Allergies & Multiple Chemical Sensitivity For all kinds of allergies and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) support and discussions.


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Old 01-22-2008, 02:26 AM #1
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Lightbulb Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is defined as “a chronic multisystem disorder

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is defined as “a chronic multisystem disorder, usually polysymptomatic, caused by adverse reactions to environmental incitants, modified by individual susceptibility and specific adaptation. The incitants are present in air, water, food, drugs, and our habitat”. That’s pretty much all-inclusive; where do you seek respite from something that’s everywhere?


Roughly forty million Americans try to find the answer to that question every day of their lives. That’s the estimated number who suffer some degree of what has been called ecological illness, twentieth-century disease, and chemical AIDS. The most strongly affected among them live isolated, anxiety-wrought lives in as barren an environment as they can practically (or impracticably) manage. How did this disease come to be; what are the symptoms; is there effective treatment; how can you be cured of the twentieth century?



Ask yourself a few questions: Are you bothered by itching, not just on your skin, but sometimes on the roof of your mouth or in your throat? Are your hands and feet cold? Is your hearing good at some times, poor at others; do you frequently have ringing in your ears? Can you smell things that others seem not to notice? Do perfumes, auto exhaust gasoline, fresh paint, or that “new car” smell make you feel sick? Are you (or your child) sunny-tempered one moment and in a rage the next? Is cleaning day, when you use bleach, ammonia, or polishes, a misery? After an hour at work, do you want to lie down and rest? “Yes” answers may indicate multiple chemical sensitivity.


A person can develop MCS from long-term exposure to chemicals. Do you remember “The Incredible Shrinking Woman”? Lily Tomlin was scrutinized, studied and all by dissected by scores of doctors until it was decided that her peculiar condition was caused by a lifetime of hair spray, shampoo, toilet bowl cleaner, artificial coloring, preservatives, etc, ad infinitum.


Sudden exposure to one massive dose of chemicals can also cause MCS. This is believed to be the case with Gulf War Syndrome. In either instance, people have been “sensitized ”. This biological occurrence involves an initial exposure to an allergen followed by a subsequent exposure and extreme reaction to that substance. It was first observed in 1902 by Charles Richet and Paul Portier as they searched for an antidote for the sting of sea anemones. Attempting to devise a strategy similar to the use of vaccines in building a bodily defense against bacteria and viruses, they began injecting mild solutions of venom into an otherwise healthy dog. The dog had no reaction to the initial dose, but, twenty-two days later, died almost immediately from a second dose. Its response was the exact opposite of what had been expected, and the first study of allergies had begun.


What exactly is an “allergy”? Our bodies are not without defenses. Antibodies produced by our immune systems attack and disable viruses and bacteria that invade our systems; white blood cells can then destroy them. But there is an odd response to pollen or other allergens. Rather than persuing and crippling the invaders, another kind of antibodies (called type IgE) attach themselves to mast cell throughout the mucous membranes and in the linings of the lungs and gut. The mast cells become inundated with as many as one to five hundred thousand antibodies, and when another invasion of allergens occurs and those substances interact with the antibodies...blam! Thousands of granules containing histamines and other chemicals flood the body, causing sneezing, inflammation, dilated blood vessels, swelling, excess mucus production, upset stomach, diarrhea, and, possibly, death by anaphylactic shock.


If you’re allergic to pollen, mold, or animal dander, your suffering may be seasonal and quite controllable with over-the-counter medications; you can avoid pets, install an air filter, and, in general, get on with your life. But what if the substances that affect you are everywhere you go, in everything you eat and drink, in your clothes, your carpet, the walls of your home? And your symptoms go far beyond itchy eyes or a runny nose to depression, enervating fatigue, paralysis, inability to breathe, memory loss or a total inability to speak or even think clearly. How do you find help when your doctor tells you “it’s all in your head”, and even the American Medical Association states that inadequate solid data prevents them from recognizing multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome as a “recognized clinical entity”.


