Health & Fitness

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging study that allows your physician to see detailed pictures of your organs and tissues. The MRI machine uses a large magnet, radio waves and a computer to take detailed cross-sectional pictures of your internal organs and tissues.¹

The scanner looks like a tube with a table that enables you to slide into the tunnel of the machine to gather data. Unlike CT scans or X-rays that use ionizing radiation known to damage DNA, the MRI uses magnetic fields.

Images from an MRI give physicians better information about abnormalities, tumors, cysts and specific organ problems with your heart, liver, uterus, kidneys and other organs.

In some instances, your physician may want an enhanced MRI, one using a contrast agent or dye to improve the clarity of the images produced. According to a recent international poll,² a majority of radiologists avoid informing patients when deposits of toxic contrast agents are discovered.

FDA Guidance on Gadolinium

Gadolinium is the contrast agent of choice in about one-third of cases.³ It's injected into your body, allowing for greater detail to show up in the MRI images. There's a price for this, however, as gadolinium is a highly toxic heavy metal.

To reduce its toxicity, the gadolinium is administered with a chelating agent.⁴ However, research suggests as much as 25% of the gadolinium injected in certain patients is not excreted,^5,6 and deposits are still found in some patients long afterward.

In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began investigating the potential health effects from brain deposits of gadolinium, and released guidelines⁷ on the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) to lower any potential risk.

Two years later, the agency issued an update⁸ saying "Gadolinium retention has not been directly linked to adverse health effects in patients with normal kidney function," and that the benefits of GBCAs outweigh potential risks. Still, the agency required a new class warning and certain safety measures to be implemented. In its December 19, 2017, safety announcement, the FDA stated:⁹

"… after additional review and consultation with the Medical Imaging Drugs Advisory Committee, we are requiring several actions to alert health care professionals and patients about gadolinium retention after an MRI using a GBCA, and actions that can help minimize problems.

These include requiring a new patient Medication Guide, providing educational information that every patient will be asked to read before receiving a GBCA. We are also requiring manufacturers of GBCAs to conduct human and animal studies to further assess the safety of these contrast agents …

Health care professionals should consider the retention characteristics of each agent when choosing a GBCA for patients who may be at higher risk for gadolinium retention …

These patients include those requiring multiple lifetime doses, pregnant women, children, and patients with inflammatory conditions. Minimize repeated GBCA imaging studies when possible, particularly closely spaced MRI studies."

Patients Responsible for Requesting Medication Guide

However, while MRI centers are required to provide the gadolinium medication guide to all first-time patients scheduled for an enhanced MRI, hospital inpatients are not required to receive the guide unless the patient specifically requests it. A rather disconcerting detail mentioned in the FDA's May 16, 2018, update is that:¹⁰

"A health care professional who determines that it is not in a patient's best interest to receive a Medication Guide because of significant concerns about its effects may direct that it not be provided to that patient."

In other words, if they think you might say no to the procedure because you're worried about heavy metal toxicity, the health professional is allowed to simply withhold the safety information. Only if you specifically ask for it must that guide be provided to you.

While the FDA decided not to restrict the use of any GBCAs, the European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance and Risk Assessment Committee has recommended suspending the use of four linear gadolinium contrast agents shown to be less stable (and therefore more likely to accumulate in the brain and cause issues in those with kidney problems) than macrocyclic GBCAs.¹¹

Most Radiologists Hide Findings of Gadolinium Deposits

An equally disturbing finding¹² is that 58% of radiologists hide findings of gadolinium deposits from patients when they're found on scans. As reported by Health Imaging,¹³ the most commonly cited justification for omitting any mention of gadolinium deposits in their radiology report was to avoid provoking "unnecessary patient anxiety."

However, this also prevents patients from taking action to protect their health, which could be really important if they're experiencing effects of gadolinium toxicity and haven't put 2 and 2 together yet.

