The CIRS Group Podcast

Barbara and Jacie discuss what to do when the Shoemaker protocol/CIRS treatment feels intolerable. They stress testing the home (ERMI or HERTSMI-2 dust testing at minimum, ideally including actinos and endotoxins) and choosing to leave, remediate, or use temporary “Band-Aids” like a safe room with an Air Oasis, frequent cleaning, or even sleeping outside in a low-VOC tent. They cover cautious binder use (especially if still in exposure), avoiding risky “crazy supports” like Neuro Plasmalogens too early, and using stabilizing supportive strategies such as morning sunlight, sleep, omega-3s, and ensuring daily bowel movements. They compare binders from gentlest to strongest (chitosan, MycoBind, Welchol, compounded CSM) and suggest re-checking other exposures (Lyme/tick-borne, spike protein, dental issues, implants) if binders aren’t tolerated. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

TIMESTAMPS

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

Our episode on dust testing: https://youtu.be/ugKumIiWyGY?si=T80EPSsPO9GG9ziq

Order Jacie's book! The 30 Day Carnivore Bootcamp: https://a.co/d/7MgHrRs

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

Dust Testing Showdown: EnviroBiomics vs Liz Biotech vs Mycometrics (ERMI/HERTSMI-2 Experiment)

In this CIRS Group Podcast episode, Barbara describes a controlled dust-test experiment comparing MSQ PCR/ERMI results across three CIRS-relevant labs—EnviroBiomics, Liz Biotech, and Mycometrics—using dust collected the same day from the same home and surfaces, divided into left/middle/right sections to reduce sampling bias. The labs returned very different ERMI/HERTSMI-2 scores (Mycometrics 7.4/12, Liz Biotech 13.4/18, EnviroBiomics 18.8/20), while showing broadly similar mold “fingerprints,” suggesting major differences in reported concentrations rather than species detected. They emphasize the test does not prove which lab is correct, recommend using the same lab for pre/post remediation comparisons, and focusing more on individual species profiles than top-line scores. Because all tests detected Stachybotrys and Chaetomium, Barbara suggests repeated deep cleaning, room-by-room retesting with one lab, and involving a CIRS-literate IEP if results remain concerning, while also sharing pricing, feature differences, and a prior EnviroBiomics reporting/customer-service issue.

TIMESTAMPS

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

Order Jacie's book! The 30 Day Carnivore Bootcamp: https://a.co/d/7MgHrRs

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

Barbara welcomes Dr. Kellyn Milani, a naturopathic doctor and primary care physician specializing in complex environmentally acquired illnesses, to discuss tick-borne illness in the context of CIRS aka mold illness. Dr. Milani explains that tick-borne disease is a major trigger for CIRS, emphasizes Lyme occurs in all 50 states, and outlines why testing is limited and Lyme is primarily a clinical diagnosis. She reviews symptom patterns that raise suspicion for Lyme and common co-infections (including Babesia, Bartonella, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, tick-borne relapsing fever, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever), offers practical guidance for tick removal and testing, and discusses treatment sequencing with the Shoemaker protocol, typical chronic treatment timelines, and managing intensification reactions. She also shares her approach using pulsed antibiotics, herbs, biofilm support, and foundational anti-inflammatory and lifestyle prep, plus ways to connect with her via social platforms, her Skool community, and her clinic wait list. 

THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, please consult your own practitioner or work with Dr. Milani for your specific health concerns.

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

TIMESTAMPS

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

Dr. Milani's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkellynmilani/

Order Jacie's book! The 30 Day Carnivore Bootcamp: https://a.co/d/7MgHrRs

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

On today's episode of The CIRS Group Podcast, Barbara shares a health update. She reports a smoother-than-expected recovery from an August 2025 L5-S1 PLIF spinal fusion, major symptom improvements after going gluten- and dairy-free, adding gut supplements, and tracking with stool testing. She began tick-borne treatment with a specialist using pulsed antibiotics plus biofilm support and albendazole, noting microbiome changes and a post-treatment drop in MSH while continuing low-dose binders and passing the VCS. 

