Special Community Preview! The Membership Q&A Library - About the Shoemaker Protocol
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The Membership Q&A Library
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About the Shoemaker Protocol™
(Part 1 in a 4 part series)
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MEMBER Q&A LIBRARY CATEGORY
PART 1: ABOUT THE SHOEMAKER PROTOCOL™
General Overview, Exposure Timeframes to Establishing Care, and the Most Recommended Resources.
Search the web and you’ll find a lack of substantiated information, or a lot of unproven, unpublished information regarding mold/biotoxin illness caused by water-damaged buildings (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, CIRS-WDB). That means it has not gone through the proper medical pathways and processes, including peer reviews.
At Surviving Mold, that’s not the case. All the information provided here is based on Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker’s scientifically validated Multi-Step Shoemaker Protocol™, along with the latest research maintained to the highest scientific standards.
Individuals suffering from this debilitating illness deserve a definitive diagnosis and reliable, evidence-based answers. Don’t settle for someone’s best guess or unsubstantiated opinion. Tens of thousands of patients treated by the Shoemaker Protocol™, even those with severe symptoms, are now successfully living and thriving with CIRS/mold illness.
There is great reason to have hope. The proven pathway to recovery is available here.
INDEX
SECTION 1: Introduction - About the Shoemaker Protocol™ & CIRS
SECTION 2: Q&As - About the Shoemaker Protocol™ - General Info
SECTION 3: Q&As – Exposure-Related & Testing Time Frames
SECTION 4: Q&As - Ordering Testing & Establishing Care
SECTION 5: Shoemaker Protocol Symptom Checker & The 4 Initial Get-Started Steps
SECTION 6: Most Recommended & Popular Resources
[Coming next month, Q&As about the Shoemaker Protocol™ Treatment Pathway and more…]
SECTION 1: About the Shoemaker Protocol™
A multiple step diagnostic & treatment Protocol for a complex multi-system, multi-symptom illness:
CIRS is a multi-symptom, multi-system disease. Comprehensive testing is essential for a conclusive diagnosis. No one test can diagnose this complex illness. The multi-step, tiered testing and treatment approach ensures all your body’s unique variables and conditions are treated as needed.
By using the Protocol labs and tests in combination with transcriptomics GENIE (genetic) testing in sequential order, you will have a complete roster of physiology enabling you and your Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioner, or health care provider, to define exactly what is wrong with you, and treat your case accordingly.
Dr. Shoemaker has trained hundreds of Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioners. Working with a Protocol-trained specialist is highly recommended as CIRS is a complex illness. Many of these trained specialists offer telemedicine options and some offer CIRS support services.
You can also point your attending physician to the “Physician Resources” on the Surviving Mold site. They are designed to help you and your attending physician manage the diagnostic and treatment requirements.
When you begin the process, our trained Practitioners will perform an in-depth intake to get your complete, multi-faceted profile, and a series of tests and labs will be run, including the Shoemaker panel (what we call cytokine testing). The process also uses ground-breaking GENIE transcriptomic (genetic) testing for definitive diagnosis.
To learn more about CIRS/mold illness and the Shoemaker Protocol™ see the recommended resources listed below.
SECTION 2: Q&As - ABOUT THE SHOEMAKER PROTOCOL™ & CIRS
1/ The treatment protocol explained; recovery results
QUESTION: How does your protocol work? Does mold sickness ever go away?
ANSWER: By "mold sickness," I assume you are referring to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Our treatment protocol, known as The Shoemaker Protocol™, has been peer-reviewed and published after undergoing rigorous medical procedures. We have an excellent track record spanning over three decades, with tens of thousands of patients experiencing recovery.
If you find that you have a genetic susceptibility to CIRS, it is crucial to maintain recovery and avoid “unsafe” buildings, even after your symptoms have resolved.
While following the protocol strictly leads to symptom improvement and resolution, the genetic predisposition to the condition remains.
