Mold Remediation – Why Mold Professionals Should Avoid Using Bleach – Part Three

Why Restoration Professionals Should Avoid Using Bleach

There are many situations in which restoration professionals may think that use of bleach as a cleaner/sanitizer is effective. Indeed, there are certain restoration projects, such as sewage backflows, floods, and even mold remediation, where individuals have been taught to use bleach as part of their restoration protocol. This history is supported by continuing references in publications put out by numerous organizations including the EPA, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and others. The use of bleach as a “disinfectant” seemed to reach new heights over the past few months as semi-truckloads of the chemical were donated for disaster relief efforts in the Gulf states following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Despite this surge in bleach use for restoration of water-damaged and mold-impacted environments, I have one thing to say about the situation: Professional restoration contractors should not be using bleach for cleaning, sanitizing, or disinfecting surfaces! Of course this opinion comes with a few caveats: I do not have any financial or management interest in a chemical company that manufactures bleach or alternative chemical products. I have never been seriously injured by bleach in a personal or industrial accident. I use bleach for my laundry and a bleach derivative for sanitizing my swimming pool water.

So the question that is obvious is, Why is this environmental engineer so adamant about contractors not using bleach? The answer is related to both practical and legal implications for restoration professionals.

Practical Considerations
Let’s start with the practical considerations. Bleach is favored by many because of its long history of use by homeowners for cleaning and stain removal. Its relatively low cost has made it so widely available that its odor is now commonly associated with cleanliness by the general public. But in contrast to this widespread use are its dangers. Bleach is a corrosive that can irritate and eventually cause considerable damage to the skin. Bleach releases chlorine gas as it is sprayed or evaporates. The effect of bleach vapors on the eyes and respiratory system are immediately evident to anyone who is in an area where the product is being used liberally. Because of these potential effects on the body, appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, and respirators should be employed when bleach is utilized for situations beyond laundry. However, such essential precautions are often ignored because of the product’s acceptance in the mainstream of our society.

There are many practical impacts of bleach use beyond health concerns. Restoration professionals must appreciate the highly reactive nature of this chemical compound. The fact that bleach is used for stain removal and whitening means that it can also discolor and damage many fabrics. Less obvious is how bleach reacts with other materials. It is corrosive to many metals and stone products. It should never be used on stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, marble, or granite. In fact, bleach is so strong that it will etch glass if it is not neutralized after application to surfaces such as mirrors and windows. In New Orleans I observed how bleach solution had significantly corroded electrical components and anchoring bolts for load-bearing walls after less than 24 hours in a house where the drywall had been stripped due to flooding. In that particular case, the builder had been given bleach to use as a sanitizer and had sprayed it undiluted on all of the exposed studs and other building components.

A Bad Reaction
The reactive nature of bleach is even more troublesome when it is mixed. Bleach should never be mixed with acids, as dangerous fumes are usually the result. Even a mixture of two innocuous cleaning compounds such as bleach and ammonia can produce deadly gasses that can kill with just a few breaths. Depending on the ratio of bleach to ammonia, chlorine gas, nitrogen trichloride and/or hydrazine will be produced when these two are mixed. In addition to being toxic the last two listed by-products from this bleach mixture are also explosive. Other reactive by-products that can come from bleach mixtures are toxic chloramines and dioxins. With all of these potential “side effects” a restoration professional is taking a significant chance when bleach or a bleach solution is applied to varied materials in an uncontrolled environment – exactly the situation that occurs when bleach is sprayed following a sewage loss or fire.

Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of bleach when proposed as a cleaner or sanitizing agent is that its effectiveness is greatly reduced in the presence of organic material. To be a successful sanitizer, bleach must be used on clean materials and surfaces. This is why bleach products are used in the laundry after the wash cycle or in a commercial kitchen as a component in the third sink after the dishes have been washed and rinsed. The efficacy of bleach as a sanitizer is also compromised by heat and light. Despite the fact that the chlorine odor may linger for some time after use, bleach loses strength so quickly that it is not considered to have a residual effect that would prevent future bacterial or fungal growth.

The last, but by no means the least, issue related to the practicality of bleach for restoration projects is that many alternatives are readily available for contractors that need to incorporate a level of sanitization into their cleaning or restoration activities. These products are specifically developed for restoration projects such as sewage clean-up or mold remediation. They have been tested for the sorts of conditions and contaminants that the contractor faces rather than testing as a laundry additive. In areas where potable water is a concern, there are many formulations that are ready to use, avoiding the dilemma of having to use the product full strength or mixing it with contaminated water. In addition to their cost effectiveness and ease of use, many sanitizing products developed for the restoration industry have a true residual effect which prevents bacterial or fungal regrowth.

