The GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences’ Office of Integrative Medicine & Health is pleased to announce that Andrew Heyman, MD MHSA, fellowship director of the GW Integrative Medicine Programs, was chosen to lead a national initiative to make military housing safer. Mold is a significant and widespread problem in military housing, impacting the health and well-being of service members and their families.
A leading expert on biotoxin-related Illness like mold and environmental medicine, Dr. Heyman was named chair of a medical advisory board created by the National Organization of Remediators and Microbial Inspectors (NORMI Trademark ) to enhance protocols used in mold assessment and remediation-especially in military housing environments.
"Environmental illness among our military families is a national readiness issue," says Dr. Heyman, who is the founder of the GW Integrative Medicine Programs and an adjunct professor in the Department of Clinical Research & Leadership at GW. "We cannot ask service members to deploy while their families are falling ill in their own homes. Patients are being treated for mold-related illnesses while still exposed to the source.”
In a press release, NORMI said the board will directly support health-driven indoor air quality (IAQ) strategies across both on-base and privatized off-base housing, where persistent mold and water damage issues have impacted service member readiness, health, and morale. The board will do this by working to align the remediation industry with healthcare-informed practices-ensuring that mold issues are not only removed but remediated to a health-protective standard.
The board has reviewed NORMI’s remediation protocol and believes it is a medically sound way to remove mold. “It offers a superior alternative to the industry standard which often fails the needs of sensitized patients," Dr. Heyman said.
Dr. Heyman is a recognized expert in the field and applies an evidence based, Integrative Medicine model to the treatment of biotoxin-related illness. He has co-authored academic articles and book chapters with Ritchie Shoemaker, MD, one of the world’s leading experts on patient care, research and education in the field of biotoxin-related illness. They conduct research in neuroinflammation, proteomics and transcriptomics of CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome), and lectures widely on the subject.
Related:
GW Integrative Medicine Podcast: Taking an Integrative Approach to Lyme Disease with Dr. Andrew Heyman
Sources:
NORMI Trademark Launches Medical Advisory Board to Support Safer Military Housing Environments
Operation Counter-Mold”: The Hidden Battle in Military Homes, Project on Government Oversight
Army finds mold in over 2,000 facilities after service-wide inspection, Army Times