Thanks to advancements in the Protocol, having the “dreaded gene” is no longer a reason for despair. With the introduction of VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, administered as a final step in the Protocol as applicable), we are looking at restoration of normal regulation of innate immune responses with reduction of symptoms to the point that we are considering using the “cure” word for patients at this time.
We can also now demonstrate improvements in genomics and brain structure volumes using NeuroQuant testing. We are in an era where the fundamental mechanisms underlying this disorder can be identified and effectively treated.
The most critical initial steps involve gathering a comprehensive laboratory database and investigating any ongoing environmental exposure to a water-damaged building.
We include Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) testing as an initial diagnostic step and a way to monitor the benefits of treatment.
Because the illness affects multiple body systems with multiple symptoms, the treatment follows a sequential step-by-step protocol which strategically works to target each “layer” of the illness.
The Protocol is referenced throughout our website and in the paper on VIP published in Health and the certified Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioner Essays may be of help as well. It is important to follow one step at a time without skipping any of them.
Be sure to have your practitioner check lab results after each intervention step, so we can track progress along the 11-step pathway. I encourage you to explore the resources available on the website (and referenced in this article) that discuss diagnosis and treatment.
(See the recommended Protocol resource links below.)
2/ Treatment protocol results; improvement rate
QUESTION: What can I expect as far as an improvement rate after use of your protocol?
ANSWER: We have looked carefully at people who did not have successful improvement with the 11-step treatment protocol (The Shoemaker Protocol™).
The two main sources of problems have arisen from ongoing exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged buildings and incorrect diagnosis. As long as the labs are drawn you will have guidelines to help you follow your illness parameters as you go from one step to another.
If you truly have CIRS you absolutely must pay proper attention to detail about additional exposures. While NIOSH says 50% of the buildings in the U.S. are water-damaged, there are times that I think that is an underestimate.
Now that we have VIP and can show improvement in genomics as well as improvement in volumes of structures of the brain by using NeuroQuant testing, we are in an era where the fundamental mechanisms that underlie this disorder can be identified and effectively treated. (See also questions 3 & 4.)
3/ Multiple step Protocol
QUESTION: Why are there multiple steps to follow in the Protocol? Will I recover when the mold is removed from the home, or do I need to detox the mold from my system?
ANSWER: Here’s an over-arching answer: It’s helpful to understand that those with mold/biotoxin illness susceptibility have a system that doesn’t auto-release biotoxins, and these toxins affect and disrupt many of the body’s systems showing up as a variety of chronic symptoms. The Shoemaker Protocol™ supports the initial release of biotoxins, and also the multiple downstream symptoms and effects in a precise order, tailored for the patient. While the symptoms subside, the genetic predisposition remains.
Now that we have VIP and can show improvement in genomics as well as improvement in volumes of structures of the brain by using NeuroQuant testing, we are in an era where the fundamental mechanisms that underlie this disorder can be identified and effectively treated. To maintain recovery, re-exposure and relapse prevention needs to become a way of life for most patients with the HLA susceptibility. (See also question #4)
4/ CIRS cause
QUESTION: General speaking, what causes symptoms, is it your body’s inability to clear toxins or is it your own immune system fighting itself that causes symptoms?
ANSWER: This remains one of the fundamental questions we deal with every day. There is no question but that use of visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) testing helps us to verify whether or not there still is direct effect of biotoxins. If VCS is normal or corrected back to normal and symptoms persist, then we are looking at abnormalities of innate immune response alone as a source of symptoms.
Here is where our work with genomics is pertinent. We have identified a variety of genes that are inappropriately activated and others that are inappropriately suppressed in patients who have been treated adequately with the initial phases of the biotoxin pathway treatment protocol. Symptoms, therefore, are initiated by exposure as changes in the genomic basis for the illness are initiated.
With the introduction of GENIE and NeuroQuant testing, plus VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, administered as a final step in the protocol when applicable), we can now demonstrate improvements in genomics and brain structure volumes. We are in an era where the fundamental mechanisms underlying this disorder can be identified and effectively treated, leading to recovery.