To date, the greatest danger of GBCA has been thought to be relegated to those with severe kidney disease, in whom GBCA exposure has been linked to nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF),¹⁴ a debilitating disease involving progressive tissue fibrosis involving skin and subcutaneous tissues.¹⁵ To avoid this, those with kidney disease need to receive more stable forms of chelate with the gadolinium.¹⁶

However, the fact that gadolinium can accumulate in the brain (and throughout your body) even if you do not have kidney problems could have significant, hitherto unrecognized, dangers. For example, use of GBCAs has been linked to hypersensitivity in two brain regions (the dentate nucleus and globus pallidus),¹⁷ the consequences of which are still unknown.

Hyperintensity in the dentate nucleus has previously been linked to multiple sclerosis, and according to more recent research, this hyperintensity may actually be the result of the large number of enhanced MRI scans MS patients tend to receive.¹⁸ Hyperintensity of the globus pallidus, meanwhile, has been linked to liver dysfunction. 

Researchers Propose New Gadolinium Disease Category

In the 2016 paper,¹⁹ "Gadolinium in Humans: A Family of Disorders," the researchers actually propose that GBCA deposits in the body should be viewed as a new disease category. They write:

"In early 2014, an investigation by Kanda et.al. described the development of high signal intensity in brain tissue on T-2 weighted images of patients with normal renal function after repeated administrations of GBCA …

This caught many radiologists by surprise, as many had thought that deposition of gadolinium could not occur in patients with normal renal function. This deposition results in signal-intensity increase on unenhanced T1-weighted images in different regions of the brain, primarily in the dentate nucleus and globus pallidus …

To our knowledge, neither the bone deposition first reported by Gibby et. al. nor the brain deposition first reported by Kanda et. al. have been associated with recognized disease. We propose to name these storage entities 'gadolinium storage condition.'

Along a separate avenue of inquiry, patient advocacy groups have formed, with an online presence in which individual members report that they have experienced severe disease following the administration of GBCAs.

Some of these patients have reported persistent presence of gadolinium in their systems, as shown by continued elevated gadolinium in their urine. All experience a variety of symptoms including pain in both the torso and the extremities; the latter location is associated with skin thickening and discoloration.

These physical features are similar, but lesser in severity, to those reported for NSF. Our preliminary investigation has convinced us that this phenomenon is a true disease process, which we propose naming 'gadolinium deposition disease.'"

The researchers go on to note other common signs and symptoms of "gadolinium deposition disease," such as persistent headache, bone, joint, tendon and ligament pain (often described as sharp pins and needles, cutting or burning), tightness in the hands and feet, brain fog and soft-tissue thickening that "clinically appears somewhat spongy or rubbery without the hardness and redness observed in NSF."

Lawsuit Highlights Gadolinium Dangers

"Gadolinium deposition disease" is what Chuck Norris' wife Gena claims to have developed after undergoing three contrast-enhanced MRIs in a single week to evaluate her rheumatoid arthritis.

The study cited above is part of the evidence included in the Norris' lawsuit^20,21 (filed in November 2017) against several manufacturers and distributors of GBCAs. According to the lawsuit, the risks of gadolinium were known, yet patients are not warned.

Gena's symptoms began with a burning sensation in her skin. In a 2017 Full Measure interview, she described it as if there was acid burning her skin, slowly covering her body.²² Mental confusion, muscle spasms, kidney damage and muscle wasting followed.

She visited the emergency room several nights in a row, where doctors ran tests for ALS, MS, cancer and Parkinson's disease. The couple's attorney, Todd Walburg, told CBS News,²³ "We have clients who have been misdiagnosed with Lyme disease, ALS, and then they've eventually ruled all those things out and the culprit remaining is the gadolinium."

In fact, it was Gena who made the connection between her symptoms and the MRIs she had undergone. She told Full Measure:²⁴

"When we got to the hospital in Houston this last time, and I'm so bad and I said, listen, I am sober enough in my thinking right now, because I had such brain issues going on, I said I'm only going to be able to tell you this one time and I need you to listen to me very closely. I have been poisoned with gadolinium or by gadolinium and we don't have much time to figure out how to get this out of my body or I am going to die."

