Re: I have some questions about what the ACAAI is doing.

[Guest guest]

You are so right!!! My life HAS BEEN devastated!!! Some days are much worse

than others and today is one of them for me. I just received another job

application rejection!!

I had a teaching job I loved, one I expected to retire in. Now, at the age

of 55, I have to start at the bottom all over again AND find a clean bldg. to

work in. When I have found a place that I believe to be healthy I still

don't get the job. I know I'm an excellent teacher & have many letters of

recommendation. I believe it's because of my age(they can hire younger & start

them

at less) AND when I tell them why I left my former job they think I'm a big

risk!! Mold is a huge issue and what would happen if you had to leave the

new job, within days OR hours, because the place makes you sick?! Other

employees would panic & they work in a sick bldg. or you may draw attention to

the

bldg. that they already know may be unhealthy!! It is a vicious circle and

I'm sick of running around it. I would love my old life back but realize it

is impossible!!

Yes, I have my health BUT I also really need a job!!!!

I'm so sorry for venting, but it's one of those days for me!!!

Sue

Because of the way the medical community is currently operating, this is a

never ending vicious circle. Mold litigation is going to be around for a

long

time. And people's lives are going to be unnecessarily devastated.

Sharon

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/20/2005 8:34:22 AM Pacific Standard Time,

dottykalm@... writes:

Sharon, I think you make some excellent points here,

particularly that these paid expert witness doctors

are commenting and misleading the public in areas that

are outside of their medical specialty. An allergist

should not be making statements on mold poisoning; and

allergist should not be consulted for psychological

problems. That seems fairly obvious. But, what

actions should we take to get some attention to this

problem. Judi

Hi Judi,

I'm working on it. There is a damn good chance they are going to try to

shut me up again and sue me for libel again -even though what I say is the

truth. No need for alot of people to get sued. I'll just put the truth out

there

under my name. C'est la vie!

Sharon

[Guest guest]

Sharon, I think you make some excellent points here,

particularly that these paid expert witness doctors

are commenting and misleading the public in areas that

are outside of their medical specialty. An allergist

should not be making statements on mold poisoning; and

allergist should not be consulted for psychological

problems. That seems fairly obvious. But, what

actions should we take to get some attention to this

problem. Judi

--- snk1955@... wrote:

>

> I have some questions about what the ACAAI is doing:

>

> Existence of toxic mold syndrome questioned

> Fri Oct 14, 2005 8:35 PM BST

> By Will Boggs, MD

> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mold and dampness can

> cause

> coughing and wheezing, but there is little evidence

> to

> support the existence of the so-called toxic mold

> syndrome,

> according to a report by researchers at the Oregon

> Health

> Sciences University in Portland.

> 1. The Oregon Health guy is Dr. Bardana - Bardana is

> an

> allergist. How is he qualified to comment on toxic

> mold

> syndrome (mycotoxicoses)? This a poisoning. Not an

> allergy.

> Toxic mold syndrome -- illnesses caused specifically

> by

> exposure to mold -- continues to cause public

> concern

> despite a lack of evidence that supports its

> existence,

> researchers explain in the September issue of the

> ls of

> Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

> 2. Isn't the above an incorect statement? TMS is not

>

> caused " specifically by exposure to mold " . It is

> caused by

> exposure to toxins that some molds produce. If one

> is not

> able to understand and report on the difference, are

> they qualified to

> comment on toxic effects?

> Several critical reviews have failed to find

> scientific

> support for toxic effects from breathing in mold

> spores as a

> viable mechanism of human disease, they add.

> 3. What causes blastomycoses, crytocoximycoses,

> hystoplasmosis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis?

> Dr. Barzin Khalili and Dr. Emil J. Bardana, Jr.

> describe

> the clinical characteristics of 50 patients with

> complaints

> of illness they attributed to mold exposure in

> their home

> or workplace. The patients had been referred by a

> defense

> attorney in a civil litigation or by insurance

> adjusters

> representing worker's compensation agencies.

> 4. Could there be any bias in these evaluations by

> physicians retained by representatives of the

> defendants in

> the litigation? What did the report by the

> plantiff's treating physician

> say?

