Re: MCS brought on by toxid mold

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On 1/30/05, Sandra Tyson wrote:
> January 31st. 2005
>
> I am writing because for the past 9 and 1/2 yrs, ive been suffering from mold
> poisioning. This lead to End stage Renal Failure and ive been scratching
> myself into oblivion everyday. My life gets worse everyday and complications
> are endless. My renal physicians have given me various reasons for my
> problems. I need a pychoanalyst - its in my head and given me medicines for
> depression. Its my other health complications causing the itching and
> various other problems. My phosphorous is too high and thats why I itch so
> much. No medicines help. I've soaked in any and all solutions with the
> exception of gasoline, trying to get the itching to stop, but to no avail.
> My skin is a mass of broken, torn tissue from the constant scratching. With
> every operation that I have, I develop internal infections that manifests
> themselves in lumps or pockets that need to be removed surgically and then
> left open and needing to be cleaned out daily and stuffed, but there is
> always some infection roaming around my body. I itch so much that i cant go
> out in public at times, I can't stay still for Dialysis for my allotted time,
> any operations unless anesthesia is administered, no tests nor procedures can
> be conducted where i have to stay still. It feels like something is either
> walking, sticking or laying on my skin and if i try to ignore it, the
> molestation continues and gets worse. My hair feels like its being plucked
> out, my skin cells pop off of me, things just drop in my eyes and their is
> always something wrong with my eyesight, I cant see clearly and there is
> always something gathering in the wells of my tear ducts. The optomotrist
> says its because ive reached the 40 yr mark. My doctors think that im
> crazy. They've sent me to dermatologists, who declare they don't know whats
> wrong with me, just extremely dry skin. I cry all the time to think and see
> what has happened to me. I've even tried contacting the Infectious disease
> doctors and they also don't know what i'm talking about. Once I contacted
> the CDC, it took them over a month to send someone out to my apartment to
> check it out - she said the house was covered in mold and would contact the
> owner, but I couldn't live there anymore, after 14 years - I had to move.
> But the problem still continues, I live in Florida, hurricanes, rain,
> humidity bad building supplies, etc, etc, etc. I don't know what else to do,
> I sometimes think that I'm going crazy.
>
> Sandra,
>
>
> On 12/17/04, ff wrote:
>>
>> CW:
>>
>> I read your post, and certainly you are entitled to your opinion. Without
>> further discussion, you are simply wrong, very wrong. You apparently don't
>> have enough knowledge to know how wrong you are.
>>
>> ff
>>
>>
>> On 12/15/04, C. Williams wrote:
>>> Folks:
>>>
>>> I've heard Shoomaker speak and this guy is a "true-believer" a
>>> real "kool-aid drinker". I really don't know where the truth lies in
>>> all this, but listening to him makes me think of him more as a saleman
>>> more than a doc. Oh yeah, did you know he has *another* book out for
>>> sale? That makes #5.
>>>
>>> One that that really got me interested is that, when he went through his
>>> presentation, he gave a forceful discussion of the tests he used to
>>> determine that his patients were victims of mold biotoxicity. Well, it
>>> just so happens that all these tests were individually used to test for
>>> some other condition originally. In the end, you can basically make
>>> them say what you want them to say if they are being used for something
>>> never intended.
>>>
>>> Seems to me that the whole problem. Shoomaker is emblematic of the
>>> growth industry characterized by "expert witnesses", plaintiffs'
>>> lawyers, remediators, etc... that are determined to make a buck off of
>>> something that we really still know very little about.
>>>
>>> Everybody needs to be very careful about what they read and believe.
>>> There is a lot of snake oil out there right now.
>>>
>>> CW
>>>
>>>
>>> On 10/14/04, dd wrote:
>>>> Angie,
>>>> Thank you for sharing the fruit of your research.
