cross over between politics and health - Trump and the red face

1. On Republicans Being toxic
Lisa Lavine Nagy M. D. Environmental Medicine Physician FAAEM, FAAEM
Why is that Donald Trump, Rick Perry, Arlen Spector, and others change their political party in the last
segment of their life and political career?
I have a theory. An interesting theory that might seem far fetched but hear me out. I would say
that when a considerate and conscious Democrat changes to become a Republican there is a real
medical reason that explains this change of heart. Let me explain what I observed in my own family
member that made me develop this understanding. In some cases there is damage to the brain by toxic
exposure over one’s lifetime that causes a person to care less about helping others, about benefitting
all members of society with more liberal social programs and more about selfish concerns like paying
less taxes and keeping one’s gun!
I am a Cornell trained medical doctor who became severely environmentally ill and Chemically
Sensitive – though I never heard of this problem in Medical School. My husband Wes and I became
unbelievably fatigued, mentally slow and we both developed Addison’s disease as well as neurologic
diseases. I was told I was likely developing Lou Gehrig’s disease (and mitochondrial myopathy) and my
husband had symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The cause was toxigenic mold exposure from the shed
surrounding the Walt Disney Aquarium attached to our living room wall. We were both democrats
before we became sick from our home with Sick Building Syndrome.
Within a couple years recovering on Martha’s Vineyard where the air is clean and pollution free
-- my husband repeatedly uttered ‘I voted for Bush’ and it drove me crazy as he had been empathetic
before this to the plight of others in society who had less than we did or had needs for public
assistance. He had been pro-choice, and never mentioned any interest in paying less in taxes so he
could have more money. He had been in the service as a musician and did like the idea of owning a
gun. However the gun issue did not prevent him from voting for independents or liberals – but never a
republican.
So we were treated for our toxic mold exposure in 2003, did sauna and drank charcoal, clay and
cholestyramine, took nutritional supplements, did oxygen and provocation and nutralization allergy
testing for molds, foods and chemicals among other treatments that are tried and true in the field of
Environmental Medicine and taught by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine. And low and
behold as we got better Wes started loving democrats again and became so pro Hillary then Obama -- it
was unbelievable by the 2008 election! Then I put it together. As he was treated and became less
cognitively impaired, less inflamed, his face less red from his exposure that leads to vascular irritation
and redness in the face as it does so many moldy men and less so women.
He was more reasonable overall. He cared more about things to do with other people and
related better in our relationship. We had both had so much cognitive impairment form this exposure
to mycotoxins that it was unbelievable. I was unable to read easily, could remember nothing that I
read and my IQ tested 40 points lower from the illness too! He could comprehend complex concepts
much better and was much less likely to care about keeping his gun in the event laws changed
regarding gun control.
Then I was watching TV one day and noticed many politicians on TV – especially the republicans
had the red face as well. I knew that sometimes it is from drinking too much alcohol but I had just
learned about the generalized inflammation in the face and explained it this way to patients with mold

