Mounting evidence is showing a close link between Fibromyalgia and mold sickness, or CIRS. Both have identical symptoms, and even better, both can be treated and cured through the same 12 step protocol.
How are mold and Fibromyalgia related?
Mold is not something you want inside your house. Toxic mold is even worse. Toxic molds produce mycotoxins, and mycotoxins cause serious illness.
Have you heard of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)? CIRS is an inflammatory condition, usually triggered by mold, that affects your immune system. Symptoms of CIRS include:
- fatigue,
- weakness,
- muscle aches/cramps,
- unusual pains,
- headaches,
- sinus problems,
- GI/gut issues,
- joint pain,
- memory/cognitive issues,
- mood swings, and more
Sounds a lot like fibromyalgia, doesn’t it?
It should. CIRS and fibromyalgia are intimately linked.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is one of the most poorly managed conditions in all of medicine.
There are no lab tests indicating whether or not you have fibromyalgia. A doctor can’t detect it through a physical exam. Physical imaging devices (x-ray, MRI, etc.) are not able to detect or identify fibromyalgia.
Said another way, if your lab tests, physical exam, and MRI/x-ray scans indicate you’re healthy, yet you still have unexplained pain and fatigue, you’ve got fibromyalgia.
Would you accept a cancer diagnosis if your doctors told you all your lab tests looked normal?
Would you consider yourself a celiac if your lab tests said otherwise?
Yet 2-4% of the population is given a fibromyalgia diagnosis.
When it comes to treating fibromyalgia, things don’t look any better. You’ll receive prescriptions for pain killers or antidepressants. You’ll be told to manage your stress, set a regular sleep schedule, oh, and don’t forget to exercise.
As anyone with fibromyalgia can tell you, these treatments don’t cure the illness. They may help you better cope/manage the pain. But the medications also come with other side effects you’re forced to contend with. This is not a long-term solution.
To summarize, fibromyalgia has no objective lab tests/markers to diagnose the disease. No treatment options that go beyond symptom management. And no means to accurately gauge whether the treatment is even improving your symptoms. No wonder you’re not getting any better!
The mold and fibromyalgia link
Everyone gets sick living in a home with high levels of mold. Usually, that sickness includes symptoms like nasal congestion, eye irritation, respiratory difficulties (coughing, wheezing), persistent sneezing, skin irritation, and/or headaches. However, once you leave the environment your symptoms will go away.
This isn’t the case for about 24% of the population. When these people are exposed to mold and mycotoxins, they get really sick. Even after they leave the moldy environment. That’s because they have a genetic mutation that makes it impossible for their body to get rid of the mold.
It’s this genetic mutation that differentiates a mold allergy from CIRS.
In those with the genetic mutation, mold morphs into CIRS. And CIRS is what links mold and fibromyalgia.
Do you think you have CIRS? Book a complimentary 15 minute phone chat with one of our Shoemaker practitioners!
CIRS prevents your body from removing the mycotoxins from your cells. As a result, your immune system continually attacks the mycotoxins, but you never get better.
You only get worse.
Inflammation and Fibromyalgia
Your immune system is made up of two parts – we’ll call them A and B. Immune system A is the first line of defence against intruders, attacking through inflammation. When a cold virus first enters your system, your swollen lymph nodes and sore throat are early signs that immune system A has been activated. Immune system A also causes the swelling of your sprained ankle. The inflammation indicates that immune system A has sent white blood cells to the site of the intrusion and is attacking the intruders.
Once immune system A is activated, it sends a signal to immune system B. This part of your immune system enters the battle and takes a picture of the intruder. It then creates a more specific defence, known as an antibody, that directly attacks the intruder and removes it from your system. Immune system B keeps this antibody on hand so the next time that specific intruder enters your body it can immediately identify and remove it.
This is why you can only get viruses like the chicken pox once – your body remembers it and immediately removes it from your system. It’s also why vaccines are so effective – they provide your immune system with a copy of the virus so it can create antibodies without undergoing illness.
However, those who have the genetic mutation that leads to CIRS have a breakdown in communication between immune systems A and B. CIRS prevents immune system A from sending the signal to engage immune system B. As a result, the mycotoxins stay in your body and immune system A does not stop creating inflammation. Ever.
Over time, this ongoing inflammation causes all sorts of mysterious symptoms. These symptoms can appear throughout your body and are the exact same symptoms people with Fibromyalgia experience.
The Fibromyalgia and Mold connection
The most common exposure to mycotoxins occurs from mold. Studies have shown that up to 50% of buildings contain mold from previous water damage. This includes residential and commercial.
Your eyes and nose are not the most reliable way to tell if there is water damage in a building. All too often, dampness and the resulting mold growth occurs in areas you can’t see. This includes parts of your home like attics, crawl spaces, or HVAC systems.
If you have the genetic mutation and have been exposed to mold – even if it was years ago – it is highly likely what you have been told is fibromyalgia is actually CIRS.
