Patients With Mystery Illnesses Seek Doctor's Aid

POSTED: 11:14 pm EDT July 7, 2005

POCOMOKE CITY, Md. -- Some doctors might question his methods, but patients have flocked to an Eastern Shore doctor to discover whether toxic mold makes them sick.

WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team reporter Lisa Robinson reported Dr. Ritchie shoemaker reaches out to patients worldwide from the small rural town of Pocomoke City -- and they seek him out, too.

Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker


Software entrepreneur Patrick Sullivan and his wife sought out Shoemaker from Scottsdale, Ariz.

"The way new things are discovered, they're often discovered in places like Pocomoke, Md., as opposed to Hopkins or the Mayo Clinic," Sullivan surmised.

Kris Ohlhaver has driven from Olney, Md., in northern Montgomery County, for four years. In what normally takes three hours to drive, the trip takes Ohlhaver two days because of her illness.

"He's the first one that won't give up on me, no matter what," she said.

John Murtaugh, 32, a medical salesman, made the trip from Florida to see Shoemaker.

"I thought I was gonna die," he said.

He thinks toxic mold may be causing his mystery illness and that his life depends on his appointments with Shoemaker.

"He really understands what's causing this illness in people and he's documented getting people better," Murtaugh said.

"There's a real strong drive to not only feel better, but to know what is wrong," Shoemaker said.

Murtaugh has been ill since November 2003 and takes a mix of 15 medications and vitamins his doctor prescribed for fatigue, confusion, fevers and severe joint pain.

Robinson said he's often frustrated; he broke down emotionally while explaining how a friend rushed him to the hospital with a 104.7-degree fever.

Through tears, Murtaugh recalled: "He was taking me to the hospital, he was asking me, 'They still don't know what's wrong with you?'"


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Link: Dr. Shoemaker's Web site
National Library of Medicine: Mold Resources
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Shoemaker called Murtaugh's reaction typical.

"It's all because of environmental exposure. He has no personal life, no girlfriend, no children, no hope of that," he said.

Shoemaker gives Murtaugh, and all of his patients, vision tests in addition to extensive blood work.


"I have hope. I'm gonna get back to a normal life go back to the gym, lose the 40 pounds I've gained."
- John Murtaugh



"There's data out there, you have to go looking for it and read it," Shoemaker explained. "There are tests we know are abnormal in mold and we can profile how physiology is disrupted and then fix it."

Shoemaker believes some people have an innate susceptibility to mold toxins. His approach is to custom build a treatment plan that often includes cholestyramine, a cholesterol drug he prescribes to wipe out mold toxins.

The 11 News I-Team spoke with some of Shoemaker's peers, and while they say his work is a bit on the edge, they have no reason to doubt his motives or sincerity. They said there just isn't enough scientific information to judge Shoemaker's methods or effectiveness.

"One guarantee is that when (patients) leave here, they'll be able to see what their illness is in black and white on a series of lab results," Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker said he sees a 75 percent reduction in symptoms in 92 percent of his patients -- and he remains hopeful about Murtaugh's case.

"I have hope. I'm gonna get back to a normal life go back to the gym, lose the 40 pounds I've gained," Murtaugh said.

Shoemaker gained notoriety in the late 1990s for his work in treating patients sickened by pfiesteria, a toxic fish-killing organism that has invaded the Pocomoke River.

The 11 News I-Team spoke with Murtaugh after that emotional day in Shoemaker's office. He said he's improving every week.

Stay with TheWBALChannel.com and WBAL-TV 11 News for the latest health updates.
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Jimmy McDonald
http://www.StartRemodeling.com
Jimmy@StartRemodeling.com

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