The CIRS Group Podcast

Candid conversations about healing, community, and CIRS recovery — hosted by Barbara and Jacie.

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Featured Episodes

What if what you have isn't why you have it? Wild thought...

What if the diagnosis you have been sentenced to has an underlying cause that can be fixed?

This week on the pod we are exploring that thought in the context of ...Chronic Fatigue SyndromeShow More

What if what you have isn't why you have it? Wild thought...

What if the diagnosis you have been sentenced to has an underlying ...

So THAT'S why they added the ME!!

This week on the podcast we are talking about ME/CFS First of all, if ...

Do you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)? This could be the missing key to healing!

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

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

Jacie and Barbara discuss chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), emphasizing it as a real, multisystem illness rather than “just being tired,” and describe ...hallmark symptoms like post-exertional malaise (PEM), unrefreshing sleep, brain fog/word-finding issues, orthostatic intolerance, sensory sensitivity, pain, headaches, and the push-crash cycle. They explain how ME/CFS is often hard to diagnose due to lack of a single definitive test, the use of exclusionary testing and symptom criteria, and how cardiopulmonary exercise testing can objectively demonstrate impaired recovery and reduced oxygen utilization, which is useful for disability or legal documentation. They argue the diagnosis is a label, not a root cause, and propose chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) from biotoxin exposure (often water-damaged buildings/mold) as a potential driver, citing Dr. Ming Dooley’s review comparing ME/CFS research to CIRS treatment outcomes. They outline next steps: assess exposure history and symptom patterns, take symptom clusters and the VCS test, find a CIRS-literate practitioner, address current environments before protocols, and explore resources and their community membership. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro to Chronic Fatigue / medical disclaimer
02:30 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is real, let's ask WHY
04:26 What is ME/CFS?
06:40 The CFS lived experience
09:09 Getting a ME/CFS diagnosis
11:05 Labels vs root cause
12:08 What is actually happening when you have ME/CFS
13:01 How CIRS may cause ME/CFS: published research backed
15:29 Why doctors miss CIRS
17:14 Next steps if you want to seek treatment
20:10 Testing and find a practitioner that is Shoemaker Certified
21:04 Resources

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

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Ming Dooley's published research connecting CFS and CIRS:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40806417/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11623837/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41265402/
VCS test and symptom questions for CIRS: https://www.survivingmold.com/store/online-vcs-screening

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

The CIRS Group:
Support Community: https://thecirsgroup.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecirsgroup/

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:
Jacie’s book on the Carnivore diet! https://a.co/d/8ZKCqz0
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladycarnivory
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LadyCarnivory
Blog: https://www.ladycarnivory.com/

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:
Website: https://www.actlikebarbara.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actlikebarbara/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@actlikebarbara

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.Show More

We want everyone to graduate and leave the group!

How to know when to move to the next step of the Shoemaker protocol? ...

Track your dadgum symptoms!!

Track your symptoms! Subjective markers of product are still helpful ...

Always Be Pooping!! 💩

As Dr D always says - Always Be Pooping! This week we are talking ...

Are you ACTUALLY healing?? Learn how to tell if you're ready to graduate from treatment!

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

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

In this episode, Barbara and Jacie discuss how CIRS patients can tell when they’re ready to move to the next step of ...the Shoemaker Protocol or “graduate,." As always, healing is gradual and should be guided by a CIRS-literate practitioner. They recommend tracking symptoms over time and checking three key questions: whether symptoms are improving, whether labs support improvement, and whether ongoing exposure is still occurring. The Shoemaker Protocol can be divided into three phases: (1) getting out of exposure by identifying and removing biotoxins, (2) clearing biotoxins with binders like cholestyramine (often causing temporary fatigue/constipation) and treating MARCoNS; and (3) repairing immune and hormonal dysfunction with supportive therapies, diet, and lifestyle supports. They also cover what “graduation” means, and common side quests if stalled, including Lyme, gut issues, dental problems, microbiome disruptions, spike protein, and autoimmune-related damage. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

Timestamps
00:00 Intro and disclaimer
01:18 The benefits of symptom tracking
03:16 The Shoemaker Protocol in three phases
04:15 Phase One: get out of exposure
06:13 When you can graduate to phase two
09:02 Phase Two: clear the biotoxins (take binders)
11:12 MARCoNs treatment
12:20 Phase Three: repair and regulate
15:03 Fix your brain with VIP Spray
18:51 What "graduation" actually means: Life after CIRS
20:19 When you stall, check for exposure
21:36 Check for Co-infections, co-morbidities, other side quests
25:26 Final takeaways