The Norrises claim they've spent nearly $2 million on efforts to restore Gena's health, with little progress. Even chelation therapy has had limited success.²⁵

Heavy Metal Toxicity Is a Common Modern Hazard

Heavy metals are widely distributed throughout the environment from industrial, agricultural, medical and technical pollution. Heavy metal toxicity has documented potential for serious health consequences, including kidney, neurological, cardiovascular, skeletal and endocrine damage.

Heavy metals most commonly associated with poisoning are arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium, which are also the heavy metals most commonly found in environmental pollution. Symptoms of heavy metal poisoning vary based on the organ systems affected.

Scientists have found that heavy metals also increase oxidative stress secondary to free radical formation.²⁶ Testing for heavy metal toxicity includes blood, urine and hair and nail analysis for cumulative exposure.

Detoxification can be difficult, and needs to be done with proper care. I've written several articles about this. More information can be found in "The Three Pillars of Heavy Metal Detoxification" and "The Walsh Detoxification Program."

Carefully Consider Your Need for Contrast MRI

The key take-home message here is to avoid using MRI scans with contrast unless absolutely necessary. Many times, physicians will order these tests just to be complete and cover themselves from a legal perspective.

If that is your case, then simply refuse to have the test done with contrast. If necessary, consult with other physicians that can provide you with a different perspective.

This is particularly important if you have a condition such as MS in which multiple MRIs are done. Also remember that multiple MRIs with contrast will be particularly dangerous the closer they're done together.

If You Need an MRI, It Pays to Shop Around

While I always recommend being judicious in your use of medical diagnostic procedures, there are times when it is appropriate and useful for you to have a certain test.

What many don't realize is that the fees for these procedures can vary tremendously, depending on where they are performed. Hospitals tend to be the most expensive option for diagnostics and outpatient procedures, sometimes by an enormous margin.

Freestanding diagnostic centers are alternative places to obtain services such as lab studies, X-rays and MRIs, often at a fraction of the cost charged by hospitals. Private imaging centers are not affiliated with any particular hospital and are typically open for Monday through Friday business hours, as opposed to hospital radiology centers that require round-the-clock staffing.

Hospitals often charge higher fees for their services to offset the costs of their 24/7 operations. Hospitals also may charge exorbitant fees for high-tech diagnostics, like MRIs, to subsidize other poorly reimbursed services. And, hospitals are allowed to charge Medicare and other third-party insurers a "facility fee," leading to even more price inflation.

So, if you do find that you need an MRI, don't be afraid to shop around. With a few phone calls to diagnostic centers in your area, you could save up to 85% over what a hospital would charge for the same service.

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A fishery is an organized means of catching fish, an activity otherwise known as fishing. This is different from fish farms, also known as aquaculture. On fish farms, the fish are commercially raised in enclosures for food, while a fishery is organized fishing for wild fish.

Farmed fish are some of the most toxic foods; this is especially true for farmed salmon, according to one study. Researchers found that farmed salmon tested five times more toxic than other food products. Farmed salmon contain half the omega-3 of wild salmon and are often fed a genetically modified diet. Many are given antibiotics and exposed to pesticides and other toxins to offset the unsanitary conditions in which they live.

Although farmed fish are exposed to purposely applied pesticides, fisheries in Japan have experienced a significant decline in fish and eel populations after neonicotinoids were sprayed in adjacent fields. Also known as neonics, this is a relatively new classification of insecticide that is water soluble and operates systemically.

This means the plants absorb the pesticide. The toxin in neonics operates on the central nervous system of the insects, causing death or impairing the ability to forage in pollinators. The idea was to create a defense mechanism for the plant so insects feeding on them would die before they did significant damage to the crops.

Fish Starved When Their Food Source Affected by Neonics

This widely used type of pesticide has now been associated with a declining harvest from Lake Shinji in Japan. Once a thriving fishery, researchers have found annual catches of smelt have fallen by 90% in the 10 years after the introduction of the pesticide to the surrounding fields.¹

The study,² published in Science, showed there was an immediate decline in the number of insects and plankton in the lake after neonics were used in adjoining rice paddies. This was rapidly followed by a collapse of the smelt and eel populations that rely on the insects and plankton for food.

