Me wondering why I look like a zombie before figuring out the house was moldy.
An update:
I am 80% better than 3 months ago when I basically died from living in multiple places with mold in HVACs. I made this website for people who want to know more about it. I recommend you take this mold issue very seriously.
I knew “mold was bad and could cause illness” but that was it. The specialists I spoke to prior to this didn’t understand the extent that mold can damage some people’s immune systems, pretty much permanently without treatment.
It really looks like my family’s food intolerances, environmental allergies, chemical sensitivities, psychiatric illnesses, autoimmune conditions, etc. are from a genetic predisposition causing an immune system that cannot properly identify biotoxins (mold and certain bacteria) after exposure, and eliminate them, causing a permanent inflammatory response.
The Lion Diet helped this an unbelievable amount. I would’ve died without it. Same with my family (my mom and dad both have genes for this. It looked like the diet cured me – until I lived in places that made me unbelievably sick. First Nashville, then Miami. It was pretty scary until I figured out what was going on. After the diet, I have no treatment options. I can’t tolerate medications, diet is my lifeline to not living in pain. And then I got sick again, on the diet that “cured” me after almost 7 years in remission. Terrifying.
The condition is called CIRS – chronic inflammatory response syndrome. If someone has told me I had a chronic inflammatory response syndrome would’ve said – “well yeah, duh.” But this seems to be it. Diagnosed and everything. It’s nasty. But it’s fixable – a total miracle.
Our HVAC (ugh. Keep an eye on your HVACS PLEASE!)
After I found mold in the house I was in, we moved out that day. I started treatment with a prescription binder called cholestyramine and somehow not only was that tolerable/didn’t cause an immune response (after starting very slowly) it actually helped.
I can’t take almost any medication without severe adverse reactions (benzodiazepines give me severe anxiety/insomnia, psych drugs – same thing, over-the-counter pain medication causes pain all over my body, anti-histamines give me crawling sensations all over my body and anxiety and insomnia, I’m allergic to a ton of antibiotics (but not all – keflex and doxycycline seem okay), I’m allergic to shampoo conditioner, soap, scented products give me pain and brain fog, VOCs cause leg numbness. Just forget about being around anything cute and furry, I can’t even go into houses that have animals without touching them, I still get symptoms.
Allergic reactions to everything. This is was a latex free bandaid that stayed on for about 30 seconds.
It’s like being in a bad TV show. If it wasn’t happening to me it would be hard to believe. It has been happening to me for decades and it’s still hard to believe. I have an immune system that reacts to everything that most people can tolerate, at least in small doses. Not that any of the things I listed are good people. It. Is. Wild. That’s why I talk about the role of diet and avoiding toxic products. I feel their impacts more than a normal person but they impact other people too. It’s not just me, I’m just like a live wire for these things.
My face being so puffy I didn’t recognize myself. All the time.
Anyway!!
CIRS treatment, (at least the initial binder) plus being very very mindful of my environment plus the Lion Diet has resolved 80% of my symptoms in a fairly short period of time (2 months) I should be back to podcasting in another month! My parents are going to start treatment after their tour. They’re doing well because of the diet but still aren’t 100%. Compared to pre-diet, different people. But they could be better. Luckily they haven’t been living where I have. We’ll see what happens.
I will literally never let illness take over my life again, or the life of my parents. At least I’ll do everything I possibly can to avoid that. Human bodies can heal, if you can figure out what they need. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s a lie sick people are told constantly.
Before I put my autoimmune disorder into remission the first time with the Lion Diet, I stopped having hope. After I had my hip and ankle replaced when I was 17 I decided to stop hoping, it hurt too much. When I was 21, I changed my mind. When I was 22 I changed my mind even more and decided I was either going to cure myself or I was going to die trying. And I put myself into remission when I was 23.
Recently, the autoimmune symptoms crept back in slowly. I never got as sick as I was prior to the diet but symptoms were slow, insidious, and sneaky. First, a difficult time sleeping, then some muscle fatigue, things normal people have sometimes. Then it progressed into a bit of anxiety, then a bit more, then constant cold symptoms, then digestive issues, and eventually full blown insomnia, fibromyalgia-like pain everywhere, numbness, constant bronchitis, and arthritis. It took me a long time to figure out what was going on. Months.
Super cute bloodshot eyes that stayed that way until out of exposure for 2 months.
I paused the podcast when I finally got too sick to think. My internal dialogue died. I couldn’t walk up stairs. It was NUTS.
Random bruises that wouldn’t heal for months.
Anyway! I’m feeling a lot better!! I do believe that after (finally) identifying the cause of my hypersensitive immune system (CIRS) I’lI be able to calm my immune system down over time and reintroduce some reasonable foods (nothing unhealthy). That might take some time but it’ll come.