Ongoing issues include stubborn MARCoNS and sinus imbalance (multiple rinses/sprays, EDTA+silver side effects, considering ENT evaluation, sleep study, and possibly nebulized treatment). She discusses hormone testing (DUTCH/bloodwork), fibroids/adenomyosis management with oral progesterone, low-dose morning hydrocortisone, and starting testosterone cream. Barbara also covers difficult EMDR therapy attempts, learning shutdown vs fight/flight in Jacie’s nervous system cohort, and supportive care like acupuncture and NUCCA chiropractic. In the next update, she'll cover upcoming labs, retesting results, actino cleaning, and possible iron infusions. She also adds a couple exciting personal life updates: getting married and adopting a puppy!

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

TIMESTAMPS

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

Order Jacie's book! The 30 Day Carnivore Bootcamp: https://a.co/d/7MgHrRs

HELPFUL LINKS:

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

In this The CIRS Group Podcast episode, hosts Jacie and Barbara interview Max McCord, an indoor environmental professional and president of the Stonecrest Team, about why mold remediation projects can fail even after visible mold is removed. Max explains that the biggest misses are often hidden, hard-to-see species like whitish Aspergillus, and that relying on basic air sampling can wrongly suggest a home is “clear,” while PCR-based testing, such as ERMI dust tests, can reveal what was missed. 

He describes using detailed building history, CIRS-focused building science, macro photography, and advanced thermography to identify microclimates, insulation and vapor issues, and other hidden sources. The conversation also covers common containment and demolition mistakes that spread contamination, why coordination among IEPs, remediators, HVAC and insulation contractors matters, and how post-remediation “clearance” can be undone during remodeling by contaminated tools and materials. Max shares his personal CIRS diagnosis and his work with Christian Medical Ministries. Check out https://www.stonecrest.team and https://www.christianmedicalministries.org to learn more.

TIMESTAMPS

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

HELPFUL LINKS:

Order Jacie's book! The 30 Day Carnivore Bootcamp: https://a.co/d/7MgHrRs

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

Jacie and Barbara share some suggestions for a “CIRS starter pack” inspired by their community: a menu of practical, non-medical supports to help CIRS patients feel better while waiting to see a provider and pursuing root-cause treatment. They cover environmental steps like using an Air Oasis air purifier and improving cleaning/laundry and bedding routines, plus daily hygiene tools like acidifying body wash. They discuss sleep basics (consistent schedule, morning light for MSH, and optimizing light/sound/temperature), hydration and electrolytes for ADH/osmolality issues, nutrition with adequate calories and protein, and the importance of daily bowel movements for binder-based toxin elimination. Gut support includes going gluten-free, ProButyrate, prebiotics (Sunfiber, HMO, beans/edamame), and probiotics (Probiotic Pro, Florastor). They also address slow, titrated movement, recovery tools (sauna, red light, Epsom baths/magnesium spray), nervous system regulation and supportive community, histamine/mast cell strategies (Zyrtec, cromolyn nasal spray, DAO, HistaAid), as well as their own personal starter-pack essentials. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

TIMESTAMPS

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

HELPFUL LINKS MENTIONED:

CIRS communities:

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

Barbara and Jacie discuss insomnia as a common CIRS symptom, explaining that CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) can occur in genetically predisposed people exposed to biotoxins like mold, algae blooms, or venomous spider bites, leading to chronic inflammation, cytokine activity, low MSH, and downstream disruption of melatonin, cortisol, and other hormones. They share ways to improve falling asleep (morning sunlight, dim evening lighting, low-dose melatonin, bedtime grounding routines, time-boxing bed use, and acupuncture) and staying asleep (addressing nighttime blood sugar drops with a protein/fat or protein/fiber snack, and managing nocturia from ADH/osmolality dysregulation with electrolytes, fluid timing, and pre-bed bathroom trips). They also cover unrefreshing sleep, sleep environment optimization, hormone testing (including DUTCH panels), and supplements and supports they use, including magnesium, L-theanine, glycine, and KPV, emphasizing practitioner guidance and treating CIRS as the root cause. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

