LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S SHOW ON iTUNES, STITCHER OR SPOTIFY OR LISTEN RIGHT HERE:

Important listener information:

We’ve become an independent show as Brooke has decided to close Jackrabbit FM. We’re great and still wonderful friends so no need to worry on that front BUT that means, in the transfer to becoming our own show, your subscription to the podcast on ITunes is no longer registered.

1. Unsubscribe on your app and then RE subscribe. Now you”ll be back to being notified / updated on the new show each Monday.

2. We lost ALL reviews. Devastated. BUT thanks to you guys we’re only 30 off from where we were which in 2 weeks is just amazing! Could you pop in and leave us one if you’ve enjoyed the show?

How to leave a review on ITunes on your phone?

Don’t be “in your show” where you see all the episodes, you won’t be able to do it. Just go to general podcast app and hit the search icon. Type in Low Tox Life. DON’T click on one of the single episode /shows that comes up, click on the Low Tox Life square tile. Once clicked on that, you’ll see 3 tabs: Details. Reviews. Related. Click subscribe, then click reviews and there you can write your review. 2 words, 1 sentence, biggest AHA… Doesn’t matter, just for you to leave one is so much appreciated and helps us stay visible in ITunes charts and Thrive. Thanks so much guys, Alexx x

Now onto the show…

Could you be experiencing chronic inflammation? Do you feel like your symptoms add up to being any number of possible ‘things’ but also unable to be pinned down as ONE thing? Or that you treat things like brain fog, sore joints, muscle weakness, funny heartbeat or adrenals and still don’t feel any better?Enter a real possibility of CIRS – Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. Up to 38 symptoms are commonly experienced. A lot of you know the past year, I experienced an inflammation cascade that I’m still recovering from. For a few months there it was extremely scary until I stopped focusing on treating symptoms and trying to blow the smoke away, and started investigating what started the whole fire in the first place. While the catalyst was surgery and being ‘down’ from undergoing anaesthetic having a poor detox function; while I was down, inflammation took hold from every possible angle and with the testing available in Australia from Dr Shoemaker’s globally acclaimed healing protocol for mold illness, it looks to be mold and possibly confections. Someone I found along my way in my research and whose wonderful online course I’ve done (discount for you guys in the show notes) is the wonderful and down to earth Dr Sandeep Gupta. Dr Gupta’s work as a Dr Shoemaker old protocol trained physician is wonderful and he always explains things in such a simple way. I hope this episode helps anyone out there who’s perhaps been suffering a long time and not explored chronic inflammation as a possible diagnosis – whether it’s from mold or other things such as parasites / Lyme disease / Epstein Barr. This information was truly life changing for me, and I urge you to share this episode with anyone you know who’s chronically unwell with bizarre symptoms that don’t make sense.

If you’ve been suffering from a variety of symptoms and can’t seem to find what the root cause is, investigate CIRS by taking Dr. Gupta’s e-course, the only online course in chronic inflammatory response syndrome / mould illness. You can register HERE.

Here’s a little snapshot of the juicy bits in today’s episode…

• Certain gene types appear to be associated with a greater risk for developing Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) due to mould exposure. There are other priming events such as infections that can activate these genes and all of a sudden you’re not able to create an immune response to things such as mould toxins and you create an inflammatory response instead.
• The amount of symptoms and the amount of body systems affected is one way to diagnose CIRS. CIRS is a syndrome that affects many bodily systems. Studies have shown that if you have 8 symptoms or above, your symptoms are highly likely to be due to CIRS.
• The vast majority or CIRS cases are caused by water damaged buildings or tick bites. In water damaged buildings, a lot of problematic organisms develop. Mould is only one of them.
• Someone who has a whole bunch of different symptoms, has been put in the basket of chronic fatigue syndrome or the likes and had fairly minimal improvement on standard treatments including nutritional treatments, is most likely experiencing CIRS.
• One way to start investigating the possibility of CIRS is to take the VCS test (Visual Contrast Sensitivity) – link below. If you fail that test and present with a number of symptoms as part of the cluster list, you can present that evidence to your practitioner to explore further.
• Coeliac gene testing is another way to diagnose CIRS. It’s a way to find out your gene type and the sensitivities associated with that gene type.
• Other inflammatory markers are proteins called C4A, MMP9 and TGFBeta1. There are also proteins that regulate the inflammation in the body and if their levels are too low it will create problems: MSH and VIP, ACTH and ADH. Tests for VIP, ADH and ACTH are available in Australia and may be Medicare rebatable. For other tests, Quest Diagnostics in the US is the go-to.
• Something else that forms part of the testing for CIRS is a NeuroQuant scan. It is a computerised analysis of 11 different brain areas on a brain MRI scan. It helps to look at microscopic swelling or shrinkage of certain areas of the brain – there is a specific pattern linked to CIRS that is recognisable with this scan. It translates to a feeling your brain is not as sharp as it should be, poor ability to focus or concentrate. The good news is that it is temporary and reversible.
• In order to find out if you suffer from CIRS, you don’t need to do all the tests mentioned above. You can start with the main ones: coeliac gene testing, MSH, C4A and TGFBeta1.
• The most important protocol to deal with CIRS is to address the cause of toxin exposure first. For example in a water damaged building, you need to consider fixing the problem or moving out. Learning to notice the subtle signs of water damaged buildings can help prevent the issues: on top of the obvious mould, look out for musty odours or ammonia odours for example. You can also send a dust sample for PCR testing to find out whether your place is clear (link below).
• When it comes to parasites, the most effective way to detect them in the stools is a PCR test which can be done in most laboratories. GPs can recommend this test. A negative test, however, does not exclude parasite infection so symptoms are just as valid, here. “To get rid of parasites, a targeted herbal formula or compounded medication along with natural binders such as charcoal, bentonite clay and chlorella can be highly efficient and well tolerated.”
• There are different types of mould that can affect the house: mould due to condensation is not as bad and can be resolved with good exhaust fans, aeration and dehumidifiers. Mould due to structural water damage is more serious and needs to be investigated properly.
• Build your awareness over time in order to recognise water damaged building: use your sense of smell and tune into your body sensations to assess whether a place is sane or not.

And here are all the important links:

Dr Sandeep Gupta’s e-course “Mold illness made simple” can be found here. If CIRS is something you feel you need to explore on your own health journey, register HERE.

You can find information about the VCS test, NeuroQuant scan and the 14 steps of the Shoemaker protocol at survivingmold.com 

Others resources mentioned by Dr Gupta:

Quest Diagnostics for tests not available in Australia

Mould lab in Newcastle: where you can get ERMI and HERTSMI-2 tests done to assess the state of your home

I have also developed Inflammation Ninja, an anti-inflammatory on-demand e-course with meal plans, testing advice and more. Definitely check it out if you’re searching for answers and looking for some simple and quick ways to support mould illness and feel better.

*******

Enjoy the show and thanks again for taking the time to rate and review the show – it’s like tipping the bartender and it means the world!

Low Tox. Happy us. Happy planet