The Trap of Label Directions
If the practical reasons are not enough to change a contractor’s habits away from bleach, the legal ramifications should be. Most bleach products are not registered with the EPA as an antimicrobial. In addition, the label directions for bleach often only mention a sanitizing capability for hard non-porous surfaces. As such, using a bleach solution to minimize antimicrobial activity on carpets, drywall, wooden studs, or other common building components means that the restoration contractor is engaged in an “off label” utilization of the product. Under such conditions the manufacturer will not warrant or assist the contractor if a problem or dispute arises.

So there you have it. Bleach is cheap, convenient, and recommended to a lot of homeowners for various restoration activities, but it is not the best choice for a contractor. As a restoration professional you have an obligation to understand what the standard of care in your industry demands and provide a quality service to your client. This means using the right tools and products. So leave the bleach at home for the load of white laundry where it belongs.

About the Author
Michael A. Pinto currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc. He has more than 30 years of safety and environmental experience from jobs in the private sector, the non-profit arena, and regulatory agencies. Michael is the author of five books, including Fungal Contamination: A Comprehensive Guide for Remediation, over 150 published articles, and 18 commercial training programs. He can be reached at map@wondermakers.com.

This article was published in the January 2006 issue of Cleaning and Restoration magazine.

Click here to download the article.

Look for more in this six part series on mold remediation from Michale Pinto at Wonder Maker’s Environmental. If you are looking for a remediation specialist who is local to the San Francisco Bay Area, Gordon Medical suggests you contact Indoor Air Science. The people at Indoor Air Science  do not do remediation themselves, they do excellent air quality testing, but they have contacts with reliable remediation companies in the area. The people at Indoor Air Science are very knowledgeable, and are constantly researching to stay up to date on the current state of the science for indoor air safety.If you have concerns about your home or business, they are a good place to start.

If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Shoemaker’s work on mold illness, we have copies available of the DVD recordings from the October Biotoxin Illness conference held in Santa Rosa in October 2011. This 5 DVD set includes over 9 hours of talks with Dr. Shoemaker and the Gordon Medical physicians, as well as Power Point presentations and supporting evidence for the treatments presented. For more information, links to clips,  or to order, look at Biotoxin Illness on the DVDs and Books page.

Mold Remediation Part Two – Mold Indoors

Mold Indoors

Killing It Is Not Enough

Indoor air quality is a broad field that continues to bedevil building service professionals. But the shift in focus over the last five years from general concerns such as adequate ventilation and sick building syndrome to mold contamination has caught many service contractors by surprise, particularly when they are asked for advice in dealing with mold growth or blamed for its appearance.

Unfortunately, many contractors are struggling to identify the current best practices in regards to mold – a reasonable way to evaluate potential contamination and implement control measures. With limited time, service managers try to make sense of media reports, liability concerns, and scientific research. As they dig deeper, many have found that media reports are often condensed sound bites, legal cases tend to emphasize the extremes of liability in an effort to win or fend off a claim, and scientific reports are filled with technical jargon or narrow limitations that restrict their application to the real world.

Without good information, positions related to mold situations are inclined to polarize. The extreme positions can be categorized as fungiphobics, those who are frightened by a single mold spore, and those who refuse to accept any possibility of health-related problems due to mold exposure, the mold minimizers.

The first step in developing a reasonable approach to mold is to understand that there is a reasonable approach. Many service professionals have the mistaken impression that liability concerns, based on high-profile lawsuits, are the driving force in the industry. In the absence of federal or uniform state regulations related to mold control, attorneys are clarifying the industry standard of care, not creating their own. By carefully examining generally available industry reference documents relating to mold, attorneys have been able to identify points of commonality which they correctly interpret as a de facto industry standard of care. Unfortunately, many service providers are asked to talk intelligently about the mold situation in general and/or make decisions about mold contamination conditions in their contract facilities without even understanding what the industry reference materials are, let alone the points of intersection between them.

While there is some variation in which references really form the core of the mold control industry, the following ten documents are cited frequently.

