Welcome to Paradigm Change
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Thanks for visiting Paradigm Change! It’s great that you’ve made your way here.
The purpose of this website is to provide solid and reliable information about the role of mold toxins in chronic illness to people who are suffering and to those individuals (such as doctors or other health professionals) who are trying to help them.
Focusing on mold issues has helped many thousands of people with diseases such as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, chronic/post Lyme disease, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), Alzheimer’s disease, PANDAS/PANS, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and various autoimmune conditions to begin to move toward wellness.
Hopefully the information here will be helpful to you as well.
About Paradigm Change
My name is Lisa Petrison and I am the founder of Paradigm Change.
I was working as a marketing professor in 2001 when I became disabled with ME. By 2007, I was basically bedridden and comatose most of the time with a wide variety of severe symptoms.
As a result of focusing on the mold component of my illness and pursuing other treatments – including spending more than five years camping in pristine locations in the western half of the U.S. – I am now mostly recovered. (And, yes, living in a building.)
I started Paradigm Change in 2013 with the goal of educating others about the topic of the role of mold toxins in chronic illness. Our website and blogs now have been visited by more than 400,000 individuals and have received more than a million page views.
A primary goal of the Paradigm Change website is to provide links to a wide variety of sources of information about mold toxicity. A great deal of original content (including books and articles) also is included.
To help get you started, here is a summary of Paradigm Change resources especially appropriate for those new to this topic.
Moldy
A great place to start learning about toxic mold is through the documentary film “Moldy,” produced by Dave Asprey of Bulletproof.
The movie features a number of mold doctors and patients, touching on a wide variety of issues relevant to those suffering from mold-related illness. (I am featured in the movie, by the way.)
The trailer for “Moldy” is featured at the top of this page.
The film is available for free viewing to those signing up for the Bulletproof email list.
A Paradigm Change blog article provides some information about the individuals featured in the movie.
Background on the Mold Experts and Patients Featured in Dave Asprey’s “Moldy”
Back from the Edge
Another great place to start learning about the relationship between mold toxins and chronic illness is by reading the book Back from the Edge, about the extraordinary life of Erik Johnson.
Erik became very sick with ME/CFS in the famous Incline Village epidemic in the mid-1980’s. As a result of devising a strategy allowing him to avoid even very small amounts of mold toxins, he recovered his health to the point of being able to climb mountains and work full-time.
The book provides an concise introduction to a variety of mold-related topics and is a good read.
A PDF copy of Back from the Edge is available for free to those subscribing to the Paradigm Change newsletter.
PDF Version of Back from the Edge
The book also is available for Amazon Kindle ($2.99) and has received many positive reviews from readers.
Amazon Kindle Version of Back from the Edge
More Introductory Resources
The main page of the Paradigm Change site is updated regularly with descriptions of new articles and other developments related to the areas of mold-related illness and mold avoidance.
A collection of articles from various sources especially appropriate for beginners.
Beginner’s Guide to Toxic Mold
An article listing some of the symptoms of and diagnostic tests for mold illness.
The Paradigm Change blog, with a focus on substantive articles about the role of microbial toxicity in chronic illness.
Mold Avoidance
Many hundreds of people have made great strides toward wellness using Erik Johnson’s mold avoidance approach, and a number of Paradigm Change resources provide details on this.
The book A Beginner’s Guide to Mold Avoidance (written by Erik and me) provides a basic introduction to the topic. It is available for free in PDF format to those signing up for occasional email updates on mold avoidance topics.
PDF Version of A Beginner’s Guide to Mold Avoidance
The book also is available in paperback and Kindle versions from Amazon.
Amazon Versions of A Beginner’s Guide to Mold Avoidance
An in-depth Paradigm Change blog article summarizes some of the issues involved with cross-contamination of belongings.
The Mold Avoider’s Dilemma: What Should I Do About My Stuff?
Another Paradigm Change blog article deals with the issue of outdoor toxins.
Outdoor Toxins of Particular Relevance to Mold Illness Patients
A page of information about mold hypersensitivity reactions, suitable for sharing with family and friends.
Mold Sensitivity: Guidelines to Help Sufferers Stay Safe
Links to additional mold avoidance information.
Building Mold
An article on how to determine whether buildings have a toxic mold problem.
An article on dealing with acute problems with the potential of leading to mold growth.
A long blog article on a Dr. Oz segment on toxic mold, discussing many of the pitfalls of mold testing and remediation.
Dr. Oz Tackles the Topic of “Mold Poisoning”: How’d He Do with It?
A list of mold professionals who have received positive comments from patients.
Medical
A list of resources providing information from mold-oriented physicians.
Clinical Treatment of Mold Illness
A list of medical professionals specializing in toxic mold illness who have received positive comments from patients.
Psychiatric Symptoms
An summary article with links to resources suggesting that toxic mold exposures can trigger emotional symptoms.
An article summarizing research findings by psychiatrist Mary Ackerley, M.D.
Brain on Fire: The Role of Toxic Mold in Triggering Psychiatric Symptoms
Patients
An article describing the stories of many prominent people who have experienced mold issues.
An article sharing the stories of many toxic mold victims.
Recovery
An overview article on recovering from mold-related illness.
A longer blog article summarizing research on healing treatments.
Which Therapies Do Improved Mold Avoiders Believe Helped Them?
The Living Clean blog, focusing on recovery from chronic illness.
Social Media
A list of all online addresses for information provided by Paradigm Change.
My personal page on Facebook. Feel free to follow me!
Thanks again for visiting this site. I hope that it is helpful to you in terms of improving your own health or in helping others who are suffering from this very difficult and incredibly underappreciated illness.
Best regards,
Lisa Petrison, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Paradigm Change
Links on this page are in orange (no underlining).