>>>> dd
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 10/13/04, Angie wrote:
>>>>> Hi all. I don't know who Sharon is. I am Angie and new to the
>>>>> board. All I meant by "get a piece of the pie," is that you should be
>>>>> willing to educate yourself about toxic mold and its effects for the
>>>>> sake of understanding victims and also for prevention. If you are
>>>>> hard hearted enough to not do it for those reasons, and are willing
>>>>> to learn more in order to take on more cases (for business purposes,)
>>>>> then do it. I don't care why you educate yourself, just do it. I
>>>>> say this with confidence because I believe that regardless to your
>>>>> motives for learning more about toxic mold, you will learn more and
>>>>> become more sensitive to victims and their needs. I believe that as
>>>>> public awareness and proof grows, you'll finally resign yourself to
>>>>> believing that toxic mold causes illness.
>>>>>
>>>>> Mary, I'm not trying to sound harsh or irrational. I'm speaking from
>>>>> my experience. After all, isn't that all we truly know? I know
>>>>> you're not here to make friends, but your tone and responses have
>>>>> been very insensitive to those who know first hand what this mold can
>>>>> do. If I sound overly sensitive, I am. It's because I've had to try
>>>>> to convince people for the last few years that I'm not crazy. That
>>>>> my symptoms aren't psychosymatic. I never wanted to believe that my
>>>>> house could be making me sick. I didn't make this stuff up. You
>>>>> think I want to look crazy to people? I'm not a hypochondriac. I
>>>>> believe that my family will get better. I believe that someday there
>>>>> will be a treatment for the conditions we all now have.
>>>>> Hypochondriacs don't wish to get better. I do. If you were to poll
>>>>> hundreds of mold victims from around the country that have never met,
>>>>> you'd find that we all share similar symptoms and diseases. While
>>>>> some symptoms vary, there is a very common list of symptoms that we
>>>>> share. If we have never met or talked to one another, but the one
>>>>> trauma we all share is exposure to toxic mold, and we all share a
>>>>> common list of symptoms, how can we all be making it up?
>>>>>
>>>>> I am sharing this information in hopes to educate people. My wish is
>>>>> to not insult anyone. Everyone is entitled to their opinion,
>>>>> including you Mary. I just want to squelch the lack of compassion
>>>>> and insensitive comments that so many victims have to continually
>>>>> hear from "so called" professional people that know nothing, nor take
>>>>> the time to learn anything about their situation. So please take
>>>>> what I share and learn about it.
>>>>>
>>>>> I truly pray that none of you ever have to experience what my family
>>>>> has experienced. We were a family full of dreams and aspirations for
>>>>> one another. My 2 children are very artistically talented and were
>>>>> accepted into a prestigous art school. Their education has now been
>>>>> greatly hindered due to their health problems and everyday has become
>>>>> a constant struggle to keep them motivated and encouraged. They have
>>>>> given up. So understand that this isn't about me. It's about
>>>>> thousands of innocent children out there. School children that are
>>>>> being exposed to moldy schools, teachers being made ill, and adults
>>>>> that are great contributors to society that are suddently taken from
>>>>> our work force and disabled. It's not as small as my family, it's a
>>>>> grave injustice to our entire nation and our nation's future.
>>>>>
>>>>> Here are some scientific studies that you may find helpful. There
>>>>> are a lot of good books out there, but there are a lot of quacks
>>>>> also. The only book I truly recommend for good evidence is "Mold &
>>>>> Mycotoxins," by Dr. Kaye H. Kilburn, M.D.
>>>>>
>>>>> She worked very closely with Dr. Dorr Dearborn (Case Western
>>>>> University/Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio)who is famous for
>>>>> finding a link between pulmonary hemorrage in infants and mold
>>>>> exposure. Both are reknowned for their work in the area of mold
>>>>> treatment and studies.
>>>>>
>>>>> I have a copy of the testimony Dr. Stephen C. Redd, from the CDC and
>>>>> The Department of Health and Human Services gave before Congress
>>>>> saying that mold can cause health problems. I would be happy to send
>>>>> it to anyone that is interested. These studies may be difficult to
>>>>> read and very lengthy. I would love to pass them on to anyone that
>>>>> would like to have copies. Anyone that wants to contact me can email
>>>>> me at moldvictimsunited@yahoo.com. Thank you for taking the time to
>>>>> read this.