I wanted to update you guys because I kind of disappeared for 2 months and remind sick people that they’ve got control here. They just need to figure out what they’re body is screaming at them. Apparently, mine was screaming “be aware of your surroundings and air and don’t fucking live in a moldy house”
I’m putting together a website to help people treat this. I’ve done a ton of research in the last few months. This biotoxin issue impacts a lot of people. I think most people in the health and wellness space are sensitive to these, and using diet to mitigate immune responses. I assume almost all people stuck on a carnivore diet are there because of this too. It’s not rare. The genes are in 24% of the population and between 50-80% of all houses are water damaged. People just don’t know.
I’ll share the website when it’s up, and ways to treat this and remediate your living spaces and working spaces. 76% of people can probably just remediate their house and feel better. The other 24% may need extra help. This is a total game changer for health and I’m going to blow it sky high. Now for the conspiracy theorists:
Home insurance companies donate the second largest amounts of money to the government (republicans and democrats) after pharmaceutical companies. Part of what they do is ask for water damage to not be taken seriously. “Just dry your house, blow a fan at the water you’ll be fine. The worst it does is some sneezing.” Wrong. This is why in the last 15 years they capped water damage insurance. Because this is a massive problem. Like I said, 5o-80% of houses have mold from water damage.
I was told by a doctor that works with the military treating biotoxin illness (CIRS), and he was told that it’ll take a trillion dollars to fix military housing because of the mold issues. They think it contributes to PTSD symptoms.
The government is fully aware this is an issue but they’re too disorganized and crooked to look into it thoroughly. In my opinion, this is as big of an issue for people’s health as lead and asbestos. The website I’m putting up will have links to hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers showing what these biotoxins do.
Funky white stuff after doing EBOO (blood filtration). They can’t identify it but said it was likely mold.
If you guys think I already go ham on psychiatric drugs and the dangers literally nobody is told about (hi here’s a prescription you’ll never be able to get off of if you take it for more than a year without a lot of pain and suffering), or the food pyramid scam that’s killed millions of people (animal products are bad here survive on our healthy cereal, seed oils, and high carb processed foods)…
Just wait. From the research I’ve done, this is even worse.
I’m (almost) back baby
Hi Mikhaila,
I have the same exact symptoms as Pat and have used charcoal binders (I saw on IG that you used Cholestyramine). I’ve actually gone through the Shoemaker protocol and am on the last step with the VIP nasal spray but, I’ve maybe improved only 30-40% in 12 months. I’d be curious how you’ve had your success in healing. I have an 11 month old at home and only want to be healthy and happy again for him. I’ve been suffering for 9 years with this.
Hi Vince,
I’m so sorry you’re suffering so much, it’s really terrible. Can I ask how you’re doing the Shoemaker protocol? Are you working with a practitioner and paying a lot of money for it? Is there a way to do it DIY? I’m sorry it’s been so long. Bless you. Pat
Mikhaila. You’re a rock star. Because of you I started carnivore and at least subdued my IBS that had given me agoraphobia, lost 50 lbs, all my fibromyalgia symptoms, gas and pain.Now I’m so ill for the past six months with anxiety, horrible insomnia, brain fog, hypersensitivity to everything (loud voices, light, noise, anything complicated). We have now discovered mold in our house. Stachybotrus Chartarum. We don’t have money to do all the work that needs to be done, but our trust is in God. God bless you and your family, you guys have suffered so much it makes me wince. Thank you for making good of it for the rest of us.
So glad you’re feeling better, have been worried about you.
I also listened to your podcast with Dr. Cho about CIRS around the time it came out, and was hoping for you that that was the answer to all that you have been through. Just amazing to find out that it is! Take care and hope you’re 100% soon
thanks for the Update.. youre very inspiring.
you saved my live.
without you telling youre dad and he telling it on the joe rogan podcast i would never found out.
– not suicidal anymore.
– the more i cut out the better i feel
– (i had chemotherapy as a child)
for everyone out there, things that triggered me also:
– Parfume (very bad one)
– hot long showers
– some salts (can Contain gluten)
– everything that smells chemical
– not packaged beef
– tried to start smoking because i could not eat anything (worse decission of my life 😂)
thank you
smoking also triggers autoinue symptons but slowly
it messed up my brain chemistry very bad
and i found out, i believe dr paul mason said it.
if the autoimune System is triggered it locks the iron away so the Virus cant survive.
without iron you cant produce dopamine.
its a safety Mechanism
(if you have a Virus you should not be happy and adventerous.
I have been carnivore for a 14 months and it’s helped 60% but my CFS and ever changing joint pain has not subsided. I was diagnosed with CIRS in Feb but I can’t move yet and the house owner my husband and I live with can’t afford remediation. I am hoping for changes in my life to be able to move. I have been taking a charcoal binder and other healthy supplements. I am sorry you have CIRS Mikhaila, but you and your family are going to bring awareness to this syndrome like no one else. Bless you all for your help!
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