Traveling With CIRS: How to Stay Safe on Planes, Hotels & Airbnb *Note: this blog was written by me, Mark Volmer. All spelling mistakes, misquotes, errors, and omissions are my own doing. It is not AI generated.* Lena had been looking forward to this retreat for months. Three nights in Bali, reconnecting with friends, some sun. She deserved … [Read more...]
Why Some Patients Don’t Respond to Binders (and What to Try Next) *Note: this blog was written by me, Mark Volmer. All spelling mistakes, misquotes, errors, and omissions are my own doing. It is not AI generated.* I’ve been taking my binders daily for months,” Erin said, her voice tired but hopeful, “but I still drag. My brain fog cycles. I feel … [Read more...]
Expert Recap: Post-Exertional Malaise in CIRS Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is not tiredness. It is a disproportionate, often delayed worsening of your baseline symptoms after any type of exertion. The crash often doesn't arrive until 12 to 48 hours after the activity that caused it, and recovery can take days or, in severe cases, much longer. As … [Read more...]
Expert Recap: How to Manage Social Boundaries when you have CIRS Community and support is key to CIRS recovery, but socializing can drain your already low battery. To connect with friends in a way that works for you, follow these four boundaries: Control your environment: Reduce sensory overload before it starts by getting together with … [Read more...]
How CIRS and Lyme Disease Overlap. And How to Treat Both When I first met Sara, she came in with brain fog, joint pain, fatigue, and a history of mold exposure. Six months earlier, she’d been treated for Lyme. The doctor said she “should be better by now.” Over time, she got worse, not better. That’s when I began to suspect something deeper: what … [Read more...]
Expert Recap: The CIRS Anti-Inflammatory Diet Diet does not cure CIRS, but it can offer your body support as you go through treatment. There is no one, proven diet for CIRS treatment, but focusing on the following will help: Whole, real foods Low glycemic foods Anti-inflammatory fats Foods high in protein Increased hydration … [Read more...]
Expert Recap: Can the CIRS Protocol help Long COVID? Long COVID and CIRS share a significant biological overlap. While long COVID is not caused by biotoxins, it can be the triggering event that causes CIRS. When followed properly, the Shoemaker Protocol has been shown to work on long COVID patients. Can the CIRS Protocol Help People with Long … [Read more...]
I Haven’t Changed My Diet... Why Am I Gaining Weight? If you’re living with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), you’ve probably experienced the maddening reality of weight that simply won’t cooperate. Some of my patients even watch the scale climb despite eating well, moving gently, or in some cases, eating less than they did before … [Read more...]