The CIRS Compass

You know something is wrong.

Nobody else seems to.

You're tired in a way sleep doesn't fix. Brain fog rolls in, and you lose words mid-sentence. Your joints ache. You're anxious in a way that doesn't match your life. You've been told it's stress, or hormones, or your age, or nothing at all.

It might be the building.

About 1 in 4 people carry genes that make it hard to clear the toxins that grow in water-damaged buildings. Nearly half of American homes show signs of dampness or mold. The result can be Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), an illness that is real, measurable, and treatable. Most doctors were never taught to look for it. You're not imagining it. And you're not the only one.

The CIRS Compass walks you through every phase of CIRS, from your first appointment and the chaos of early diagnosis, through the hard and nonlinear middle of the Shoemaker Protocol®, all the way to the hope that exists on the other side of it. Every stage has a place here.

This is the book I needed when I was diagnosed, and I couldn't find it anywhere. It explains what CIRS is, how it's confirmed, and what it really costs. It helps you talk to a doctor who doesn't believe you. And it gently covers what this illness does to the people who care about you. Every page is written in plain language, so you can follow it even on your foggiest days.

The Four Points of the Compass

The illness is named after four letters. So is the way out.

C

Clarity

What CIRS is, what it's doing inside you, and why nobody caught it sooner.

I

Investigation

Finding a practitioner who knows this illness and getting the testing that proves what you already suspect.

R

Remediation

Getting out of what makes you sick, and knowing what to do the next time you walk into it.

S

Support

The protocol, the daily work of rebuilding, and the people who carry it with you.

Inside, you'll find

• What CIRS is, and why it's so often missed
• The thirteen symptom clusters used to help identify it
• The lab tests that matter, and what to ask your doctor for
• A plain-language guide to the Shoemaker Protocol, step by step
• How to test your home, hire the right help, and get to a safe space
• Everyday living with CIRS, from cleaning and laundry to food and travel
• Support for caregivers and the people who care about you
• A page to hand your doctor, a worksheet for the costs, and a plan for after treatment ends

And so much more.

Who this book is for

This book is for you if you've just been diagnosed and don't know where to start, if you suspect CIRS but haven't found a doctor who will listen, or if you care about someone who's living with it. It's written in plain language, so it's easy to follow even on hard days. And if you've ever been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or tried to read about CIRS and found it too technical and confusing on your worst day, it was written with you in mind.

I wrote this book for the version of me who sat in a doctor's office being told everything looked normal while I felt like I was slipping away. If that's you right now, I understand. And you don't have to figure this out alone.

Karin

The CIRS Compass is in final production!

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About Karin

Karin Scarpone is a CIRS patient, advocate, and the author of The CIRS Compass. After a year of being told her labs were normal while her health quietly fell apart, her diagnosis in 2023 changed everything. It set her on a path to connect with leading practitioners, dig deep into the research, and write down what nobody had told her. She lived this illness before she wrote about it.

Let's connect!

Follow along on Instagram at ​@thecirscompass​ for tips, encouragement, and updates on the book.