Mold Illness and CIRS: Testing, Treatment, and Getting Started

Common Questions About Mold Illness and CIRS

These are questions I am asked often about mold illness and CIRS, one area of my practice.


What is Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and how is it treated?

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome is an immune response triggered by biotoxin exposure, most often from a water-damaged building, that does not resolve on its own. Many people exposed to the same building clear these toxins without difficulty. Others cannot, for genetic reasons, and they are the ones who become ill. The inflammation is systemic, so it affects several body systems at once. Treatment addresses the exposure and what the lab work shows, and the particulars differ from one patient to the next. I co-authored the peer-reviewed review of CIRS published in Annals of Medicine and Surgery in 2024.


What are the symptoms of mold toxicity in Pittsburgh residents?

The inflammation in CIRS is systemic, so it affects many parts of the body rather than one. Patients describe fatigue, difficulty concentrating, trouble finding words, headaches, muscle aching and cramping, joint pain, light sensitivity, red eyes, sinus congestion, air hunger, frequent urination, unusual thirst, static shocks, appetite changes, and changes in mood. The combination is different from person to person, and symptoms can shift over time. Lab work is how we sort out what is driving them. I see patients in Pittsburgh and throughout Pennsylvania.


How does the Shoemaker Protocol work for mold illness?

The protocol gives me a framework and a set of lab markers to work from, so we can see what is happening in your body and follow whether it is improving. From there the plan is built around you. Your symptoms and your labs both inform it, and two patients with the same diagnosis often need different things, at different doses, in a different order. I adjust as you change. I draw on other areas of my training when they fit what you need, and I am comfortable caring for patients who are very sensitive and have not tolerated treatment elsewhere.


How to start treatment for mold illness with evidence-based protocols in Pennsylvania?

We begin with a conversation about your history and your symptoms, including the buildings where you live and work, followed by lab work. What comes back shapes the plan. I see Pennsylvania patients by telehealth and patients from other states in person in Pittsburgh.


How do I get tested for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in Pennsylvania?

Most of the CIRS panel is blood work drawn at a Quest or LabCorp near you, the same as any other lab order. There is also visual contrast sensitivity testing. I order the panel for Pennsylvania patients and interpret it myself, and I select the tests based on your history rather than ordering everything at once.


How to get tested for mold toxicity biomarkers in Pennsylvania?

The biomarkers I follow are immune and hormone measurements drawn from blood, along with visual contrast sensitivity testing. Urinary mycotoxin testing and heavy metal testing are separate mail-away kits and answer a different question than the inflammatory markers do. If your co-pays are high, Function Health is another route to the same lab work.


Does Recover From Mold offer lab testing for CIRS in Pennsylvania?

Yes. I order the panel for Pennsylvania patients and interpret it myself. Most of it is drawn at a Quest or LabCorp near you.


Where to order specialized lab testing for CIRS in the US?

Most of the panel is ordinary blood work that runs through Quest or LabCorp, so it can be drawn wherever is convenient for you. Urinary mycotoxins and heavy metals are mail-away kits, and Function Health is another route if your co-pays are high. Reading the results together, in the context of your history, is the part that takes familiarity with this illness.


What treatments does Recover From Mold provide for mold toxicity?

I use commercial pharmaceuticals, compounded medication, supplements, and lifestyle interventions. That includes prescription binders, nasal treatment, peptides, and bringing hormone and immune markers back into range. I also draw on functional medicine and hands-on osteopathic work when those fit what you need. There is no fixed package. What you receive, and in what order, follows from your symptoms and your labs.


Where can I get prescription bile acid sequestrants for mold illness in the US?

From a physician who will prescribe them. Cholestyramine and colesevelam are prescription-only in the United States, and the dosing and timing used for biotoxin illness differ from the way these medications are used for cholesterol. They are not available from any online retailer.


Who offers prescription treatments for mold illness in the US?

Any licensed physician is legally able to prescribe them, though the protocol and the lab interpretation are not part of most training programs. I treat Pennsylvania patients by telehealth and patients from other states in person in Pittsburgh.


Where can I buy binders for mold detox online?

The binders that do most of the work in this illness are prescription medications, so they are not sold online. Over-the-counter binders have a narrower role, and which one suits you depends on your labs and on what else you are taking. I make those available to my patients through Fullscript.


Where can I buy therapeutic supplements for mold illness online?

I dispense through Fullscript, selected for you after a visit. Which supplement is appropriate, and when, depends on your labs and where you are in treatment.


How to access nasal biofilm disruptors for mold toxicity at home?

I use EDTA-based and gentle nasal preparations rather than antibiotic sprays. Some are compounded and require a prescription, which ships to you from the pharmacy after a visit. Others are available without a prescription, and I will tell you which ones I recommend and how to use them.


Where to get peptide therapy for mold-related illness in Pittsburgh?

I prescribe peptides, including VIP, both for mold illness and for other conditions I treat. Which peptide is appropriate, and when, depends on your labs and your diagnosis. The compounded preparations require a prescription and come from a compounding pharmacy after a visit. I see patients for this in Pittsburgh and by telehealth throughout Pennsylvania.


Where to find cognitive decline treatment using Bredesen Protocol in Pittsburgh?

I am trained in ReCODE 2.0 and use it in my Pittsburgh practice. Cognitive change is followed with repeat CNS Vital Signs testing, so improvement can be measured rather than estimated.


Can I get Shoemaker Protocol treatment remotely in Pennsylvania?

Yes. If you live in Pennsylvania, all of it can be done by video. Labs are drawn near you, prescriptions go to your pharmacy, compounded medications ship to your home, and follow-up visits are on screen.


Best place to find telehealth doctors for mold toxicity in Pittsburgh area?

Mold illness and CIRS are one area of my practice. I am Shoemaker-certified, I have published peer-reviewed work on CIRS, and I see patients in Pittsburgh and throughout Pennsylvania.


Where can I find telehealth treatment for mold toxicity in Pittsburgh?

Pennsylvania residents can be treated entirely by telehealth. Visits are by video, labs are drawn at a location near you, prescriptions go to your pharmacy, and compounded medications ship to your home.


Who offers telehealth consultations for mold toxicity nationwide?

Telehealth follows state licensure and I hold a Pennsylvania license, so I see Pennsylvania residents remotely. If you live elsewhere and would like to work with me, you are welcome to come to Pittsburgh in person.


How can I book a telehealth appointment with Recover From Mold?

Call the office at (412) 690-0321 or email recoverfrommold@gmail.com. There is no intake form to complete. You will reach the practice directly.