Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Diane Mueller, ND, DAOM, LAc, founder of MyLymeDoc. Last reviewed August 28, 2026.
Working out how to find a CIRS doctor is hard for a specific and honest reason: chronic inflammatory response syndrome is, in the words of a 2025 review, “not yet widely adopted by conventional medicine.” Most physicians have never been trained in it. So searching for one nearby often returns nothing useful, and the practitioners who do work with it are unevenly distributed. What follows is how to tell a serious CIRS practitioner from someone using the label loosely, and what to ask before you spend money.
Most people typing this are looking for a local clinic. The practical reality is that proximity is rarely the binding constraint.
CIRS practitioners are sparse, unevenly spread, and often not listed in the directories that dominate local search results. Meanwhile the work itself, a long history, review of prior labs, interpretation of a biomarker panel, does not require being in the same room.
What actually limits who can treat you is licensure, not distance. A clinician must be licensed in the state where you are physically located. That is why a practice three states away may be available to you while one across town is not.
These are public directories. We have no affiliation with any of them and they will list practitioners other than us, which is the point.
Start there, then use the vetting table below on whoever you find. If someone local turns up who passes it, see them.
MyLymeDoc is licensed in seven states, and the current list is on where we practice.
Chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) is a proposed multi-system illness in which the immune system remains persistently activated after exposure to biotoxins, including those associated with water-damaged buildings.
The model was developed by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker and has been built out through a defined panel of laboratory markers rather than symptoms alone.
A 2025 review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences describes the panel as developing over time, beginning with visual contrast sensitivity, HLA DR/DQ haplotypes, melanocyte-stimulating hormone, matrix metalloproteinase 9 and adrenocorticotropic hormone to cortisol ratios, and later adding transforming growth factor beta 1, complement component 4a, vasoactive intestinal peptide and vascular endothelial growth factor.
That same review is candid about the model’s standing, noting it is “not yet widely adopted by conventional medicine” while arguing it offers “a structured, testable framework.”
We think that honesty is the right frame for this page. CIRS is a defensible clinical model with a defined testing approach. It is not universally accepted, and any practitioner who tells you otherwise is not being straight with you.
To be specific about what “not universally accepted” means: CIRS has no ICD diagnostic code, it is not taught in standard medical training, and the biotoxin illness model is actively disputed by parts of the specialist community rather than merely unfamiliar to them. You should know that going in, whoever you see.
More detail on the condition itself is on what CIRS is.
| Signal | Serious practitioner | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis basis | Defined biomarker panel plus history and exposure timeline | Diagnoses from a symptom questionnaire alone |
| Prior records | Wants everything you already have, and reads it | Starts over without looking |
| Honesty about the model | Says openly that CIRS is not universally accepted | Presents it as settled medicine |
| Differential thinking | Actively considers ME/CFS, thyroid, autoimmune disease, infection | Attributes everything to mold from the first visit |
| Building vs body | Distinguishes remediating the building from treating you | Sells you both, or conflates them |
| Outcome language | Talks in probabilities and timelines | Promises resolution |
That fourth row matters more than it looks. The 2025 review notes CIRS is “often misdiagnosed as ME/CFS due to symptom overlap” , and the error runs in both directions. A practitioner who never considers alternatives is not doing differential diagnosis, they are pattern-matching.
A practitioner who answers all six plainly is behaving well. Vagueness on cost or licensure is worth walking away from.
People arrive having spent considerable money testing their house, and still without an answer about their health.
Those are separate questions. The EPA notes that “in most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary,” and that no federal threshold exists for airborne mold. So a building result rarely settles whether you are affected.
The clinical question, whether your body is showing a measurable inflammatory response, is answered by testing you. That is what mold toxicity testing covers.
Both jobs are real. Fix the building and treat the person. Neither substitutes for the other.
CIRS care is sequential, and the order matters more than any single intervention.
Removing ongoing exposure comes first, because treatment against a live exposure rarely holds. Then binding and clearance, then addressing the downstream consequences, hormonal, immune and neurological, that developed while the response ran unchecked.
Dr. Mueller’s approach builds the body before pushing hard on clearance, because patients who arrive depleted cannot absorb an aggressive protocol. The staged version is on the CIRS treatment protocol.
Not universally. A 2025 review describes the model as not yet widely adopted by conventional medicine, while arguing it provides a structured, testable framework. That is the honest position.
The clearest signal is whether they diagnose from a defined biomarker panel and exposure history rather than symptoms alone, and whether they will say openly that the model is contested.
Usually not. The work is history, records review and lab interpretation, which is deliverable by telehealth. Licensure in your state is the real constraint.
They overlap heavily and CIRS is often misdiagnosed as ME/CFS. The distinction argued in the literature is that CIRS has a reproducible biomarker panel while ME/CFS lacks a validated one.
If there is visible growth or known water damage, address that regardless. But building testing does not tell you whether your body is responding, which is the clinical question.
It varies widely and depends on exposure history and how long the response has been running. Anyone quoting you a fixed timeline before seeing your labs is guessing.
Every source below was checked against the specific claim it supports.
Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Diane Mueller, ND, DAOM, LAc. Dr. Mueller is a naturopathic doctor and licensed acupuncturist who has worked with more than 1,000 patients across the seven states where MyLymeDoc is licensed. Read more about the team.
Last reviewed: August 28, 2026
If the directories above do not turn up someone who fits, and you live in one of the seven states we are licensed in, you can book an initial visit.
Either way, use the six questions. The goal is that you end up with a practitioner who can actually help, not necessarily this one.
This page is for general educational purposes and is not medical advice. It does not create a doctor and patient relationship, and it is not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from your own clinician. Always talk with a qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
We have helped thousands of people in Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin restore their health and quality of life by diagnosing and treating their Lyme Disease.
We have helped thousands of
people restore their health
and quality of life by diagnosing
and treating their Lyme Disease.
“Dr. Mueller’s approach to medicine is refreshing! There is only so much you can do with western medicine and in my life I was needing a new approach. By addressing the whole body, nutritional diet factors, environmental factors, blood work, and incorporating ideas I had not previously known, I was able to break through with my conditions. I am not only experiencing less pain in my life, but through the process of healing guided by Dr. Diane Mueller, I am now happy to say I have more consciousness surrounding how I eat, what to eat and when things are appropriate. Living by example Dr. Mueller has a vibrancy that makes you want to learn and know more about your body and overall health. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for new answers, a new approach to health, or in need of freedom from pain and limitations.”
-Storie S.
Kihei, HI
