Surviving Mold: Life in th Era of Dangerous Buildings

by Ritchie C. Shoemaker

For decades the medical community has either ignored, or been ignorant of, the threat posed by toxic mold to human health. Sometimes referred to as 'sick-building syndrome,' often mis-diagnosed as any one of a number of chronic and incurable conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, learning disabilities, or endometriosis, the effects of mold form neurotoxins on human beings have long been poorly understood and thought unworthy of serious study. But this same toxic mold infests our homes and buildings at an alarming, perhaps even epidemic, rate -- and so many of the 'untreatable' conditions that physicians are ill-equipped to diagnose and treat are the result of the neurotoxins released by these ubiquitous organisms. Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker has been the leader in the field of research into the effects of toxic mold on the human body, with hundreds of success stories in the treatment -- and even complete eradication -- of the chronic conditions that have been puzzling so many doctors the world over. In Surviving Mold, Dr. Shoemaker shares his latest findings and offers hope to those who have been continually let down by the medical community. Containing Dr. Shoemaker's cutting-edge research into the effects of chronic neurotoxins, Surviving Mold also exams in-depth the root causes of the growth of dangerous mold forms in buildings and homes. Inadequate maintenance, poorly thought-out design, and failure to understand the relationship between the internal environment and the promotion of harmful organisms are at the root of the problem of sick-building syndrome. Water damage and internal moisture from incorrectly installed roofs and windows or leaking plumbing, are all-too frequently the cause of the growth of toxic mold. And if these problems do not occur in your home, perhaps they can be found in your place of work, or in your child's school -- environments completely out of your control, but dangerous to the health of you and your loved ones nonetheless. Surviving Mold gives the real science behind the scary headlines, and offers strategies for identifying and rectifying the dangers of indoor toxic mold growth, as well as suggestions for alleviating the debilitating effects of exposure to the chronic neurotoxins produced by mold.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

975 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2010

About the author

Ritchie C. Shoemaker MD is board certified in Family Practice. He has practiced in a rural area of Maryland, between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean for 23 years. Named Maryland's Family Physician of the Year 2000, and finalist (1 of 5) as the National Family Physician of the Year 2002, Shoemaker combines a career as a bedside doctor with a passion for making the biochemistry that underlies how things work in the human body abundantly clear to his patients and readers. Shoemaker is an acomplished writer, having published 4 books, numerous scientific articles and multiple essays previously.His interest in weight loss started in medical school in his role as a primary care advocate at a tertiary care institution, Duke University. Much of what was taught then (and still today!) about weight loss just doesn't fit the physiology of what actually happens. Thinking "outside the box" seems to be Shoemaker's basic lifestyle. A simple example is Shoemaker's use of a diabetes drug, Avandia, with his No-Amylose diet. With FDA and IRB approval, Shoemaker showed that the drug is safe in non-diabetics, activates uncoupling proteins, primarily in fat cells, that directly burn fat. The results, not found when Avandia is used without the No-Amylose diet, are astounding. By looking at how things work, Shoemaker showed that the most refractory weight loss patients "burned their hips." His presentation to the Endocrine Society 83rd annual meeting, 6/01, was selected as 1 of 150 papers for special media attention (out of 2400 papers presented). Recently, GlaxoSmithKline sent out a copy of Shoemaker's paper to each of its diabetes sales force due to the number of physician inquiries about the use of Avandia in weight loss.
Shoemaker continues to practice full time, though his patient load increasingly comes from patients all over the country seeking help with illnesses characterized by chronic fatigue and multiple other symptoms related to environmental exposures to neurotoxin forming organisms, including toxin forming fungi (sick building syndrome), dinoflagellates (Pfiesteria is endemic in the Pocomoke River), including ciguatera, blue-green algae and chronic Lyme Disease. His collaboration with researcher Dr. Ken Hudnell, neurotoxicologist, has generated several academic papers already. They have abstracts on several topics that promise to "revolutionize" thinking about biotoxins, pro-inflammatory cytokines and their combined role in human health and illness.

Shoemaker takes his science seriously, but not to the point that the reader will be turned off. His approach to dieting parallels his approach to life-make it full, make it fun, make it right. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reviews

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skip to the end for practical applications - useful info. There's a lot of well researched material in this book, but the format and multiple case files distract from it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a who dun it mystery interwoven with anecdotes. For someone diagnosed with CIRS myself it was very frustrating to read (cognitive issues of short term memory is a problem). Wish it included an index as it is a 799 page book. It could have been a great reference but instead it is more of a salute to Dr Shoemaker and how he solved The Who dun it mystery.. it leaves those still suffering wondering what to do know that he has retired besides getting on waitlist for the few trained in his protocol. I wish it was written more like a reference Manuel, I will have to read it again to understand the science to be able to talk with my doctors about all the bloodwork Shoemaker reccomended. This book leaves me hopeful and hopeless at the same time because the chapter on mold remediation leaves me clueless on how to even begin determining where the mold is. I still give it 4 stars for content but if you really want to learn what's going on stick to the information on the surviving mold website.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected. There are lots of stories about people suffering mold illness and how they were treated by employers, court system, medical system. There is not a lot of what you can do if you think you may be suffering from mold, or someone you know. Very interesting though.

[Jesus Salgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories in this book are profoundly sad yet crucial. The author adeptly addresses issues within the medical industry, particularly regarding mold, CIRS, and possibly other autoimmune conditions (although there may be some uncertainty about the latter). Despite this, the book falls short of fulfilling its title. A clear solution is elusive, offering only vague steps that might not be easily comprehensible to the average person. Improved structuring could transform it into a valuable reference book.

[Katie Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

So poorly edited that it was difficult to read. Comes off as more of a self-aggrandizing tome than a helpful reference for sufferers or enlightening educational resource.
Miserable read; disorganized, full of typos, meandering, lacking in focus, never really seems to make a clear point other than "they, bad; me, good".

[Mike Haslip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Personal stories too long. I just skip a lot part of them. Otherwise it is a good read and educational.