Yesterday, I listened to this podcast, in which Jill Carnahan, MD, is interviewed by Dr. Michael Ruscio. Dr. Carnahan is the CIRS expert who lives in Boulder and has a long waiting list. At this link, you can download the podcast and/or read the transcript.
Mold, Mycotoxins, and CIRS with Dr. Jill Carnahan
One thing that has perplexed me about my CIRS test results is that I have a normal C4a (at least I did when I was tested on 6/8/2016). I've read and heard over and over that an elevated C4a is a key biomarker for mold illness.
Well, according to Dr. Carnahan, if a patient's C4a is elevated, "it’s very likely that they’ve had a recent mold exposure."
I wanted to confirm this information because I'm hoping my home is relatively mold free (I just ordered my ERMI test kit today). I found the following tidbits from Dr. Carnahan in the comments section under her blog post,
The Low Mold Diet. I've excerpted the relevant text below.
February 26, 2016 at 9:10 pm
Elevated C4a is related to acute exposure so the most important thing is to get out of the place where you are being exposed or remediate.
May 29, 2016 at 6:53 pm
C4a will go down a few weeks after you avoid exposure.
Also, today I spoke with an analyst at Mycometrics, where I ordered the ERMI test kit. I asked if it's possible that my home environment could be relatively free of mold (safe for me as a CIRS patient), but I could be sick from prior mold exposure—even from years ago. She said yes.
In my case, my symptoms precede living in my current home, which my husband and I bought two years ago. However, I have had multiple prior mold exposures. So my fingers are crossed, hoping my ERMI results will come back showing that I am, indeed, living in a relatively mold-free home.
ApoE 4/4 - When I was in 7th grade, my fellow students in history class called me "The Brain" because I had such a memory for detail. I excelled at memorization and aced tests. This childhood memory helps me cope!