Despite the fact that guidance for mold situations is coming from a variety of sources, there is a surprising consistency in the overall tone and approach. Some key consensus points that should frame any mold discussion include:

• The understanding that mold is a biological agent. Since it has the ability to grow under the right conditions, isolation and deferred action to remove the source of the problem may not be possible as it is with asbestos materials. In such situations, the delay may allow mold contamination inside a building to grow to a point where it poses a hazard greater than when initially discovered.
• Mold growth means that there is or has been moisture intrusion in the building. Removing surface mold contamination and not identifying and correcting the underlying moisture problem would be tantamount to a doctor treating symptoms rather than the disease itself.
• Exposure to mold spores and other byproducts (microbial volatile organic compounds, mycotoxins, connecting filaments, etc) does cause real health symptoms. These symptoms can range from mildly annoying allergic reactions to serious, and even life-threatening, ailments.
• Individuals respond to mold exposure in a variety of ways. There is a large variation in individual susceptibility to the same exposure levels and the possibility of a person becoming sensitized to specific specie of mold growing in a certain location. When added together this means that the range of potential responses to fungal exposure is greater than what is seen for many industrial chemicals.
• Killing mold, but leaving the residue in place, is not acceptable. Since many health impacts can be triggered by exposure to both live and dead mold spores, the source and secondary contamination must be removed.
• Mold removal is called remediation because special precautions, equipment and work procedures should be used to prevent the spread of material to other parts of the building.

Unfortunately, what this means is that there is no “quick fix” for mold contamination situations. The advertisements for various “magic potions” which “kills mold dead” are often not the best choice for contamination in commercial buildings since leaving mold residue behind puts the contractor outside the industry standard of care. A common sense assessment and remediation by trained individuals is the best way to protect the occupants, the building owner, and the service contractor.

As always, communication is the key. Even if a reasonable plan is developed and carried out, the proper communication of the remediation process may ultimately turn out to be just as important as competent performance of the work. To communicate clearly and convincingly, a service contractor should emphasize that the subject of mold exposure and control is complex, with many diverse opinions. Despite this diversity of opinion, an industry standard of care is in place which avoids the two extremes of mold minimizers and fungiphobics.

Staying within the standard of care, emphasizing the protection of occupants, workers, and building structures, and promoting the goal of a safe environment rather than pristine or spore- free indoor air, will help the smart building service provider navigate the tricky terrain of mold discussions.

About the Author
Michael A. Pinto currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc. He has more than 30 years of safety and environmental experience from jobs in the private sector, the non-profit arena, and regulatory agencies. Michael is the author of five books, including Fungal Contamination: A Comprehensive Guide for Remediation, over 150 published articles, and 18 commercial training programs. He can be reached at map@wondermakers.com.

This article was published in the January 2005 issue of Services magazine.

Click here to download the article.

Look for more in this six part series on mold remediation from Michale Pinto at Wonder Maker’s Environmental. If you are looking for a remediation specialist who is local to the San Francisco Bay Area, Gordon Medical suggests you contact Indoor Air Science. The people at Indoor Air Science do not do remediation themselves, they do excellent air quality testing, but they have contacts with reliable remediation companies in the area. The people at Indoor Air Science are very knowledgeable, and are constantly researching to stay up to date on the current state of the science for indoor air safety. If you have concerns about your home or business, they are a good place to start.

If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Shoemaker’s work on mold illness, we have copies available of the DVD recordings from the October Biotoxin Illness conference held in Santa Rosa in October 2011. This 5 DVD set includes over 9 hours of talks with Dr. Shoemaker and the Gordon Medical physicians, as well as Power Point presentations and supporting evidence for the treatments presented. For more information, links to clips,  or to order, look at Biotoxin Illness on the DVDs and Books page.

Mold Remediation Part One

Michael Pinto, CSP, CMP, of Wonder Makers Environmental has compiled extensive information on mold remediation based on years of work and research. He wrote a series of articles that were published in Surviving Mold newsletters, and has given us permission to reproduce them here as a series. This is the first in that six part series.

Remediation Resources

REMEDIATION OF BUILDING MATERIALS
Excerpt from Fungal Contamination: A Comprehensive Guide for Remediation

This excerpt is taken from Chapter 10 of Fungal Contamination: A Comprehensive Guide for Remediation, Second Edition, a textbook used for mold remediation training that makes important and understandable connections between mold work and other restoration activities. This informative book of over 450 pages is available for purchase from Wonder Makers Environmental (www.wondermakers.com).

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Remediating fungal contamination that is impacting building materials involves a number of steps that are widely accepted in the industry, and experience has determined that these steps should be performed in a particular order. This method offers the best possibility for removing visible mold growth and associated debris without cross contaminating surrounding areas. Remediation professionals should use the following steps as a starting point for developing a specific work plan for each project.

1. Set up initial engineering controls, including isolation barriers, negative pressure system, and drop cloths necessary to protect the structure during initial response activities.

2. Remove standing water.

3. Assess condition of contents, set up appropriate decontamination structure, and remove contents from the mold remediation work area.

4. Finalize engineering controls for removal of building materials harboring fungal growth. Make sure the setup can accommodate any unexpected hidden growth.

