Q&As Dec 15, 2024

 

 

1/ A SEASONAL FAQ FOR YOU!

 

Am I putting my family a risk by putting a live Christmas tree inside? Each of my family members has a CIRS.

 

ANSWER: A living Christmas tree, like any other “indoor house plant,” is not unsafe for those with prior or ongoing CIRS. It is a better choice than a stored or store bought fake tree, which may come along with toxic particles or residue. Depending on a fake tree’s materials or makeup, cleaning it might prove to be tedious or ineffective.

 

There could be one possible scenario where a living Christmas tree presents a problem, and that would be if an indoor Christmas tree is kept in a large container, such as a metal bucket, and that bucket leaks, resulting in delivery of enough water to sink into flooring and subflooring. Then it is theoretically possible that would create an environment conducive for growth of harmful microbes.

 

In a nutshell… the Christmas tree itself provides no increased risk. Double check the container holding the tree for any leaks, and be watchful when watering it. We haven’t heard of any issues with live Christmas trees to date.

 

2/ 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.

 

 

3/ Regulating a “freezing cold” symptom

 

QUESTION: I have been taking CSM and improving. However, I find myself freezing cold and suffer regulating temperature. Is it possible to correct or improve temperature dysregulation in patients with CIRS?

 

ANSWER: Lack of normal regulation of body temperature is usually due to MSH deficiency.

 

Following the Shoemaker Protocol™ carefully without omissions is the key to restoration of hypothalamic regulation.

 

4/ Winter Nasal Congestion; Humidity levels

 

QUESTION: I notice that my nasal congestion is much worse in winter time. Is that due to a seasonal variation in CIRS?

 

ANSWER: No. CIRS is not affected by cold weather with change noted in one symptom only. If you had multiple health symptoms changing that would be a different story.

 

Certainly, if there is a problem with a multisystem, multi-symptom illness appearing more in cold weather than in warm, we have to wonder about the presence of bioaerosols in HVAC duct work.

 

Wallemia leads the list of organisms that like 50% to 60% humidity.

 

5/ Symptomatic in the Winter

 

QUESTION: I am ill from mold exposure but I have no symptoms in summer. I don’t understand how I get sick in winter as it is too cold outside for mold to be growing.

 

ANSWER: The neat ecological environment that promotes microbial growth indoors is one in which there is a narrow range of temperature indoors as opposed to outdoors. The illness is felt to be worsened by only a very few especially sensitive individuals due to outdoor exposures but with my experience the vast majority are sickened indoors.

 

It is unusual to have absence of symptoms in the summer as the inflammatory response does not change with resolution spontaneously in true CIRS. Understanding the diagnosis of CIRS is made from a rigorous differential diagnosis protocol (the Shoemaker Protocol™).

 

I would suggest looking for lab abnormalities that are acquired to be present to make the diagnosis of CIRS. If they are not present then the differential diagnosis process will yield an alternative diagnosis for you.

 

In short, if find you are relapsing only in the winter, the first deduction would clue you in that you may not be experiencing CIRS/biotoxin illness, but an allergy or some other effect of mold.

 

If you have had a proper CIRS diagnosis, you can track your Visual Contrast Sensitivity with the Surviving Mold VCS online tracking system through these changing seasons to check if true, full-blown, CIRS relapse is happening in the winter.

 

If after Protocol recovery, you are indeed experiencing a wintertime relapse, the first factor to check is if there is a water damage intrusion emitting the offending biotoxins - in your winter environment. Make a thorough examination of the changes in your winter environments for the culprit including heating ducts to frequenting different buildings.

If you’re questioning if you have mold illness or are ready to begin the Shoemaker Protocol™ diagnostic process refer to the Shoemaker Protocol™ Quick Start Guide on this site.

 

 

6/ Ulcerative colitis

 

QUESTION: My son has ulcerative colitis. Is there a connection between ulcerative colitis and mold?

 

ANSWER: In order to treat ulcerative colitis, thinking that it comes from CIRS, you must meet the case definition. See Consensus Statement for assistance. If your son has CUC and has positive ANCA, we have a cohort of people who respond and recover during the Shoemaker Protocol™ CIRS therapy.

 

7/ Purchasing a new home

 

QUESTION: I live on Oahu and we have a history of mold toxicity. We are all healed now but we are preparing to purchase a home and wasn’t sure if you could help with mold toxicity “prevention” or if you have any helpful resources on Oahu.

 

ANSWER: If you have found you have the genetic predisposition for CIRS/mold illness, and suffer from the effects of CIRS, you will need to live in an untainted environment in order to maintain recovery. Begin by asking the current owners if there has been known water damage, and then proceed with a thorough visual investigation of the home for any telltale signs of prior water damage. Testing the home via an ERMI or HERTSMI-2 is also highly recommended. The older the home, the more chance it has had water damage and has a contaminated environment. Buying a newer home without water damage, and then proactively maintaining and cleaning the home would be the ideal. If a home has had water damage, stringent remediation efforts then become necessary.

 

If you do not have the genetic susceptibility for CIRS/mold illness, which some people with generalized “mold toxicity” do not, then concerns about particulates and organism inside homes can typically be answered by using IAdapt Air air filtration units from Air Oasis. Each unit will clear 2000 cubic feet per 12-hours. In order to find out if you do indeed have the genetic susceptibility, following the Shoemaker Protocol™ testing and diagnosis pathway will inform you. Because it is a multi-system/multi-symptom condition, it requires several labs and tests to confirm diagnosis, including GENIE genetic testing.

 

 

You may be interested in the House Hunting Guide e-book available on this site for a small donation.

 

https://www.survivingmold.com/legal-resources/cirs-house-hunting-guide/cirs-house-hunting-guide

 

8/ Mold in automobiles

QUESTION: My car had a leak that was unknown to me for over 3-months before I discovered that underneath the floor mats. It doesn’t smell musty and the carpet cleaned up to look like new. There were no visible signs of mold.

ANSWER: Testing for fungal contamination of cars is problematic. Given 3-months of leakage I would use the room sanitizer made by Air Oasis. This device fits into the cigarette lighter and can be run over night without running down the battery and will clear the indoor environment of the car within one week or so.