Misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and often missed all together, CIRS is a misunderstood biotoxin illness that plagues about 25% of Americans— including me. Often misdiagnosed or missed entirely, it is a silent epidemic. I’m not a medical expert, but I’ve lived with CIRS most of my life. I want to demystify this illness so that others like me can feel seen, heard, and find resources to take back their lives.

Essays can be daunting . We often put them off because they feel overwhelming, scary, and like too much work. Thankfully, I had a high...