>>>>>
>>>>> Angie
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> A FEW STUDIES:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Indoor mold exposure associated with neurobehavioral and
>>>>> pulmonary impairment: a preliminary report
>>>>> by PubMed
>>>>> Kilburn KH.
>>>>> University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine,
>>>>> Environmental Sciences
>>>>> Laboratory, Alhambra, California 91803, USA. Kilburn@usc.edu
>>>>> Recently, patients who have been exposed indoors to mixed molds,
>>>>> spores, and
>>>>> mycotoxins have reported asthma, airway irritation and bleeding,
>>>>> dizziness, and
>>>>> impaired memory and concentration, all of which suggest the presence
>>>>> of pulmonary
>>>>> and neurobehavioral problems. The author evaluated whether such
>>>>> patients had
>>>>> measurable pulmonary and neurobehavioral impairments by comparing
>>>>> consecutive
>>>>> cases in a series vs. a referent group. Sixty-five consecutive
>>>>> outpatients exposed to
>>>>> mold in their respective homes in Arizona, California, and Texas were
>>>>> compared with
>>>>> 202 community subjects who had no known mold or chemical exposures.
>>>>> Balance,
>>>>> choice reaction time, color discrimination, blink reflex, visual
>>>>> fields, grip, hearing,
>>>>> problem-solving, verbal recall, perceptual motor speed, and memory
>>>>> were
>>>>> measured. Medical histories, mood states, and symptom frequencies
>>>>> were recorded
>>>>> with checklists, and spirometry was used to measure various pulmonary
>>>>> volumes
>>>>> and flows. Neurobehavioral comparisons were made after individual
>>>>> measurements
>>>>> were adjusted for age, educational attainment, and sex. Significant
>>>>> differences
>>>>> between groups were assessed by analysis of variance; a p value of
>>>>> less than 0.05
>>>>> was used for all statistical tests. The mold-exposed group exhibited
>>>>> decreased
>>>>> function for balance, reaction time, blink-reflex latency, color
>>>>> discrimination, visual
>>>>> fields, and grip, compared with referents. The exposed group's scores
>>>>> were reduced
>>>>> for the following tests: digit-symbol substitution, peg placement,
>>>>> trail making, verbal
>>>>> recall, and picture completion. Twenty-one of 26 functions tested
>>>>> were abnormal.
>>>>> Airway obstructions were found, and vital capacities were reduced.
>>>>> Mood state scores
>>>>> and symptom frequencies were elevated. The author concluded that
>>>>> indoor mold
>>>>> exposures were associated with neurobehavioral and pulmonary
>>>>> impairments that
>>>>> likely resulted from the presence of mycotoxins, such as
>>>>> trichothecenes.
>>>>> Publication Types:
>>>>> • Clinical Trial
>>>>> • Controlled Clinical Trial
>>>>> • Randomized Controlled Trial
>>>>> PMID: 15143851 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>>>>>
>>>>> *********************************************************
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> 1: Arch Environ Health. 2003 Aug;58(8):464-74. Related
>>>> Articles,
>>>>> Links
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Neural autoantibodies and neurophysiologic abnormalities in patients
>>>>> exposed to molds in water-damaged buildings.
>>>>>
>>>>> Campbell AW, Thrasher JD, Madison RA, Vojdani A, Gray MR, Johnson A.
