In my last blog we continued the discussion on Biotoxin Illness, or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) from toxic indoor molds. As I mentioned, I believe this disorder will explode in the coming months due to Hurricane Irma here, and other storms affecting Texas and Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands, and the resultant water damaged buildings growing toxic molds. I am already seeing more of these patients in my office and free clinic.
I would like to discuss the evaluation I do on patients that present to me with these disorders. As mentioned, the VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity) Test is a great screening tool and can be taken on survivingmold.com or VCStest.com. Failure is 98.6 % accurate if done strictly according to the instructions. Symptoms are also highly accurate and having 8 or more of certain clusters of symptoms is also over 98 % accurate. The two, taken together, can be diagnostic without even doing lab tests. That is how I am treating Fibromyalgia patients in my free clinic, the SW Florida Free Pain Clinic, since I do to have the benefit of the complex free lab testing i need for free for these patients. You can learn more at christianmedicalministries.org.
The Diagnosis and Treatment plan I use is based on the work of Richie Shoemaker, MD, who I and others who specialize in this field consider the world expert on Biotoxin Illnesses. You can learn more about him and his protocols at surviving mold.com. i follow his protocols exactly and have done so for the past 10 years because they work and patients get better. There is a lot of stuff on the internet about mold and most of it is junk. No one has the peer reviewed published science on the topic like Dr. Shoemaker.
The first thing I do after taking a careful history and performing a physical examination, is to review the screening tests. If there is concern, then I order extensive laboratory testing. This is not the routine labs that your doctor orders. These are complex tests to measure brain hormones and immune system function. Many are sent out to specialized labs throughout the US. Consequently, they are very costly. Fortunately, insurance companies will cover them since I have the right diagnosis and test codes for Quest and Labcorp. If you have a high deductible police, like I do, or no insurance it will be very expensive.
The lab tests look at hormones produced in the Hypothalamus, the area of the brain poisoned by the neurotoxin produced by both toxic molds and the organism responsible for Chronic Lyme Disease. I also look at hormones made in the Pituitary, another part of the brain, the Thyroid and Adrenal glands, and sex hormones. I look at vitamin and mineral levels as deficiencies are common due to Leaky Gut Syndrome, a disorder affecting the gut lining and making absorption of nutrients defective. Methylation, an extremely important pathway in the body for detoxification and creating important hormones, is examined. Vitamin D deficiency is sought and is extremely common also, affecting every organ of the body.
I look at HLA, the genetic defects on Chromosome 6, that makes one susceptible to these disorders. They can be readily identified. I also look at Cytokines, which are the substances made by the immune system to generate an inflamed response to invaders. I look at several of these as well as hormones affecting blood flow. Again these are not your normal tests and I guarantee no other doctor has ordered these on you unless you have seen someone trained in Dr. Shoemaker’s protocols. It is not uncommon for me to see patients who have been to Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and other highly specialized centers for their complaints and these tests were never run.
Once all of the tests are back, I sit down and go over them in detail with the patient. It is usually the first time any doctor has explained to them what is wrong and can prove it. Then we lay out the Treatment regimen for them to get well. That will be the subject of our next blog.
God bless you. Stay away from moldy buildings (if you can identify them).
Alan