Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker on “Lab Tests”
Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker discusses the laboratory abnormalities that he looks at when diagnosing mold-related illness (what he calls “Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome” or “CIRS”) on a page of the Surviving Mold website.
The page lists HLA DR genetic types as well as the reference ranges that he suggests using for diagnostic purposes.
From the article:
MSH – Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone
Normal Range: 35-81 pg/mL
Alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) has multiple anti-inflammatory and neurohormonal regulatory functions, exerting regulatory control on peripheral cytokine release, as well as on both anterior and posterior pituitary function.
In mold illness, MSH will be too low in over 95% of patients. This means increased susceptibility to mold illness, ongoing fatigue, pain, hormone abnormalities, mood swings, and much more.
MSH is a hormone, called a regulatory neuropeptide, and it controls many other hormones, inflammation pathways, and basic defenses against invading microbes.
Without MSH, bad things happen; chronic sleep disorders with non-restful sleep develop, and endorphin production is reduced, so chronic pain follows.
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