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Chemical Sensitivity?

Messages
87
Location
Kaneohe, HI
This might be a redundant thread, but was just curious if anyone could explain to me Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. The information I found seems to indicate it is even less established then ME/CFS. My symptoms are sensitive to temperature changes (dizzy, lightheaded, feel liking fainting in the heat, and basically don't function in the cold), senstive to light (but not all the time) and it gets really bad sometimes that I can barely function with the brightness/glare, and then more recently I am sometimes bothered by certain smells (irritants). This morning walking on the sidewalk I felt like gagging and passing out from the smell of car exahust. Black and Milds/Cigar smoke also is very bad for me, and some perfumes (poor air circulation in the locker room). Separately, these symptoms seem very mild, but I am wondering if this might be chemical senstivity, or I am just more observant of my bodily reactions. I have also been recently diagnosed with asthma (still questioning this), so my airway may be more senstive?

Any thoughts?
 

daisybell

Senior Member
Messages
1,613
Location
New Zealand
Do you think this could all be part of your ME? Hypersensitivity in all its manifestations? I know that when I feel bad, or have crashed, my whole system is oversensitive - to noise, light, smell, touch, temperature etc...
 

Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
Having methylation out of order can cause MCS, its because your bodies ability to de toxify and clean itself is compromised and you become hyper sensitive to possible irritants. Really though any chronic infection or things like mold toxicity can also set it off. This being because those infections or bio toxins interfere with the proper operating with all the systems in your body. What are you doing for treatment as of now?
 

acrosstheveil

Senior Member
Messages
373
this can be a sign of autoimmune issues as I understand it due to intracellular pathogens.

i ordered a book that I am going to start reading tomorrow that is supposed to go into this issue in depth. "why can't I get better" - horowitz
 
Messages
67
Candida infections, or any other intestinal infections can really flood the body with toxins and overload detox systems, making one sensitive to many chemicals. Did these problems get worse after antibiotics?

Mold in your home or workplace can also create a toxic load. Any improvement when you are out of the house or travelling? or when you ventilate?

Regards
Viking
 
Messages
87
Location
Kaneohe, HI
I'm really not sure what it could be, I tried to get my workplace to test the air quality and all they did was a walk through and say everything 'looked' fine. I have dust mite and grass allergies, and the carpets are probably 10 years old, and the air filtration system looks like crap. The facility manager claimed the dry mold shouldn't be harmful, but I'm reluctant to believe that. I'm looking into getting a HEPA air filter for my desk. I would say these symptoms seem more noticeable in the mornings.

As for treatments, right now I am on Provigil (100mg x2 a day) for hypersomnia, Nexium for suspected acid reflux, and singular, Advair, albuterol, and Claritin for my asthma/allergies (<-they claim its mild yet I need 4 medicines? which also don't seem to work/help much). I also take some mineral/vitamin/amino acid supplements from Advocare; I can look up the ingredients if it would help.

I think my breathing issues might not be asthma related, but my doctor won't look into anything else. I've been 'tested' for autoimmune issues, but I doubt it was very accurate. I get sick with a lot of random things in the past two years I've had multiple colds, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, an ear infection, strep, etc.
 
Messages
15,786
@kristysmiles - I was on both nexium and singulair for a while. When I stopped the singulair, the acid reflux disappeared, and I didn't need the nexium anymore.

I was also diagnosed with asthma at one point, though it was primarily exercise-induced, so might have been a pre-ME/CFS thing. The usual meds didn't work for me and seemed to make it a bit worse, but an older one did work - Intal (cromolyn sodium).
 

chipmunk1

Senior Member
Messages
765
This might be a redundant thread, but was just curious if anyone could explain to me Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. The information I found seems to indicate it is even less established then ME/CFS. My symptoms are sensitive to temperature changes (dizzy, lightheaded, feel liking fainting in the heat, and basically don't function in the cold), senstive to light (but not all the time) and it gets really bad sometimes that I can barely function with the brightness/glare, and then more recently I am sometimes bothered by certain smells (irritants). This morning walking on the sidewalk I felt like gagging and passing out from the smell of car exahust. Black and Milds/Cigar smoke also is very bad for me, and some perfumes (poor air circulation in the locker room). Separately, these symptoms seem very mild, but I am wondering if this might be chemical senstivity, or I am just more observant of my bodily reactions. I have also been recently diagnosed with asthma (still questioning this), so my airway may be more senstive?

Any thoughts?
what you describe (I felt like gagging and passing out from the smell of car exahust.) sounds very much like MCS.

The cause of MCS is not known it is another poorly understood mystery syndrome and as far as i know not even an accepted diagnosis in the medical system.

Many (or most?)doctors believe it's a psychiatric disorder, hysteria or a somatization disorder = It's all in your head.

I don't believe it is. In alternative medicine there are many other theories which include impaired detoxification of certain substances and toxins i believe.

I think some studies have indicated that it might be more common in a military population:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10789611
 
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Messages
87
Location
Kaneohe, HI
@Valentijn
I could see how singular makes acid reflux worse. I'm honestly not even sure if I have it when off the medication, because my only symptom was chest pain (which I still have every now and then). I have no family history of asthma or any lung related illnesses or allergies, so it seems abnormal for me to have it as an adult. Apparently Intal has been discontinued by the FDA, so not sure what else might be worth a try.