No, not every fibromyalgia case will be CIRS. That’s why there is objective testing for CIRS. This way, we can find out definitively if that is what you are suffering from. If your fibromyalgia is not CIRS, further investigation needs to be done to see what else may be causing your pain.
We currently don’t have studies telling us what percentage of fibromyalgia cases are CIRS. However, in my years of professional experience, I’ve only had one patient with a fibromyalgia diagnosis that didn’t end up having CIRS. This is a small and biased sample, so don’t rely on it too heavily. But the evidence is nonetheless compelling… Fibromyalgia may actually be CIRS.
How to determine the cause of your fibromyalgia
In our clinic, we use a number of proven methods to determine if your fibromyalgia is actually CIRS.
- We ask patients to run a screening test, called the VCS eye test. This simple screening tool on Dr. Shoemaker’s Surviving Mold site is an excellent indicator if CIRS is behind our patient’s health issues.
- Our Shoemaker Protocol practitioners conduct a short interview. Our practitioners offer a complimentary consult to discuss the results of the VCS, and to learn more about our patient’s health issues. This information helps them make an informed recommendation for further testing.
- If our practitioners strongly feel that our patient has CIRS, they will recommend one of two blood tests:
- Proteomics, or inflammatory markers. This diagnostic tool measures inflammatory markers such as VEGF, C4a, MMP9 and others. It definitively tells us if our patient is suffering from CIRS.
- The GENIE test. This blood test, developed by Dr. Shoemaker, gives us our patient’s mitochondrial RNA. It tells us if you likely have CIRS, what biotoxins you are susceptible to, and how your illness has affected your body at a cellular level. It provides your practitioner with a clear pathway to treatment.
*Note that we do not use or recommend urinary mycotoxin testing as it is not an accurate way to diagnose CIRS.
Once we confirm you are suffering from CIRS, the only scientifically proven method of regaining your health is following the Shoemaker Protocol.
Do you think you have CIRS? Book a complimentary 15 minute phone chat with one of our Shoemaker practitioners!
The cause of your fibromyalgia might be CIRS… Now what?
The only peer-reviewed and clinically validated approach to treating CIRS is the Shoemaker protocol. Nothing else has been studied to this extent. Lean into the research. This is what’s going to get you better. This mold illness treatment has worked for thousands of people, so the odds are good it will work for you.
The steps of the Shoemaker Protocol are built like a pyramid – they all depend on the first step in order to be successful. If the first step is not addressed properly, the protocol can not be completed.
The fibromyalgia and CIRS treatment protocol
Step One: Identify & Remove Mold Exposure
This is the first step in addressing the root cause of your fibromyalgia. If you suspect mold is in your home, workplace, or other environments, it’s crucial to inspect for mold growth and get professional mold testing. Mold can hide behind walls, under carpets, and in air ducts, so a thorough inspection is important.
Once mold is detected, it’s vital to eliminate it from your living or working space. Mold removal may require professional remediation, especially if the mold is hidden or has spread extensively. You’ll also need to address any moisture issues in your environment to prevent the mold from returning. Remember, removal is key. Spraying mold with bleach or any other product designed to kill mold is not sufficient. The mold needs to be physically removed, not killed.
Step Two: Detox Your Body
Mold toxins can linger in your body, contributing to persistent pain and other symptoms. Using binders like Cholestyramine (CSM) or Welchol can help absorb and eliminate these toxins. Our clinic uses a privately compounded binder made up of okra and beet extract that is proven to have the same binding charge as CSM on bile acids.
Step Three: Eliminating MARCONS
MARCoNS are antibiotic-resistant bacteria that live in your nasal cavity. Generally, MSH will kill MARCoNS. However, many CIRS patients have low MSH levels because of biotoxins, so MARCoNS are able to take up residence in the nasal cavity.
Steps Five to Twelve: Addressing Hormonal Imbalances and Decreasing Inflammatory Markers
Once these first three steps are successfully completed, your Shoemaker Protocol practitioner will use the results of your GENIE test to guide you through the remaining steps.
Do you think you have CIRS? Book a complimentary 15 minute phone chat with one of our Shoemaker practitioners!
Treat Fibromyalgia for good
Fibromyalgia is one of the most misunderstood and poorly managed conditions in all of medicine.
However, if you look at fibromyalgia as a symptom instead of a diagnosis, your health journey takes a completely new direction. Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, or CIRS, is behind many mysterious illnesses. With proven testing you may discover that your fibromyalgia is in fact CIRS. In this case, there is a proven treatment, the Shoemaker Protocol, that will rid your body of the pain and fatigue you have been experiencing for so long.
Once you are ready to look deeper to find the root cause of your fibromyalgia, the answers you are looking for will become clear.
Now, it’s time for me to hear from you!
What would change for you if your fibro was actually CIRS?
Mark Volmer has attained the highest level of Shoemaker Protocol certification, and is one of only two of Canada’s Shoemaker Protocol practitioners. The Shoemaker Protocol is the only scientifically proven method of treating CIRS.