5. Work with the air flow. Generally this means that the project should be set up so that mold impacted materials closest to the decontamination unit are removed first. Work then progresses from the decon unit toward the negative air machine.

6. Remove porous materials with visible growth. Use work practices that minimize the generation of dust. This may include the use of hand tools or power tools to which a HEPA vacuum can be attached.

7. Enforce work procedures that emphasize a clean-as-you-go approach. Whenever possible, as they are removed from walls and ceilings, cut building materials in sections small enough to fit directly into waste bags. Bag all waste immediately rather than allowing it to pile up on the floor. Change negative air machine and vacuum filters often enough to keep them operating at optimum levels.

8. Seal waste bags using the gooseneck technique. Move waste bags into the decontamination unit where the exteriors of the bags are cleaned or they are double bagged prior to movement through unprotected areas of the building.

9. Determine the remediation approach for semi-porous materials that have visible fungal growth. Depending on the condition of the material some items, such as rotted wood studs, may have to be removed for later replacement. Other semi-porous materials that have not suffered structural damage can be cleaned by scraping, sanding, scrubbing, or blasting. Whenever possible, use tools in conjunction with a HEPA vacuum. Specialty tools, such as the Scravac, are specifically designed for scraping contamination directly into a vacuum nozzle. Make sure that the cleaning technique does not exceed the capacity of the engineering controls. Blasting, for example, may require a substantial increase in the amount of negative pressure and airflow as compared to a standard mold remediation work area.

10. Clean all non-porous materials that have visible fungal growth. This usually involves damp wiping or HEPA vacuuming.

11. Using the HEPA sandwich technique, clean the entire isolated work area, including ceilings and non-impacted walls. If there are any bacterial concerns because of gray or black water, incorporate appropriate antimicrobial chemicals into the damp wiping step.

12. If necessary, dry the remaining material in the work area through dehumidification. Be careful that airflow from fans and dehumidifiers does not impact the integrity of the isolation barriers.

13. Conduct a thorough visual inspection of the isolated work area. Use the white glove test to ensure that the area is free of dust. Re-clean as necessary.

14. Conduct post-remediation evaluation sampling. Compare the results to the company’s standards for mold remediation (see box for suggested post-remediation sample criteria). Re-clean and re-sample if necessary.

15. Coordinate post-remediation verification sampling by a pre-selected third party. Evaluate the results in comparison to the criteria that were agreed upon at the beginning of the project (see box for suggested post-remediation sample criteria). Re-clean and re-sample if necessary. If the building owner chooses to forgo verification sampling, move to the next step.

16. If included as part of the remediation project, apply antimicrobial coating to exposed structural members to prevent future mold contamination. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application. Allow all surfaces to dry thoroughly.

17. Have the HVAC system cleaned following NADCA guidelines.

18. If included as part of the project, replace and refinish building materials that were removed during remediation.

19. Remove isolation barriers and remediation equipment. Unless specifically exempted in the remediation contract, repair any damage to finish materials caused by the isolation barriers.

Look for more in this six part series on mold remediation from Michale Pinto at Wonder Maker’s Environmental. If you are looking for a remediation specialist who is local to the San Francisco Bay Area, Gordon Medical suggests you contact Indoor Air Science. The people at Indoor Air Science  do not do remediation themselves, they do excellent air quality testing, but they have contacts with reliable remediation companies in the area. The people at Indoor Air Science are very knowledgeable, and are constantly researching to stay up to date on the current state of the science for indoor air safety.If you have concerns about your home or business, they are a good place to start.

If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Shoemaker’s work on mold illness, we have copies available of the DVD recordings from the October Biotoxin Illness conference held in Santa Rosa in October 2011. This 5 DVD set includes over 9 hours of talks with Dr. Shoemaker and the Gordon Medical physicians, as well as Power Point presentations and supporting evidence for the treatments presented. For more information, links to clips,  or to order, look at Biotoxin Illness on the DVDs and Books page.

Exercise and Reconditioning During CFS/Fibromyalgia (and Lyme!) Treatment

Exercise and Reconditioning During CFS/Fibromyalgia Treatment
By Jacob Teitelbaum, MD

Dr. Teitelbaum has us given permission to reprint information from his website. While that website is focused on treating CFS and Fibromyalgia, Dr. Teitelbaum considers Lyme disease to be a factor in both illnesses, and the information he gives is often useful in treating Lyme disease as well.

Dear Readers,

When being treated for any debilitating illness, reconditioning is a critical part of getting well. Because of the body wide “energy crisis” seen in CFS/Fibromyalgia, most of you have found that you were unable to condition beyond a certain point (it takes energy to store energy in muscles—which is what conditioning is). Instead, the doctor would push you to exercise, and you would spend the next 2 days in bed feeling like you had been hit by a truck!