The populations of smelt and eel had been stable for several decades, and while the analysis shows a strong correlation, the study was not designed to prove a causal link.

Damage to pollinators by neonics has been well-documented. The die-off to freshwater species has been studied more heavily in Europe, where data have linked the toxin to a collapse in the population of dragonflies, snails and mayflies associated with a decline in populations of birds feeding on those insects.

Other groups were recording the salt and pollution content in the lake, but the scientists didn't believe the reduction in the fish population was coinciding with those results. Masumi Yamamuro is a scientist with the Geological Survey of Japan and lead author on the study who investigated the cause of the decimation to the fish population.³

The researchers noticed one fish population had not declined and they determined the species had a more diverse diet and could survive on algae, not affected by insecticides. As the food sources for smelt and eel food were vanishing, the fish were dying as well.

One Chemical Has a Complicated Effect on the Ecosystem

Purdue University ecologist Jason Hoverman, who was not involved in the study, commented on the interrelationship of ecosystems often overlooked by agrochemical companies and big business. He said to NPR reporter Dan Charles:⁴

"When we think about chemicals, we often just go right to direct toxicity, not thinking about the food web implications; the food of the fish, and the impact of the chemicals on that food."

In 1962, Rachel Carson predicted the decline of the insect population, which she foretold would touch every living ecosystem on the earth. She was a celebrated biologist, ecologist and writer who called for responsible action to steward the Earth's resources.

She warned the federal government was part of the problem that could lead to environmental failure. Events predicted in her book have since come to pass in the last few decades. The Japanese researchers quoted Carson's "Silent Spring":⁵

"She wrote: 'These sprays, dusts and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests and homes — nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the 'good' and the 'bad', to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams.' The ecological and economic impact of neonicotinoids on the inland waters of Japan confirms Carson's prophecy."

Matt Shardlow⁶ is a conservationist, author and CEO of Buglife, the only organization in Europe dedicated to saving invertebrates. The organization works to save bug habitats from destruction and to improve freshwater ecosystems. He commented to the Guardian on the results of this study:⁷

"Japan has had a tragic experience with nerve-agent insecticides. In the paddy fields, where the air once thrummed with the clatter of billions of dragonfly wings, these insecticides have imposed near silence. The annihilation of humble flies and the knock on effects on fish serve as further testament to the dreadful folly of neonicotinoids.

It is also extremely worrying that the levels of neonicotinoids in rivers in eastern England, as recently reported by Buglife, are very similar to the levels reported in this research. Unfortunately, while it is clear that harm must have been done to UK river health, the exact impact of neonicotinoids has yet to be quantified."

Vanishing Insect Population Affects Human Food Supply

In speaking with NPR Hoverman raised more specific questions about the cause of the problems:⁸

"These chemicals can definitely end up in water. We apply them on land, but they don't stay on land. The question becomes, are they at levels that are high enough to cause a problem?"

Other scientists studying the effects have acknowledged how these killer chemicals have damaged the environment, both immediately after application and years later. Yamamuro writes in the study,⁹ "This disruption likely also occurs elsewhere, as neonicotinoids are currently the most widely used class of insecticides globally."

If you remember going on a road trip as a child, you likely have a memory of bugs being smashed on your windshield. If you think about it for a minute, you may realize it's been awhile since your windshield was covered with insects. This has been called the "windshield phenomenon" by entomologists and is an ominous warning of the decline in insect species.

In one study evaluating the total flying insect biomass over 27 years in 63 protected areas in Germany, researchers discovered there had been a 76% decline. These reductions happened regardless of the type of habitat and were not explained solely by changes in weather, land use or habitat characteristics.

The researchers cautioned the loss of diversity and abundance could provoke a cascading effect on food ecosystems and the ramifications should not be taken lightly. Experts estimate 80% of wild plants depend on insects for pollination, 60% of birds depend on them for food and ecosystem services in the U.S. estimate their worth at $57 billion annually.