Health and lives are restored and maintained through proactive protocol interventions as needed to prevent relapse, and by maintaining “safe” living and working environments. We are even using the word “cured” with patients at this time.
5/ Toxic black mold, testing
QUESTION: If I am exposed and infected by toxic black mold, am I going to be ill forever?
ANSWER: This is complex question.
First, exposure to water-damaged buildings (WDB) and potentially “moldy enviroments” will mean exposure to other infectious organisms besides mold. Routinely found in WDB are bacteria, actinomycetes and mycobacteria, among others. Focusing on mold is not particularly helpful when it appears that mold exposure is a very small portion of what biotoxin or “mold illness” involves. We need to focus on the physiology of what is wrong and not necessarily guessing at the identity of organism, one out of a mixture or organism that each could be harming you, to be causative. What this means is that the illness is treatable once an adequate data base has been accumulated and the 11-step protocol is initiated.
I would request that the idea of a toxic black mold (or yellow or green for that matter) be deleted from your lexicon. The color of the organisms makes no difference; focusing on black mold alone ignores the vast role of inflammagens that can be present in the indoor air of a WDB.
Second, we can look to the testing process to pinpoint infection and whether it’s by biotoxins, bacterias, or by a mold. The mold culprit, usually the Aspergillus species, is shown by a culture; without such a culture you can’t conclude infection. I am aware that many docs use antibiotics (antifungals) based on antibody testing. I disagree. Such testing, even if done in labs that are unquestioned simply show prior exposure and not necessarily active infection. There are effective protocols used to treat active fungal infection. Finding a single colony of a fungus in a sputum sample won’t cut it either. Colonization is common for reasons unrelated to infection. Finally, a nasal swab also isn’t good enough as we need to show evidence that the specimen came from a given sinus cavity. Fungal infection is a serious problem; the hurdles to obtaining a validated diagnosis are not simple to clear.
6/ Mold, cause; checking blood levels
QUESTION: Where can I get blood levels to check to verify I have mold in my system?
ANSWER: The problem with illness acquired from exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged building has nothing to do with presence of mold in blood.
For people who have illness 99% of the inflammatory burden that they face is due to inhalation of fragments offungi, bacteria and actinomycetes. These elements set off inflammatory responses. Of the individuals that inhale intact spores, half of which will be nonviable, the human body is remarkably effective at internalizing engulfing living fungi and killing them. The incidence of Aspergillus infections is enhanced in immune compromised patients and is quite rare in people with such immune compromise.
To determine presence of living fungi in sinuses an aspiration of sinus fluid needs to be obtained. This is not done routinely in a primary care office but will require cooperation of an ear, nose and throat physician to put a catheter (tube) in the sinus openings to draw out sinus fluid. As there are multiple sinus openings on both sides of the nose, this process is involved and is not particularly comfortable.
We know that there are people who have carriage of fungi in their sinuses that do not have infection but instead have an inflammatory illness called chronic rhinosinusitis. For these patients the fluid should be aspirated for a culture and in addition should be analyzed for particular inflammatory markers including interleukin 13 and interleukin 17 as per the exemplary done by Dr. Sherris, Dr. Ponikau, Dr. Kern and colleagues at the Mayo. Of note is that these researchers relocated to SUNY Buffalo some years ago.
SECTION 3: Q&As – EXPOSURE TIME FRAMES & TESTING SPECIFICS
1/ How long does it take for CIRS to occur after exposure; the first stages of CIRS.
QUESTION: How long does exposure to water-damaged buildings have to occur before an individual develops CIRS?
ANSWER: One way to approach this question is to consider whether we have a Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) in its early stages. Using the Protocol’s diagnostic approach makes detection easier. When the illness is identified early, it is much simpler to treat compared to later stages. If you are only ill for a few months or less, your chances for a more rapid response to treatment are enhanced.
Please don’t delay having your workup done. As an aside, if you take the
visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) test and show a deficit together with presence of multiple health symptoms you can see on your printout in less than 5 minutes whether or not, it makes sense to proceed to have lab testing done.
