Chronic Inflammation Response Syndrome (Mould Illness)

CIRS, short for Chronic Inflammation Response Syndrome, is a biotoxin driven illness that affects multiple systems and produces multiple symptoms, seemingly unrelated.

People develop CIRS as a result of exposure to biotoxins, most usually from a water damaged building (WDB), but also as a result of tick bites, contaminated water (blue-green algae), contaminated fish, or spider bites. Lyme disease is a key trigger for CIRS.

• 95% of people with CIRS have a genetic susceptibility where they lack the normal immune response gene that is required to form antibodies to biotoxins, such as those created in a water damaged building.
• 24% of the population have been found to have this genetic susceptibility in their HLA DQ/DR genes, meaning they do not have the immune response genes that are required to form an antibody to biotoxins.
• Not everyone with this genetic susceptibility will react to a water damaged building, as there is usually an inflammatory event such as glandular fever, viral infections, Lyme disease, surgery or extreme stress that has switched on the HLA genes.
• Regardless of the initial cause these people will usually react to the biotoxins present in a water damaged building.
• As a result, in simplified terms, these biotoxins circulate indefinitely (unless removed by a binder – which is part of the Shoemaker Protocol to treat CIRS) throughout the body, causing a cascade of chaotic inflammation.
• This explains why the majority of the population may not experience adverse health effects living in a water damaged building, however the remaining 24% can potentially experience adverse health effects.
• Dr Shoemaker has named this bio toxin driven, multisystem and multisymptomatic illness Chronic Inflammation Response Syndrome, or CIRS.
• CIRS typically involves symptoms from at least six symptom clusters and commonly up to 10 symptom clusters.
• The cornerstone symptoms are fatigue, memory and concentration problems.
• Taking the online VCS test is the first step and is used as an indicator for those suffering from Biotoxin or volatile organic compound (VOC’s) exposure.

Link to free online VCS test (Visual Contrast Sensitivity test)

https://www.vcstest.com/

• I have been told by my health practitioner that I should have my home assessed for mould. I am currently not aware of any mould issues but I suspect there may be mould that I have not detected. What should I be looking for?

Have a look around your home in the areas that mould often lurks such as the subfloor, under beds, behind mirrored sliding doors, behind hanging art work or framed photos, in undersink cabinets, at the back of wardrobes and the side of timber furniture. Use an LED torch, or even just the torch on your phone. You may be surprised to pick up mould in places that you had not noticed it before.

• If you have chronic health issues or suspect that you are mould affected then please do not disturb carpets as when you lift a carpet that is mould affected it will send thousands of spores into your breathing zone. You should have full face protection of the eyes and airways before lifting a carpet that is suspected to be mould affected.

This will depend on the size of your home and if you have a subfloor or ceiling cavity. A small unit will take less than 2 hours, a moderate sized home 2 to 3.5 hours and a large home with multiple levels will take 3 to 4 plus hours. Please make sure you leave enough time for a full assessment to take place. It is better to leave more time and therefore not be rushed.

This will depend on whether we take samples as these do need to be sent to the lab for anlaysis. All reports should be with you within 2 weeks of the onsite assessment as long as the invoice has been paid in full. If you need a report in a shorter time frame please let us know and we’ll do our best to assist.

If you suspect that you are suffering from a mould / water damaged related illness such as CIRS and there is visible mould then it is recommended that air and surface samples are taken. This gives vital information to a professional remediator and your health care provider.

When you combine air and surface samples with moisture mapping and a visual inspection you can pass this information to a mould remediator. In the absence of samples a mould remediator may recommend that the whole residence is remediated and this may not in fact be necessary. It is also highly recommended to have a base line so that you can confirm that professional remediation has been successful. Without before samples you have nothing to compare a post remediation sample with.

If you suspect that you are suffering from a mould / water damaged related illness such as CIRS and there is no visible mould or moisture then air samples may be taken to eliminate mould as a possible trigger for your illness. Sometimes mould is hidden in wall cavities such as behind bathroom tiles or kitchen cabinets and taking air samples may be a precursor to destructive sampling. It may be that your heating / cooling system is the underlying issue and therefore sampling may eliminate or confirm this as a possible trigger for your illness.

