The Connecting Place

Lamentations 3

2009-07-28T22:54:00.002-06:00

¹ ^[a] I am the man who has seen affliction
       by the rod of his wrath.
² He has driven me away and made me walk
       in darkness rather than light;
³ indeed, he has turned his hand against me
       again and again, all day long.
⁴ He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
       and has broken my bones.
⁵ He has besieged me and surrounded me
       with bitterness and hardship.
⁶ He has made me dwell in darkness
       like those long dead.
⁷ He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
       he has weighed me down with chains.
⁸ Even when I call out or cry for help,
       he shuts out my prayer.
⁹ He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
       he has made my paths crooked.
¹⁰ Like a bear lying in wait,
       like a lion in hiding,
¹¹ he dragged me from the path and mangled me
       and left me without help.
¹² He drew his bow
       and made me the target for his arrows.
¹³ He pierced my heart
       with arrows from his quiver.
¹⁴ I became the laughingstock of all my people;
       they mock me in song all day long.
¹⁵ He has filled me with bitter herbs
       and sated me with gall.
¹⁶ He has broken my teeth with gravel;
       he has trampled me in the dust.
¹⁷ I have been deprived of peace;
       I have forgotten what prosperity is.
¹⁸ So I say, "My splendor is gone
       and all that I had hoped from the LORD."
¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
       the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
       and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
       and therefore I have hope:
²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
       for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
       great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
       therefore I will wait for him."
²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
       to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
       for the salvation of the LORD.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke
       while he is young.
²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence,
       for the LORD has laid it on him.
²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust—
       there may yet be hope.
³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
       and let him be filled with disgrace.
³¹ For men are not cast off
       by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
       so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
       or grief to the children of men.

A good connection

2009-07-28T22:41:00.004-06:00

I received an email from a person today who has been struggling with mold exposure health issues for about 12 years now. I responded to her e-mail with a lot of information that I thought would be helpful to others, so I am posting my response. I am so glad that we can all connect with and learn from each other. This is a tough road, as many of you know who are sick out there... I am glad that we aren't alone and can walk together!

(e-mail response)

so glad you got in touch with me. This is exactly why I started this blog; for all of us to connect and help each other out. I have had a few other people get in touch with me as well...it has been very good. Ok here goes....

I do know of one other doctor, but from what I have heard, he is far behind Shoemaker, and even has some different opinions. I trust Shoemaker. He is THE person who is figuring most of this out and is at the forefront with newer treatments etc. If you haven't read his book, Mold Warriors, order it immediately. It was written four years ago or so, so some of it is out of date now with how rapidly the info on this illness is growing, but virtually explains everything about the illness, the genetic links, the types of molds. how they make us ill etc. Very excellent. i am reading it again and am grasping even more than the first time. The guy in Denver though, if you do want to seek him out is Mark Pringree, I believe. He is super hard to look up, but if you do want to contact him, I have some new "mold" friends who have been to see him. They live closer to the springs....but one of them just saw shoemaker 2 weeks ago also.

First off...I am sorry you are sick. I have been sick for about 14 years or so...since 1995, but just found out what I was dealing with last year. Here are some basics, so you can understand a bit about mold and Cholestyramine(CSM). Forgive me if any of this is insulting your current knowledge. I am not sure where you are at in your journey.

First off, CSM does help everybody, but not everybody is fully healed and/or feels better on CSM. CSM is simply a binding agent that helps remove the mold mycotoxins that are in your system due to being in the moldy house. The other half of the puzzle depends on your genetics, and how much downstream damage the mold toxins have done to your body.

Some people can take the CSM and in 2 weeks or so they feel better and well, others...not so much, but CSM is still doing its job of binding and removing the toxins which is the first step besides for getting out of the unsafe environment. Have you seen the biotoxin illness flowchart? If not, go back to my blog and click the link... it will help you understand, in a nutshell, how these toxins are affecting your system.

25% of the population are genetically susceptible to get this illness if exposed to mold or other toxins. Our bodies just do not code the toxins as harmful and remove them from our body which most immune systems do. For us, the toxins remain in there and cause our immune systems to kick into overdrive as if fighting the flu or something......although it never stops fighting until the toxins are gone. (yours has been going for 12 years!)...here is where CSM comes in. CSM helps us remove those toxins so the immune system can calm down. Now depending on what your genetics are though, there are certain genetic types that still have issues even after the toxins are gone. With these people, Dr. Shoemaker treats each blood marker that is off, with different medications to bring things back into balance. I believe that he is one of the few in the world, who knows how to treat these other blood markers, if CSM alone doesn't do the trick.