If we look deeper and consider the source of this illness and when it crops up in one’s lifetime, the question remains one of the most important in this entire field of medicine.
We know that people with HLA (genetic) susceptibility and CIRS following exposure to water-damaged buildings have that HLA from birth. What accounts for them developing a CIRS illness, say in their 20’s but not in their teens and not in their early childhood?
We have attempted to answer this question by following people prospectively with known susceptible HLA haplotypes but no illness. What we have seen repeatedly is that an antecedent inflammatory illness, such as mononucleosis, Lyme disease, Coxsackie of ECHO virus infections, intense inflammatory lung responses and unusual conditions such as Kawasaki disease invariably occurs.
These inflammatory responses predispose an individual to have a change in antigen presentation such that an HLA that is “doing well,” protecting an individual against a moldy building, no longer does so.
Please take a look at some of the genetic-based HLA questions in this library to see further discussion of HLA structure and antigen presentation.
The bottom line is that it makes sense for people to have an idea of what their HLA is, and what their baseline C4a and TGF beta-1 are, and to monitor MSH levels before and after significant illness effects if the HLA is mold susceptible.
Knowledge here is power. If no illness develops then having the HLA becomes of no benefit. But if HLA is mold susceptible and an intense illness occurs, follow MSH. When MSH falls, the HLA is likely to be “primed,” increasing risk of acquisition of uncontrolled inflammatory illness.
2/ Visual Contrast Sensitivity testing (VCS) after suspected exposure
QUESTION: How long after exposure do you need to wait before you can take the VCS?
ANSWER: A decline in Visual Contrast Sensitivity scores can be seen within 24 to 36 hours after acute exposure. The Surviving Mold online VCS system, relied upon by Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioners and patients worldwide, not only checks but also tracks symptom progression over time.
Early detection of subtle or significant changes in physical symptoms, with the help of tracking, allows the patient to avoid the effects of unsafe exposure.
3/ When do symptoms begin showing up after exposure?
QUESTION: How much exposure is “safe” before symptoms start cropping up?
ANSWER: An important way to know that you are in a safe environment is to monitor your biomarkers, physical symptoms, and check your VCS on a regular basis. While some individuals are able to feel when they have been exposed within minutes of the exposure, others may not have symptoms until hours or days later. Ongoing exposure to a “less sick” building, where symptoms for the patient may be less obvious, will still be harmful over time for the CIRS patient. The VCS can track the progression, revealing changes before the affects are full blown.
Early detection of subtle or significant changes in physical symptoms, with the help of tracking, allows the patient to avoid unsafe exposure.
4/ When do you begin CIRS testing after exposure?
QUESTION: I went camping this past weekend and shortly after we turned in for the night, one of my friends developed a significant cough, headache and congestion. Another friend had a flare of her pre-existing asthma. We left after one hour. Is it better to begin diagnostic testing or seek medical care immediately or wait to see if symptoms reside?
ANSWER: Exposure to any number of environments can cause the acute onset of respiratory symptoms without necessarily being CIRS, the inflammatory response syndrome caused by exposure to, mainly, water-damaged buildings, including the possibility of campers or automobiles.
Classic chronic inflammatory response syndrome will present multiple symptoms throughout multiple body systems for over a month and does not subside without treatment. We cannot definitively say that will apply to an exposure of less than 3 hours associated with an illness affecting one body system (the respiratory system as stated in the above references) of less than 3 days. If the triggered symptoms are intensifying, by all means seek medical diagnosis and care.
For those with a predisposition to CIRS/mold illness, it can be triggered in as little as 10 minutes, or it may take up to a 2-3 weeks before the full-blown effects are experienced.
You mentioned that you are beginning to feel better now several days after your exposure. If you are not experiencing increasing symptoms and they are residing, it would make sense to observe and not initiate treatment.
