For those not aware of our Mold Symptom Therapy Guide website, let this “Rewriting Mold” series serve as a reminder of both what we offer our patients and what we offer the general public in terms of understanding mold toxicity illness. Over the coming weeks, I will be reviewing and reposting sections of our Mold Symptoms Therapy website one or two at a time, since it has been over 3 years since I first wrote this 30 plus page guide and posted it online. A few things have changed since 2020 (yes, an understatement), but the principles emphasized in 2020 continue with minimal change.
As this provides me an opportunity to update any advancements, it also offers the opportunity for you to ask questions and even contribute to edition number 2 of the Mold Guide. By leaving comments and questions, I can identify areas where I can offer even more to patients and the public in terms of education and empowerment over mold. Please take 2-3 minutes to be a part of helping others restore healthier more abundant lives with your questions and feedback. Feel free to comment on Facebook or our website about any section, including the ones I haven’t yet re-posted.
This week, a “CIRS Introduction”
Mold Toxicity and the Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome
Mold toxins may be quiet, but they are quietly destructive. They might invade with stealth, but they can climax in dysfunction. When an individual is sensitive to mold toxins, each body system is open to attack, and if you’re unaware of mold’s effects, you won’t know to avoid ongoing environmental exposure. As the number of affected body systems increases, the debilitating syndrome known as “Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)” ensues.
CIRS is a multi-symptom, multi-system chronic disease which mainly results from an increase in the reactivity of one’s immune system. A few other systems can suffer from the direct effects of certain mycotoxins but the majority of the ongoing harm comes from the immune system triggering downstream effects in other parts of your body’s systems.
When it’s working normally, the immune system responds to an invader with chemical alarms and works to rid the body of the offending agent. After the threat is dealt with, it turns the alarms off, at least until the next threat arrives. The repair processes shift into gear, turning off inflammation so that normal functions of life can resume. In CIRS, the threat response, meant to be temporary, becomes a destructive, continuing state.
Once CIRS takes over, the alarm response of the immune system won’t quiet down. The chemical alarms not only remain active but go into overdrive. When this happens, the affected individual remains in danger response mode, also known as inflammation. Inflammation is good as a short-term defense mechanism but is bad as a “long-term body condition”, when you’re unable to shift back into repair mode. This immune system hyperactivity also effects other systems. For example, the hormonal system becomes dysregulated – hormones get either too high or too low or a combination. Further discussion of specific systems can be found in later sections.
Be aware that mold is not the only biotoxin. Many others exist. Each of them can contribute to CIRS alone or in combination with one another. Other biotoxins include but are not limited to the following: Lyme, red tide at the beach, toxic fresh-water algae, brown recluse spider bites, and some bacterial toxins. Since 2020, we also have the much-hated spike protein from COVID that leads to the Post-COVID syndrome (also known as “Long-Hauler”) which often leads to its own form of CIRS. Furthermore, one person may have two or more sources of CIRS triggers (for example mold AND Lyme or mold followed by Post-COVID). While the biotoxin trigger may differ, the pathways and symptoms of CIRS follow mostly similar patterns. Correct and complete diagnosis is an obligatory step in dealing with the multi-symptom, multi-system Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).
Because each person’s genetic make-up, environmental history, and life circumstances vary, the expression of CIRS varies- common threads, disparate colors. Not only do the threads vary in their expression between individuals but the degree to which symptoms are expressed varies. For example, some lose 30 pounds and find themselves desperate to gain weight while others gain 50 pounds and find themselves desperate to lose the same. Further, some are anxious and highly excitable while others are depressed and slowed down. With so much variation between individuals the root cause of mold toxicity can be hard to recognize at first glance and many spend countless hours pursuing help. Often, the superficial help they do receive is limited in success because the ultimate cause remains elusive.
Mold toxicity is a sneaky and formidable foe (as are many of the other CIRS triggers). Dealing with the unrecognized CIRS process and its cascading effects while continuing to seek help from multiple professionals (medical, psychological, spiritual) tends to exhaust and discourage the person and their family. Often, the persons story includes chaos, confusion, and a diminishing of human functioning. For instance, the CIRS process set up by mold toxins interferes with a person’s thinking capacity and with their ability to lay down memories in the brain. In addition, the CIRS process often sets emotional balance on edge leaving the person in peril physically, emotionally and socially. Often, the mold toxic person’s world has been undone, at least in part, by the time the issue is discovered. It can be that insidious.
While a correct diagnosis is the first step to restoration, beating the CIRS process initiated by mold can be a prolonged and arduous trek. Some recover quickly with little complication while others experience what seems like repetitive setbacks. The body which has become compensated to dysfunctionality often takes persevering intervention to return to a healthier state. In fact, the process of detoxification from mold can itself heighten the symptoms during the initial stages. During this time, discerning the difference between unavoidable detoxification symptoms and an exacerbation of old issues takes time and expertise. Doctor and patient must work together to manage and overcome the challenges. In this critical period, a personalized medicine approach with up-to-date scientific reasoning and a sound understanding of the body’s functioning becomes imperative.
After a CIRS patient accomplishes detoxification from mold toxins they often have specific areas of body functioning that need retraining. For example, the limbic system may need retraining to overcome the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms that it has developed over the course of life with mold toxicity. The immune system may require strengthening and external support until it fully recovers. Often, patients also deal with grief due to the loss in time, health, and relationships. This requires time and understanding as well as specific support in some cases.
CIRS resulting from mold toxicity may be a chronic and insidious condition but it is no less serious than an acute injury. There may be more time to deal with the issue but the complexity and depth of the struggle as well as the long-term implications of ignoring the problem raise CIRS and Mold Toxicity to a level of grave importance. Please do not ignore the signs in yourself or a loved one if you suspect mold exposure or toxicity.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