There are steps which you can take: Immunotherapy (also called provocation-neutralization therapy) to both pinpoint what causes your allergic reactions and provide extracts to control those reactions; avoidance of those things that bother you, careful attention to your nutritional needs, and heat therapy.


Immunotherapy for MCS is similar to that used by all allergists. In standard tests, small amounts of many allergens are injected just beneath the skin of the patient. Those substances that cause a reaction in the form of a mosquito-bite-like bump are targeted with doses of the same material. The plan is to develop a tolerance; this can take months or even years.


For MCS patients, these tests are much more grueling. Instead of grouping allergens and giving very mild initial dosages, they are introduced one at a time (this can take days) and in strong dilutions, with the intention of eliciting symptoms that can be extremely violent (“provocation”). Then, on the spot, with a “neutralizing” dose, the allergist can end the reaction. Gradually, the neutralizing dose is diluted until optimal results are attained; that will be the medicine that goes home with the patient. Considering that one patient may be allergic to dozens of substances from tomatoes to formaldehyde, this can be an extremely time-intensive and expensive procedure, but the successes achieved with this procedure make it well worth the effort to many, many people.


Stringently controlled diet is also very important. MCS patients need high-quality foods that are produced without the use of hormones, antibiotics, insect sprays, or preservatives. A rotation diet can be followed that narrows down allergens specific to the individual. Foods that were previously forbidden can sometimes become tolerable, by giving the body time to deal with them. Meats such as beef, chicken, turkey, pork, or ham can all be eaten, but only every fourth day. This scheduling includes vegetables, rice, pastas, fruits, etc. It can be difficult; if you eat chicken, corn, and noodles on Monday, that will be all you eat on Mondays. But the results, especially on children that could barely function or enjoy a normal kid’s life, can be dramatic and wonderful.


Heat therapy has proven to be very effective in some cases. This is not just a quick twenty minutes in the steam room. Patients are given vitamin C, niacin, and amino acids to dilate their blood vessels, spend some time on the treadmill, and then sweat in a carefully-constructed sauna, made entirely of ceramic tile with untreated poplar benches. After that, a shower and a massage work the toxins into the bloodstream and gut, where they can be eliminated. They’re not finished; most patients go through three of these regimens in one day.


Don’t try to endure and survive MCS on your own. Help is available from many sources. The National Center for Environmental Health Strategies (NCEHS), started and run by Mary Lamielle, 1100 Rural Avenue, Voorhees, New Jersey, and the Human Ecology Action League (HEAL), in Atlanta, Georgia, can provide lots of information and support.


Two excellent and informative books are “Breaking Out of Environmental Illness”, by Robert Sampson and Patricia Hughes, and “Allergic to the Twentieth Century”, author, Peter Radetsky.


Get as much help as you can, and be as well as you can manage.
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Old 03-17-2008, 05:42 PM #2
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thanks for the book suggestions Tena, my local library has the one on environmental illness, and i'll check it out. I also have MS, and it seems the MCS causes just as much trouble for me.

Take care, Diana
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Old 04-30-2008, 09:42 AM #3
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Thank you so much for this info.
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Hi, I'm Julie and mommy to 7 little kids (ages 4 to 11).
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DX with Fibromyalgia, 1998
DX with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), June 2008
DX with Food Allergies, wheat, sesame, fresh pineapple


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Old 04-30-2008, 09:50 AM #4
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Hi, I had multiple allergies to chemicals and then I got some LDA shots (Low Dose Allergen) therapy. I have had a total of 6 shots, 2 months a part and now I can use all soaps and shampoos (except the ones with real flowers and plants! Still working on these allergies). I used to feel my chest get tight when I would spray laundry stain spray and my gums were inflamed because I had a fluoride allergy. I don't have any of these problems anymore. My chemical allergies cleared up pretty quickly with these shots. Still working on my food and pollen/inhalant allergies. Most people need 12 to 18 shots and then they are done.
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