. I believe my problems started literally 15 years ago. I was on prolonged antibiotics for a couple of years. I began to notice skin rashes and discontinued use but the rashes never went away. I learned to tolerate them as I really didn't have any additional problems. A year ago, things got worse after I discovered I was working in a moldy office building which sent off a spiral of inflammation. I've spent the last year trying to figure out what the heck is wrong. Have done brain MRIs as I mentioned, endoscopies, colonoscopy, and the list goes on and on. Finally, I went and saw Dr. Shoemaker in MD who is brilliant. His test confirmed the inflammation in my body and I've been on Welchol (binding agent) for nearly 1 year. Unfortunately, that hasn't done too much. While certain markers have come down, and my inflammation has improved, the persistent brain fog is still rampant. Today, I eat very clean...e.g. eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch (olive oil as dresssing), meat and veggies for dinner. Snacks would be almonds or baked squash fries. I still take the Welchol and also supplement with Omega 3 from Nordic Naturals (2.6 grams daily), along with a multi vitamin and a rotating natural anti-fungal (currently CandaClear Four). Still my brain fog is ever present. So, I believe I am battling some type of fungus whether that is candida, mold, etc...who knows. You mentioned blood tests to identify the type of fungus...which tests are these? I am aware of a fungal panel which tests for certain antibodies related to different mold/fungus - and I did have those done - but they all came back negative? Seems I have had every other blood test known to man done and everything was normal other than the inflammation tests performed by Dr. S (which have now improved) and low testosterone...which I believe is a consequence not the cause of my fog. So, that is where I am at. I guess my next step was going to be prescription strengh anti-fungals...I guess I "feel" I am right with this fungal thing given my antibiotic history, rashes, etc, but in some small way I still feel like I am "stabbing" as my antibody test came back negative. Thoughts? - Nic
ReplyDeleteJust found these new comments! Many thanks from me too for all the great comments, Nick & Amanda. Thoughtful feedback & personal sharing.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, I'm in VA too. I'm always on the lookout to find good local docs & resources. Would be glad to share what I've found so far, if interested.
Karen
Nic, are there chemicals in your home that might be causing the brain fog?
ReplyDeleteThe worst brain fog I've had has been from pesticides. Was your house termiticided?
Also, you probably are aware many products are toxic such as fragranced air fresheners, & Synthetic carpet contains an unbeluevable number of chemicals.
I had such bad brain fog in a rental house that had been heavily pesticided that I would just sit in a stupor in a chair.
Where do you live? Are you in a rural area with drift from farm pesticides?
Have you read Tired or Toxic by Sherry Rogers? That is the first book that was my clue to what was happening to me! I had chemical exposures and chemical sensitivity before mold exposure. Her book opened my eyes, thank God!
Karen
Karen