I’m Not Sure I Believe in CIRS
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (AKA Mold Illness) is a beast. Sometimes it would just be easier if it wasn't real, and yet, it is an inconvenient truth. We often accept the reality of others mis-believing us. Medical providers may not believe in CIRS. We may have family members that question the validity of our diagnosis. And if we are honest- on our hardest days- we are invited into questioning if CIRS is a valid diagnosis as well.
While CIRS is evidence-based, it would be easier if it was all in our head. The lifestyle changes are no joke. The losses pile up like nobody's business. Relationships are challenged. We must learn to step into saying what we need even when we inconvenience others. If that wasn't enough, there is a plethora of conflicting information on Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. How do you know what is true? Who should you trust? Why are you hearing so many different things? Thankfully (and possibly divinely) I was guided to a physical therapist who had a CIRS diagnosis. I knew I became sick after mold exposure, but it was this PT that told me to abandon the charcoal and head straight to a Shoemaker provider. Only then, did I begin to truly heal.
We can also find mind-body healing programs such as DNRS that invite us into the idea that we can heal our bodies with our minds all the while discounting our genetics that make us vulnerable to environmental exposures. As a mental health professional and therapist, I do not say any of this to discount the mind-body connection- it is real, AND I could have continued my therapy, yoga, Wim Hoff breathing, and gratitude practice until the cows came home and that would not have altered my genes. This "it's all in your head" mindset invites those already suffering into a feeling of failure.
The next time you find yourself questioning your CIRS diagnosis, consider using it as an opportunity to ask yourself "What do I need in this moment?" Prioritizing yourself and your needs is part of the CIRS healing journey. Be patient with yourself. Most of us will have times when we doubt the validity of our own diagnosis because that diagnosis is so very inconvenient. When challenged with CIRS, gentleness with yourself is rarely the wrong answer.
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You can read about CIRS Shoemaker Protocol starting from the beginning at Step #1 here.
You can read more about Dr. Sparks’s journey as a medical provider hellbent on healing her own erythromelalgia here.
Read about Dr. Sparks’s healing her chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) and how that connects to EM here.
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