Colorado Mold Illness Doctor | Naturopathic Telehealth Care
Specialized telehealth care for patients throughout Colorado
If you have been dealing with chronic fatigue, brain fog, digestive problems, anxiety, sensitivities, or symptoms that no doctor has been able to fully explain, toxic mold exposure may be what is keeping you sick.
I’m Dr. Karen Cureton, a licensed naturopathic physician with more than a decade of experience treating complex chronic illness. I provide mold-literate naturopathic medical care via telehealth to patients throughout Colorado, including Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Durango, Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton, Golden, and anywhere else in Colorado.
Licensed Naturopathic Physician | CIRS Specialist
✔ Mold Literate Doctor
✔ Telehealth for Oregon and Colorado
What Is CIRS?
CIRS stands for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. It is a chronic, systemic inflammatory condition triggered by exposure to biotoxins, most commonly toxic mold and the bacteria, mycotoxins, and other toxins that come with it.
When a person with a specific genetic susceptibility is exposed to these biotoxins, their immune system is unable to recognize and clear them properly. Instead of resolving, the immune response stays activated. Inflammation becomes chronic. Multiple body systems begin to break down.
CIRS is not an allergy. It is not a sensitivity. It is a measurable, testable immune and inflammatory dysfunction that affects the nervous system, hormonal system, immune system, digestive system, and cardiovascular system simultaneously.
Approximately 25 percent of the population carries the genetic HLA-DR variants that make them susceptible to CIRS. For these individuals, mold exposure that others tolerate without significant illness can cause severe, multi-system chronic disease.
CIRS Symptoms
Common CIRS symptoms include:
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Chronic fatigue that does not improve with rest
Cognitive impairment, brain fog, memory problems, and difficulty concentrating
Chronic headaches and migraines
Muscle weakness, joint pain, and unusual muscle cramps
Numbness, tingling, or nerve pain
Shortness of breath and air hunger
Chronic sinus congestion and sinus infections
Digestive problems including nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea
Sleep disturbances and insomnia
Anxiety, depression, and mood instability
Light sensitivity, blurred vision, and red eyes
Excessive thirst and frequent urination
Temperature dysregulation
Weight gain that does not respond to diet or exercise
Chemical and environmental sensitivities
Post-exertional malaise
If you recognize your symptom picture here and have a history of water-damaged building exposure, CIRS testing is the logical next step. See [Mold Toxicity Testing and Diagnosis] for the full panel I use.
CIRS produces a wide and seemingly unrelated set of symptoms across multiple body systems. This is one of the reasons it is so frequently missed or misdiagnosed.
How CIRS Is Different from General Mold Toxicity
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A person can have mold toxicity without meeting the full criteria for CIRS. However, CIRS usually stems from mold toxicity, although other biotoxins can be triggering the process too like endotoxins and actinomycetes. The distinction matters because CIRS requires a more targeted and sequenced treatment approach than mold toxicity alone.
See [Mold Toxicity Treatment] for a broader overview of how I approach mold illness treatment.
Mold toxicity and CIRS overlap significantly but are not the same thing.
Mold toxicity refers broadly to the effects of mycotoxin accumulation in the body. Most people exposed to significant amounts of toxic mold will experience some degree of mold toxicity, and develop some symptoms, though those symptoms may vary a lot from person to person.
CIRS is a specific immune and inflammatory dysfunction that occurs in genetically susceptible individuals. It involves measurable dysregulation of specific immune markers, hormonal pathways, and inflammatory mediators that do not resolve when the exposure stops.
How CIRS Is Diagnosed
CIRS diagnosis involves a combination of clinical history, symptom assessment, lab testing, and visual contrast sensitivity testing.
Clinical History and Exposure Assessment
The first step is a thorough history of your symptoms, their timeline, and any known or possible exposure to water-damaged buildings, mold, or other biotoxin sources. Many patients have no known history of visible mold but have spent time in buildings with hidden water damage.
Visual Contrast Sensitivity Test
The VCS test is a simple visual test that measures the brain's ability to detect contrast at low light levels. Biotoxin illness, including CIRS, reliably impairs this function. A failed VCS test in the context of the right symptom picture is a strong indicator that biotoxin illness is present.
CIRS Lab Panel
A full CIRS panel includes markers that assess immune dysregulation, inflammatory pathways, hormonal disruption, and neurotoxic burden. This typically includes HLA-DR genetic typing, MMP-9, TGF-beta1, MSH, VIP, ACTH and cortisol, ADH and osmolality, VEGF, C4a, and other markers depending on the clinical picture.
These are not standard labs. Most conventional doctors do not order or interpret them. I order and interpret this full panel as part of my CIRS evaluation.
Environmental Testing
Identifying and confirming the source of biotoxin exposure is part of the diagnostic process. This may involve ERMI testing, mycotoxin testing, endotoxin testing, actinomycetes testing, or other environmental assessments of your home or workplace.
See [Mold Toxicity Testing and Diagnosis] for the full breakdown of testing I use.
CIRS Treatment: How I Approach It
CIRS treatment requires a sequenced, systematic approach. The sequence matters because starting certain interventions before others are in place can slow recovery or make symptoms worse.
