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Can Sodium Bicarbonate Be Taken For Mycotoxin-induced Diseases?

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Posted on Thu, 21 Jan 2016
Question: I have mycotoxicosis - toxic mold poisoning. Sodium bicarbonate is used in ER settings to neutralize overdoses and poisoning, and has antifungal properties and mold is a fungus. Do any physicians on here know if there is literature or clinical data indicating sodium bicarbonate has germicidal activity against mold fungi, or ability to neutralize the fungal poisons called mycotoxins which toxigenic molds produce?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (52 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Sodium bicarbonate has anti fungal properties

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for writing in to us.

I have read through your query in detail.
Please find my observations below.

1. There is medical research which shows that sodium bicarbonate has anti fungal properties.

2. One such research study in 2013 was performed on 24 fungi ehich contained 15 dermatophytes, 7 yeasts and 2 molds.

3. The results showed that and I quote "fungal growth was completely inhibited for 19 (79%) specimens and reduced for 4 (17%) specimens after 7 days".

Therefore adequate literature is there to show the anti fungal property of sodium bicarbonate. The mechanism of action is not clearly understood.

Hope your query is answered.
Please do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Vivek Chail (15 hours later)
Thank you very kindly Dr. Chail and Happy New Year to you from California USA to XXXXXXX India! Do you have any ability to see if there is in these or other studies any mention of cidal activity of sodium bicarbonate against chaetomium, stachybotrys, penicillium, aspergillus, cladosporium, or basidiospores molds? These are some of the toxigenic molds in this part of XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Sodium bicarbonate has fungistatic properties and not fungicidal as thought

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for writing back with an update.

Thanks and happy new year wishes to you.

1. I could gather from a research paper that a gene in Chaetomium globosum gives it the ability to make it resistant to sodium bicarbonate treatment.

2. The other fungi including stachybotrys, penicillium, aspergillus, cladosporium, or basidiospores can be controlled by sodium bicarbonate and most of the time for domestic purposes sodium bicarbonate and vinegar is used together.

3. It is important to share that the fungi studies in the first research article included T rubrum, T interdigitale, S brevicaulis, Fusarium spp, Acremonium spp, A. versicolor, C albicans, C parapsilosis, C guilliermondii, C zeylanoides, Trichosporon spp and sodium bicarbonate was found to be effective in controlling their growth.

There is a slight confusion about the fungicidal activity and fungistatic. Fungicidal is killing the fungus and fungistatic does not allow growth of fungi. Therefore antifungal is a broad term and includes fungistatic action of sodium bicarbonate. It was thought that sodium bicarbonate is fungicidal but many researches have observed it to be fungistatic. The sporses however will not be destroyed by sodium bicarbonate and can carry the infection and germinate in a favorable environment.

Hope your query is answered.
Please do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Vivek Chail (8 hours later)
My privilege and thank you very much Dr. Chail. Yes I'm aware of the distinction between fungicidal and fungistatic, and was thinking I should have been more precise in my original inquiry. That is interesting to hear of people using sodium bicarbonate for house mold. Have you heard of Dr. Simoncini from Rome, who has been curing cancer patients by treating underlying systemic candida infections using sodium bicarbonate? This is along the lines of what I am really trying to discover here - whether sodium bicarbonate could be used in vivo as a fungicidal agent against toxic mold strains such as I mentioned, which might be colonizing the body (with a possible exception being chaetomium, based on the resistance mechanism you discovered info on).

Here is Dr. Simoncini's website:XXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
The pH balance is altered and growth of the cancer cells is inhibited

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for writing back with an update.

Happy to read about about Dr.Simoncini and his treatment protocols.

1. The probable reason for sodium bicarbonate being used for cancer treatment is that there is a alkaline pH generated by use of sodium bicarbonate.

2. The cancer cells have active glucose metabolism and grow faster in acidic pH. By controlling the pH there can be growth inhibition of the cancer cells. This is probably the same reason how fungal growth is inhibited.

3. Cancer is a fearful and destructive condition and many patients do not want to take alternative treatments like the one mentioned.

Hope your query is answered.
Please do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Vivek Chail (17 hours later)
Thank you very kindly Dr. Chail. Dr. Simoncini's work is fascinating. :) I guess the bottom line of what I am trying to ferret out here is what likelihood exists in sodium bicarbonate exhibiting fungicidal activity - as opposed to fungistatic activity - in vivo against such molds as stachybotrys, cladosporium, aspergillus, penicillium, and basidiospores fungal infections in the persons of those exposed to toxic mold (omitting chaetomuim here since you astutely discovered it may have a genetic ability to resist sodium bicarbonate). I believe the fusarium you cited in the first study is a toxigenic mold, so that is an excellent piece of data. Thank you so much for your time and I wish you the very best for 2016 in every aspect of your life!
doctor
Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (10 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Welcome and wishing you good health

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Welcome and thanks for sending in your query.

There is a lot about science that is unexplored and the fungicidal behavior of sodium bicarbonate needs to be completely understood in the coming years.

Wishing you the best in the new year.

Regards,
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
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Dr. Vivek Chail

Radiologist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 6874 Questions

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Can Sodium Bicarbonate Be Taken For Mycotoxin-induced Diseases?

Brief Answer: Sodium bicarbonate has anti fungal properties Detailed Answer: Hi XXXX, Thanks for writing in to us. I have read through your query in detail. Please find my observations below. 1. There is medical research which shows that sodium bicarbonate has anti fungal properties. 2. One such research study in 2013 was performed on 24 fungi ehich contained 15 dermatophytes, 7 yeasts and 2 molds. 3. The results showed that and I quote "fungal growth was completely inhibited for 19 (79%) specimens and reduced for 4 (17%) specimens after 7 days". Therefore adequate literature is there to show the anti fungal property of sodium bicarbonate. The mechanism of action is not clearly understood. Hope your query is answered. Please do write back if you have any doubts. Regards,