You can get more information on this test, and even get a free preliminary screening with registration, at Dr. Shoemaker’s website (www.chronicneurotoxins.com). His treatment protocol and three more VCS tests (to monitor your treatment) are available from him. His protocol is also available in his book, Mold Warriors (Gateway Press, 2005).

Getting rid of your mold sensitivity
I wish I could tell you it’s simple to clear your body of the fungal toxins that are causing your illness. It’s not. But what I can tell you is that it’s possible. You’ll need a doctor to work with you and prescribe the tests and solutions you need.

Treatment begins with a medication, cholestyramine (CMS), which is used to lower cholesterol. But CMS, also known as Questran, does much more. It stops diarrhea and binds to cholesterol and bile. This is important, because while toxins temporarily attach themselves to fat cell receptors, they also leave the receptors and travel into bile. Once biotoxins are in your bile, CMS binds to them and removes them from your body. Be aware that in some people CMS causes bloating, constipation, and reflux.

Illness from toxic molds requires more treatment than CMS, which only clears some of the toxic buildup. Neurotoxins frequently cause inflammation, damage hormone pathways, and affect the immune system. All of the damage from exposure to neurotoxins needs to be evaluated and treated. This is why your doctor needs this doctor’s complex and detailed protocol. It may not be the only way to treat biotoxins, but it’s one that has had years of success.

Getting rid of household mold sensitivity
If you live or work in a building with toxic mold, you can’t simply be treated and continue to live or work there. Many remediation companies say that they can remove molds from “sick” buildings. But after working with more than 2,000 toxic mold patients, Dr. Shoemaker hasn’t found that they work well enough for many people. Even if the mold can be killed, their spores may live on for years on paper, in clothing, and in heating or air-conditioning vents.

The most a remediation company can do is to bring down the level of neurotoxins to “an acceptable level.” Remediation may be helpful if you have mold in your home or office and are not yet sick. However, there’s no acceptable level for someone who is sick from exposure to toxic molds.

Your next step
If you believe you have a chronic illness that may be due to exposure to toxic molds, first get the VCS test. If it’s positive, begin by taking cholestyramine. Then have your doctor order the recommended tests that fit your profile, outlined in Mold Warriors (Shoemaker, Gateway Press, 2005), and put you on Dr. Shoemaker’s protocol. This includes a specific diet that may be necessary to reduce inflammation.

For more information, read Desperation Medicine (Gateway Press, 2001) by Dr. Shoemaker. This book is a primer on chronic neurotoxin illnesses. Additional support for you and your doctor, as well as a list of doctors that use this protocol, is available at www.chronicneurotoxins.com or through Dr. Shoemaker’s office (410-957-1550).

A simple solution to consider
Neurotoxins in your intestines can also be removed with the PectaSol Chelation Complex I’ve talked about in the past (800-728-2288). This formula, which combines modified citrus pectin with modified alginate (from seaweed), binds to these toxins as well as to heavy metals. Heavy metals interact with neurotoxins and increase their adverse effects. Most importantly, this chelation therapy doesn’t stimulate bile secretion, which can cause aggravated symptoms.