If you find your symptoms are ongoing, intensifying, or developing, having an online visual contrast sensitivity diagnostic test (VCS test available on the Surviving Mold site) done now provides a reasonable basis to look back 2 weeks from now to see whether this is developing into a syndrome. If the VCS test is positive at this date, the likelihood that this finding will resolve on its own is quite low.
If your physician does not find a basis for symptoms that are not subsiding, it would be reasonable to have baseline CIRS labs done, including C4a and TGF beta-1, together with MMP-9, as the acute exposure is not likely to have enough time to lower MSH and VIP but did have enough time to drive up inflammatory responses.
A lab order sheet and physician’s resources are available on the Surviving Mold site for your attending practitioner as needed. If your VCS shows you are a candidate for CIRS, your next best step is to begin testing and diagnosis with a Shoemaker Protocol™ practitioner to guide you in managing this complex illness.
For more information see the resources in the information section above and at the end of this document.
SECTION 4: ORDERING TESTING & ESTABLISHING CARE
1/ Diagnosis, ordering tests; Urine testing
QUESTION: I have what I believe is a possible biotoxin related illness. I am seeking assistance here in Oregon where my attending physician suggested urine mold testing. The physician does not have interest in pursuing well-established diagnostic and treatment protocols. May I order the tests myself?
ANSWER: A physician’s order is required to order laboratory testing. You will need to find a physician to order your test for you.
Please discuss with your health care provider what a putative urinary test for mycotoxins would show. Does the test show an illness or does it simply show what foods you have eaten? Does it show location of exposure? Does it distinguish between inhalation and ingestion? Does the test show consistent results with repeated sampling? Is the test affordable?
If your physician feels the test is essential and the diagnostic process, please remember that exposure to urinary-related mycotoxins is a trivially small part of the entire inflammatory processed involved with a CIRS. I do not use urinary testing in the diagnostic process.
2/ Establishing care, respiratory complications; skylight leak issue
QUESTION: I have asked local physicians about assistance with mold but no one has spent the time to even consider the possibility. My family is suffering from various symptoms without conclusive diagnosis.
We have a home with ongoing leaks but no visible mold. A skylight continues to leak through a problem with the flashing. My children do not go into the room with the sky light but since the leak has developed they have been troubled by recurrent episodes of coughing leading to vomiting; severe bronchitis and in one a diagnosis of atypical pneumonia. How do we establish proper diagnosis and care?
ANSWER: Working with a Shoemaker Protocol™ trained practitioner is highly recommended, or at least have your physician work in coordination with a trained practitioner.
Point your physician/s to the number of authoritative Statements found below in the resources section or in the Physicians’ Resources section on the Surviving Mold site, including the lab and testing roster.
The recurrent episodes of cough to date have defied diagnosis in the setting of exposure to a water-damaged area is a very typical finding especially in children. I would recommend that you have evaluation of lab parameters especially and including C4a and TGF beta-1 in your children, assuming that evaluation for mycoplasma, Chlamydia and Legionella are all normal.
Having the skylight room be off limits for your children won’t provide any significant protection as air moving from the affected room will have bioaerosols in it. It’s common for an entire home to be affected with the biotoxins and bacterial particulates from one area of water intrusion. Home remediation or moving to an untainted home is the solution.
3/ Self-treating
QUESTION: Is it possible to self-treat using your protocol?
ANSWER: The Shoemaker Protocol™ employs lab tests and diagnostic procedures that must be ordered by a licensed health care professional. I do not agree that it is safe or effective for an individual to take on this task without a comprehensive medical understanding of the illness and the Shoemaker Protocol™. A trained expert offers invaluable methodology to specifically and strategically treat the multi-symptoms and systems affected in the individual.
There are multiple Shoemaker Protocol™ trained and certified physicians and practitioners listed on this website. The next best way to go is to point the attending physician to the Physician Resources, including specific labs and tests, listed on this site. There is no one pat test or medication that conquers this illness.
4/ Diagnosis, minimum number of labs and tests
QUESTION: Our adult son has multiple complex health issues possibly related to his HLA DR and a mold exposure. His IgE is quite high and he has extreme eczema. What is the fewest number of test needed to confirm presence of CIRS?