As far as testing your home...they need to test for very specific things. I will copy my friend Tom, who has the same illness...he and I are helping people together and we are both on top of the latest info. He can recommend the same people that tested his home. I have not had my home tested, but believe it to be safe based upon Dr. Shoemaker's opinion and interpretation of my blood lab results. CSM has helped stabilize my energy among other things, but I have the worst of the worst genotypes and I have many other things wrong with me from the mold. VIP has helped as well, but there are still many things to correct from my blood draws. Mine is a long journey..much longer than most because of my genetics.

There is so much more to say ....but this is a lot for now. Please ask me any other questions that you have and we can go from there. The first step is understanding so you can be educated to get better. The first step is definitely CSM though, so try to get on it as soon as you can! 4x a day for the first month....1 to 2x a day after that...but you really need to get your blood drawn to see where things are at, before and after. We can talk about that later! Hope this helps and please stay in touch. I welcome any other questions that you have! ttys -marc-

One week in

2009-07-12T20:22:00.005-06:00

Well, it's a little after one week in on my VIP treatment. My friends, Tom and Christine Jarrett, hit the road with my wife and I to go to Pocomoke, Maryland to see Dr. Shoemaker. It was a great appointment. We had plenty of time to see the office staff, Dr. Shoemaker and our favorite lady in the there, Debbie Waidner! She always takes care of us!

We had our blood drawn, and got to spend lots of time with Dr. Shoemaker. We had lots of questions that got answered very thoroughly with lots of doctor talk :) We had out first administration of VIP and about 15 minutes later had our blood drawn again. Both Tom and I felt after those fifteen minutes like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders. For me I could breath easier, my chest didn't feel as tight and I felt more calm than normal. It was a good feeling.

We left the office and ordered our VIP immediately. It arrived the day after we returned back to Indiana. We started our full on dosing of VIP that Thursday. The first couple days I felt better than I had felt in a long time. A few days later I felt miserable.... not sure why...

Things have started to mellow out and become more consistent. I have been feeling ok, but not great. I keep reminding myself that this is a 3 month process on this medication..not 1 week only. I will keep you posted.

Biotoxin Pathway, Key Players & VIP

2009-06-24T22:21:00.009-06:00

If you read my previous blog, you have learned that 25% of the population have genetic susceptibility to becoming chronically ill from mold and environmental toxin exposure. When the mold and environmental toxins make their way into the bodies of these people, they stay in there and play havoc with the immune system. Their bodies can't get rid of them. It is like their bodies are fighting the flu, all the time, and cannot stop. The immune system constantly pumps out these little dudes called cytokines, and with them are where the problems lie. These cytokines, mess with many things downstream. The human body is not meant to handle the excessive production. Think of it like a beaver dam. Not only does the river stop flowing, but many other ecological consequences take place as well.

There are many key players that are affected downstream by the excessive cytokine production. You can see these key players by clicking this link to the biotoxin pathway. This list was most helpful to me when I started trying to wrap my mind around the disorder. I think it will help you too. There is also a flowchart that piggybacks off that link, if that is more your bag.

Note that one of the key players in the pathway is VIP, one of the compounds most affected by the excessive cytokine production. VIP administration has been helping the body regulate many other key players in the pathway, which has been helping people feel much better. I am on my way next week to see my doctor, Ritchie for the first administration of it. He will do some blood draws before, and some after to make sure it is working as it should. I will keep you all posted. Hopefully this can provide some relief!

Black Mold Exposure

2009-06-23T22:16:00.005-06:00

Tonight I watched the movie "Black Mold Exposure". Wow! I have been sick for some time now, but I have never had to go through what these people have been through with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). A lot of people develop MCS after mold exposure has jacked with their immune systems. My most crippling side effects have been fatigue, memory problems, general mental sluggishness, blurred vision, GI issues, anxiety and other things, but I have never had to deal with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). This link has some good info, not sure about the accuracy of it all, and my opinion differs on some info, but take it for what it is worth.

The movie depicts the crippling effects mold exposure has on humans, but also depicts the life altering, destroying effects of MCS and what people need to do to just survive and to function in life with the disorder. A friend and fellow sufferer has written some posts on MCS and her family's struggle with it. Check them out here. Mold Recovery Blogspot

One of the most depressing bits that the movie opened my eyes to is just how long it takes for the powers that be to truly recognize and implement beneficial changes through appropriate law making. For some issues throughout history, it has literally been 100+ years from realization of problem to appropriate lawmaking to help safeguard and protect human life. One of the reasons that I have started this blog is to help spread the word that there are many people who are sick out there and continue to stay sick because of mold exposure. It is not just in our heads, we are not crazy, and it is an epidemic that needs to be realized and stopped...and it needs to be stopped well before the next 100 years roll around. I have lost 14 years of my life to this, and don't want any of you to have to suffer needlessly. Get informed and speak up!