A study by researchers from the University of Nevada followed 67 butterfly species over 20 years in four locations. They discovered a significant reduction in the butterfly population was closely linked to the increased use of neonicotinoids.

Neonics Have High Risk and Little Reward

One study found agricultural lands in the U.S. are now 48 times more toxic than they were a short 25 years ago. The researchers found synthetic insecticide use shifted from organophosphorus pesticide to a mix of neonicotinoids and pyrethroids. The number of crops treated with neonicotinoids has risen precipitously and seed suppliers have doubled the amount of insecticide applied to each seed.

In the 1990s, only 35% of U.S. corn and 5% of soybean acres were treated with neonicotinoids. At that level of application, the pest population was not damaging enough to crops to cause economic harm, suggesting that treating hundreds of millions of acres is not necessary.

Despite years of evidence that neonics have a damaging effect on the environment with long-term damage on humanity, the use of this class of insecticide has continued. To compound the problem, farmers are not experiencing great benefits from the practice.

The investigators of one study compared results of farmers using regenerative practices to those who were using current monoculture methods. They discovered regenerative fields had a 29% lower production, but a 78% higher profit. In their review of pest management, they found corn fields treated with insecticides had 10 times more pests than those of regenerative farms.

Reduce Pesticide Use and Support Regenerative Farms

One key to reducing damage to the environment, wildlife and ultimately human health is to reduce the use of pesticides. Although the application is so commonplace it may seem necessary, researchers have demonstrated that pesticides can be cut without harming yields.

The results from some studies suggest reducing pesticide use may reduce crop losses since neonic coated seeds injure useful insects that help kill other pests naturally. Ecologically-based farming practices to help kill soybean aphids could save farmers in four states from hundreds of millions in losses each year.

Despite these findings, farmers are inundated with neonic-treated seeds and have limited ability to avoid them. Regenerative farming improves the biodiversity of the soil. It does not harm the environment and it ultimately increases the farmers' net profits, allowing them to continue providing food for the world and supporting their families.

Regenerative practices rebuild the topsoil, protect water sources, protect the insect population and offer you optimal nutrition. If you're not able to grow your own food, choose fresh, organic produce from local growers and seek out farmers who provide organic, grass fed beef, poultry and dairy products.

Certifications indicating farmers are using regenerative principles include Demeter biodynamic certification and American Grassfed Association (AGA) certification.

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A study found that in urban homes, where the use of cleaning products is usually more prevalent than in rural homes, fungal diversity was higher, not lower as might be expected. The study, "Home Chemical and Microbial Transitions Across Urbanization," was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.¹

Researchers investigated and compared the chemical and microbial conditions of urban and rural homes in the Amazon basin and of the people who lived in them.

The dwellings ranged from a rainforest village with thatched huts that had no walls to a Peruvian rural town with wooden houses but no indoor plumbing, to a more populous Peruvian city of 400,000 with more modern appurtenances, to the high-rise dotted metropolis of Manaus, Brazil.² What the researchers found from the wide cross section of urban and rural living was surprising:

“The degree of urbanization correlated with changes in the composition of house bacterial and microeukaryotic communities, increased house and skin fungal diversity, and an increase in the relative abundance of human skin-associated fungi and bacteria in houses.

Overall, our results indicate that urbanization has large-scale effects on chemical and microbial exposures and on the human microbiota.”³

Cleaning Products May Be Encouraging Fungi

Many people are aware of the serious dangers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are caused by excessive antibiotic usage. But do fungi also become resistant to cleaning products and chemicals as the study suggests?

Fungal resistance to cleaning products and chemicals is only one explanation the researchers postulate in the study, but the substances are major suspects.

The researchers also question whether the fungi are flourishing because of the warmer temperatures typically found in urban homes and from other factors more likely to be found in urban homes than less developed housing, like reduced air exchange and lower levels of natural light.

There is even another facet to urbanization that could be at play in the increased fungal presence, says Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, a professor in the biochemistry and microbiology department and the anthropology department at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and senior author of the Nature Microbiology research.

