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THE MOLD CONTROVERSY (cont'd)
Why Doctors Do Not Get It
Today, people harmed by mold are frequently misdiagnosed. Patients consult a physician with symptoms that resemble a lingering cold or flu. They also present with symptoms that mock asthma, allergies, bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, or dozens of other possible (and often erroneous) diagnoses. In fact, many physicians have no idea that mold contamination can cause neurological effects, which resemble sensory integration disorder, autism, or MS. Brown University set out to disprove the link in a study in Great Britain that mold can cause depression. After the study, Brown University reported a “solid association between depression and living in a damp, moldy home.”
The following symptoms have all been associated with mold exposure, and have been reported in my clients’ cases:
• Respiratory distress, coughing, sneezing, sinusitis
• Gagging (vomiting) on mucous
• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
• Burning throat and lungs (like acid reflux)
• Asthmatic signs; wheezing, shortness of breath
• Coughing, burning in lungs
• Irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, diarrhea
• Sharp abdominal pains, stomach lesions
• Bladder, liver, spleen, or kidney pain
• Dark or painful urine
• Dirt-like taste in mouth, coated tongue
• Food allergies or intolerances/leaky gut syndrome
• Altered immunity
• Memory loss, brain fog, slurred speech, confusion, word loss, difficulty staying on track
• Vision problems
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Large boils on neck
• Yellowing of nails, ridges, or white marks under nail
• Thyroid irregularities, sometimes dysfunction
• Headaches
• Anxiety/depression
• Heart palpitations, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), Irregular heartbeat, heart attack
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Cholesterol, and/or triglycerides irregularities
• Ringing in ears, dizziness, loss of hearing, draining ears
• Chronic fatigue
• Intermittent face flushing, the Mylar Flush
• Night sweats, fever
• Nose bleeds
• Rash or hives, bloody lesions on the skin
• Sudden weight changes
• Cancer
• Joint/muscle stiffness, pain and weakness
• Seizures, inadvertent body jerking, twitching
• Facial numbing, tingling
• Chronic hypersensitivity/sensory integration disorder
Frequently these symptoms lead to a misdiagnosis because they resemble other maladies that are more easily explained and treated. But when these symptoms appear, a thorough physician should suspect an environmental insult and conduct a blood test (IgG testing) to see if mold appears in the patient’s blood. Then a through building site investigation should be scheduled with a mold expert that understands building science so that the source of the mold can be pinpointed.
if you have developed symptoms, and see visible mold in your dwelling, you should tell your doctor you suspect mold contamination. If he is reticent to consider mold a factor in your illness, consult a different doctor. Finding a general practitioner who understands mold is not easy, so consult a specialist in the fields of immunology and environmental or occupational medicine. And this is important—find one who does not testify for the defense in court cases. Doctors that are defense “experts” stubbornly refuse to acknowledge mold causes these symptoms.
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