I came across this cartoon and I had to laugh. Things are often funny because they contain some element of truth, seems true in this case. Why would so many people make choices that can lead them to even more suffering? Surgery and medications definitely have their place. Western medicine has excelled at treating trauma, but for chronic health conditions, not so much. In this country, the United States of America, we spend the most money on our health care than anybody else on the planet, and yet according to the World Health Organization, we rank around 37th in terms of the health of our citizens. How is that possible? We have focused on sickness care here in this country, not health care. Clearly this does not seem to be working very well.

​     Here is an interesting fact: Ninety plus percent of all illness is lifestyle or environmentally related. Said  another way, If we made different choices in our lives, we could avoid 90% of all disease!

     Please join me in choosing the road less traveled and make different choices in your lives. How do we do that? That is our primary focus here at Colorado Health and Wellness Center, let us help you sort through the maze of conflicting information and find your way back to vibrant health.

Sincerely,
Dr Rick


​Image Source: 
https://www.facebook.com/CollectiveEvolutionPage/posts/10157578517143908

​There is a Fungus among us! 

​     When I was in school we learned that there were 3 basic classifications of life; Plant, Animal, and Fungal. (This classification has now expanded to include 5 or 6 different Kingdoms depending on who you talk to!)  Isn’t it amazing that one of the main Kingdoms, Fungal, is so overlooked and little understood. As some of you know, I have recently taken a crash course (no pun intended) in how toxic fungus affects human health. Here is the story…

     My wife Nicole had been chronically ill for most of her life. In a long and arduous journey she discovered what she needed and with the help of the right doctors, Nicole’s health has continued to improve. We were very happy and grateful to be able to enjoy life again. We had just recently moved into a new house and over the course of a few months Nicole’s health started to decline. Her doctor recommended we check the house for mold. The results were shocking. The house was so toxic it was deemed uninhabitable! (This was confirmed by multiple sources.) We moved out immediately and have been putting our lives back together ever since. (I am happy to report that Nicole is getting better!) In my investigations and research I learned that this is a far more common problem than I realized. In fact, toxic mold exposure is often one of the underlying causes of many people’s chronic illnesses.

     For many people, when they get sick, they go see their doctor. This doctor will typically spend a few minutes with the patient, makes a diagnosis, and writes them a prescription. Sometimes this approach works, very often, it does not. Most medical doctors have been trained to look at bacterial and viral causes for disease. Very few are even aware of the insidious nature of mycotoxins, the main thing that makes people sick from mold exposure. Now before anybody freaks out, realize that mold is everywhere, all over the planet. This is not a problem, as mold has its place in the order of things and serves a necessary function. The problem comes when an indoor environment becomes conducive to mold growth, like your house, office, or school. These mold colonies then generate spores, which when confined indoors can elevate the normal background count of mold spores to unsafe toxic levels. This can affect people in various ways and because these symptoms can often change or mimic other diseases, they are very hard to diagnose and treat properly. 

Here are some common symptoms associated with mold toxicity:
​

1. Cold and flu symptoms
2. Respiratory problems, such as asthma and nose bleeding
3. Memory loss
4. Muscle aches
5. Sore throat
6. Dermatitis and rashes
7. Fatigue and generalized malaise
8. Hair loss
9. Cancer
10. Pulmonary hemorrhage
11. Autoimmune disease
12. Cognitive issues
13. Shortness of breath

Etc… (Here is a link to the source.)

     This is not an all inclusive list by any means. It can give you an idea of just how deeply this health concern can go. Here is another link for more information…

So what do you do if you suspect toxic mold exposure is affecting you or someone you love?

     The first step is to get it tested. Here is a link to a lab that offers a simple, inexpensive test you can perform in your home or office that you can do yourself.

     If you have confirmation from the lab that mold is a problem or if you just want to call in an expert, the next step is to have a professional mold inspector come out to your location. They will determine the source, severity and best way to remediate the problem. Depending on the severity, you may need to get out of the building and not go back! Then comes the overwhelming task of decontaminating or tossing your belongings. (Yes, they can carry mold with them to wherever you go next.)

     Cautionary note, if you do find mold in your house, school, or work place, DO NOT try to remediate this yourself! This work is best left to professionals as fixing the problem will involve a massive release of toxic mold spores into the space. They will come in Hazmat suits and follow a step by step procedure designed to minimize cross contamination and further damage to your property or your health.

     I am now mostly on the other side of this adventure and I wanted to put something out there to let people know of the existence of this problem and some resources for how to take care of it. Once someone’s health has been compromised by biotoxic illness (which includes mold), it can be very challenging and frustrating to get your life back. This topic is too extensive to explore here but if this is you, please know, THERE IS HOPE!
More on this in our next blog….

Yours in Health,
Dr Rick