The good news is that as you do our proven effective “SHINE Protocol” (Sleep, Hormones, Infections, Nutrition, and Exercise AS ABLE—discussed at length in my book “From Fatigued to Fantastic!”), you will find that your body starts making the energy needed to condition. You will then be able to exercise more and more—and it will actually leave you feeling better and stronger.

To tailor a SHINE Protocol to your case, we invite you to do our educational “short program” computer program at www.Vitality101.com, which will analyze your symptoms to tailor a treatment protocol to your case. You can then begin many of the natural treatments on your own while working with a physician to add in the prescription recommendations (I recommend a Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Center physician—see www.fibroandfatigue.com for offices nationwide—they are trained experts and know how to get you well). Although we usually charge for the web site computerized programs, I have decided to make the short program available free, as our goal is to make effective treatment available to everyone!

I have invited our patient Lisa D, who was sent to us by Dr. Oz and appeared on the Oprah show, to write this issues article on exercise. She has learned how to get pain free, and go from fatigued to fantastic. She is also excited about showing others with CFS/Fibromyalgia how to do the same!

Adding “E” for “Exercise” to the SHIN Protocol to Make it SHINE

Article by Lisa D

Exercise is an important part of the SHINE protocol. As a former group fitness instructor, exercise was my passion. I absolutely loved to exercise. My world came to a screeching halt 7 years ago. My once busy nights filled with teaching fitness classes were empty and filled with doom, gloom, and pain from fibromyalgia. Although I never lost my passion for exercise, I thought my ability to exercise was almost non-existent. Boy was I wrong!

Last fall, I was one of eight individuals selected to be a part of Dr. Oz’s YOU: Staying Young Program featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. As a part of the Staying Young program, I was supplied with a bag full of goodies including a pedometer. Soon after, I decided to start my exercise program. I put on my pedometer and took a walk. Day after day, I was truly amazed at the number of steps I accomplished each day. After a few weeks of daily walks, I noticed a change in my body. My cold hands had feet had started to warm. My pain had greatly diminished. For the first time in many years, my energy levels had increased dramatically. I felt alive again. What a wonderful feeling

For many fibromyalgia patients, doable exercises include walking, Yoga, and Tai Chi just to name a few. Walking is an ideal exercise. It stimulates the hypothalamus and pituitary glands (both of which have a direct impact on fibromyalgia). This stimulation releases endorphins, which are considered “natural pain killers.” I also include a combination of Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates in my exercise program. These mind and body exercises provide strength for the body, mind and soul.

The key to a successful exercise program is to not overdo it. Get yourself a pedometer, a good pair of walking shoes, a Yoga mat, and a positive attitude. Start slowly and take one day at a time. Increase the intensity and duration of your program with caution. Everyday will not be the same. Record your accomplishments in a journal and be proud. You will be pleasantly surprised at the number of steps you can accomplish and the increase you will see in your strength and flexibility.

Self empowerment is all you need to get started.

Lisa D

I’d like to thank Lisa for her article, and offer a few tips to get you started safely:

1. Begin with light exercise like walking or even warm water walking (in a heated pool) if regular walking is too difficult.

2. Walk to the degree that you feel “good tired” afterwards and better the next day. If you feel worse the next day, stop a few days and then cut back.

3. Walk only as much as you know you comfortably can (or start with 5 minutes). Then increase by 1 minute every other day as is comfortable. When you get to a point that leaves you feeling worse the next day, cut back a bit to a comfortable level, and continue that amount of walking each day.

4. After 10 weeks on the “SHINE Protocol”, your energy production will usually improve considerably, and you’ll be able to continue to increase your walking by 1 minute every other day.

5. When you get to 1 hour a day (or 10,000 steps throughout the day if using a pedometer), you can increase the intensity of the exercise. Again, listen to your body, and only do what feels good to you. You’ll know the difference between how “good pain” feels versus “bad pain” or crashing. Overall, “No Pain, No Gain” is stupid. Pain is your body’s way of saying “Don’t do that!”

6. Do consider a pedometer. It makes it more fun to be able to see your endurance go up (set it for total steps you walk a day). There is even a recent pedometer study showing it to help

Unless it is cold, and the cold flares your pain, I recommend you get your exercise by walking outside, so you can get sunshine—your key source of Vitamin D. Many people with CFS/Fibromyalgia are Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D from sunshine (or supplements) will help improve immune function and will also decrease the risk of hypertension, diabetes, and cancer (low Vitamin D is responsible for over 85,000 cancer deaths a year in the US). Make a plan to walk daily with a friend, and somewhere that’s enjoyable (on cold days it could be in the mall). That way, you’re more likely to have fun—and stay with the program!