@chipmunk1
It's interested to know that MCS might be more prevalent in the military. Military doctors tend to think everything is psychosomatic, so I doubt I could get them to take it seriously even if I mentioned it. My asthma doctor literally told me that because I think I have chronic fatigue syndrome (despite a military diagnosis), I am creating psych-induced symptoms that make me seem sick. Her theory was if I stop acting sick then I'd stop being sick. Every time I mention the name CFS, I get the typical "oh well everyone gets tired every now and then." I wish it was JUST being tired. I tried to tell her that I don't act like a sick person. IE: I don't avoid doing activities that will cause my symptoms, I do them anyways and suffer the consequences. The most significant relief of my symptoms has been through lifestyle changes, so I am able to do more without further aggravation.
 

chipmunk1

Senior Member
Messages
765
Her theory was if I stop acting sick then I'd stop being sick.

Most people had jobs and were functional before they got sick so that can't be the cause. The symptoms came before the illness belief.

Thoughts don't run our body. Fortunately. How well would that work out?

.I get sick with a lot of random things in the past two years I've had multiple colds, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, an ear infection, strep, etc.

[satire] you probably watched a lot of science shows on infectious diseases. Stop doing this and the colds will stop :) [satire]
 
Messages
15,786
Apparently Intal has been discontinued by the FDA, so not sure what else might be worth a try.
It looks like the US manufacturer didn't want to create a version with a CFC-free propellant. It can be imported via Canada, but that'd be a lot of effort for something which might not even help :p
 
Messages
67
How tragic it is that doctors still do not take these issues seriously. I suspect you will find nearly everyone here has been told at some point that they were somehow making up their problems.
I know in my case, i had to seek out doctors who would take me seriously and search for causes, rather than just medicating symptoms. Unfortunately this took time, and badly delayed finding the infections and mold issues which had led to my problems.

Constructing a medical timeline for me was very useful.. Noting the timing of symptoms, medications, occupational exposures, travel, infections, vaccinations, changes in diet etc etc. Sometimes the big picture view is helpful.
 

Strawberry

Senior Member
Messages
2,107
Location
Seattle, WA USA
Her theory was if I stop acting sick then I'd stop being sick.

There must be some way to combat this idiocy... "My theory is if she were to stop acting like a lame doctor, then she'd stop BEING a lame doctor....."

I definitely have MCS issues, and have for 25 years. I hope you are able to get some help!
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
On MCS, I am with @chipmunk1 . Nobody can really explain it. The science is even less developed than for ME. There are a lot of models and hypotheses, and one, several or none of them might be right.

Chemical sensitivity on the other hand has been explained for a range of chemicals for a long time. Our bodies react to chemicals, sometimes benignly, sometimes they cause issues, and sometimes they are catastrophic. We use allergy and anaphylaxis to describe a particular type of immune reaction, but they are not the only possibilities.

Amine intolerance arises out of interaction with the nervous system, as they are analogs of neurotransmitters. Salicylates are enzymatic toxins, inhibiting critical chemical pathways. Many chemicals have direct or indirect effects on the nervous system, hormone system, immune system, or metabolism. This is an area woefully researched, particular in respect to quality studies (which cost a lot of money).

We know our metabolic rate tends to be not only low, but partially invariant. It can easily go lower, but its very hard to raise appropriately, particularly when there is demand on the body. This will impact everything, as normal detox and function requires energy, and the bulk of energy the body makes (unless you are an elite athlete on a marathon, or an arctic explorer in the cold, or similar) goes just to general maintenance of the body. If energy for that is insufficient then weaknesses within the body are likely to be amplified, and formerly sound biochemical systems may become dysfunctional.

MCS and some sensitivities are often thought to be central, that is there is some sensitization of the brain. I am less than convinced. Some of the chemicals, including salicylates and organic solvents, can act on the nervous system in seconds. Now it may be that we are sensitive to that and over-react, but the chemical insult is the trigger.

I am deeply suspicious about the idea that MCS is a single disease entity. I think its probably a syndrome, used to describe multiple problems that can co-occur and overlap.

Let me state something very bluntly though. Anyone who claims, as some detractors of MCS claim, that these natural and even artificial chemicals cannot have an adverse effect on the body, or even if they just imply it, is inept or deceptive. We need well funded targeted science to figure it out, and to date its yet another area of medical research that is badly funded.

One last thing. Chemical and other sensory sensitivities are very common in ME and related disorders.
 
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Adster

Senior Member
Messages
600
Location
Australia
MCS is apparently common in Mast Cell disorders. I've had MCS for years, probably all my life. Recent trials of Gastrocrom improved it considerably before side effects of the drug became intolerable.
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
this can be a sign of autoimmune issues as I understand it due to intracellular pathogens.

i ordered a book that I am going to start reading tomorrow that is supposed to go into this issue in depth. "why can't I get better" - horowitz
My M.E doctor also believes this. He told me my immune system was disarranged due to infections (chronic bacterial in my case) and that this in turn led to my immune system over reacting ro everything - I particularly have probelsm with smells but also medications and this has been getting worse.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
Any thoughts?
While I was struggling with salicylate intolerance (couldn't use tooth paste for instance!), I found out that magnesium is needed in the liver detox pathways and is chelated out of the body when there is an excess of salicylates.

So I supplemented with magnesium to bowel tolerance for a month and reversed my salicylate sensitivity.

As a bonus, my tolerance to car/diesel exhaust improved.

But it didn't seem to help with cigarette smoke, paint thinner or other petrochemical smells. Last weekend my sister took me to drive around in her new car and I spent the whole week struggling with low T3 levels.