TIMESTAMPS

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

HELPFUL LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

In this CIRS Group Podcast episode, hosts Jacie and Barbara interview Brian Tinker, founder of Breathe Well Homes and a master builder with 30+ years of experience, whose work became personal after his wife’s CIRS diagnosis revealed their home’s role in her illness. Brian explains how moisture control is the core issue behind mold problems and why modern “tighter” energy codes can create sick homes without proper ventilation. He highlights common high-risk materials and methods (e.g., OSB, MDF, spray foam off-gassing, flex ducting, traditional grout), shares practical strategies for moisture management, wall assemblies that can dry, and using ERV/HRV systems to keep homes breathing. He discusses cost increases (about 35–45%), his course and consultations, remote build guidance, and his newer Breathe Well Vans concept, plus interest in manufactured homes for faster, lower-cost options. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

Timestamps

00:00 Intro and disclaimer

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Order Jacie's book! The 30 Day Carnivore Bootcamp: https://a.co/d/7MgHrRs

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

Barbara and Jacie are back, this time to share Jacie’s personal health update while she deals with a CIRS relapse after moving into a new apartment. Jacie describes worsening histamine flares, a return of autoimmune symptoms like uveitis, and home testing that showed borderline endotoxins (100), and extremely high actinos (6 million). This prompted a small-particle cleaning and skin/environment retesting that suggested her boyfriend’s microbes were contributing. While waiting to see CIRS clinician Dr. Andrea Jordheim, Jacie used an AIP diet, curcumin, astaxanthin, acupuncture, and a vibration plate to feel better. She reviews her extensive testing results (GI, infections, metabolomics, sinus, spike protein), her boyfriend’s gut results (high Campylobacter, low Akkermansia), her dysbiotic gut findings and leaky-gut indicators, a very high spike protein result (23,000 vs 0.08), and next steps including fasting, nattokinase, quercetin, methylation and genetic testing. In her next update, she’ll share MARCoNS and water testing (for uranium) results. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

TIMESTAMPS

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.

In this final CIRSx 2026 recap, Jacie and Barbara cover the conference’s lifestyle-focused talks and share takeaways for listeners. They highlight Mike Pelletier's practical strategies to accelerate CIRS recovery, including prioritizing sleep (consistent bedtime/wake time, cool room, morning light, lowering bedroom CO2, reducing nocturia by shifting fluid intake earlier, and improving nasal breathing), plus frequent “exercise snacks,” movement, and whole-food nutrition. They discuss Lauren Loewenstein's talk on sharing CIRS stories via social media and how coaches can bridge patients, physicians, and remediation teams. They also cover Dr. Hamid's talk on acupuncture as an adjunct for anxiety and autonomic dysregulation, including self-regulation tools like breathing and HRV training. They summarize Dr. Craig Tanio’s Aventhea Trial emphasizing multi-root-cause precision medicine and prevention. Finally, they recap interior designer Kaleigh Concannon's talk on creating low-tox homes, noting challenges with foam/off-gassing in mattresses and couches and focusing on practical risk reduction over perfection. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

Timestamps

For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The CIRS Group:

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:

Jacie is a Shoemaker certified Proficiency Partner, NASM certified nutrition coach, author, and carnivore recipe developer determined to share the life changing information of carnivore and CIRS to anyone who will listen. Barbara is a business and fitness coach, CIRS and ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and a big fan of health and freedom. Together, they co-founded The CIRS Group, an online support community to help people that are struggling with their CIRS diagnosis and treatment.