PIR by Carl Grimes

[Guest guest]

Thank you Carl for taking time to send this to us again. It's very valuable

and I hope all will save it for reference. Not only save it, but read,

digest and apply. I'll be doing the same.

Since you have given me approval to share your posts with other groups, I

will take the liberty of forwarding this to the Canadian MCS group and

perhaps one other.

Much respect,

Rosie

On Behalf Of Carl E. Grimes

and group,

I'm not sure of the " esteemed " part, but as the author of Personal

Impact Rating I will repeat below that part of my post from Feb 24.

First, however, I'm just now getting caught up on my e-mail including

this discussion. (I've been out of town since Thursday and my e-mail

wouldn't download for some reason.)

Sharon, included is my opinion to your question about why reactivity

changes. Dynamic combination of susceptibility and exposure. Same as

why did someone catch the flu last week and not the week before? The

same flu " bugs " were present.

First, good news. I presented Friday at the national conference in

Savannah of the Association of Specialists in Cleaning & Restoration

(ASCR) http://www.ascr.org/

Dr Eugene Cole spoke on cleaning for the immuno-compromised. I

followed him with the topic of " Susceptible Occupants " with an

emphasis on the need for contractors and consultants to identify them

and then how to change the standard operating procedure to meet the

individual needs. There was excellent attendance, good questions

showing legitimate interest that kept me past my ending time.

As I've previously posted (the same Feb 24 post), the history of

understanding and acceptance is very slow but it is increasing.

Private conversations were extremely encouraging. However, it takes

time to " trickle down " to some in the field.

As for a " cure " I don't claim that there is one. Those of us that get

ill from exposure will continue to do so - WHEN exposed. How quickly

the impact stops depends on many factors. BUT that doesn't mean we

are helpless and should sit idlely by doing nothing while waiting for

a cure. You need to act NOW.

Nobody is going to - or can - " fix " us, so we must improve our

awareness and diligence - just like we want the contractors and

consultants I spoke to - to IMPROVE our situation. Some of us won't

improve much and we won't know until you try. Others will improve a

lot and they won't know until they try. Stopping exposure and

improving your susceptibility (health) are BOTH necessary.

Finally, the fundamental purpose of avoiding and/or reducing exposure

as much as possible is so the body can " clear " or at least be less

impacted. It's took me over 12 years to reach a point where I'm not

so reactive to exposures. In other words, it takes a bigger exposure

over a longer period of time to affect me. The impact is less and I

recover more quickly. Net result is my " clear " time is far greater

than my " impacted " time. It used to be that my " impacted " time was

almost all the time. That is how I " measure " where I am in the

process. CSM, anti-fungals, etc help a lot now but if I don't

minimize or stop my exposures with avoidance then no medicine works.

Now for the Personal Impact Rating (PIR).

PIR is a 6 point scale based on the overall impact exposures have on

your life, irrespective of what causes the problems, what type of

problems or by how much exposure.

PIR 1 - No impact. There are no absolutes but some people insist

nothing affects them. The only time that is true is when you are

dead.

PIR 2 - They recognize impact and a need to do something but they are

easily distracted. Besides, they can ignore it and it will go away.

And that what all of us should do, they insist, just ignore it. An

example for me was tooth after a filling was replaced. The gum was

sore and the tooth reacted to cold. I'd start to call the dentist but

the phone would ring or I had an appointment or I had to go out of

town. I just didn't get around to it.

PIR 3 - It can't wait, you must do something now. But it is easily

remedied and you can (fairly) quickly get back to a routine. The

routine may have changed - get rid of the mold - but you have a

routine. For my tooth, it came and went for two weeks before it got

bad enough to stop my life and I had take care of it. All it needed

was a bite adjustment and I'm back to my routine. Slight

interruption.

PIR 4 - You have no routine because you react to so many exposure

sources so strongly that you are almost always sick, recovering from

exposures or avoiding locations that have made you ill in the past.

You experience many complaints, many doctors, many diagnosis and

many treatment failures. The impact is disruptive and life altering.

The remedy is life altering. Many in this group are at this level.

PIR 5 - Disability. You are too sick to work or take care of family

let alone yourself. Financial ruin is the rule. A number on this

group are a 5.

PIR 6 - The dispossessed. They are the individuals - three or four

hundred estimated - who can get slight relief only by isolating

themselves from as many exposures as possible. They live outside in

tents or porcelan trailors, sometimes moving to high desert regions.

I've had 9 clients reach this point in the past 19 years. Some of you

have experienced this level.

I will now add that once a 3 then always at least a 3 but it could

advance to a 4, 5 or even 6 if you don't reduce exposures and your

body weakens sufficiently. Not everyone will but there is that

potential. But a 3 can live as a 2, at least most of the time. Also,

once a 6 always a 6. But through self awareness, learning a few

management practices and with increased diligence you don't have to

LIVE as a 6. Even without a cure you might be able to reduce the

" impact " to a 5 or 4 or 3 with management. Yes, CSM and other

treatments can help tremendously. But they aren't a cure for exposure

anymore than there is a cure for preventing broken bones in a car

crash.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC