Week of December 12, 2022
QUESTION: If I have a HERTSMI-2 score less than 11, and treat MARCoNS, is it possible that a persistently high MMP-9 and TGFB1 will decrease as a result of treating MARCoNS? I have been in a clean environment for months, but my MMP-9 is still 900. TGFB1 is 4900. How long can it take these labs to normalize once in a clean environment?
ANSWER: When you’re on The Protocol it’s important to understand how it works, and closely follow the sequential steps in the order they are laid out and prescribed. CIRS affects multiple systems and has multiple symptoms, and each one needs a specific treatment, in a strategic order.
Of course, treatment also depends on whether or not your system is affected at each level. But since it sounds like yours may be in the areas you are questioning, each specific step is typically necessary.
With this in mind, MARCoNs and higher levels of MMP-9 and TGB1 each need to be treated according to their respective Protocol steps.
When the preceding Protocol steps have been corrected, including eliminating MARCoNs, it is then time to begin the MMP-9 step.
Correcting elevated MMP-9 gets to work on “leaky” blood vessels that allow inflammatory chemicals to enter the muscle, nerve, brain and joint tissues. This is treated with high dose fish oils and a low amylose diet.
Focusing on reducing elevated TGF beta-1 is a few more steps up the Protocol Pyramid, as it will typically resolve with the prior steps that focus on reducing various types of inflammation. If it remains elevated at this point, it can be treated with losartan. Blood pressure monitoring is important during this therapy as it can reduce with losartan use.
To better understand the Protocol and the Protocol steps, download the FREE SURVING MOLD GUIDE or read the Certified Practitioners’ Protocol Essays on the Surviving Mold site.
QUESTION: Is it safe to use a dehumidifier?
I live in the Pacific Northwest and have installed a dehumidifier in an effort to reduce the elevated relative humidity in our home. Shortly after using it we noted a musty smell that persisted despite use of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar to clean coils, filter and water collection pan.
ANSWER: If the smell occurs only when the humidifier runs, I agree that ongoing use of a dehumidifier with problems like this is of more harm than benefit. It is quite possible that the drainage pan will need to be vented to a drain and not let stand for prolong periods of time.
If you’ve stopped using it for a test period and the smell persists, I would do a rigorous cleaning, and see if it still lingers. If the scent remains, look at the likelihood of ongoing water intrusion as opposed to the ambient humidity as the source of your persistent problem and run a HERTSMI-2 test.
QUESTION: Do EMF’s have any role in amplification in mold problems? I read an article that said that they do.
ANSWER: Part of the problems that I have in trying to assess EMF is absence of any diagnostic laboratory studies. Even here in rural Eastern Shore of Maryland, we can see a cell tower in the distance. We drive by voltage wires every day on nearby Route 13. Yet despite those exposures that make other people ill, the vast majority of patients I see do not react adversely to EMF.
QUESTION: Have you ever seen a CIRS patient present with the diagnosis of ALS?
ANSWER: Yes, I have seen approximately 10 patients with ALS and CIRS. Treatment for CIRS will not correct ALS. ALS does not prevent occurrence of CIRS.
