10/20/2026
Why do some people with CIRS feel so exhausted? Dr. Shoemaker and his team explain a theory about the body’s energy system in their 2020 paper. Let’s dive into the data.
Think of your cells as tiny power plants. In this theory, the instructions that tell the cells how to build parts and make energy get turned down, like a dimmer switch. That’s what “hypometabolism” means: lower-than-normal energy-making activity. The study found this pattern in blood tests of most people with CIRS in their data.
Your cells burn sugar for fuel. Normally, the sugar’s breakdown product goes into the cell’s “power plant” to make lots of energy. In this theory, the door to the power plant gets stuck shut. The cell switches to a backup method that makes much less energy and leaves lactic acid behind.
Some patients also have a signal that pulls extra sugar into cells. So more fuel arrives, but the power plant is closed. The result is a pile-up of lactic acid, like a loading dock with the warehouse locked.
The study looked at records from 112 patients. In the group with both patterns (62 people):
1) 85% had signs of extra acid in the blood
2) 80% had higher pressure in the lung’s blood vessels
3) They also showed more shrinkage in certain brain areas than the healthy comparison group
The author suggests this energy problem could connect to:
1) Acid build-up in the blood
2) Lung blood pressure problems
3) Brain changes
4) Possibly blood sugar and immune problems too (these are ideas, not measured in this study)
The study says that patients who completed the Shoemaker protocol improved, and that the gene patterns moved back toward normal.
Comment “study” for the link to the full 2020 paper.
Follow along for more research and education on all things biotoxin illness, inflammation, and CIRS.