Modern living shuts us inside with industrial compounds and higher carbon dioxide levels, she says.⁴ It is not surprising that being cut off from the healing properties of nature can have negative health consequences. The documentary, “Call of the Forest — The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees,” revealed how forest bathing produces positive psychological and physiological effects and trees boost the immune system by emitting specific and healthy compounds.

Similarly, in the documentary “Down to Earth,” grounding or earthing, in which foot contact is made with the Earth without shoes, is found to neutralize free radicals in the body through access to the negatively charged electrons in soil.

Grounding is also said to reduce the unwanted voltage humans can receive from electromagnetic fields that are ubiquitous in developed countries.

Urbanization Includes Many Harmful Factors

As would be expected, the researchers found molecules from medications and cleaning agents in urban homes but not in the rural or rainforest homes. And researchers made another fascinating discovery: In rural or rainforest homes, there was a greater variety of bacteria and fungi that live outdoors and fewer that colonize the human body and are harmful.

A study in Science Advances confirms the presence of desirable microbes in the gut microbiomes of those living in isolated areas and less touched by urbanization, but surprisingly also points out the existence of antibiotic resistance genes:⁵

“Most studies of the human microbiome have focused on westernized people with life-style practices that decrease microbial survival and transmission, or on traditional societies that are currently in transition to westernization.

We characterize the fecal, oral, and skin bacterial microbiome and resistome of members of an isolated Yanomami Amerindian village with no documented previous contact with Western people. These Yanomami harbor a microbiome with the highest diversity of bacteria and genetic functions ever reported in a human group.

Despite their isolation, presumably for >11,000 years since their ancestors arrived in South America, and no known exposure to antibiotics, they harbor bacteria that carry functional antibiotic resistance (AR) genes, including those that confer resistance to synthetic antibiotics and are syntenic with mobilization elements.

These results suggest that westernization significantly affects human microbiome diversity and that functional AR genes appear to be a feature of the human microbiome even in the absence of exposure to commercial antibiotics.”

A decline in the richness of humans' microbiomes may be linked to the increase of immunological and metabolic diseases such as asthma, allergies, diabetes and obesity in recent years, points out Dominguez-Bello.⁶ Even autism is associated with urbanization, which in turn is linked to a loss of microbiome diversity.⁷

Western Medications Deplete Beneficial Bacteria

The repeated use of antibiotics, seen in urban environments and seldom in rainforest and rural environments, may raise the risk for Type 2 diabetes by altering gut bacteria, write researchers in the European Journal of Endocrinology:⁸

"Treatment with two to five antibiotic courses was associated with increase in diabetic risk for penicillin, cephalosporins, macrolides and … The risk increased with the number of antibiotic courses."

There are other gut microbiome risks from urbanization. Pesticides, processed food and Caesarean sections may also contribute to the dramatic decline in the richness of the human gut microbiome. These factors are seldom seen in less developed cultures but abound in urban environments.

In fact, one study even suggests that sophisticated sanitation and sewage systems, the hallmark of developed cultures, may be a factor in destroying microbial diversity, perhaps more consequentially than antibiotics.⁹

Human Fungal Infections Are Increasing

In the last few decades, fungal infections have increased, mostly because of the growing population of immunocompromised individuals undergoing intensive chemotherapy and those with HIV.¹⁰ One fungal disease, Cryptococcosis, has become strongly associated with immunocompromised HIV patients.¹¹

But in 1999, a different species of fungus called Cryptococcus gattii or C. gatti surfaced and it was not linked to HIV patients. Previously a tropical disease, C. gattii began to infect healthy individuals across the Pacific Northwest, leading doctors to wonder if environmental change could increase the domain of some fungal pathogens.¹²

Then in 2009, Candida auris, a deadly yeast fungus no one had ever encountered, emerged. First described in a Japanese patient with an ear infection, it has since become a rapidly spreading pathogen, especially ominous because it is often multidrug-resistant.¹³

C. auris mostly affects those who are already seriously ill and kills one-third of those it infects.¹⁴ Its multidrug-resistance means hospitals have a difficult time eradicating it.¹⁵ The origin and spread of C. auris is unprecedented, says NBC News:¹⁶

"C. auris didn't spread like a virus would, radiating out from one location. Instead, it popped up simultaneously in different parts of the world, including India, South Africa and South America.

