Mold Illness: Surviving and Thriving - Cindy Edwards, Laurie Rossi, Paula Vetter

Mold Illness: Surviving and Thriving (eBook)

A Recovery Manual for Patients & Families Impacted By CIRS

Cindy Edwards, Laurie Rossi, Paula Vetter (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2018 | 1. Auflage
218 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-5439-2138-0 (ISBN)

Mold can cause serious and sometimes devastating illness. This manual consists of critical information, resources, and interactive tools to help patients navigate a successful path to long-term recovery. It is a detailed 'road map' that will eliminate needless and costly detours, saving patients enormous amounts of time, energy, frustration, and money.

Mold, and the associated toxins found in water damaged buildings, can cause serious and sometimes devastating illness. This manual consists of critical information, resources, and interactive tools to help patients navigate a successful path to long-term recovery. It is a detailed "e;road map"e; that will eliminate needless and costly detours, saving patients enormous amounts of time, energy, frustration, and money. There is a great deal of mis-information about mold illness and its treatment. Many patients are misdiagnosed and many, who have been correctly diagnosed, are not receiving adequate treatment. Mold Illness: Surviving and Thriving is filled with the critical, easy to understand, scientifically-validated information necessary to properly diagnose and effectively treat biotoxin illness. You will learn which tests are critical to reaching an accurate diagnosis, what protocol has been scientifically proven to successfully treat the illness, how to test your home, workplace or school, and how to avoid exposure to water-damaged buildings.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE CIRS?

The diagnosis of CIRS relies on specific criteria:

1. History of exposure to WDB

2. A collection of specific symptoms (multi-system)

3. Specific lab test abnormalities (including genetic testing)

4. Specific physical exam findings

5. Improvement in symptoms and labs with specific treatment

Accurate diagnosis of CIRS is essential. The problem is that the specific tests that identify CIRS are not part of any “routine” screening. If CIRS is not on your practitioner’s “radar”, it will not be detected. Patients with CIRS are often misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression, Stress, Allergy, MS, PTSD, IBS, ADD, dementia, and more!

Symptoms of Mold Exposure:

There are many, seemingly unrelated, symptoms, because CIRS causes widespread inflammation of multiple body systems, including the brain. Following are common symptoms seen in those with CIRS:

Fatigue, Weakness, Aches, Muscle Cramps, Unusual Pains, Ice Pick Pains, Headache, Light Sensitivity, Red Eyes, Blurred Vision, Tearing, Sinus Problems, Cough, Shortness of Breath, Abdominal Pain, Diarrhea, Joint Pain, Morning Stiffness, Difficulty Learning New Information, Confusion, Memory Problems, Poor Focus & Concentration, Skin Sensitivity, Mood Swings, Appetite Swings, Sweats (especially at night), Poor Temperature Regulation, Excessive Thirst, Increased Urination, Static Shocks, Numbness, Tingling, Vertigo, Metallic Taste, Tremor

Your practitioner will take a detailed inventory of your symptoms as part of your evaluation. The 37 common symptoms have been grouped into a system of 13 Clusters, further improving the accuracy of the diagnosis. You will find the Symptom/Cluster Analysis in the Appendix.

NOTE: The Symptom/Cluster Analysis should be administered by a Certified CIRS Practitioner. Many of the symptoms are subtle. Crucial diagnostic information may be missed without with specific and detailed targeted questions, tailored to the individual patient.

Specific Testing for CIRS:

Individuals who experience a significant number of the multi-system symptoms above, should have initial objective testing to establish the diagnosis of CIRS. The Vision (VCS) tests and HLA-DR can be done prior to making an appointment with a Certified CIRS Specialist.

VISUAL CONTRAST SENSITIVITY (VCS) TEST

The VCS test is a measure of one of the neurologic functions of vision known as “contrast”. Biotoxins impair the ability to detect subtle contrast within 24 - 36 hours after exposure. This test is an extremely valuable, yet under-utilized, tool to detect and monitor exposure to toxic environments for individuals with CIRS.

The online VCS screening test is convenient and affordable, and can be done anytime you question a potential exposure. The instructions must be followed carefully to provide valid results. The online test should be periodically confirmed with an in-office hand-held testing device, conducted by a certified CIRS Practitioner.

For either the online or in-office test, your corrected visual acuity must be better than 20/50. If you normally wear glasses, wear them for the screening test. Be consistent with this. There must be adequate illumination. We use a light meter to confirm 70 foot-lamberts or more. Light from both the illuminated computer screen and an overhead light is usually adequate.