>>>>>
>>>>> Medical Center for Immune and Toxic Disorders, Spring, Texas 77386,
>>>>> USA. md@immunotoxicology.com
>>>>>
>>>>> Adverse health effects of fungal bioaerosols on occupants of water-
>>>>> damaged homes and other buildings have been reported. Recently, it
>>>>> has been suggested that mold exposure causes neurological injury. The
>>>>> authors investigated neurological antibodies and neurophysiological
>>>>> abnormalities in patients exposed to molds at home who developed
>>>>> symptoms of peripheral neuropathy (i.e., numbness, tingling, tremors,
>>>>> and muscle weakness in the extremities). Serum samples were collected
>>>>> and analyzed with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
>>>>> technique for antibodies to myelin basic protein, myelin-associated
>>>>> glycoprotein, ganglioside GM1, sulfatide, myelin oligodendrocyte
>>>>> glycoprotein, alpha-B-crystallin, chondroitin sulfate, tubulin, and
>>>>> neurofilament. Antibodies to molds and mycotoxins were also
>>>>> determined with ELISA, as reported previously. Neurophysiologic
>>>>> evaluations for latency, amplitude, and velocity were performed on 4
>>>>> motor nerves (median, ulnar, peroneal, and tibial), and for latency
>>>>> and amplitude on 3 sensory nerves (median, ulnar, and sural).
>>>>> Patients with documented, measured exposure to molds had elevated
>>>>> titers of antibodies (immunoglobulin [Ig]A, IgM, and IgG) to neural-
>>>>> specific antigens. Nerve conduction studies revealed 4 patient
>>>>> groupings: (1) mixed sensory-motor polyneuropathy (n = 55, abnormal),
>>>>> (2) motor neuropathy (n = 17, abnormal), (3) sensory neuropathy (n =
>>>>> 27, abnormal), and (4) those with symptoms but no neurophysiological
>>>>> abnormalities (n = 20, normal controls). All groups showed
>>>>> significantly increased autoantibody titers for all isotypes (IgA,
>>>>> IgM, and IgG) of antibodies to neural antigens when compared with 500
>>>>> healthy controls. Groups 1 through 3 also exhibited abnormal
>>>>> neurophysiologic findings. The authors concluded that exposure to
>>>>> molds in water-damaged buildings increased the risk for development
>>>>> of neural autoantibodies, peripheral neuropathy, and neurophysiologic
>>>>> abnormalities in exposed individuals.
>>>>>
>>>>> PMID: 15259425 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ********************************************************
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Show:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> 1: Arch Environ Health. 2003 Aug;58(8):452-63. Related
>>>> Articles,
>>>>> Links
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Psychological, neuropsychological, and electrocortical effects of
>>>>> mixed mold exposure.
>>>>>
>>>>> Crago BR, Gray MR, Nelson LA, Davis M, Arnold L, Thrasher JD.
>>>>>
>>>>> Neurobehavioral Health Services, Tucson, Arizona 85712, USA.
>>>>> bcbrain1@msn.com
>>>>>
>>>>> The authors assessed the psychological, neuropsychological, and
>>>>> electrocortical effects of human exposure to mixed colonies of
>>>>> toxigenic molds. Patients (N = 182) with confirmed mold-exposure
>>>>> history completed clinical interviews, a symptom checklist (SCL-90-
>>>>> R), limited neuropsychological testing, quantitative
>>>>> electroencephalogram (QEEG) with neurometric analysis, and measures
>>>>> of mold exposure. Patients reported high levels of physical,
>>>>> cognitive, and emotional symptoms. Ratings on the SCL-90-R
>>>>> were "moderate" to "severe," with a factor reflecting situational
>>>>> depression accounting for most of the variance. Most of the patients
>>>>> were found to suffer from acute stress, adjustment disorder, or post-
>>>>> traumatic stress. Differential diagnosis confirmed an etiology of a
>>>>> combination of external stressors, along with organic metabolically
>>>>> based dysregulation of emotions and decreased cognitive functioning
>>>>> as a result of toxic or metabolic encephalopathy. Measures of toxic
>>>>> mold exposure predicted QEEG measures and neuropsychological test
>>>>> performance. QEEG results included narrowed frequency bands and
>>>>> increased power in the alpha and theta bands in the frontal areas of
>>>>> the cortex. These findings indicated a hypoactivation of the frontal
>>>>> cortex, possibly due to brainstem involvement and insufficient
>>>>> excitatory input from the reticular activating system.
