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The CIRS Diagnosis Checklist: 26 Symptoms

7 min read•

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), pioneered by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, is a multi-symptom, multi-system illness caused by exposure to biotoxins—most commonly from water-damaged buildings (mold) or tick-borne infections (Lyme).

Because it affects multiple systems simultaneously, it is notoriously misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety, or depression.

If standard bloodwork shows you are "fine," but you feel like your body is failing, review this checklist.

The Shoemaker CIRS Symptom Clusters

Dr. Shoemaker organized CIRS symptoms into 13 distinct clusters. If you have symptoms in 8 or more clusters, there is a high clinical probability that you are suffering from CIRS.

Cluster 1

  • Fatigue
  • Tearing (excessive watering of eyes)

Cluster 2

  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Numbness

Cluster 3

  • Aches
  • Vertigo
  • Light sensitivity

Cluster 4

  • Weakness
  • Assimilation (difficulty learning new things)
  • Aching
  • Headache

Cluster 5

  • Memory impairment
  • Word-finding difficulty

Cluster 6

  • Morning stiffness
  • Cramps

Cluster 7

  • Unusual pain (ice-pick pain, lightning bolt pain)

Cluster 8

  • Shortness of breath
  • Sinus congestion

Cluster 9

  • Cough
  • Thirst
  • Confusion

Cluster 10

  • Joint pain
  • Asthma-like symptoms
  • Sweating (night sweats)

Cluster 11

  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Decreased assimilation of new knowledge

Cluster 12

  • Red eyes
  • Blurred vision
  • Tearing

Cluster 13

  • Mood swings
  • Appetite swings
  • Temperature regulation issues

Why Traditional Medicine Misses It

CIRS is an innate immune system failure. In a healthy person, the immune system tags a biotoxin, creates an antibody, and flushes it out. In the 24% of the population with the HLA-DR genetic susceptibility, the immune system fails to create the antibody.

The biotoxins remain in the bloodstream indefinitely, triggering a cytokine storm. Standard blood panels (CBC, CMP) do not measure cytokines or innate immune activation markers like TGF-beta 1, C4a, or MSH.

The Next Step

If you match 8 or more clusters, the next step is objective testing. Do not rely on symptoms alone.

  1. Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) Test: A simple online test that measures your ability to see gray-scale contrast, which is rapidly degraded by biotoxin neuroinflammation.
  2. Urine Mycotoxin Panel: To identify the specific molds in your system.
  3. The Shoemaker Blood Panel: Testing TGF-beta 1, C4a, VIP, MSH, and MMP-9 to prove the inflammatory cascade is active.