Welcome to getting your life back!

Love and Blessings,

Jacob Teitelbaum M.D.

Gordon Medical Associates is bringing Dr. Teitelbaum to the San Francisco Bay area this  fall to speak with local patients and physicians about his treatment protocols. Details will be available soon.

Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, is a board certified internist and Medical Director of the national Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers and Chronicity. He is author of the popular free iPhone application “Cures A-Z,” and author of the best-selling book From Fatigued to Fantastic! (Avery/Penguin Group), Pain Free 1-2-3 (McGraw-Hill), Three Steps to Happiness: Healing Through Joy (Deva Press 2003), Beat Sugar Addiction NOW! (Fairwinds Press, 2010), and his newest book Real Cause, Real Cure (Rodale Press, July 15, 2011). Dr. Teitelbaum knows CFS/fibromyalgia as an insider — he contracted CFS when he was in medical school and had to drop out for a year to recover. In the ensuing 25 years, he has dedicated his career to finding effective treatment. He will be coming to the San Francisco Bay area in the fall to speak with local patients and physicians about his treatment protocols. 

The S.H.I.N.E. Program

The S.H.I.N.E. Approach to Treating CFS/FM

By Jacob Teitelbaum, MD

Dr. Teitelbaum has us given permission to reprint information from his website. While that website is focused on treating CFS and Fibromyalgia, Dr. Teitelbaum considers Lyme disease to be a factor in both illnesses, and the information he gives is often useful in treating Lyme disease as well.

What is S.H.I.N.E.?

In his 30 years of clinical experience treating CFS/FM, and in his landmark study on Effective Treatment of CFS/FM, Dr. Teitelbaum has found that his S.H.I.N.E. approach is successful in the vast majority of patients. S.H.I.N.E. identifies the following five health guidelines when creating a treatment program for CFS/FM:

S =	SLEEP: Get adequate sleep, preferably eight to nine hours a night. Sleep replenishes the body’s energy and heals its muscles. Inadequate sleep will leave you exhausted and in pain.
H =	HORMONES: Get tested for hormone deficiency and treated if needed. Hormone deficiencies can contribute to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
I =	INFECTIONS: Get treatment when symptoms of infections occur. The lack of restorative sleep in CFS/FM leads to dysfunctional immune systems. Underlying viral, bacterial, bowel, sinus and yeast infections are common and can be a contributing cause or result of CFS/FM.
N =	NUTRITONAL SUPPLEMENTS: Optimal nutritional supplementation is essential. Many nutrients can be depleted as a result of CFS/FM. B-12, magnesium, Acetyl L Carnitine and glutathione, as well as your basic A, B, C and D vitamins need to be supplemented at a level that your average over the counter multivitamin cannot provide.
E =	EXERCISE: Exercise as able. After 10 weeks on the 4 steps above, you will be able to slowly increase your exercise-without being wiped out the next day!

The S.H.I.N.E. Treatment Protocol

The “S.H.I.N.E. Treatment Protocol” is an itemized list of all the common treatments for CFS/FM, both natural and prescription, that can be used by a patient or practitioner. A personalized treatment plan can be created from this list by identifying the underlying causes of CFS/FM, based on an analysis of the(a) patient’s particular symptoms.

Our free Symptom Analysis Program can evaluate your symptoms and automatically identify which treatments on the S.H.I.N.E. Protocol list apply to your CFS/FMS case. It asks a series of questions about your symptoms and analyzes your answers to determine the likely causes of your illness. It then “checks off” the treatments you likely need in the S.H.I.N.E. Protocol list. (For example, if you answer questions indicating you have dry skin, achiness and unusual weight gain, this could indicate a thyroid hormone deficiency. If so, the program might check off a treatment suggesting you begin taking Armour Thyroid.)

The result is a complete treatment protocol fully tailored to your specific symptoms.

What to Expect

It takes an average of six weeks to begin to feel the benefits of your treatment. During this time, you should chart important information about your treatment progress, such as dates when you start or stop individual treatments, and their effects.

For most of you, CFS/FM took months to fully manifest. It can also take several months to get well. Although the S.H.I.N.E. protocol gives you the fastest path to healing, keep in mind that total recovery can take several months to over a year. You should remain on the treatment program until you are feeling consistently well for six months or more (with no back-sides). After that, you can taper off the program by discontinuing one treatment every one to two weeks. The gradual tapering is recommended so that you can make sure a particular treatment is no longer needed. Although it isn’t usually necessary, any or all of the treatments can be used forever without harm. Many patients choose to continue several treatments long term after stopping the majority of them. Reading your body’s signals and taking your practitioner’s advice are your best tools in determining which treatments should be continued to remain well.