>>>>> Neuropsychological testing revealed impairments similar to mild
>>>>> traumatic brain injury. In comparison with premorbid estimates of
>>>>> intelligence, findings of impaired functioning on multiple cognitive
>>>>> tasks predominated. A dose-response relationship between measures of
>>>>> mold exposure and abnormal neuropsychological test results and QEEG
>>>>> measures suggested that toxic mold causes significant problems in
>>>>> exposed individuals. Study limitations included lack of a comparison
>>>>> group, patient selection bias, and incomplete data sets that did not
>>>>> allow for comparisons among variables.
>>>>>
>>>>> PMID: 15259424 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ****************************************************
>>>>>
>>>>> 1: ScientificWorldJournal. 2003 Nov 3;3:1058-64. Print 2003 Nov 3.
>>>>> Related Articles, Links
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Biochemical changes in the serum of patients with chronic toxigenic
>>>>> mold exposures: a risk factor for multiple renal dysfunctions.
>>>>>
>>>>> Anyanwu E, Campbell AW, Vojdani A, Ehiri JE, Akpan AI.
>>>>>
>>>>> Neurosciences Research, Cahers Inc., Conroe, TX, USA.
>>>>> ebereanyanwu@msn.com
>>>>>
>>>>> This paper analyzes and presents the biochemical abnormalities in the
>>>>> sera of patients presenting with chronic mycosis in order to
>>>>> investigate the relationship with the risks of multiple renal
>>>>> disorders. The study population (n = 10) consisted of six females and
>>>>> four males (mean age 36.3 years) exposed by toxic molds in their
>>>>> homes and offices for an average of 2.8 years. The control group
>>>>> comprised ten people, five males and five females (mean age 35.9
>>>>> years) without any known exposures to toxic molds. Blood samples were
>>>>> obtained from both the patients and the controls and were processed
>>>>> using specific biochemical methods that included enzyme-linked
>>>>> immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). There were biochemical abnormal
>>>>> concentrations in creatinine, uric acid, phosphorus, alkaline
>>>>> phosphotase, cholesterol, HDH, SGOT/AST, segmented neutrophils,
>>>>> lymphocytes, total T3, IgG and IgA immunoglobulins with significant
>>>>> differences between patients and controls. These abnormalities were
>>>>> consistent with multiple renal disorders. The major complaints of the
>>>>> mycosis patients were headaches, pulmonary symptoms, allergic
>>>>> reactions, memory loss, skin rashes, blurred vision symptoms,
>>>>> fatigue, and runny nose. These findings were depictive of a strong
>>>>> association of chronic mycosis with abnormal renal indicators. It was
>>>>> concluded that, although this research was a pilot investigation,
>>>>> based on the overall results, people exposed to chronic indoor
>>>>> environmental toxic molds were at risk of multiple renal
>>>>> complications.
>>>>>
>>>>> PMID: 14612611 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> *****************************************************
>>>>>
>>>>> 1: Arch Environ Health. 2003 Jul;58(7):442-6. Related
>>> Articles,
>>>>> Links
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Health symptoms caused by molds in a courthouse.
>>>>>
>>>>> Lee TG.
>>>>>
>>>>> Faculty of Environmental Design, The University of Calgary, Calgary,
>>>>> Alberta, Canada. lee@ucalgary.ca
>>>>>
>>>>> A majority of occupants of a newly renovated historic courthouse in
>>>>> Calgary, Alberta, Canada, reported multiple (3 or more) health-
>>>>> related symptoms, and several reported more than 10 persistent
>>>>> symptoms. Most required at least 1 day outside of the building to
>>>>> recover from their symptoms. Molds that produce mycotoxins, such as
>>>>> Stachybotrys chartarum and Emericella nidulans, were identified in
>>>>> the building, along with fungal organisms of the genera Aspergillus,
>>>>> Penicillium, Streptomyces, Cladosporium, Chaetomium, Rhizopus/Mucor,
>>>>> Alternaria, Ulocladium, and Basidiomycetes. Renovations to this
>>>>> historic had building failed to provide adequate thermal and vapor
>>>>> barriers, thus allowing moist indoor air to migrate into the building
>>>>> enclosure, causing condensation to develop. Mold grew on the
>>>>> condensation and was dispersed throughout the courthouse, including
>>>>> on furniture and files. The courthouse was closed and a new facility
>>>>> was modified with low-offgassing materials, better ventilation and
>>>>> air filtration, and strict building maintenance to accommodate those
>>>>> occupants of the older building who had developed multiple chemical
>>>>> sensitivities.
