CIRS/Mould Illness Treatment

1. Liver detoxification pathways and supportive nutrients.

   
   

   Phase I – Activation

   What happens: The liver uses enzymes (mainly the Cytochrome P450 family) to transform toxins — including medications, alcohol, hormones, and environmental chemicals — into more reactive intermediates.

   The catch: These intermediates are often more toxic than the original substances.

   Enzymes involved: CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP3A4, etc.

   Key nutrients for support:

   • B Vitamins (especially B2, B3, B6, B9, B12)

   • Glutathione

   • Magnesium

   • Flavonoids (e.g., Quercetin)

   
   

   Phase II – Conjugation

   What happens: The body neutralises those reactive intermediates by attaching them to molecules like glutathione, sulphur, or amino acids, making them water-soluble and safe for excretion.

   Main pathways include:

   • Glutathione conjugation

   • Sulfation

   • Glucuronidation

   • Methylation

   • Acetylation

   • Amino acid conjugation

   Key nutrients for support:

   • Sulfur-rich foods: garlic, onions, cruciferous veg

   • Amino acids: glycine, taurine, cysteine, methionine

   • NAC (N-acetylcysteine) – precursor to glutathione

   • Choline, SAMe, and methylfolate – for methylation

   • Magnesium & B6 – enzyme cofactors

   
   

   Phase III – Transport & Elimination

   What happens: These now-neutralised toxins get shuttled out of cells and into bile or urine for elimination.

   Main routes: Bile → stool (via the gallbladder); kidneys → urine.

   Key support strategies:

   • Hydration – helps kidneys flush waste

   • Gut health: you need a healthy microbiome to support Phase III detox

   • Bile flow support: see below

   • Fibre – binds toxins in the gut, prevents reabsorption (see below for more info)

Strategy	Why It Helps
Eat the rainbow	Antioxidants support Phase I & II pathways
Cruciferous vegetables	Induce detox enzymes & boost glutathione
Protein-rich diet	Provides amino acids for Phase II conjugation
Limit alcohol, processed foods & toxins	Less burden = more capacity for detox
Exercise & sweating	Enhances elimination through skin & lymph
Avoid constipation	Stagnation = reabsorption of toxins
Herbs: Milk thistle, Schisandra, Burdock	Support liver cell regeneration & bile flow

⚠️ Detox Caution

Supporting detox pathways doesn’t mean forcing them open with 10 supplements at once. If Phase I outpaces Phase II, you'll be stuck with a backlog of reactive intermediates — the biochemical version of lighting a fire before the fire extinguisher arrives. So if you're dealing with chronic illness (CIRS, MCAS, etc.), "gentle, supported, and well-paced" should be your detox mantra.

2. Supporting the Gall Bladder

1. Lemon Water: Drink 1-2 cups of filtered water with lemon juice and/or apple cider vinegar (1-2 tbsp per cup) each morning upon rising.

2. Hydrate: Drink 2-3L of water depending on your body weight. You can add in antioxidant extracts and drink fermented beverages like coconut water kefir.

3. Fresh Vegetable Juices: Juicing fresh veggies such as kale, parsley, coriander, watercress, bok choy, beets, carrots, cucumbers, celery is highly advised. The phytonutrients are highly bioavailable in fresh juice and they will help to cleanse the liver and gallbladder. Go slowly because juices can be very effective detox starters!

4. Intermittent Fasting: Take stress off your digestive system by doing a water/green juice/bone broth fast for 16 hrs each day.

5. Anti-Inflammatory Herbs: Look for ways to get more ginger, turmeric, oregano, garlic, basil, thyme, milk thistle, stinging nettle, peppermint into your system. You can add dried or fresh herbs to your meals or use organic herbal teas.

6. Fermented Foods: Consuming small amounts of fermented foods can be very therapeutic for the liver and gall bladder. This includes kimchi, sauerkraut, coconut milk kefir, apple cider vinegar, natural pickles, coconut yoghurt and coconut water kefir.

7. Castor Oil Packs: Castor oil works to thin the bile and dilate the bile ducts. Make a castor oil pack and put it over your liver/gallbladder region for 15-30 minutes each week.

8. Coffee Enemas: This is the most powerful way to help detoxify your liver and gallbladder. Find out more in this article by Dr Jill Carnahan.

9. Healthy Fibre Sources: Fibre helps to bind to toxins in the digestive system and also feeds the microbiota. Be sure to get over 30 grams of fibre daily, especially insoluble fibres like flaxseed meal, chia seeds and psyllium husk.

10. Liver Detoxifying Supplement: Look for one with milk thistle and other bitter herbs like globe artichoke, gentian and dandelion root. If you are just starting out then start on a low dose to judge tolerance and slowly titrate up.

3. Preventing reabsorption of toxins

When it comes to biotoxin exposure, we need to break the cycle of enterohepatic recirculation and systemic absorption of toxins. Enterohepatic circulation is a critical system of the body that governs the progression of bile from the liver, through the gallbladder, into the small intestine and back again to the liver. Almost all bile is naturally recirculated in this manner, so unless there are specific insoluble fibres and binders present in the GI tract, they will be reabsorbed by the hepatic portal vein and continue to put a strain on the detox organs.

If the GI tract is permeable (AKA leaky gut), toxins can also leak into the blood stream through lack of tight junction integrity. A high insoluble fibre diet can be incredibly helpful, but unfortunately many biotoxins like those produced by mould are not so easy to bind and need to be specifically targeted with certain binders. It is best to seek support from a qualified practitioner when starting any detox protocol, but if you are attempting detox on your own then you should start with small amounts and titrate up as tolerated.

Here is a table summarising the best binders to use for each specific mycotoxin that may show up on your urine analysis. Credit goes to Joe Mather, Neil Nathan, Jill Crista and Beth O'Hara for putting this information together.

You can find more info about mould illness testing and treatment at drkatehealth.com/mould-illness and via Dr Kate's YouTube page. Please email the HHN Clinic nutrify@drkatehealth.com or book a free Discovery Call at www.drkatehealth.com/service-page/discovery-call if you need help navigating CIRS treatment.