Effects of chemicals

Many aspects of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are confusing. It is clear that there is considerable disagreement among the medical community as to the nature of the disease. Some doctors believe MCS has a physical cause, others believe it has a psychological cause, and still others point to physical and psychological factors. Some doctors suggest that MCS can even be a class of several diseases. * *

Many MCS patients report that significant initial exposure to a toxin such as a pesticide caused their condition; others indicate repeated or chronic exposure to lower toxin levels. Once MCS is acquired, patients will react with various symptoms to a variety of seemingly unrelated chemicals that they may have previously tolerated, such as perfumes and cleaning products. Hence the term "multiple chemical sensitivity". Take Joyce.

Joyce got lice at school. Then they sprayed a pesticide on his head. Joyce's health deteriorated and she became intolerant of many chemicals that previously did not bother her. These include household cleaners, air fresheners, perfumes, shampoos, and gasoline. “My eyes close,” says Joyce, “and my sinuses become infected, causing headaches and nausea so severe that I get sick for days. . . . I've had so much pneumonia that my lungs are scarred like someone who's smoked for 40 years and I've never smoked! ""

Chronic exposure to lower toxin levels, which has also been suggested as a factor in MCS, can occur externally or internally. Indeed, in the past few decades, the outbreak of disease due to indoor air pollution has led to the use of the term "disease formation syndrome".

Disease-forming syndrome

Sick Building Syndrome emerged in the 1970s when many naturally ventilated houses, schools, and offices were replaced with air-conditioned, airtight buildings to save energy. These buildings and their furniture are often used to incorporate insulation, treated wood, volatile adhesives, and synthetic fabrics and carpets.

Many of these products release small amounts of potentially harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde into the air, especially when new. Carpets add to the problem by picking up various cleaning products and solvents and releasing them over a long period of time. "Various solvent vapors are the most common indoor air pollutants," says Chemical Exposure: Low Concentrations, High Risks. "Solvents" are one of the chemicals most common in chemically sensitive patients, "the book says.

Although most people seem able to handle the surroundings of these buildings, some develop symptoms that range from asthma and other respiratory problems to headaches and lethargy. These symptoms usually go away when people leave these surroundings. In some cases, "patients may develop multiple chemical sensitivities," says the British medical journal The Lancet. But why are some sick with chemicals and others not? This is an important issue because some people who seem unaffected may find it difficult to support those who get sick.

We are all different

It is good to remember that we all react differently to different active substances, be it chemicals, germs or viruses. Factors that influence the reactions include genetic makeup, age, gender, health status, medication you may have taken, pre-existing illnesses and lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption. , Tobacco or drugs.

In the case of drugs, for example, their uniqueness determines "whether a drug works and what side effects it can have," says New Scientist Magazine. Some of these side effects can be serious and even death. Normally, proteins called enzymes remove foreign chemicals such as chemicals and pollutants from the body that are absorbed during daily activities. But when these "homemade" enzymes are defective, possibly due to inheritance, past damage from toxins, or malnutrition, foreign chemicals can reach dangerous levels. * *

MCS has been compared to a group of blood disorders associated with enzymes called porphyrias. Often times, the way people with certain porphyries react to chemicals, from vehicle emissions to perfumes, is similar to how people with MCS.

The mind is also affected

A victim of MCS told Awake! that certain common chemicals make you feel good. She said, “I've seen personality changes: being angry, excited, irritable, scared, sluggish. . . . These symptoms can last from a few hours to several days. They then have a hangover and suffer from various degrees of depression.

These effects are not uncommon in people with MCS. Dr. Claudia Miller says, “More than a dozen countries report mental health problems after well-identified chemical exposures, either from exposure to insecticides or from a sick building [syndrome]. . . . We know that workers exposed to solvents are at increased risk of developing panic attacks and depression. . . . Hence, we need to be very careful and remember that the brain is possibly the body's most sensitive organic system to chemical exposure. ""

While exposure to chemicals can lead to mental health problems, many doctors believe that the opposite is also true: psychological problems can contribute to the development of chemical sensitivities. The aforementioned Dr. Miller and Dr. Nicholas Ashford, strong proponent of the physical causes of MCS, recognizes that “psychosocial events such as the death of a spouse or divorce can suppress immune system function and predispose some people to be more sensitive to chemicals in low levels. It is true that the relationship between the psychological and physiological systems is complex. Dr. Another proponent of the physical causes of MCS, Sherry Rogers says that "stress makes people more sensitive to chemicals".

There is something that MCS patients can do to improve their health, or at least relieve their symptoms?

Help for people with MCS

Although there is no known cure for MCS, many patients have managed to relieve their symptoms and others have even managed to return to reasonably normal lives. What helped you deal with it? Some say they benefited from following the doctor's advice to avoid chemicals that trigger their symptoms as much as possible. * Judy, who suffers from MCS, believes it is good for her to avoid it. While Judy was recovering from Epstein-Barr Virus, she was exposed to a pesticide used in her home and later developed MCS.

Like many MCS, Judy reacts to a wide variety of household chemicals. So she does all the cleaning and clothing with pure soaps and baking soda. She considers vinegar to be the most effective fabric softener. Your wardrobe and bedroom contain only natural fibers and fabrics. Her husband does not put his chemically cleaned clothes in his closet until they have been aired in a well-ventilated place for weeks.

Of course, in today's world, it may not be possible for MCS patients to avoid exposure to problematic chemicals. The family doctor in the US says, "The main disadvantage of SCM is often the isolation and withdrawal that occurs when the patient tries to avoid exposure to chemicals." The article suggests that the patient should work and socialize under medical supervision and gradually increase their activity. At the same time they have to control panic attacks and palpitations, learn relaxation and breath control techniques. The aim is to help patients gradually adapt to chemical exposure rather than eliminating them from their lives entirely.

Another important therapy is getting a good night's sleep. David, an MCS patient with virtually no symptoms, attributes some of his recovery to sleeping in a room with plenty of fresh air. Ernest and his wife Lorraine, who suffer from MCS, also found that "a good night's sleep goes a long way towards managing the inevitable exposure to chemicals during the day."

Good nutrition is of course always important to maintain or restore health. In fact, it has been hailed as "the most important part of health care". In order for the body to recover at least as much as possible, its systems must of course function efficiently. Diet supplements can help.

Exercise also contributes to health. When you sweat, it also helps your body release toxins through your skin. A good mood and a sense of humor are just as important as being loved and showing love for others. Indeed, "love and laughter" is the prescription a doctor gives to all of their patients with MCS. Yes, “the joyful heart is good as a healer” - Proverbs 17:22.

However, enjoying loving and happy company can be a major problem for people with MCS who cannot tolerate the perfumes, detergents, deodorants, and other chemicals that most of us encounter in our lives. daily activities. How do people with MCS deal with these circumstances? Equally important, what can other people do to help people with MCS?