BIOTOXIN ILLNESS:

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) is a multi-system, multi-symptom illness associated with exposure to biotoxins.   I like to think that CIRS is a ‘great masquerader’ because the subset of patients sick with this syndrome are often mistakenly misdiagnosed/treated for a great many other disorders, which include: autoimmune disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Asthma, Dementia, Fibromyalgia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (to name just a few).  The reason that CIRS is a ‘great masquerader’ is because it’s a genetic immune mechanism dysfunction that essentially allows a biotoxin to chronically stimulate the immune response cascade of inflammation that leads to profound dysregulation in multiple systems, including the: neurological, endocrine, and respiratory, cardiovascular, immune and musculoskeletal systems.

Any living organism, or fragment of an organism, that acts to trigger an innate immune response can function as a biotoxin. This can be mold and mycotoxins from Water Damaged Buildings (WDBs), pathogens as seen in tick-born illnesses, viruses, fungal elements, dinoflagellates, apicomplexans, cyanobacteria, and about 30 others that have been identified.   80% of Biotoxin illness cases are due to water-damaged buildings. While there are many known triggers for CIRS, more are being discovered regularly.

In 2009, The WHO estimated that 50% of buildings in Western countries had some degree of water damage and 90% of environmental exposure in Western civilizations occurred from indoor environments rather than outdoor environments.  Sixteen years later, we know: that this WHO statistic has not improved, that CIRS is an enormous, relatively unrecognized public health challenge (by both the public and medical practitioners alike), and that 20-24% of the population is genetically susceptible to biotoxin illness.  This culminates in the thought that there are a large number of misdiagnosed patients suffering in relative silence/being marginalized by uninformed environmental professionals, uninformed medical providers, friends/acquaintances, and family members.  

If you have concerns that your house/residence may be making you sick, please reach out to us at LaValle Performance Health Center in Austin, TX.  We have providers who have extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of CIRS and can serve patients in all 50 states!