We always need to take at least one outdoor air sample to compare the indoor samples to.

PREPARATION:

• Please email a copy of your most up to date floor plan (can often be found on real estate listings)
• Complete and return the questionnaire by email at least 24 hours prior to assessment
• Please do the following online VCS Test before our appointment and email results.
• https://www.vcstest.com/ First test is free

For Mould & Moisture Assessment:

• 24 hours prior to assessment:
  • Please close doors and windows
  • Do not dust or vacuum
  • Turn off dehumidifiers / humidifiers
  • Turn off air purifiers

PAYMENT:

Deposit: Deposit of $150 upon confirmation of appointment

Cancellation: 24 hours is required to cancel or change appointment times. Otherwise a $150 fee will be charged

Final Payment: Required before results and report are forwarded

Form of payment: Electronic Bank Transfer

Payment by Direct Deposit:

Bank: Southern Cross Credit Union

BSB: 722 744

Account #: 100 120 104

Account Name: Jenifer Thomas

Here are 21 things to consider to reduce the risk of moving into a home that will not support your health. Remember that the cost of moving into a home with mould problems is not just your health but all your belongings may become contaminated. If you are moving from a mould contaminated environment then be careful of what you take to a new home.

1. Try to visit the property when it is raining or after a heavy rain – you can see if water pools around the property or if it smells damp inside.
2. Homes located on a slope can be challenging – check the subfloor for dampness and look for drainage. If there is a strong damp odour you may want to give this one a miss.
3. Use the torch on your mobile phone to discreetly check the bottom, sides and back of furniture and skirting boards for mould – it shows up under the LED light. (See photos of skirting board in natural light and skirting boards under LED torch light).
4. Discreetly check the backs of curtains, blinds, window frames, the back of wardrobe doors and the back corners of wardrobes – these areas are less likely to have been cleaned and are common places for mould growth due to condensation.
5. Does the linen cupboard smell fresh or musty?
6. Make sure the property has good northerly exposure, units and town homes with a shared northern wall are more likely to have condensation problems.
7. A flat roof is often problematic as they eventually tend to leak and condensation will collect and drop onto the ceiling rather than running down to the eves.
8. Generally speaking those suffering from CIRS do not do well in a home with a soil subfloor.
9. Plants close to the foundations are ill advised as they can block sub floor ventilation and also create high moisture in the foundations.
10. Check for an exhaust fan in the bathroom – older properties often do not have them. Also look on the outside of the bathroom for an external vent as the majority of bathroom exhaust fans vent directly into the ceiling cavity creating elevated moisture.
11. Check the gutters and down pipes to ensure they are not blocked or rusted. High foliage cover over a roof is ill advised as leaves block gutters and drains causing back flow into the ceiling.
12. Check the outside for visible mould, moss or lichen as this indicates if there is dampness in the external environment.
13. Check for peeling paint, swelling and bubbling on lower walls, cornices and ceilings, especially areas bordering or below bathrooms and laundries as well as walls built into the earth and above sandstone foundations. Look out for efflorescence on bricks and concrete. These are signs of potentially high moisture content in the structure of the building.
14. Is the meter box on the otherside of the wall to a bed, desk or sofa?
15. When looking at units check to see if the meter boxes / smart meters are on the wall of the unit you are inspecting. This can create high levels of electromagnetic fields, especially at times of high power use.
16. Are there powerlines running outside bedroom windows? This increases your risk for exposure to elevated electromagnetic fields while you sleep.
17. Are there high voltage powerlines within 600m of the property? This increases your risk for exposure to elevated electromagnetic fields throughout the property.
18. Are there mobile phone transmission towers within 400m of the property? The closer to mobile phone transmission towers the higher your potential exposure to high frequency electromagnetic radiation.
19. Is it within 500m of a busy road? This increases your risk for traffic related air pollution.
20. Is it within 2km of a golf course, farm, timber plantation or garden centre? This increases the risk for pesticide drift.
21. Has it recently been painted or is there new carpet? If it has that new paint smell then it can be problematic for those with chemical sensitivities.