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View Full Version : Toxic Mold Exposure & Rosacea, Are They Somehow Related?


Tamara
24th June 2005, 07:40 PM
Dear Dr. Nase,

I have rosacea and I have also been exposed to toxic mold. I was diagnosed with rosacea prior to being exposed to the toxic mold. However, my rosacea has progressed significantly during the time I've been exposed to the toxic mold. It's hard to know if the progression would have happened anyway, or if it has progressed more rapidly because of the toxic mold exposure.

"Mold Warriors" a new book out by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker talks about how the toxins from mold exposure cause all kinds of hormonal and immune system complications. It seems that many of the things he is concerned about due to mold exposure are the same things you are concerned about related to rosacea. Evidently, toxins from mold exposure cause an incredibly inflammatory process in the body. He says that 24% of the population is genetically incapable of clearing mold toxins from their body and are at risk for the illness; while the other 76% of the population are able to clear the toxins from their body and are not at risk.

On page 216 of his book he says the following:

"Along the way, Marty asked for treatment for her rosacea. 'My face always gets red when I go to work. It's worse on my cheeks. My first doctor said I had lupus, because of where the rash was on my face. He said it was a malar rash. The dermatologist said I had rosacea. I don't get the little pustules they talk about on the rosacea Internet sites, but I just have this redness that won't stop. If I go into a restaurant or a grocery store and start to get more flushing, I'll look for mold. And I know now that I'll find it.'

"Marty, rosacea has no known cause. I call your rash, and it is totally due to mold exposure, 'mold facies.' It might be due to release in your skin of complement or VEGF, or maybe it's both, I'm not sure yet, but it's from mold exposure, for sure."

You can look at these websites to find out more about Dr. Shoemaker's ideas: www.moldwarriors.com & www.chronicneurotoxins.com.

He says people who have disease caused by toxic mold are often diagosed with IBS and Fibromyalgia which may sometimes be caused by the toxic mold exposure.

I am his patient and I'm eager to see if my rosacea will improve as the toxic mold exposure is treated. Dr. Nase, I'd love to know what you think. I see you both as cutting edge pioneers doing us all a favor with your passion to save us from our illnesses. I can see that this pioneer role is often a painful struggle for both of you. Thanks for your willingness to "take on the world" on our behalf. I know it is at times a very heavy burden; I wish there was something we could do to share the burden. We all benefit so much from all you've done and continue to do. Thanks for all you do for us; we really do appreciate it!

Sincerely,

Tamara

drnase
24th June 2005, 11:23 PM
Wow Tamara,

Sorry to hear about that. Its a crazy world! I know nothing about toxic mold exposure. I will do some reading on it and see iif I see if anything pops out at me, but please be patient with me time wise.

drnase
24th June 2005, 11:39 PM
I clicked on those links and did not find much information????

Tamara
25th June 2005, 01:47 AM
Hi Dr. Nase,

Thanks so much for being willing to look into this. I know you're busy, so I understand if it takes a while.

If you go to www.moldwarriors.com, there is a horizontal gray bar with titles in it, such as: About the Author, Inside Mold Warriors, Info & Resources, Lab Orders, & MSH Donations. You don't see much at the site unless you click on those titles. If you click on those titles then you will find drop down menus. The Mold Illness FAQs is informative, and I think you'll find the Lab Order Sheet interesting too. He orders about 34 tests on his patients. It gives him a great deal of information about how their immune and hormonal systems are reacting to the mold exposure so that he can better plan their treatment. The Preface, Chapter 25 and the Epilogue also give a better sense of his thoughts and let you hear the stories of others who have been exposed to toxic mold.

I hope this helps,

Tamara

Tamara
8th July 2005, 10:58 PM
Hi Dr. Nase,

I know you're busy with a great many things, but I was wondering if you've had a chance to look into this at all?

I'm so glad to hear you're recovering and feeling better.

Wishing you the best,

Tamara

drnase
9th July 2005, 06:57 AM
Hi Dr. Nase,

Thanks so much for being willing to look into this. I know you're busy, so I understand if it takes a while.