2. or chemical exposure in their home or workplace. Why is it that no doctors or lay people ever discuss
the reasons for so many men having a pink face. It is not a well described phenomena. Anyway I noted
that the behavior of those with the red face was often not reasonable, considerate and these people
act more neurologically impaired and unreasonable or belligerent. In fact when I now lecture on the
behavioral changes accompanying Environmental Illness from any toxic exposure I say that if the
vessels of the face are inflamed then so are those inside the brain. I have noticed that red faced
individuals are often self centered and have limited world view. In addition the older textbooks on
Environmental Illness explain that the endpoint of untreated environmental exposure is often bipolar
illness and this explains why some toxic people act a bit manic. Grandiosity and self-important
behavior is common in politics and exhibited by many in this election cycle for sure.
The concepts in Environmental and Integrative Medicine are well known to a few political
figures. Hilary Clinton has been in the know about the potential for getting to the cause of disease like
nutritional and other deficiencies as I have heard she has visited functional medicine doctors in the
past. Al Gore took his children to a famous doctor who specialized in yeast in the gut and the mental
health effects of mold and therefore yeast overgrowth and this might even explain Tipper Gore’s
depression. Amazingly, Mitt Romney has firsthand knowledge about Dr. Randolph – the father of Clinical
Ecology now called Environmental Medicine. His mother and brother were hospitalized on Dr.
Randolph’s medical ward in Chicago and treated presumably for Chemical Sensitivity due to
environmental exposure. I verified this with his brother 5 years ago in a long conversation.
Many famous people have become in the know about Environmental Illness like Billy Casper who
was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1968 or so discussing his severe EI and told me that he was
admitted at the same time as Mrs. Romney senior. Another sad case is that of Mary Kennedy who
wrote an entire book about the moldy house that they gutted and rebuilt and then her children became
sick and allergic and she hung herself in a gruesome suicide – again mold has been shown to lead to a
40% rate depression in 3000 people interviewed (published by Shanessa at Brown University). Carol
Channing has EI, also Ted Nugent’s wife was treated in an Environmental Clinic it is common knowledge
and what affected her has likely affected him and made his behavior less than balanced – another great
example of an apparently toxic and hateful mind.
So I have learned a lot in the effort to recover and now treat patients on Martha’s Vineyard in
an Environmental facility. I have taken this knowledge to the Veterans Health subcommittee in the U.
S. congress and been well received and promoted and I am developing a protocol for treatment as
requested for VA doctors on dysautonomia and adrenal insufficiency from exposure to burning oil pits.
For example as they all felt the ill effects of plastics burning in the waste site. So I think it is
fascinating what makes us tick and what makes us not right . There are many like minded colleagues
nation wide in AAEM (www.AAEMonline.org), ACAM, ICIM, the naturopathic group that can be called on
to comment on this theory. There is little point in asking physicians to comment who know nothing of
exposure, SBS and Chemical Sensitivity as they all deny the conditions are real. This is particularly sad
because of the very high prevalence in society of Chemical Sensitivity. 5% is disabled by EI in
government polls. 15% are moderately intolerant of detergent, fabric softener and perfume, and
cigarette smoke. 40% is mildly sensitive of the entire population yet doctors completely deny it. It is
the most common medical problem today and encompasses traditional diagnoses like ADD, CFS, anxiety
and laziness about approaching work.
Just think of the health care billions that could be saved if we spent the money up front to look
at the causes of disease by taking a more through history and measuring the likely exposures gleaned
from this history. Smart benevolent people can understand these concepts. They know that no
chronically ill person really wants to fake sickness to be ‘on the Dole’ – really would rather be better
and ideally this is the future of medicine and should Hilary be elected I hope she will allow this cat to

3. really be out of the bag – at the VA and nationwide. We need environmental and integrative doctors as
advisors to a presidential committee on healthcare (leaving their egos at home). In addition, ideally
Medicare will soon cover this brilliant and unique allergy testing. If this was the case then doctors
would elect to go into the field because the allergy practice would sustain their medical practice.
Thus the blossoming of this proactive, preventive, comprehensive and investigative field would occur
in our society. And maybe we can honestly identify those who are toxic, boisterous and not
characterized by reasonable thought and cast them aside with their unbalanced and unkind ideas. Just
because the country has many toxic people who are selfish, bigoted and happy to vote for a toxic
candidate who represents their views -- this does not mean that the rational people in the country
should not prevail. So stay healthy, don’t use perfume or pesticides or scented personal products, eat
organic and drink glass bottle filtered water, take Vitamin B, C, D, E, Co Q 10 (400 mg), and
glutathione and safely do a little sauna (work up to 30 minutes a day at 150 degrees) and stay as non-
toxic as possible before you go the way of the crazies too!
www.Lisanagy.com for Penn Med lecture and basic educational information of the ubiquitous
condition of mild to severe Chemical Sensitivity and how it is affecting you or your family and what to
do about it.