CIRS Testing: How It Works — and How to Get Affordable Labs When Your Deductible Is High

Yes, You Can Get Tested for CIRS — Mostly at the Lab You Already Use

One of the most common things I hear from people who suspect mold is making them sick: "I don't even know how to get tested for mold illness." Somewhere along the way, the idea took hold that CIRS testing — testing for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, sometimes called mold toxicity or biotoxin illness — requires exotic, inaccessible specialty facilities.

Mostly, it doesn't. The core labs used to diagnose CIRS, including the Shoemaker panel, can be run at Quest and LabCorp — the same national laboratories your primary care doctor already sends you to, with collection sites throughout Pennsylvania. A few pieces of the workup, like urinary mycotoxin testing and heavy metals, use simple mail-away kits you complete at home. Between a local draw site and your own mailbox, testing for mold exposure and CIRS is within reach almost anywhere.

What CIRS testing looks for

CIRS is a disorder of the innate immune system, so the testing measures inflammation and its downstream effects, not an allergic response. A workup generally includes:

Inflammatory and hormonal markers — such as C4a, TGF-beta-1, MMP-9, MSH, VIP, VEGF, ADH with osmolality, and cortisol/ACTH. The pattern across these markers is what supports a CIRS diagnosis, not any single value. This is why so many people with CIRS have been told their labs are "normal" — the standard labs were normal, but the right ones were never run.

Visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) — a screening test of neurological function affected by biotoxin exposure. Inexpensive, done from home, and a useful early signal.

Genetic susceptibility (HLA-DR) — identifies the roughly 25% of people whose immune systems cannot clear biotoxins on their own.

Some cases also call for more specialized testing that isn't run at a routine lab and costs more: NeuroQuant MRI, a volumetric analysis of brain structures affected by CIRS read against a normal database, and GENIE genomic testing, which reveals changes in genetic expression caused by CIRS and helps individualize treatment. These aren't needed for everyone — whether they're worth ordering depends on your case.

Where the labs are drawn

Most CIRS bloodwork is a standard venous draw and can be done at Quest or LabCorp. You do not need a specialty lab to travel to. The orders are specific, though, and some markers have narrow handling requirements — which is why they're ordered and interpreted by a physician who treats CIRS, not sent off blind.

A few pieces of testing are mail-away kits done at home:

Urinary mycotoxin testing — measures mold toxins in urine.

Heavy metals — where clinically indicated.

What testing costs

Cost is workable too. For people with high co-pays or high-deductible plans, I recommend Function Health for completeness and value — membership-based lab testing that can make a broad panel far more affordable than paying per test through insurance. You can get $25 off Function Health labs with my referral link: https://my.functionhealth.com/signup?code=AVUKELIC10&_saasquatch=AVUKELIC10&d=FHREF25

Why the interpretation matters more than the panel

Here's the part that trips people up: the labs can draw the samples, but a physician has to order the right panel and interpret the results. These mold and biotoxin biomarkers aren't part of a routine physical, and most doctors have never ordered them. Interpretation matters just as much — normal-range results are routinely used to tell patients nothing is wrong, when a CIRS-literate reading of the same labs tells a different story. The pattern across the panel tells the story, not any single number, and results guide what CIRS treatment looks like and in what order.

Working with Dr. Vukelic

That's what I do at Recover From Mold. I'm a Shoemaker-certified physician and co-author of a peer-reviewed review of CIRS published in Annals of Medicine and Surgery (2024, PMID 39649915). I order the appropriate mold and biotoxin testing, the blood draws happen at a Quest or LabCorp near you, the kits come to your home, and we review the results together with a treatment plan attached — in person in Pittsburgh or by telehealth throughout Pennsylvania.

If you've been sick, dismissed, and told everything looks fine — the right labs may simply never have been run. That's fixable.

Dr. April Vukelic, D.O.
Recover From Mold, Pittsburgh — in person and by telehealth