A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

Post by ttflee » Sat, Jul 06, 2013, 4:34 PM UTC

dclowd9901 wrote: post #34

As an Arizona native, both my best friend and one of my college professors acquired the disease and became seriously ill. My professor had to miss most of the year of the class I signed up for, and my best friend was down for an entire year with weakened lung capacity, as well as not being able to drink an ounce of any sort of liquor while taking the medication she needed to fight it. These are probably 5s on a scale…

This just reminds me that Prof. Fang Lizhi[1], who was a famous astrophysicist, vice-president of the University of Science and Technology of China, a prominent activist during the 1989 student uprising in China, later hid in U.S. embassy in Beijing for months, exiled in U.S. and worked as Professor of Physics in Univ. of Arizona also suffered from Valley Fever [2], and was said to have died of it.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fang_Lizhi

[2] http://www.csupomona.edu/~zywang/FLZ_NO6_2013-4-6.pdf

Post by douge » Sat, Jul 06, 2013, 5:36 PM UTC

dclowd9901 wrote: post #36

healthenclave wrote: post #14

The article is actually a little sensationalist. Because Coccidioidomycosis is actually ENDEMIC to the western region of USA and Mexico. The rates do usually go up after earthquakes and storms that can lift up large amounts of dust up in the air. In most people the infection resolves itself (much like TB in healthy people). Some people might get pneumonia and rarely do healthy people get meningitis. The disease is se…

You're correct that it's endemic, and it is usually associated with the fungus getting kicked into the air, but being rid of it is hardly a walk in the park. It usually downs its victims with the effectiveness of polio, there's no vaccine, and no real "cure". Fungal infections don't work like that. It takes a long, sustained treatment to be rid of it, and the meek/unhealthy individuals you refer to usually die from t…

A year is a long time to suffer from invasive fungi, and if the toxicity of your air is, in any way, threatening your health, then you can build a very effective air purifier, which is better and cheaper than the store bought kind, using simple parts.

The key is a MERV 13+ filter (MERV Rating System [0]), because it's 90% effective for collecting particles 1-10 microns. TTBOMK, this is the size of most spores and the arthroconidia that cause this coccidioidomycosis [1].

Take a a 20" box fan (like this Lasko one [2], or available at the hardware store) and these 20x20x4 MERV 13 filters [3], $48, then either tape or bungee cord the filters to the back of the fan. Run it on an elevated surface so that it's not wasting the filter on cleaning up particles that have fallen from the air and can be swept and mopped up. Assemble 1 unit per room.

This works really well. If you're looking for other methods to improve your air quality, search for a UV A/C attachment (e.g. Calutech Blue-Ray), diffused oils (e.g. "Thieve's Oil" in a cold-air diffuser), and ventilation practices. For a wide rang of cases, these nasal screens [4] offer a great solution.

[0] http://www.ontimeairfilters.com/air-filter-merv-rating [1] http://ci.vbi.vt.edu/pathinfo/pathogens/Coccidioides.html [2] http://www.amazon.com/Lasko-3723-20-Inch-Premium-3-SPEED/dp/... [3] http://www.ushomefilter.com/products/air-filters/SC80-20X20X... [4] http://www.filteryourlife.com/

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West