The test is taken with one eye covered and one open at a distance of 18” from the computer screen. You will do the test first with the left eye and then with the right eye. You need to make sure the distance from the screen stays constant at 18”. Cutting a string to a length of 18 inches helps to keep the distance correct.

Your score is recorded according to published criteria for VCS testing. It is a “Pass/Fail,” though specific deficits can be used to track your improvement over time or worsening with re-exposure. When you take the VCS Test online, you will receive immediate results to share with your practitioner.

Remember that this under-utilized tool can be done inexpensively, online, ANYTIME you want to confirm or rule out biotoxin exposure. Used along with symptom and activity tracking, it will provide extremely valuable information to guide your journey to recovery.

LAB TESTING for CIRS:

The first lab test required is the HLA-DR. This test identifies the genetic susceptibility to CIRS. It is extremely rare to have CIRS-WDB if you do NOT have a susceptible gene. (Read more about HLA-DR under “Why Did I Get Sick.”)

If the VCS test is failed, then an HLA-DR blood test should be performed to verify genetic susceptibility. This can be ordered by your Primary Care Practitioner (PCP), or in consultation with a Certified CIRS Practitioner. Additional lab tests for specific biomarkers, as well as appropriate tests for differential diagnosis, should be scheduled.

The specific labs used to diagnose and monitor the clinical progress in CIRS are listed below. It is important to know that these are NOT part of routine labs screening profiles. Unless your practitioner is specifically LOOKING for CIRS, these labs will not likely be ordered.

These biomarkers will help to confirm the diagnosis and also help in monitoring your progress with the treatment protocol.

Lab Tests (Biomarkers) for CIRS: MSH - Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone Normal Range: 35-81 pg/mL

MSH has multiple anti-inflammatory and hormone regulating functions. MSH regulates the pituitary, often referred to as the “master gland.”

More than 95% of patients with CIRS will have a low MSH. Without adequate MSH, there is increased susceptibility to mold toxins, ongoing fatigue, pain, hormone abnormalities, sleep disturbance, mood swings, brain fog and more. MSH controls many other hormones, inflammation pathways, and basic defenses against invading microbes. Low MSH leaves the gut and respiratory systems vulnerable to multiply antibiotic resistant coagulase negative staphylococcus (MARCoNS) and other microbial disruption.

TGF Beta-1 - Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1 Normal Range: <2380 pg/ml

TGF Beta-1 is a critical lab marker that has important regulatory effects throughout the innate immune system. This protein helps control the growth, division, differentiation and motility of cells. It also regulates the process of apoptosis, the normal process of orchestrated “cell death” that eliminates old or diseased cells in the body.

Elevated TGF Beta-1 causes fibrosis and “remodeling” in tissues. It is often responsible for nasal and vocal cord polyps, as well as fibrosis and thickening in the lungs. Neurologic, autoimmune and many other systemic problems also are found with high TGF Beta-1.

TGFB-1, when monitored carefully along with C4a, can be a reliable indicator of biotoxin burden. They will both increase with re-exposure to WDB and decrease with removal from exposure.

C4a Normal Range: 0-2830 ng/ml

C4a is an inflammatory marker of great significance. C4a reflects the innate immune responses in those with exposure to Water Damaged Buildings (WDB). It will be elevated within 12 hours of acute exposure. (In some patients, C4a will be suppressed by the presence of MARCoNS.)

The complement system is a group of proteins that move freely through your bloodstream. The proteins work with your immune system and play a role in the development of inflammation.

Each complement protein regulates inflammatory responses. These short-lived proteins are re-manufactured rapidly and a rise of plasma levels is seen within 4-12 hours of exposure to biotoxins. The elevation will persist until definitive therapy is initiated.

MMP-9 Normal Range: 85-332 ng/mL

Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) is an enzyme that is involved in the orderly breakdown of certain tissues in normal physiology, as well as in disease. Excess MMP-9 disrupts tissue within blood vessel walls and causes inflammation of the brain, lungs, muscles, peripheral nerves and joints.

It has the ability to wreak havoc in COPD, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, and abdominal aortic aneurysm by attacking cells indiscriminately.

VEGF Normal Range: 31-86 pg/mL

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a substance made by cells that stimulates the growth of new blood vessels and increases blood flow in the capillaries. This improves circulation, along with improved delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the body. Deficiency of VEGF is a common and quite serious problem in CIRS patients that must be corrected. When you don’t have adequate blood flow, cells begin to...

Erscheint lt. Verlag	30.1.2018
Vorwort	Dr. Ritchie C. Shoemaker
Sprache	englisch
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie
ISBN-10	1-5439-2138-8 / 1543921388
ISBN-13	978-1-5439-2138-0 / 9781543921380

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