Posted by
BLOGASSAULT on Friday, October 24, 2008 10:37:35 AM
Elizabeth Feudale-Bowes of Allentown, Pennsylvania was diagnosed with
"environmental illness" several years ago, which keeps her in a home made chemical free "shed" she and her husband built in their yard. Problem is they didn't get proper permits or clear the proper safety regulations in the area. Now they have been told it has to come down.
This bubble, though, may be about to burst: A judge has ordered it taken down by the end of the month.
Some of the couple's neighbors in suburban South Whitehall Township complained that the 160-square-foot building is unstable and so unsightly it could drag down their property values. The couple also hooked up electrical, water and sewer service without securing permits.
"For the wife's medical problems, there is sympathy. For the owner's defiance of the township's lawful directives, there is no excuse," Judge Carol McGinley ruled earlier this month.
The part I find intersting is the strange physical diagnosis that was given her.
Some doctors question whether environmental illness is a genuine physical disorder and suggest it is psychological. Feudale-Bowles says she was diagnosed by Dr. William Rea of Texas, who has been accused by the Texas Medical Board of promoting "pseudoscience." He vigorously disputes the charge and continues to see patients.
Feudale-Bowes says fabric softener, nail polish, perfume, new sneakers, upholstery and many other items can make her body go haywire. She says she has suffered from a range of chronic ailments, including migraines, joint pain, bladder inflammation, seizures and temporary paralysis. Her insides, she says, have sometimes felt like "fire with ground glass in it."
Sounds terrible, but I would imagine that if she went to a real doctor and get some real testing done she may find a real answer to her ailments. I would seriously have to question the legitimacy of the Dr. William Rea's diagnosis.
ABC's Nightline did a piece on Dr. Rea back in March of this year, questioning his environmental illness claims. After reading the article. it would seem to me that he may be providing a benefit for those that have more of a mental condition rather than a physical condition. So , if what he does helps these folks, well, good for them. Now as to whether or not insurance companies should have to pay for this, that is another story. I would say no, only because until his methods are sifted through the normal medical studies and reviews, people who want this kind of treatment should have to pay for it themselves.