What is mold illness?

Mold illness, also called Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), is a multi-system, multi-symptom illness triggered by exposure to biotoxins produced by mold in water-damaged buildings. It affects the immune, neurological, hormonal, and gastrointestinal systems and is frequently misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, or chronic fatigue syndrome.

What are the symptoms of mold illness?

Mold illness symptoms span multiple body systems and include fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, headaches, joint pain, muscle aches, shortness of breath, chronic sinus issues, sensitivity to light, mood changes, anxiety, depression, digestive problems, and sleep disturbances. Symptoms often worsen in water-damaged environments and improve temporarily when away from them.

Why do most doctors miss mold illness?

Most conventional physicians are not trained in Environmental Medicine and are unfamiliar with mycotoxin testing or CIRS diagnostic criteria. Symptoms overlap with many other conditions, and standard lab panels often miss mold illness entirely. Specialized testing including urine mycotoxin panels, inflammatory marker panels, and HLA-DR genetic testing are required for accurate diagnosis.

How is mold illness diagnosed?

Mold illness is diagnosed through a combination of a detailed patient history, environmental exposure assessment, and specialized laboratory testing including urine mycotoxin testing, inflammatory markers (TGF-beta, MMP-9, C4a), HLA-DR genetic susceptibility testing, and visual contrast sensitivity testing. At Deeper Healing, diagnosis begins with a comprehensive intake questionnaire and is confirmed through targeted lab panels.

How is mold illness treated?

Effective mold illness treatment requires first removing the patient from the source of exposure, then systematically reducing mycotoxin burden in the body using binders, detoxification protocols, IV nutritional therapy, cellular cleanse therapies, and immune system support. At Deeper Healing, treatment follows a sequenced protocol that addresses each phase of recovery — elimination, detoxification, and rebuilding — in the correct order.

Do I have to live in Charleston to become a patient at Deeper Healing?

No. Deeper Healing serves patients from across the United States. Many travel to Charleston for the Stay + Heal program, an immersive multi-day treatment experience designed specifically for patients who cannot access this level of care locally. Mycotoxin home test kits can also be shipped to your location before your first visit.

What is mycotoxin testing and do I need it?

Mycotoxin testing is a urine-based laboratory test that measures the presence and levels of specific fungal toxins in your body. It is one of the most direct ways to confirm biotoxin exposure. Deeper Healing offers both in-office and mail-in home testing kits. If you have unexplained chronic symptoms — especially fatigue, brain fog, or immune dysfunction — mycotoxin testing is an important diagnostic step.

Does insurance cover mold illness treatment at Deeper Healing?

Deeper Healing is a self-pay practice. Most environmental and functional medicine services are not covered by conventional health insurance. However, financing options are available to make treatment accessible. Patients frequently find that the investment in root-cause treatment reduces or eliminates the ongoing costs of managing symptoms through conventional care.

Can mold illness cause autoimmune disease?

Yes. Prolonged mycotoxin exposure and the chronic inflammatory response it triggers can activate or worsen autoimmune conditions. Mold illness is frequently misdiagnosed as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and sarcoidosis. At Deeper Healing, we assess environmental toxin exposure as a root cause in all autoimmune presentations.

How long does it take to recover from mold illness?

Recovery from mold illness varies significantly depending on duration of exposure, mycotoxin burden, genetic susceptibility, and whether the patient has been removed from the source. Some patients experience significant improvement within weeks of beginning a targeted protocol. Others with longer-standing illness and higher toxin loads require months of treatment. At Deeper Healing, patients typically report meaningful progress during and shortly after their initial treatment period.

Watch on DrTalks

Your EMF Pendant Isn’t The Fix — Why Harmonizing Beats Blocking Cory Hillis, Founder, EMF Solutions

Blocking vs. harmonizing. Cory shares his perspective on why traditional EMF blocking methods (like pendants or partial Faraday cages) often fall short against modern technology, and why he considers harmonizing the “subatomic chaos” a more comprehensive strategy for the whole home.
Fiber optics and increased exposure. Cory discusses his estimate that high-speed underground fiber optic cables carry a signal frequency dramatically higher than a standard router — up to 40,000 times, by his estimate — and shares why he believes this adds to the cellular stress he describes for people living near this infrastructure.
Cell phones and heat. Cory explains the physics of how microwaves heat food by vibrating molecules to create friction, and shares his view that holding a cell phone to the head may create a similar, low-level friction effect.
Harmonizing and sleep: one personal account. Danielle shares that, in her own experience, she noticed a return to deeper, more restorative sleep after harmonizing her home’s electrical system. This is an individual account, not a typical or guaranteed result.
A practical preference: wired over Bluetooth. The conversation includes a tip Cory shares: he personally prefers wired headphones over Bluetooth earbuds as one way to reduce radiofrequency exposure near the head. This is a personal preference, not a medical recommendation.

About the Expert

Danielle Howley

The Deeper Healing Podcast

Deeper Healing, the renowned Functional + Environmental Medical Center recognized as one of the best in the world, is home to an elite team of practitioners that share the belief that true healing lies within. Using the DEEPER Healing paradigm as the foundation, they treat patients using a progressive medical toolbox that encourages healing the body naturally in a sustainable and lasting way. The state-of-the-art facility serves as a treatment center for those suffering with dis-ease and an educational hub dedicated to teaching practitioners the progressive, unique protocols and empowering individuals to take control of their health destiny.

Guest

Cory Hillis

Scientist & Principal Inventor at EMF Solutions

Cory is a Scientist and the principal inventor of EMF Solutions products. He teaches practitioners and other key associates how to become Certified EMF SpecialistsTM.

In addition to being a Certified EMF Specialist and Trainer, Cory received additional holistic-practitioner training and certifications, including Quantum Reflex Analysis (QRA), Advanced Training for QRA (to doctors, chiropractors, and others), and Clinical Nutrition and Weight Management Consultancy.

Cory is intensely passionate about helping others. This stems from first-hand knowledge that EMF remediation played in his personal journey from a devastating physical condition to restoring excellent health. Previously, as a Holistic practitioner, Cory could not find any solutions that fully remediated EMFs. So he set out to study, learn, and create the first solution that addressed the proven root cause of how EMFs harm us. Eventually, he found a solution that fully worked.

Cory’s drive to benefit others and advance his EMF knowledge has resulted in thousands of individual referrals and testimonials. In turn, the exponential growth of EMF Solutions Inc. has been an amazing blessing.