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[Guest guest]

St 's Regional Health Center

235 West Sixth st.

Reno NV

Attn. Hospital Administrator.

Dear sir.

Thursday, Jul 3 1997 I presented to the St. s Emergency Medical

Center with chest pain, difficulty breathing and intense heart

palpitations resulting from a known and deliberately controlled

exposure to a fungal species later identified as Stachybotrys

Chartarum.

My intent was to determine if these manifestations of mold exposure

could be measured and assessed by the diagnostic tools of your

clinic.

I had timed similar episodes of mold reactivity and informed the

staff of my intentions to correlate cardiological symptoms with the

effects of exposure which usually reached maximum intensity around

four hours after exposure to a " Sick Building " .

The palpitations were clearly audible to the technician installing

the instruments and I predicted that these would decrease at some

point after four hours and asked that any change be noted when the

audible nature of the palpitations ceased.

When the palpitations finally abated, I asked if there had been any

change and the technician replied that there had indeed been a

measurable increase in blood pressure but that it was

" not clinically significant. "

Despite the ambivalent nature of this fluctuation, I stated that it

was of extreme importance to me because it signalled the end of a

serious and debilitating reaction to mold.

The blank stare and unresponsiveness of the technician suggested

that my words held little importance and that the technician was

unfamiliar with the symptoms of mycotoxin exposure.

The cardiologist on call, Dr Cole, brought my discharge papers and

stated that there was nothing wrong with my heart.

Despite my assertions of mold reactivity, a diagnosis was made of:

" ACUTE HEART PALPITATIONS

This is usually due to premature beats of the heart, that are called

extrasystoles. The sensation of your heart skipping a beat is often

a very frightening symptom. Most people (with normal beats) have

these at times, and they are often not felt at all. In the absence

of heart disease, palpitations are not a dangerous problem, but

rather an annoyance.

Extrasystoles are often brought on by heart stimulants. These

include caffeine, nicotine, OTC diet pills, decongestants, and

illegal " uppers " .

Stress and fatigue are prominent factors also. "

I informed Dr Cole that I was under the influence of none of these

factors and that my palpitations were induced by a reactivity to

mold which I had specifically correlated and timed.

Dr Cole was doubtful of this explanation and explained that if I had

ruled out the other factors on this list, that hyperventilation due

to stress was most likely the cause of my palpitations. I used the

evidence of my experimental exposure to mold to dissuade him of this

notion but his refined concept to include my assertion was that I

had developed an unfounded fear of mold that increased my stress

level up to the point of palpitations and that even the timing I had

measured was a projected mental construct that restored normal

function after my invented time period had passed.

Dr Cole's final diagnosis was that my mental state concerning mold

was responsible for my symptoms and informed me that he " knew some

very talented counselors who can help you " . I proposed that mental

health counseling was unlikely to make a significant difference in

my physioloigical response but Dr Cole remained convinced that

soliciting the services of a mental health professional was the best

course of action dictated by the circumstances.

The growing public awareness of the neurotoxic effects of

Stachybotrys Chartarum casts this incident in a new light and raises

concerns about the intransigence of Dr Cole to accept an explanation

that could be easily tested and verified.

Dr Ritchie Shoemaker's book " Mold Warriors " outlines the scientific

and medical basis for the immunological response to neurotoxic molds

and describes the stories of mold victims who have struggled to

overcome the lack of investigative acumen and diagnostics skills of

physicians who display inappropriate skepticism in the face of

obvious abnormalities.

http://personalconsult.com/MoldWarriorsMain.html

In this case, I agree with Dr Cole that the services of a mental

health professional are required and I sincerely hope that Dr Cole

receives appropriate therapy before his utter lack of scientific

curiosity, diagnostic skills, and mental predisposition to dismiss

unfamiliar symptoms as psychological illness results in the

misdiagnosis and mistreatment of more patients suffering from

biotoxin associated illnesses.

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