'It was really mystifying that Candida auris appeared at the same time in three continents,' said ... Dr. Arturo Casadevall, chair of the molecular microbiology and immunology department at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Casadevall and his team thought the fungus's emergence must have been the result of some kind of change in the Earth's environment — in this case, a gradual rise in temperature."

What is especially odd, says NBC News, is that fungi normally gravitate toward the coolest parts of the human body like feet and nail beds. In the past, fungi didn't cause internal infections because they can't survive the body's warmer temperatures, which hover around 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, this may be changing.¹⁷

Fungicides May Be a Factor in the Fungal Boom

The emergence of aggressive, drug-resistant fungi could also stem from fungicides used agriculturally. The chemicals are widely used in farming. Mother Jones states:¹⁸

"According to data collected from US government sources by the pesticide-tracking group Hygeia Analytics … 62 percent of total US peanut acres were treated with the triazole fungicide tebuconazole in 2016, and 25 percent with another one, propiconazole.

Both were named in a 2013 Dutch study among five farm fungicides identified as a driver of resistance in hospital-acquired A. fumigatus infections among patients with no previous exposure to the chemical.

The use of fungicide propiconazole jumped nationwide from less than a half-million pounds in 2004 to more than 2 million pounds in 2016, according to the US Geological Survey. It’s used on soybeans, wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables, and orchard crops."

The wide use of chemicals with one specific means of killing fungi in agriculture, known as single-target-site fungicides, could morph into more drug-resistant fungal infections in humans, say experts.¹⁹

In Europe, the Americas and Asia, drug-resistant strains of the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus have also been found. Since drug-resistant Aspergillosis has even been identified in patients who have never been treated with antifungals, environmental sources are suspected.²⁰

Spread of Fungal Infections Is an Environmental Red Flag

The spread of fungal infections raises many questions. The discovery of a greater incidence of fungi in urban areas suggests that the pathogens may be becoming resistant to cleaning products or even opportunistically replacing bacteria that have been eliminated since, as they say, "nature abhors a vacuum."

The preponderance of the urban-located fungi also highlights the unhealthy aspects of urban living. Major questions also exist about environmental change and the use of agricultural fungicides, both of which could be causing or contributing to fungal resistance. The phenomenon of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from excessive farm use in livestock is well-documented and another significant danger.

How Can You Avoid Infections?

Minimizing your use of antibacterial cleaners may help protect the natural diversity of microorganisms in your home and on your body, but you can also help to avoid infections — including fungal infections — by boosting your immune system. Toward this end:

• Exercise regularly — Exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood. The better these cells circulate, the more efficient your immune system is at locating and eliminating pathogens in your body. Make sure your fitness plan incorporates weight training, high-intensity exercises, stretching and core work.
• Get plenty of restorative sleep — Recent research shows sleep deprivation has the same effect on your immune system as physical stress or disease,²¹ which is why you may feel ill after a sleepless night.
• Have good stress-busting outlets — High levels of stress hormones can diminish your immunity, so be sure you’re implementing some sort of stress management. Meditation, prayer, yoga and the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) are all excellent strategies for managing stress, but you’ll have to find what works best for you.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels — Studies have shown that inadequate vitamin D can increase your risk for MRSA and other infections,²² which can likely be extended to other superbugs. Your best source of vitamin D is through exposing your skin to the sun, but supplementation may also be necessary.

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Nuclear RNA levels are kept in check by RNA decay factors. Now, researchers show that an excess of RNA in the nucleus can have negative effects on a crucial regulator of stem cell differentiation.

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Trash talking has a long and colorful history of flustering game opponents, and now researchers have demonstrated that discouraging words can be perturbing even when uttered by a robot.

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Scientists have peered inside the brain to show how taking DMT affects human consciousness by significantly altering the brain's electrical activity.

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Watch out for 'feather duvet lung' doctors have warned after treating a middle aged man with severe lung inflammation that developed soon after he bought feather-filled bedding.