If you go to www.moldwarriors.com, there is a horizontal gray bar with titles in it, such as: About the Author, Inside Mold Warriors, Info & Resources, Lab Orders, & MSH Donations. You don't see much at the site unless you click on those titles. If you click on those titles then you will find drop down menus. The Mold Illness FAQs is informative, and I think you'll find the Lab Order Sheet interesting too. He orders about 34 tests on his patients. It gives him a great deal of information about how their immune and hormonal systems are reacting to the mold exposure so that he can better plan their treatment. The Preface, Chapter 25 and the Epilogue also give a better sense of his thoughts and let you hear the stories of others who have been exposed to toxic mold.

I hope this helps,

Tamara


Tamara,

The link is dead. I was especially interested to read it if it had real lab results. If it does influence the hormonal and immune system to a degree, then it certainly could have an influence. Can you cut and paste the lab results so I can see the ranges?

Tamara
9th July 2005, 07:25 AM
Hello Dr. Nase,

Thanks so much for trying again. I just got there with this link. Maybe adding the http...is necessary.

Try this: http://www.moldwarriors.com/

I have lab results which I would be happy to send you in a private e-mail, if it would help.

Tamara

drnase
9th July 2005, 07:32 AM
Hello Dr. Nase,

Thanks so much for trying again. I just got there with this link. Maybe adding the http...is necessary.

Try this: http://www.moldwarriors.com/

I have lab results which I would be happy to send you in a private e-mail, if it would help.

Tamara

Send me your lab results in private and I will take a look.

Tamara
9th July 2005, 08:18 AM
Ok, Dr. Nase, I've sent you an e-mail. I'm very curious to hear what you think.

Tamara

Tamara
11th July 2005, 06:36 AM
Dr. Nase: Yes, Any increase n VEGF would be bad -- its a potent dilator and causes new blood vessel formation.

Dr. Nase,

Thanks for looking into this. Do you think my rosacea will improve as the VEGF decreases, or will irreversible damage have been done to the blood vessels? Is it likely that I will need to have laser/IPL treatment to undo the damage? Or is it a crapshoot and I'll just have to wait and see?

It seems to me that at this point I should probably go with Dr. Shoemaker's treatments for the mold exposure and see if the hoped for reduction of VEGF and complement improves my rosacea and decide later about possible laser/IPL treatment.

It's also possible that at some point I will have to take low dose Heparin as part of the treatment for the mold exposure. Apparently, Heparin is a blood thinner. Would taking a blood thinner mean that I couldn't have IPL/laser treatment while I was taking it?

I may have to take other medications as well, on my quest for healing from the mold exposure. I suppose these things could make me flush and might interfere with laser/IPL treatment as well.


Any Thoughts On This?

Tamara

drnase
11th July 2005, 07:19 AM
T.,

I am so unfamiliar with this exposure. Some insults just result in transient spikes of VEGF which just cause some flushing; while others cause long-term changes. I have no idea what the cellular mechansim or agonist involved is. Cant even give you an educted guess on this. While I respect your doctor, it is always wise to get a second opinion especially in cases like this -- rheumotlogists are great for this.


Doesnt this thing have a spell checker I can install?

Tamara
11th July 2005, 07:48 AM
Dr. Nase,

Ok, I'll ponder the rheumatologist idea. I haven't ever seen one.

It will be interesting to monitor my VEGF levels over time. We just did a second test of my VEGF last week and I don't know the results yet. My score from seven weeks ago was WAY above the normal range. Normal is apparently 31 to 86 and my score was 120. No wonder my face was the worse it has ever been! I've been taking Actos for three days now. The goal of it (the way Dr. Shoemaker is using it) is to calm down the cytokines and it seems like my face is beginning to calm down a little. We'll have to just hope it will help my rosacea. I'll keep an eye on it and see what happens. It sounds like I'm kind of a test case here, in terms of our rosacea community and toxic mold exposure. I'll keep you posted about how it goes.

Tamara

This is what Dr. Shoemaker has to say about Actos in the glossary of his book Mold Warriors:

Actos--pioglitazone, one of the thiazolidinedione group of drugs. FDA approved to help with treatment of diabetes, it also has anti-inflammatory effects by blocking the cytokine nuclear receptor activity and thereby lowering elevated levels of leptin, MMP9, PAI-1. It may have benefit in treatment of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) if the MCS is diagnosed early. Actos in one of the most useful of the medications of the Biotoxin Pathway.