 DO THE FREE SYMPTOM ANALYSIS PROGRAM

(You can download the Protocol as a 36-page pdf file if you’d like to see it.)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gordon Medical Associates is bringing Dr. Teitelbaum to the San Francisco Bay area this  fall to speak with local patients and physicians about his treatment protocols. Details will be available soon.

Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, is a board certified internist and Medical Director of the national Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers and Chronicity. He is author of the popular free iPhone application “Cures A-Z,” and author of the best-selling book From Fatigued to Fantastic! (Avery/Penguin Group), Pain Free 1-2-3 (McGraw-Hill), Three Steps to Happiness: Healing Through Joy (Deva Press 2003), Beat Sugar Addiction NOW! (Fairwinds Press, 2010), and his newest book Real Cause, Real Cure (Rodale Press, July 15, 2011). Dr. Teitelbaum knows CFS/fibromyalgia as an insider — he contracted CFS when he was in medical school and had to drop out for a year to recover. In the ensuing 25 years, he has dedicated his career to finding effective treatment.

GcMAF Immunotherapy Treatment for CFS

The CFS Patient Advocate Blog has covered the recent conference at the new Mt sinai ME/CFS Research and treatment center.he is posting written content, as well as video taken during the conference. Chronic Lyme patients may find the information helpful.

Read : Mt. Sinai ME/CFS conference report – Sunday November 20, 2011

Mt. Sinai ME/CFS conference – De Meirleir lecture

 Six presentations were given at the Mt. Sinai ME/CFS Research and Treatment Center conference on Sunday November 20, 2011. Here is a lecture delivered by Dr. Kenny De Meirleir, who practices medicine in Brussels. Dr. De Meirleir has worked with ME/CFS patients for many years and is seen as one of the foremost ME/CFS Clinician/Researchers. Dr. De Meirleir spoke for a half-hour on the compassionate use of GcMAF in this patient population. Dr. De Meirleir will be associated with this new ME/CFS Center at Mt. Sinai- as a clinical consultant.

 The video and audio was made by Peter and Nicholas Cairns.

Making the Invisible Disabilty of Lyme Disease Public

Lyme Disease. Super Sized.

The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society is running a powerful public awareness campaign to create greater understanding of the dangers of Lyme Disease, thanks to a special donation of advertising time on the CBS Jumbo Tron.

Lyme disease has been an invisible disability and New York City is the epicenter of the East Coast Lyme Disease epidemic. The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS) launched a public awareness campaign by making this invisible disability more visible in Time Square during the Holiday Season. Greater public awareness may help to reduce the catastrophic disease burden caused by Lyme and associated diseases.

The Jumbo Tron is anything but invisible. The giant video screen is 26 feet tall and 20 feet across and is strategically positioned at 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City. The spot will run every 20 minutes for 3 months. It is estimated that 1.6 million people pass through Times Square each day. The spot will remain in place during the Thanksgiving Day Parade and New Year’s Eve celebration for bonus exposure.

ILADS Jumbotron

Viewing the CBS JumboTron
The CBS Jumbotron message will promote awareness of Lyme disease and connecting to the www.ILADS.org website will increase access to the resources available in the ILADS Media Center.
ILADS Announcement : to learn more about the message, and how New York Lyme patients can participate (or of you happen to be visiting New York!)
ILADS Media Store
ILADS Videos

PREVIEW VIDEOS OF ILADS OCTOBER CONFERENCE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE: Click Here

Report on the Biotoxin Conference by Scott Forsgren

Scott Forsgren, of BetterHealthGuy.com, posted an excellent blog on his site regarding the Biotoxin Illness Conference hosted by Gordon Medical Associates in Santa Rosa, CA.  Thank you Scott for your hard work in educating patients and doctors regarding this most important health issue.

Biotoxin Illness Conference 2011 – by Scott ForsgrenGordon Medical Associates hosted the “Biotoxin Illness: The Science Behind Accurate Diagnosis and Effective Treatment” October 22-23, 2011 in Santa Rosa, CA.

While this blog post will not cover all of the details of the event, further information can be learned from either the recordings of this event available through Gordon Medical Associates or via several learning opportunities at SurvivingMold.com.

I continue to spend time learning more about Dr. Shoemaker’s work as I have not yet entirely addressed all of the biotoxin illness markers, especially C4a, and am interested in Dr. Shoemaker’s work as I think he’s a rare genius in the field.