Remove the Biotoxin Source
Treatment cannot succeed while active exposure continues. The first priority is confirming and addressing the source of biotoxin exposure, whether that means remediation, relocation, or both.
Mycotoxin Elimination and Binders
Once exposure is controlled, the next step is clearing accumulated mycotoxins from the body using targeted binders and detox support. Different binders work on different mycotoxins, and the protocol is built around your specific toxin profile and your detox capacity.
See [Mold Detox Protocol and Binders] for a detailed breakdown of how I approach this step.
Correcting Immune and Inflammatory Dysregulation
CIRS involves specific measurable immune and inflammatory abnormalities. Breaking this inflammatory cycle is a critical part of CIRS treatment, and where working with a CIRS literate doctor makes the biggest difference.
Hormonal and Neurological Support
CIRS disrupts multiple hormonal pathways including MSH, VIP, ACTH, cortisol, ADH, and others. These disruptions drive many of the most debilitating symptoms of CIRS including fatigue, cognitive impairment, sleep dysfunction, and temperature dysregulation. Correcting these requires targeted support based on your specific lab picture.
Gut Repair and Microbiome Support
CIRS and mold toxicity cause significant damage to the gut lining and microbiome. Gut repair is a necessary part of CIRS treatment, not an optional add-on, because gut dysfunction impairs toxin elimination and perpetuates immune dysregulation.
Nervous System Healing
CIRS keeps the nervous system in a chronic state of stress and threat response. Even when the biotoxin load is addressed, many patients with CIRS remain stuck because the nervous system has not reset. I address nervous system dysregulation as a core part of CIRS recovery, not a separate issue.
See [Nervous System Healing for Chronic Illness] for how I approach this.
Mold Colonization Treatment
Some patients with CIRS also have active fungal colonization in the sinuses, digestive tract, or lungs. This requires specific antifungal treatment alongside the broader CIRS protocol. When present, colonization must be addressed or it will continue driving immune activation and symptoms.
Naturopathic CIRS Treatment vs Conventional Approaches
Conventional medicine rarely diagnoses or treats CIRS
Most patients are told their labs are normal, their symptoms are from stress or anxiety, or they are given diagnoses like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or depression without identifying the underlying driver.
Naturopathic CIRS treatment uses the same evidence-based testing framework used by CIRS literate physicians but integrates it with a broader approach to healing that includes gut health, nutritional support, nervous system healing, and individualized treatment protocols.
I use prescription medications when appropriate. I also use targeted supplements, herbal medicine, and lifestyle interventions based on what your body actually needs. The approach is built around your labs and your clinical picture, not a rigid one size fits all protocol.
CIRS Treatment for Oregon and Colorado Patients
I provide CIRS testing and treatment via telehealth for patients across Oregon and Colorado.
If you are in Oregon and looking for a CIRS doctor, see Mold Illness Care in Oregon
If you are in Colorado and looking for a CIRS doctor, see Mold Illness Care in Colorado
Frequently Asked Questions
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The distinction requires specific lab testing and a clinical evaluation. CIRS involves measurable immune and inflammatory dysregulation that goes beyond general mycotoxin accumulation. Many patients have elements of both. The right testing tells us what is actually happening so treatment can be targeted appropriately. See [Mold Toxicity Testing and Diagnosis].
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CIRS can go into full remission with proper treatment. Many patients recover significantly and return to normal or near normal function. The genetic susceptibility does not go away, which means future biotoxin exposures need to be taken seriously. But the active inflammatory process can be resolved with the right treatment approach.
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It varies based on how long you were exposed, how much damage has accumulated, how well your detox pathways function, and how your body responds to treatment. CIRS is a complex condition and recovery is rarely linear. What I can tell you is that when the right drivers are identified and addressed in the right order, the body has a much better chance of actually healing.
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No, I have found that to be effective in treating CIRS, the Shoemaker protocol does not need to be followed exactly. I usually get better results when I tailor the treatment more specifically to the patient’s body, tolerance, and their exposures. Many patients frankly do not tolerate the Shoemaker protocol, and many others need different and more support than the Shoemaker protocol calls for to recover.
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Treatment can begin and can help support and protect your body, but full recovery requires removing the exposure source. We can work together on treatment while you are planning or working toward remediation or relocation.
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Most conventional doctors are not trained to test for or recognize CIRS. A normal standard blood panel does not rule out CIRS. If you have the right symptom picture and a history of water-damaged building exposure, a proper CIRS evaluation with the right labs is the only way to know.
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Dr. Cureton does not currently treat children under the age of 12.
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Dr. Cureton is not in network with any insurance plans, and most naturopathic and functional medicine treatments are not covered by insurance. That being said, sometimes CIRS testing can be covered by insurance. I recommend checking with your insurance provider. Some patients use HSA or FSA accounts to cover costs.
Ready to Work with a CIRS Doctor Who Actually Understands This Condition?
If you have been sick for years, seen multiple doctors, and still do not have real answers, CIRS may be what has been overlooked.
I provide CIRS testing and naturopathic CIRS treatment via telehealth for patients in Oregon and Colorado. Book a free consult to talk through your history, your symptoms, and whether a full CIRS evaluation makes sense for you.