> There was no consistent set of symptoms, the authors

>

> report, with patients having an average of more

> than eight

> symptoms. Most patients reported a family or

> personal

> history of allergy or asthma.

> 5. If people are reporting a history of allergy or

> asthma,

> wouldn't these be the same people who are being

> warned that

> they are most susceptible to illness from mold

> exposure?

> Three quarters of the patients had abnormal physical

>

> examination results, the researchers note, with

> inflammation of the eye or skin and congestion

> occurring

> most commonly.

> 6. So 37 people showed symptoms, even from an

> examination by

> physicians hired by the defense. What did the exam

> by the

> plantiff physicians show? What is an " abnormal

> physical exam " ?

> What about the other 13 of the 50 that were

> evaluated?

> Thirty patients had other non-mold-related illnesses

> that

> could explain most, if not all, of their

> mold-related

> complaints, the report indicates, and nearly two

> thirds of

> the individuals had evidence of a previously

> diagnosed mood

> disorder.

> 7. 30 people were apparently already somewhat

> immunocompromised in

> some form and degree of severity. Aren't those who

> already have weakened

> immune systems most vunerable to mold induced

> illnesses? What is the

> explanation

> for the other 20?

> " In fact, " the investigators write, " when the entire

>

> history and objective evidence were scrutinized, a

> number

> of well-established and plausible diagnoses emerged

> that

> explained many, if not all, the complaints. "

> 8. Explained " many if not all " . Does that mean even

> this

> report that only looked at 50 cases that went to

> court (easy ones settle, so

> bias is already there) could not explain all? Does

> this also mean that these

> illnesses could be ruled out as caused by

> mold/toxins or that

> many of the symptoms of 30 out of 50 (or 60%) could

> possibly

> be explained by something else in addition to mold

> and toxins?

> Am I reading this right? 100% of the illnesses could

> not be ruled out as

> caused by mold exposure, but 60% of those could

> possibly have another

> explanation?

> In a commentary in the journal, Dr. Abba I. Terr

> from UCSF

> Medical Center, San Francisco contends that toxic

> mold

> disease is " the latest in a series of

> environmentally

> related pseudo-illnesses " that include multiple

> chemical

> sensitivity, also known as idiopathic environmental

>

> intolerance, and chronic fatigue syndrome, which was

>

> attributed at one time to infection with

> Epstein-Barr virus.

> 9. Dr. Abba Terr is also and allergist. What are his

>

> qualifications to make psychological evaluations?

> What are

> his qualifications to rule out the effects of

> toxins as a

> cause of illness? How would one explain all the peer

>

> reviewed current scientific evidence from major

> university

> studies that indicate a strong corrilation between

> mold/toxin

> exposure and the illnesses thousands of people are

> complaining of? Are all these researchers and

> average citizens just liars

> and whiners out to get money from the insurance

> industry?

> " Since these authors have determined that the

> patients they

> describe do not have a mold-related disease but are

>

> nevertheless seeking compensation for presumed

> illness

> through a legal process that has defined it in those

> terms,

> toxic mold disease is truly a diagnosis of

> litigation, "

> Terr concludes.

> 10. These researcher did not establish people don't

> have mold-related

> disease. There merely established in some cases,

> other explanations were possible.

> I would have to partially agree with this statement

> though. These allergists

> are truly writing about a diagnosis of

> litigation.

> What this report does not say is that allergist

> Bardana is a

> prolific expert witness in mold litigation, is

> President of

> the ACAAI and that and ls of Allergy Asthma and

>

> Immunology is the official publication of the

> ACAAI. Terr is

> also an allergist member of the ACAAI. As is

> allergist

> Marshall who has a grant from Ole Miss to study

> the " psychological impacts " of stress from Katrina

> on mold victims. Gee,

> wonder what the conclusions will be?

> To me, this garbledy goop is just further evidence

> that the contention in our

> courtrooms stifles the medical understanding, which

> makes it harder for

> people to find proper medical care, which increases

> their damages, which adds to

>

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