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Investigators have found that eating a healthy diet may reduce the risk of acquired hearing loss.

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A new screening system developed by scientists leverages redundancy in an important component of a cell - nucleotide metabolism - to help identify new drugs that specifically and potently block processes that are essential for cancer cell growth.

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If people are educated on recycled water, they may come to agree it's perfectly safe and tastes as good -- or better -- than their drinking water. They may even agree it's an answer to the critical water imbalance in California. But that doesn't mean they're going to use recycled water -- and it sure doesn't mean they'll drink it. And the reason lies in the word 'disgust.'

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After a stroke, the main goal is to get back home and be as independent as possible. To achieve that goal, most stroke rehabilitation centers focus on helping people to regain lost function, such as the inability to use a hand, to speak, to swallow, or to walk. A great deal of effort is put into functional recovery so that the patient can go home safely and adequately perform activities of daily living (ADLs). There is little effort put into aerobic exercise and conditioning in most stroke rehabilitation programs.

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) found that stroke survivors benefit from aerobic programs similar to those found in cardiac rehabilitation programs. These findings may prompt a closer look at how stroke rehab programs are designed.

Aerobic exercise can help achieve goals of stroke rehabilitation

Exercise has many known benefits for the body and mind. These include lowering blood pressure and resting heart rate; raising HDL (good) cholesterol levels; lowering triglycerides; increasing the body’s ability to break down clots; improving insulin sensitivity, which helps with diabetes prevention and control; increasing muscle mass; increasing metabolism; improving mood; and lowering anxiety. Many of these benefits can also help prevent another stroke.

Another priority for most stroke survivors is the ability to walk or move around. However, research demonstrates that stroke survivors spend almost 80% of their days sitting or lying down. In doing so, they accumulate less than 50% of steps compared to what their healthy counterparts accumulate.

Sedentary behavior leads to deconditioning, reduced aerobic capacity, and lower energy levels. It also contributes to higher triglyceride levels, a risk factor for stroke. Empowering stroke survivors to be upright and mobile during the day could help prevent another stroke.

Stroke rehab programs can take a cue from cardiac rehab

Stroke survivors are usually discharged from a hospital or rehab facility with an exercise program to continue at home. The program typically focuses on functional exercises that help them perform their ADLs independently. Sometimes home physical therapy and occupational therapy are provided for a few weeks, but there is little focus, if any, on increasing aerobic capacity with a walking program.

Patients who have suffered a heart attack are often enrolled in an outpatient cardiac rehab program, which focuses on increasing aerobic capacity. There is no equivalent, aerobic activity-based outpatient program for stroke survivors. The JAHA systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that perhaps there should be.

Researchers examined 19 studies that looked at the use of aerobic training programs for stroke survivors. The aerobic training programs were mostly walking (47%), some stationary cycling (21%), some mixed modality (21%), and a few recumbent stepping (11%). The amount of exercise was comparable to the amount and intensity of that offered in most cardiac rehab centers for survivors of heart attacks. The researchers found that programs providing two to three exercise sessions a week, for 30 to 90 minutes per session for eight to 18 weeks, resulted in significant improvements in aerobic capacity and the distance the stroke survivor could walk in six minutes (the six-minute walk test).

More research is needed, but in the near future it may be that stroke survivors join heart attack survivors at cardiac rehabilitation facilities.

Incorporate more aerobic activity into stroke recovery, with or without a formal program

Until aerobic training becomes part of routine discharge planning for stroke survivors, they can speak to their physicians about starting a walking program. The goal would be to work your way up to two to three sessions a week for 30 minutes or longer per session.

Local YMCA programs may have treadmills available, as well as personal trainers, if needed, for supervision. If a stroke survivor is discharged with home physical therapy, they can discuss a walking program with their therapist. Having an exercise buddy — a family member, a friend, or a fellow stroke survivor — helps with motivation and consistency. For stroke survivors who are not walking independently, swimming or pool exercises may be beneficial.

The post Benefits of incorporating more aerobic activity into stroke rehabilitation appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

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