The slides from this event are available here.  If your doctor is not already familiar with Dr. Shoemaker’s treatment approach, ask them to get the Physician’s Approach to Biotoxin Illness DVDs or the Surviving Mold book and get educated on the protocol.  The more doctors that learn how to treat biotoxin illnesses, the better off we will all be.

The biggest takeaway for me from the weekend was one that I had already known, but it is also one that I cannot reinforce enough how strongly I feel about it.  In my opinion based on what I have learned from Dr. Shoemaker’s work, everyone with Lyme should have their HLA genetic testing done so that they understand if it is Lyme toxins, mold toxins, or both that they are inefficient in identifying and excreting.  This information may change the course of your treatment.  Additionally, if one is a mold-susceptible type, I think it is critical to have the ERMI testing done to see if your living environment is save.  If one has a mold-susceptible type, an ERMI of < 2 is the goal.  Anything higher than that is potentially unsafe and negatively impacting your health.

Ignoring the mold issue while treating Lyme disease is, in my opinion, much like trying to keep a boat filling up with water from sinking by using a cup to dump the water overboard when the boat itself has several holes in the bottom.  You just can’t win unless we evaluate and address all of the factors involved in our ill-health.  Mold is often a very critical and overlooked factor.

I’m very excited about Dr. Shoemaker’s new web site SurvivingMold.com.  The information there is invaluable.  I highly recommend that you spend some time on the site to better understand how to evaluate and approach biotoxin-related illness (whether it be Lyme, Mold, or other biotoxins).  The Biotoxin Pathway is the best summary of Dr. Shoemaker’s work.

Here are some key points I took away from the weekend.

Dr. Shoemaker

• 92% of people with biotoxin illness have a positive VCS test.  The test can be done online at SurvivingMold.com.  A negative VCS test does not rule out biotoxin illness as there can be false-negative results.
• ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) deficiency is almost universal in biotoxin illness.  When MSH is low, ADH is generally low.  In fact, when MSH is low, many things go wrong in the Biotoxin Pathway.
• When ADH is an issue, you lose water.  Salt then gets dumped onto the skin via the sweat glands.  Dr. Shoemaker did sweat chloride tests and found that when people experienced static shocks, they had high chlorides.
• “Doing air sampling is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life,” stated Dr. Shoemaker.
• MSH and VIP are regulatory peptides.  VIP is now available as a nasal spray that can be used after you have followed all of the required steps in his treatment program. It will not work if done without having done the earlier steps.  MSH is not available yet.  ADH is another regulatory peptide.
• When you lose control of inflammation, inflammation goes wild.  If you don’t control inflammation, it will chew you up.
• Uncontrolled inflammation can be evaluated using C4a, MMP-9, and TGF-b1 testing.
• Reduced MSH is a co-factor which can lead to MARCoNS, a nasal staph infection.  MARCoNS activates inflammation.  MARCoNS can also produce biofilms and biotoxins.
• TGF-b1 can be an indicator of autoimmunity.  It can lead to changes in lung tissue and symptoms that are asthma-like.
• The condition that Dr. Shoemaker speaks of is not a “mitochondrial disease” but an oxygen delivery deficiency.

To read the complete blog, please visit BetterHealthGuy.com here…

ILADS 2011 Conference is Streaming Live

ILADS 2011 Conference Is Streaming Live

Join ILADS on Friday October 28th and Saturday October 29th to view streaming video of the The Twelfth Annual ILADS Lyme Disease Conference. The conference is designed to foster collaboration and dialogue between Lyme disease researchers and those who care and advocate for Lyme disease patients in a variety of settings. The conference will provide updates in clinical knowledge, treatment techniques and innovations in care.

Watch ILADS Lyme disease conference LIVE as leading professionals examine the cutting edge research and state-of-the-art clinical applications in the treatment and diagnosis of Lyme disease. Much of this year’s conference, which takes place Friday through Sunday, October 28th-30th, will stream live online.

Let your friends know.

Click here and post to facebook, twitter and more.

Click here to view the entire conference schedule.

Click here to go to the ILADS webpage to sign up for a reminder email when the streaming of the conference begins. Scroll down and sign up on the right hand sidebar.

Eric Gordon MD and Ritchie Shoemaker MD on KSRO Radio

Eric Gordon MD and Ritchie Shoemaker MD

Speaking LIVE on KSRO Radio – Your Health First

Wednesday, October 12 at 12:30 pm – 1 pm

KSRO 1350 AM Radio

Dr. Gordon and Dr. Shoemaker will take to the air live, speaking about Biotoxin Illness issues, and how they affect sufferers in a way poorly understood by the majority of health professionals. The talk is a lead in to the weekend benefit conference being held on October 22-23, 2011.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE WEEKEND EVENT: Click Here