Air Date: 1-9-2015 | Episode: 351
Ritchie C Shoemaker MD has been involved in the field of medical evaluation and treatment of patients sickened by exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged buildings for 16 years…
Full Description:
Ritchie Shoemaker
Ritchie C Shoemaker MD has been involved in the field of medical evaluation and treatment of patients sickened by exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged buildings for 16 years. He has diagnosed and treated over 7000 patients; written and published multiple academic papers in peer reviewed literature; as well as three books, with the last published in 2014, State of the Art Answers to 500 Mold Questions. He lectures widely in the US and internationally. Since his medical retirement in January 2013 he has continued research into the basic genomics and brain inflammation effects of exposure. Through his website, www.survivingmold.com, he has trained physicians to certify in his treatment protocols.
During our last show with Dr. Shoemaker Episode 235 on 2-10-12 we discussed the latest research on what he and some colleagues have labeled Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) from Water Damaged Buildings (WDB). Since then Dr. Shoemaker and his colleagues have been using brain imaging combined with an FDA cleared software that correlates with symptoms and physiology. The program is called NeuroQuant® and we will LEARN MORE today about how Dr. Shoemaker is using the Union of Genomics and NeuroQuant® in his research on CIRS-WDB.
Z-Man’s Blog:
Science Moves
Ritchie Shoemaker, M.D., is a recognized leader in patient care, research and education pioneer in the field of biotoxin related illness. While illness acquired following exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged buildings (WDB) comprises the bulk of Shoemaker’s daily practice, other illnesses caused by exposure to biologically produced toxins are quite similar in their “final common pathway.” What this means is that while the illness might begin acutely with exposure to fungi, spirochetes, apicomplexans, dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria, for example, in its chronic form, each of these illnesses has similar symptoms, lab findings, and Visual Contrast Sensitivity findings. Taken together the inflammatory illness from each of these diverse sources is known as a Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).
Ritchie Shoemaker, MD was always passionate and driven. After receiving notice from a physician that he only had six months to live in December 2012 Ritchie feels he was given a second chance to do what is important. Ritchie speaks at a fast pace intermingling complex scientific terms and acronyms.
Nuggets mined from today’s episode:
- www.survivingmold.com website gets 3 million hits per month. A place where people can “think, learn & share”
- Ritchie trains other docs and medical professionals on his protocol. 40 medical professionals have started the certification process.
- According to Ritchie, light years of progress have been made in learning about CIRS. He knew early on that differences between Cases and control. Cases of illness have unique symptoms. Inflammatory illness is different and expanded. Cluster analysis is a useful investigative tool.
- Visual contrast sensitivity is a diagnostic screening tool for CIRS.
- Patients adhering to his treatment protocol attain resolution and correction of proteomic lab tests
- Since 2012 he has tried to expand where does illness come from?
- “Why do healed people get sicker on re-exposure so quickly?” Ritchie feels that the answer lies in genomics. Cases versus control can be identified from a single blood sample.
- Exposure to water damage buildings causes executive cognitive impairment, mainstream docs who are unfamiliar with how to test for it often attribute it to psychiatric causes.
- MRI findings won’t ID Cases reliably. Dr. David Ross pointed Ritchie to the NeuroQuant software program developed by Cortechs in San Diego.
- People with illness from WD buildings have reductions in volumes of the caudate, a grey matter nucleus. Treatment protocols can correct this. Ritchie’s treatment protocol has 12 steps.
- “Novel doesn’t mean that it is wrong”, rather that others haven’t closely studied it.
- Specificity of brain matter structures stick out with 3 different illnesses (CIRS_WDB, Post-Lyme and PTSD).
- NeuroQuant is a software program that manipulates MRI results by expanding the football shape of the human brain to a sphere so that math calculations can be done.
- NeuroQuant can quantify microscopic interstitial enlargement (edema) not shown on MRIs.
- Blood brain barrier injury leads to both >swollen areas of the brain and specific reductions in grey matter nuclei.
- Brain Ruler a term introduced by Dr. David Ross to describe an objective parameter of “how big things are”.
- CIRS application to other illnesses and fields of medicine as shown by correction of inflammatory pathways using genomics. Correction of PTSD brain matter atrophy is promising.
- Dr. Andrew Heyman, of George Washington University has made an Armed Services study proposal.
- Concussions, differences in repetitive concussive industries. Activates inflammatory response sent a proposal to the NFL players union. The brain has limited ways to respond to inflammation. Inflammation left untreated doesn’t go away.
- Gene activation is way more complicated than mold, a “chemical soup” is found in WDR.
- CIRS treatment- get out of the building or remediate. Inflammatory response requires treatment. Removal from exposure is necessary but insufficient alone for treatment. CIRS Protocols: diagnose, labs, response to treatment protocols. Put out the fire, then rebuild the building, paint the building. VIP is the coat of paint that completes the building. The protocol resets the defense button and restores regulation
- Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) shouldn’t be used indiscriminately without the protocols. VIP is a natural occurring hormone, immune modulator and stabilizer. Proven safe, less than 10 people showed side effects requiring cessation of Rx since 2005. VIP is a designated orphan drug used for treating pulmonary hypertension. In a 2007 presentation to IAQA in which he mentioned VIP, Toxicologist Harriett Ammann told him he would need to demonstrate “safety and durability”.
- Data Mining. What some consider to be “Junk DNA”, the literature clearly shows is the tip of the iceberg awaiting discovery.
- Proteogenomic intervention> is the union of genomic, NeuroQuant®, corrections, inflammatory responses as shown by blood tests
- “If you don’t treat the proteomics you won’t fix the patient.”
- New Cleaning Standards are recommended for people with caudate atrophy.
- “Problem with a lack of integrity in mold research.”
- Biofilms form in nose and is important for commensals.
- “Science moves.”
- “Can’t define MCS, but knows MCS when he sees it.”
- High dose VIP helpful in MCS.
- Has 4000 blood samples in a freezer, the study of which can answer many questions.
- Don’t worry about who is to blame, worry about who is to fix.
- Data mining of genes and sources of info. Money and time to find it. If his wish was granted he would buy a big computer and analyze samples.
- The concern about DNA effects is noted but the actual changes are correction of inappropriate activation and suppression. DNA sequences don’t change
- NIH, “not invented here”.
Z-Man Signing Off