>>>>>
>>>>> PMID: 15143857 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> **************************************************
>>>>>
>>>>> Abstract: Identifying markers for chronic illness in pediatric
>>>>> patients exposed to water damaged buildings: Linkage disequilibrium
>>>>> of HLA DR, MSH, MMP9 and autoantibodies
>>>>>
>>>>> Authors: Ritchie C. Shoemaker¹, Courtney Holt¹, Dennis House¹, HK
>>>>> Hudnell²
>>>>> ¹Center for Research on Biotoxin Associated Illnesses, Pocomoke, Md;
>>>>> ²US EPA NHEERL, Research Triangle Park, NC
>>>>>
>>>>> Background: No studies have previously identified biomarkers
>>>>> adequate to create a case definition of illness associated with
>>>>> exposure to water damaged buildings (WDB) in pediatric patients.
>>>>> Previous work from this facility has presented a case definition of
>>>>> illness in adults that includes exposure, symptoms and absence of
>>>>> confounders, together with biomarkers HLA DR genotypes of the immune
>>>>> response genes; deficiency of the hypothalamic immunomodulatory
>>>>> hormone, alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH); excess pro-
>>>>> inflammatory cytokine responses, represented by matrix
>>>>> metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), deficits in visual contrast and pituitary
>>>>> hormone dysregulation. We have seen an increased incidence of
>>>>> antibodies to gliadin, cardiolipin and myelin basic protein in adults
>>>>> with chronic illness following exposure to WDB. Here we present data
>>>>> supporting a pediatric case definition using multiple biomarkers from
>>>>> 66 patients with illness following exposure to WDB.
>>>>>
>>>>> Methods: Patients under age 19 coming for treatment of chronic
>>>>> illness at a specialized medical clinic provided informed consent for
>>>>> evaluation and blood testing prior to initiation of definitive
>>>>> therapy for presumptive chronic, biotoxin associated illness.
>>>>> Symptoms were recorded and blood was sent to national high complexity
>>>>> labs for analysis of HLA DR genotype, MSH, MMP9, anticardiolipins
>>>>> (ACLA), antigliadins (AGA) and myelin basic protein (MBP) antibodies.
>>>>> Lab parameters were compared to in-house registries of control
>>>>> patients and published registries. Following treatment and
>>>>> confirmation of diagnosis, cases were then analyzed by biomarker to
>>>>> identify unique diagnostic features.
>>>>>
>>>>> Results: Control populations have markedly different HLA DR genotype
>>>>> distributions from cases, with relative risks for illness identified
>>>>> for the same genotypes as reported previously in adults. Affected
>>>>> patients had lower levels of MSH and MMP9 than controls. Marked
>>>>> increase in incidence of antibodies to antigliadin IgG,
>>>>> anticardiolipin IgM and myelin basic protein antibodies was found in
>>>>> affected patients compared to controls. Taken together, the
>>>>> combination of potential for exposure, absence of confounding
>>>>> diagnoses, presence of distinctive groupings of symptoms, including
>>>>> fatigue and cognitive problems identified over 85&37; of cases.
>>>> Adding
>>>>> HLA DR, MSH deficiency, AGA-IgG and ACLA-IgM increased the case
>>>>> detection rate to 100&37;. For patients with MMP9 over 400, HLA DR
>>>> and
>>>>> MSH deficiency alone identified all cases.
>>>>>
>>>>> Conclusion: Specific genetic, physiologic and neurotoxicologic
>>>>> factors can be identified in pediatric patients that identify cases
>>>>> of chronic illness due to exposure to WDB. Physiologic mechanisms
>>>>> associated with increased production of particular autoantibodies
>>>>> will require further study.
>>>>>
>>>>>