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

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
Our Neuroquant episode: https://youtu.be/Lc_LfUeiYTM?si=DNbUj0nSdaXFGIqr
Our interview with Jenny Johnson, about Life After CIRS: https://youtu.be/-c_bWUjP_uI?si=3hCbQ_CIkBbXvtTa

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

The CIRS Group:
Support Community: https://thecirsgroup.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecirsgroup/

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:
Jacie’s book on the Carnivore diet! https://a.co/d/8ZKCqz0
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladycarnivory
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LadyCarnivory
Blog: https://www.ladycarnivory.com/

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:
Website: https://www.actlikebarbara.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actlikebarbara/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@actlikebarbara

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.Show More

Personal hygiene - the key to better health? Yeah, it kinda is...

Human habitat actino person hygiene is a WHOLE THING Definitely check ...

Vacuum all the things!!

Treat yourself! (To a sealed HEPA vacuum) And then vacuum ...

A dirty home might be keeping you sick

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

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

In their 150th The CIRS Group podcast episode(!!), Jacie and Barbara share practical guidance for reducing actinos in the home, emphasizing that ...consistent removal matters because a CIRS patient can react whether actinos are dead or alive. This is NOT medical advice: Actinos guidance is leading-edge in the CIRS space, but they share what has worked for them and members of The CIRS Group. For skin, they discuss Defense soap, lava soap, Selsun Blue, Lume acidifying wash, and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (noting dryness/irritation tradeoffs), plus probiotic lotion for localized issues. For laundry, they recommend washing clothing after one wear, and frequently washing bedding, pillows, and towels. For the home, they advise using a sealed HEPA vacuum broadly (walls, furniture, mattress, woven items), dry and damp dusting (including walls with a wet Swiffer), and using masks. If you feel overwhelmed, try breaking cleaning into manageable chunks, and consider help from cleaners, friends, or family. For more information and support, join us at https://thecirsgroup.com

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 150th Episode Kickoff
01:18 Intro and disclaimer
02:25 Why aren't you in The CIRS Group?
04:10 Why consistent cleaning is important
05:18 Human derived actino tests and strategies
06:57 Skin/hair washing options
11:50 Laundry washing strategies
15:42 Home cleaning strategy (small particle cleaning or SPC)
16:49 Vacuuming and wet wiping / dry wiping
21:36 Making it sustainable
25:34 Wrap Up and Next Steps

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

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
Book a consultation with Dr. Christian Navarro-Torres: https://consult-christian.as.me/schedule/a89e8b00/appointment/
Book a consultation with Dr. Andrea Jordheim: https://mytransformationwellness.com/about/
SinusKey test: https://patients.microgendx.com/products/sinuskey
Book a consultation with Dr. Lacey: https://www.drlacey.org/
Skin Actino test: https://www.envirobiomics.com/product/actino-skin/?v=7516fd43adaa
Larry Schwartz interview on Actinos: https://www.betterhealthguy.com/episode171
Jenny’s actinos episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUIvXrWYZOQ&pp=ygUUamVubnkgam9obnNvbiBhY3Rpbm8%3D
ISEAI SPC protocol https://iseai.org/small-particle-cleaning-guide-for-people-with-mold-related-illness/

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

The CIRS Group:
Support Community: https://thecirsgroup.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecirsgroup/

Find Jacie for carnivore, lifestyle and limbic resources:
Jacie’s book on the Carnivore diet! https://a.co/d/8ZKCqz0
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladycarnivory
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LadyCarnivory
Blog: https://www.ladycarnivory.com/

Find Barbara for business/finance tips and coaching:
Website: https://www.actlikebarbara.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actlikebarbara/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@actlikebarbara

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.Show More

Who is keeping you sick 👀

If you want to find out who in your home is keeping you sick 👀 The ...

When you need motivation, freak yourself out with some data lol

Test don't guess! In this episode of the pod we are talking about ...

March 9, 2025

Repair Your Brain with Plasmalogens – Dr. Dayan Goodenowe

Today we have a special guest! Dr. Dayan Goodenowe is a researcher that has unlocked the power of plasmalogens and thankfully, this is something that can be a real game changer for people struggling with CIRS, or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.

Visit Podcast Page