ANSWER: Understanding that diagnosis and treatment of CIRS is a process involving much more than just laboratory testing, for those who have the potential for exposure and a multisystem, multisymptom illness, what we look for in laboratory studies includes HLA, MSH, TGF beta-1, C4a, MMP-9, VEGF and a T regulatory cell assay. I further will add ACTH/cortisol and ADH/osmolality if MSH is less than 35pg/ml.
Use of this testing should be done in close collaboration with your a Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioner, or a physician who will follow the Protocol in sequential order as needed.
The steps needed will depend how this illness is affecting your son, and to what degree. Only taking each step, one at a time, will reveal the number of tests needed.
Skipping steps in a complex diagnosed CIRS case is never a good idea. In the long run, committing to each step without taking shortcuts will be the most direct path back to health.
For those with longer duration illness without treatment, such as (his) possibly could be, the approach to therapy must include consideration of long-term correction of the genomic abnormalities that (he is) likely to have.
To get started with the initial diagnosis see the steps in the informational section above, or view the resources listed below.
SECTION 5: Symptom Checker & The 4 Quick-Start Steps
THE QUICK-LOOK SYMPTOM CHECKER
There are many mold symptoms because the illness affects multiple systems in the body, which in turn, causes the patient to exhibit multiple symptoms.
♦Fatigue ♦Weakness ♦Aches ♦Muscle Cramps ♦Unusual Pain ♦Ice Pick Pain ♦Headache ♦Light Sensitivity ♦Red Eyes ♦Blurred Vision ♦Tearing ♦Sinus Problems ♦Cough ♦Shortness of Breath ♦Abdominal Pain ♦Diarrhea ♦Joint Pain ♦Morning Stiffness ♦Memory Issues ♦Focus/Concentration Issues ♦Word Recollection Issues ♦Decreased Learning of New Knowledge ♦Confusion ♦Disorientation ♦Skin Sensitivity ♦Mood Swings ♦Appetite Swings ♦Sweats (especially night sweats) ♦Temperature Regulation Problems ♦Excessive Thirst ♦Increased Urination ♦Static Shocks ♦Numbness ♦Tingling ♦Vertigo ♦Metallic Taste ♦Tremors
The Shoemaker Protocol’s
4 Initial Diagnostic Steps
So many of the questions we see inquire about how to get started and how to treat each specific set of symptoms and unique water-damaged circumstances.
The cases may vary, but the Shoemaker Protocol™ Diagnostic Steps remain the same. Get started now, no physician appointment required.
STEP ONE: The first step is to locate the home or building that has a microbial problem related to the water intrusion that could be affecting you.
Obtain an ERMI/HERSTMI2 evaluation of any suspected Water Damaged Buildings (WDBs) in consideration (EnviroBiomics Labs offers more information and these dust sample testing kits).
STEP TWO: The next step is to confirm that you have a multi-system, multi-symptom illness.
This step can be achieved by checking, verifying, and documenting your symptoms. You can check your symptoms through the lists of common symptoms available on this site and in many resources including the “Shoemaker Protocol™ Quick Start Guide (link below).
See also the quick-look symptom check list in the resources section below. Taking the VCS test will also serve to confirm your symptoms.
STEP THREE: Next take an online Visual Contrast Screening (VCS) to confirm your symptoms and obtain an initial pass/fail CIRS diagnosis.
You will receive a printable report to review with your physician and/or your Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioner. It will also provide a base from which to continue tracking your recovery journey.
STEP FOUR: Establish care and continue the Shoemaker Protocol™ testing pathway to confirm diagnosis specifics and treatment.
If you show you have a VCS deficit and multiple health symptoms then a Shoemaker Protocol™ practitioner or your local physician can assist you by ordering the subsequent labs needed to confirm your diagnosis as a chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS).
“A full battery of labs should be done after your symptom roster is confirmed and compiled and a visual contrast sensitivity test (VCS) is performed.