Bottom line....watch the movie. It will open your eyes to the reality of human health issues regarding mold exposure and mold illness in humans, especially the 25% of the population with genetic susceptibility to ongoing health issues because of exposure. You can watch online for $7 now. When the screenings are over, it will be released on video, but not sure how long that will be.

CFS and Biotoxin Illness

2009-06-21T20:27:00.005-06:00

Sneaky little disease that flies under the radar of 99.9% of doctors...mostly because they don't know what blood markers and indicators to look for. You may feel tired, you may feel achy, you may feel like you are losing your mind or like your brain and body just don't work like they should.....it's the nagging feeling that something is wrong, but you don't know what it is and everyone else thinks you're crazy. You have had every blood test known to man....normal, you may have gone to the extent of having all sorts of other tests done, and everything keeps coming back normal.. Then you start to think that you really are crazy!

I went through every test imaginable also. I had brain scans done in California by Dr. Amen, had stool and urine tests done, have every blood panel tested on me....all leading me down good trails, but trails with no answers to the root of the real problem...and not to tell how it affected the old pocketbook. I probably could have a paid off home right now!

There are many other stories of learning and heartache and break that my family and I felt along this journey, but I will try to keep things short for the sake of helping others here. Any questions you may have though, feel free to ask. If my pain and suffering can help others and bring glory to Christ, then it will have been worth it all.

It all comes down to this: If you feel sick, tired, achy, just "off" and you can't find answers through any normal testing means, you most likely have Biotoxin Illness. Chronic fatigue syndrome, Fibromyalgia, ADHD, chronic Lyme disease and many other diagnoses are all categories for what is really Biotoxin Illness. 25% of the world's population have genetic types where their bodies do not recognize and/or eliminate specific environmental toxins that many organisms produce. These toxins remain in the body and wreak havoc on your immune system. It is like your body is fighting the flu all the time, but is never able to stop. There are also many other downstream systems that get affected by inflammation etc. because of the reaction. THIS IS WHY YOU FEEL SICK!

There is hope, there is help, there is an answer and healing. Much more to say in later posts, but here is how you need to move forward. Go to this sight and take a vision test. It is very accurate and will let you know with a high percentage if Biotoxin illness is what you are dealing with. http://www.biotoxin.info/test_instructions

Biotoxins mess with the eyes and make it difficult for you to see different patterns. That is in short how the test works. Take a minute too, to look around on the site. It has great information to get you started on your path to feeling better! Hang in there!

-marc-

My story

2009-06-14T20:50:00.007-06:00

So much to say, but I like to keep things as brief as I can these days. In short, I have been sick with a chronic fatiguing illness for 14 years now. About a year ago I was blessed to find out what exactly is going on with my body and am on the road to recovery. Life alone from the illness has been a challenge, but there is much more to the story than just that...

I was married, at one time, for about 2 years when my son Zion passed away during labor due to a true knot in his umbilical cord. About 3 months after the incident, my wife left out of the blue, never to come back again. I was part of a small church plant that moved to Boulder, CO in 2004. They surrounded me with love and support throughout the whole ordeal... even giving financially so that I had enough money to pay for all the hospital bills for Zion. Up to that point, I had not been very responsible with my money, but I was so convicted knowing that I had been provided for, that I knew it was my time to not only be responsible with my finances, but it was also time to give back.

Throughout that time of grieving and transition, I was in a rock band with 4 great friends. I have been singing and playing guitar for about 16 years now. I firmly believe that band was in my life to give me something to fully enjoy and to look forward to as the rest of my world was crumbling around me.

I am currently re-married to a wonderful woman who is a true blessing. I live in Denver and work in CO Springs, and am in the process of starting completely over and am just waiting to see what God has in store...

With all things said above, it is probably easy to see why I have a passion for the things this blogspot is all about. I have learned many lessons from the events that have taken place in my life and am trying to live them out. I am currently debt free and have a passion for helping people be good stewards of their finances. I also have a passion for connecting with people who have the same illness type as me. It is very new and many discoveries are currently taking place. It is a blessing to be able to share knowledge, encourage and pass ideas back and forth about the latest. I have been hanging on to God's promises for most of my life and see in a very real way how he takes care of us and gives us what we need...not only in the physical sense, but also emotionally and spiritually, and I would love for this blogspot to be a place of encouragement and a place where we spur each other on to live according to those promises and the word.

Can't wait to connect...

marc