When almost “everything” makes you sick…

Elke asked to share a previous post on neuronal plasticity with her chemical sensitivity group. I thought a quick post on MCS would be interesting, as it can affect a wide variety of diseases, and there seems to be general interest in detoxification for health as well.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a descriptive diagnosis that is very effectively treated by naturopathic medicine, and particularly, a branch of both conventional medicine and naturopathic medicine called environmental medicine.

In MCS, various chemicals act as toxins that can make a patient feel worse. Concurrent conditions such as asthma, allergies, eczema, migraines, and especially chronic fatigue are triggered and made worse by toxins such as perfumes, solvents, inhalant allergens, mold toxins, etc. In reality, the environment that the patient is exposed to, plays a much larger role in making the patient ill than it would in a patient who does not have MCS.

Recently in the news, even cardiovascular disease was made worse by environmental toxins such as diesel exhaust.

“A new academic study led by UCLA researchers has revealed that the smallest particles from vehicle emissions may be the most damaging components of air pollution in triggering plaque buildup in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.

The scientists identified a way in which pollutant particles may promote hardening of the arteries — by inactivating the protective qualities of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as “good” cholesterol.” - Science Daily

Inflammation seems to be key, which can be measured with a blood test:

“HDL normally helps reduce the vascular inflammation that is part of the atherosclerotic process,” said Dr. Jake Lusis, study co-author and a UCLA professor of cardiology, human genetics and microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. “Surprisingly, we found that exposure to air pollutant particles, and especially the ultrafine size, significantly decreased the positive effects of HDL.”

Regardless, very few doctors would doubt that the environment in the form of allergens for asthmatics, poisons in the acutely toxic, and now pollutants in heart disease, can make a disease worse. MCS patients react to almost all toxins though, and their co-morbid diseases (such as asthma, for example) do not have be made worse directly.

We have all been blessed with a capacity for detoxification, and thus we can all be exposed to a certain amount of toxins without provoking symptoms. However, when exposure exceeds our capacity for detoxification, then symptoms can come. This is called the total load syndrome, in that symptoms do not manifest until the total load in the body has been exceeded. MCS patients have a low tolerance for total load, ie there “buckets” to absorb the total load is small, and thus it overflows easily.

Environmental medicine aims to identify the toxins that occupy most of the space in the “bucket” (read an increased sensitivity, not an increased amount), and environmental medicine then aims to increase the size of the “bucket” (read neutralization therapy for allergies, detoxification).

Although I do not have specialty training in environmental medicine, Dr Tawnya Ward does. She has post-graduate training from the American Academy of Environmental Medicine in allergy testing and desensitization by both serial endpoint titration and provocation / neutralization. See information on our website about environmental medicine, and her published article on Asthma and Chemical Sensitivity.

The basics of helping MCS patients is relatively simple:

1. Empty the “bucket” - ie do a general detoxification which includes medically monitored far-infrared sauna followed by IV vitamin C to neutralize liberated toxins

2. Identify triggers that fill up the “bucket” quickly, ie sensitivities - through allergy and sensitivity testing to foods, inhalants, molds, and toxic heavy metals

3. Make sure the “bucket” does not fill up too quickly again - through desensitization therapy (usually oral drops for allergens, metal detoxification with chelation if metals are high, or ozone therapy if the immune system imbalances are key)

If you are interested in this approach, please email her at drward@pannaturopathic.com