If your VCS is normal and you only have a few symptoms, you probably are not going to be a person who has a CIRS.
If, however, you have a multi-symptom, multi-system illness with a VCS deficit (and the screening on the site will tell you) then I would recommend that you proceed with the protocol diagnosis pathway and have the next labs done. See the lab roster included on the Surviving Mold site for your practitioner to follow.
If you have questions on what to do, this would be an occasion where you would be well off to consult one of the practitioners trained in the Protocol listed on this site, or if you would rather to simply talk to me during a phone consultation, I will do what I can to help you.” ~ Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker’s reply to a Membership Q&A
It’s highly advantageous to find a Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioner or Proficiency Partner to work with you when dealing with this complex illness.
The next option would be to point your attending physician to the “physician resources” section and the testing and lab rosters available at survivingmold.com. Find a practitioner who will assist you in using the published, peer-reviewed and well-proven Shoemaker Protocol™.
SECTION 6: Shoemaker Protocol™ Resources
Below you’ll find a compilation of the most recommended and popular Surviving Mold resources for guiding you, your care team, and your attending practitioner as you recover:
A short introduction and summary of each step of the Shoemaker Protocol™
This short guide explains and takes you through the initial Shoemaker Protocol™ diagnostic steps you can get started on right now, and get answers, no doctor appointment required.
Relied upon by Dr. Shoemaker and the Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioners, the Visual Contrast Sensitivity Test is used to confirm your symptoms and obtain an initial pass/fail CIRS diagnosis within minutes.
You will receive a printable report to review with your practitioner. It will also provide a base from which to continue tracking your recovery journey.
Dr. Shoemaker has trained hundreds of practitioners in the Shoemaker Protocol™, and that number continues to grow worldwide. Choose from Certified Protocol Physicians or the Proficiency Partners to find one who can manage your case. Telemedicine options are now widely available.
Dr. Shoemaker has made the protocol lab-testing roster available as a free download on survivingmold.com. Although it doesn’t detail the complexities of the Shoemaker Protocol™, it serves as a helpful reference for practitioners, attending physicians, and for patients to bring to their physician’s attention.
- FREE INFO GUIDE “GOT MOLD?” >
Surviving Mold’s free downloadable overview guide, “Got Mold?” is a great reference to share with others to help them understand the Shoemaker Protocol™ and CIRS, and all it entails.
You may be interested in reading and sharing this collection of essays, which explain each step of the Protocol in more depth, and are written by our Certified Shoemaker Protocol™ Practitioners in their own language.
Our “Physician’s Resources” tab on the Surviving Mold Home Page has the necessary resources for your attending physician to guide you through recovery with the Shoemaker Protocol™
The Surviving Mold Site is full of Dr. Shoemaker approved information and resources, including a Patient Resources section, Group Support offerings, and a Search Bar feature that is very helpful, too.
Videos & Podcasts:
The Surviving Mold Podcast CIRS series >
Dr. Shoemaker’s YouTube Video series >
Includes “Identifying Mold Illness” presentations.
Various Podcasts featuring Dr. Shoemaker >
Protocol-Related Published Papers & Information
EXPERT TREATING PHYSICIANS CONSENSUS OF 2010 >
One of Dr. Shoemaker’s most-referenced papers provides evidence to support a cause-effect relationship between exposure to the air and dust in water-damaged buildings (WDBs) and a chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) that is linked to certain genetic HLA haplotypes.
“VIP CORRECTS CIRS…” PUBLISHED PAPER, 2013 >
Review the paper published on use of VIP to learn of its revolutionary effects on the illness, and more. This paper has labs and p-values (statistics) for 1829 mold patients together with nearly 500 controls.
CONSENSUS STATEMENT FOR MICROBIAL REMEDIATION 2020
This document is a consensus statement that expands on existing professional society recommendations by including guidelines for remediation of buildings to be occupied by known, sickened patients.
WHO GUIDELINES FOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY >
RESPIRATORY AFFECTS OF MOLD EXPOSURE – INST. OF MEDICINE >
