Mold is everywhere outdoors—and sometimes indoors. While our bodies are designed to detoxify mold mycotoxins, some people have genetics that make this process less efficient. I call them “mold canaries”—people who are especially sensitive to mold. Officially, they’re diagnosed with CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome). This explains why two people in the same moldy environment can have very different health responses.

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) is a condition that can occur in individuals with a genetic predisposition who are exposed to biotoxins. Sometimes people who have CIRS are referred to as “mold sensitive”. These humans make up more than 25% of the population and actually have genetic variations functional medicine doctors can test for. CIRS is a complex health condition that arises when the body's innate immune system responds abnormally after being exposed to these biotoxins-- especially those produced by toxic molds. Biotoxins are also produced by other creatures but for this article, we are focusing solely on mycotoxins and fungal toxins. People with CIRS genetics have bodies that struggle to eliminate mycotoxins effectively, leading to a chronic inflammatory response.