Re: MCS and Mold

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Judi,

Call Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker. He has patients who are suffering
from "toxic mold" and chemical sensitivities. He and Dr. Ken
Hudnell (neurotoxicologist) have really set the bar high for
others. They actually get people well again. Dr. Shoemaker has
just found a diagnosis covered by most insurance companies that
has to do with lung function that seems to affict ones suffering
from toxic mold exposure. He has also found an interesting
treatment protocol for chronic fatique syndrome that is usually
associated with toxic mold and chemical sensitivities. He is so
busy it take at least 4 weeks to get an appointment.

Caoimhin has his theories and the the rest of the world has other
theories. He is correct about mold mycotoxins being an issue for
ingesting high quantities of moldy foods. His web page is a good
listing of the "it ain't mold" studies. His page has some major
ommisions that he may have missed while doing the tireless Pubmed
searches or even worse, he actually goes to the library (probably
a university library)and reads the periodic journals for
scientific citations. The latter is something many have
forgotten or no longer try to do.

His statement about a "disfunctional psychological component" is
an unfair assault on the mental state of people who claim to
suffer sensitivities many chemical they smell but can not
identify. While odors seem to trigger complaints, I have noticed
that aldehydes (natural and manmade) and chlorinated solvents
seem to really get the "chemicall sensitive" going. I use the
teerm "chemically sensitive" because I think Caoimhin is correct
about MCS being a term that is too vague.

Mold can be very toxic if the right type is growing in the right
environment. The more wet the potentially toxic mold gets, the
higher the mycotoxin production. Mold is a very complex life form
and many "experts" do not have the knowledge to adequately assess
the situation.

Caoimhin's big hang-up seems to be warning us about
the "charlatans". They do exist and spotting them is easy. Ask
for references for statements that appear to be based on science
if services are rendered. Ask for a professional insurance
policy certificate (or Errors and Ommisions insurance policy)
with specific language for environmental investigations that
include microbial problems. Certifications are only meaningful is
they can produce this insurance policy certificate. You would be
surprised at how few of the "alleged" experts have the
insurance.

I hope this helps you,

Greg Weatherman
gw@aerobiological.com

**************************************************************

On 1/01/04, judi wrote:
> On 1/01/04, Caoimhín P. Connell wrote:
>
> Yes, that was basically was I was told at the Lahey Clinic last
June of
> 2003, that mold wasn't "toxic," so I guess you would have the
same
> position. I am sure that if you have such knowledge of mold,
how to
> you explain the media invented this when it is actually
mentioned in the
> Bible. And yes, while I know that mold is normal in the
environment, I
> am talking about living with "excessive" mold hidden behind
wall
> cavities, which had a bad odor. And I was wondering also what
you
> would consider "normal?" I am not talking about "normal" like
the kind
> you find once in awhile by a shower or something, I am talking
about
> "excessive" exposure from inhalation of the invisible mold
spores, that
> continued despite use of central air conditioning, and what
does this
> does to a person with an already compromised liver/immune
system?
> What is the mental disorder associated with MCS? Thanks for the
link.
> Cheers and good morning to you,
> Judi
>
>> Good morning, Judi:
>>
>> Perhaps you could be a little more specific. MCS is
>> generally recognized as a condition consisting of primarily a
>> dysfunctional psychological component. “Toxic mold”
>> is a term that was invented by the news media, and it is not
>> a term that has any scientific validity and there is no such
>> thing as a “toxic mold.” Finally, where does the liver issue
>> tie into your question on mold or MCS? Certainly with regard
>> to molds, there are some genera that produce powerful
>> mycotoxins which are known to be associated with chronic and
>> serious liver diseases if one eats foods that are heavily
>> contaminated with the molds bearing those toxins, however,
>> there is no evidence what ever to suggest that the normal
>> exposures to the standard “toxic molds” found in every house
>> in the world has any adverse effects on the liver.
>>
>> I provide scores of references in my discussion on molds
>> which you may find useful. The discussion is at
>> http://members.aol.com/piobin/sok.html and I have provided a
>> link to the page below.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Caoimhín P. Connell
>>
>> (The opinions expressed here are exclusively my
>> personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my
>> professional opinion, opinion of my employer, peers, or
>> professional affiliates. The above post is for information
>> only and does not reflect professional advice and is not
>> intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)
>> AMDG

Ritchie Shoemaker MD

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