Since erectile dysfunction (ED) is such a taboo subject with men, I decided that this article needs to be written to get the information out there so more men, especially farmers, can be helped.

My husband, David, was a dairy farmer since his youth. In an incident in the fall of 1991, however, he was exposed to black corn mold from corn silage in a silo. He hadn’t been wearing a mask and inhaled and/or ingested a large amount of it. He came down from the silo coughing and delirious. This started his journey of degenerative health and the bumpy road in our relationship.

Along with years of a string of diagnoses of Farmer’s Lung, severe sleep apnea, arthritis and hypertension, David also ended up with erectile dysfunction (ED). These conditions also started the revolving door to medical facilities for tests, treatments and prognosis. The prognosis was the same for all of them. They can’t be cured. You’ll just have to live with it and we’ll try to manage the symptoms.

Well, one of the things I started to research in trying to get answers that satisfied us was the connection between mold and erectile dysfunction (ED).

In doing an internet search of causes of erectile dysfunction, I came up with a number of physical and psychological causes including:

* Heart disease

* Clogged blood vessels (atherosclerosis)

* High blood pressure

* Diabetes

* Obesity

* Metabolic syndrome

* Certain prescription medications

* Tobacco use

* Alcoholism and other forms of drug abuse

* Treatments for prostate cancer

* Parkinson’s disease

* Multiple sclerosis

* Hormonal disorders such as low testosterone (hypogonadism)

* Peyronie’s disease

* Surgeries or injuries that affect the pelvic area or spinal cord

* Depression

* Anxiety

* Stress

* Fatigue

* Poor communication or conflict with your partner

But nothing about mold. I started to specifically research corn molds and their effect on humans. Not much information exists on that subject. But the animal husbandry industry has a lot of information on how the derivitives of mold, mycotoxins, effect animals.

A mycotoxin (from Greek μuκης (mykes, mukos) “fungus” and Latin (toxicum) “poison”) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by an organism of the fungus kingdom, including mushrooms, molds, and yeasts.

Some of the health effects found in animals and humans include death, identifiable diseases or health problems, weakened immune systems without specificity to a toxin, and as allergens or irritants. Some mycotoxins are harmful to other micro-organisms such as other fungi or even bacteria; penicillin is one example. (1)

In my search I came across a mold mycotoxin called zearalenone.

Zearalenone has been shown to occur in almost every agricultural product and a variety of food-grade grains and foods have been found to contain this mycotoxin including corn and corn products, breakfast cereals, corn beer, wheat flour, bread and walnuts and in animal feed products. The presence of zearalenone in whole plants and parts of maize used for silage making was investigated in Germany during 1989-1990 and zearalenone was detected at concentrations up to 300 µg/kg mainly accumulating at the end of the ripening process, with subsequent contamination of the silage. (2)

Zearalenone is an estrogenic mycotoxin. Studies in various species (rodents, rabbits, pigs, monkeys) including man have shown that zearalenone has estrogenic and anabolic activity. Its major effects are on reproduction, including reproductive organs and their function, leading to hyperestrogenism. (3)

As you can guess, men with excessive estrogen or hyperestrogenism start showing female characteristics. They have a low testosterone level and show symptoms including swollen or tender breasts, loss of body and pubic hair, shrinking testes, height loss, reduced sexual desire, infertility, thinning bones, a decrease in spontaneous erections, reduced muscle mass and strength, hot flashes and sweating. There also can be lack of motivation, lower self-confidence and self esteem, decreased energy, problems with memory and poor concentration.

Testosterone replacement therapy and herbal supplements have been treatments for the low testosterone. Because these forms of treatment may increase the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer, they remain controversial. Only men with extreme symptoms of abnormally low levels of testosterone are considered for testosterone replacement therapy.

David’s physician recommended testosterone replacement therapy. But the treatment was to no avail because the treatment consisting of testosterone shots was not addressing the cause. The treatments for all of his conditions were not addressing the cause, the MOLD and mycotoxin in his body.

After following the antifungal protocol in a book called “The Fungus Link” by Doug Kaufmann, the erectile dysfunction (ED) symptoms are gone. Now, all symptoms from the corn mold incident are gone!

Was it worth the effort? Absolutely!! David is on no medication or treatments and has none of his previous symptoms.