We were exposed to mold at a out of town trip a few years ago. It wreaked havoc on 3 out of 4 of us. It took thousands of dollars and months of treatment to get back to “normal”. What it also did was to spur us to investigate our own house that I had always suspected something lurking. Sure enough, we had mold. We had mold in our laundry room, guest room, kitchen, and AC system. We coughed up all the dough to remediate and replace carpet, windows, etc. Luckily we didn’t have any of the bad stuff (black mold), but the years of exposure even to low level mold had affected us all and weaked our immunity.
It gave way for the correct environment in which Lyme and other pathogens could thrive. Until recently, I thought we had overcome all our mold exposure and lived to tell the tale. Not for one of us. Not when we came across the VCS test.
Ritchie Shoemaker, M. D., is a recognized leader in patient care, research and education pioneer in the field of biotoxin related illness. He has spent his career studying, discovering and writing about environmental toxins and their affects on human bodies and chronic illness. Books like “Surviving Mold” are definitely worth a read. Dr. Shoemaker has his own visual contrast test he uses to help diagnose toxicity from molds and other environmental toxins. You can download or pay for his version on his website.
What does visual contrast have to do with mold and our health and toxicity?
The mold toxins cause a great deal of neurological damage to our bodies, the visual contrast test has been found to be a measure of just how much neurological damage has occurred. Use it to find what is lurking under the surface waiting to pounce on your immune system, or slowing destroy it before you even saw it coming.
I used a website called http://vcstest.com/. You can use the VCS test for free, although they do ask for a small donation. You can save the link of your test results and compare it as you heal to see the gains you make. I encourage you to take the VCS test online and see where you are in toxicity and do something about it.
We had no idea that a member of our family was off the charts in mold toxicity. We had treated it and seen the symptoms vanish and thought we had gotten clear of the exposure to mold. But each of our bodies behaves differently and can “stuff” toxins away for a rainy day showing no symptoms, but the damage is just sitting there hovering below the surface.
We have been treating the toxicity issues with Modified Citrus Pectin for binding toxins, Toxi-Bind and NeuroAntitox. As the body has been releasing the mycotoxins from the mold, at times the body gets overwhelmed and more NeuroAntitox helps abate the body’s overwhelmed system and restores. We can’t live without this product and keep it handy at all times.
VCS TEST for environmental toxicty
This is information found on VCS website:
What is visual contrast sensitivity testing?
Visual contrast sensitivity testing measures the ability to see details at low contrast levels and is typically used as a nonspecific test of neurological function. Similar in form to a standard audiometry hearing test, a VCS test generally involves the presentation of a series of images of decreasing contrast to the test subject and the recording of contrast levels where patterns, shapes, or objects can or cannot be identified. The results of the test can then be used as a screen for diagnosing visual system and/or neurological dysfunction.
What can cause a reduction in contrast sensitivity?
Many things can affect the ability to perceive contrast. These include nutritional deficiencies, alcohol, drug/medication use, or exposure to endogenous or exogenous neurotoxins, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), venom from animal or insect stings or bites, and those produced by many species of mold, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates (particularly Pfiesteria and Ciguatera), parasites, and the pathogens responsible for Lyme disease and its common co-infections.
Why is this test diagnostic?
This test is *not* diagnostic for any specific condition (including either mold or neurotoxin exposure), but it may suggest the existance of a health and life-affecting subclinical process. If your results are positive, you may have any of a number of different conditions and you should see your doctor or health care provider.
How does this test compare to the online VCS screening test offered by Dr. Shoemaker?
This test is very similar, with a few exceptions: the images used here are generated dynamically and the test is different every time you take it, there are a few more images (5 series of 10 images, vs. 5 series of 9 images), the results are more comprehensive and detailed, and the scoring algorithm used here, though based on Dr. Shoemaker’s published research, is slightly different.
How much does the test cost?
Currently, the test is free for unlimited, non-commercial use, though this may be limited in the future if resource usage exceeds expectations. If you benefit from the test and are able, please consider making a donation to help offset development and operation costs, and to fund enhancements and additional tests.