Chemical Sensitivity

[kbtoyssni]

Does anyone here have MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) or any chemical sensitivities? I used to be really sensitive to chemicals pre-gluten-free, but once I stopped eating gluten I didn't seem to have any problems. So, I got glutened last Thursday, I still feel like crap today, and yesterday was the day they decided to re-wax the floors at work. It stinks around my desk and I have a headache and I'm thinking of vacating for the day. I also got sick when I cleaned my bathroom this past weekend. I'm going to buy some of that natural chemical-free cleaner next time I'm at the store. I think I wouldn't be having so many problems if I hadn't gotten glutened. Is there anything I can do to make me feel less sick? Why couldn't they have done this last week when I was feeling fine???

[queenofhearts]

That's so interesting-- I get migraines from certain cleaning products, but never thought to connect it to gluten... yet another link!

I don't know if it will help you, but I always drink a lot of water when I have a migraine & it seems to help.

Hope you feel better soon,

Leah

[Michi8]

I am sensitive to all sorts of chemicals & products. Some cause breathing difficulty, some skin problems. I finally figured out that antibacterial products and cleansers are what was causing painful splits on the ends of my fingers, so now I use gloves when cleaning and will not buy antibacterial soaps. I'm having patch testing done next week to determine more specific triggers. My reactions have become worse over the years...celiac is suspected based on my many symptoms (will be having an endoscopy & biopsy in November,) it would be a relief to know if celiac is responsible for my ill health...maybe going gluten-free would finally make a difference.

Michelle

[Guest nini]

yes I have multiple chemical sensitivities. I even have had anaphylactic reactions to fragrances. I don't think my sensitivities have gotten any less intense since going gluten-free, or maybe I've just avoided chemicals for so long now, that just a little bit gives me fits.

[Rachel--24]

Yes...I have chemical sensitivities. Its better since gluten-free but the sensitivities are still there...it gets worse or better according to my diet which I'm still tyrying to figure out. I've been gluten-free for over a year now so its something else that is triggering the sensitivities....not gluten.

I have problems with fragrances...some perfumes kill me. I work in a grocery store and when they wax the floor I can always tell as soon I walk through the doors. It sucks. I know exactly how you feel.

[Swirl]

I'm new to this site... having done a search of MCS (multiple chemical sentitivities) and celiac I just stumbled into u guys. I've been MCS for over 10 years, and wary of gluten for same period, but seriously gluten free for the last 5 years, since my son reacted severely to gluten.

I was just told by a pathologist: latest idea of the link is that the body becomes malnourushed due to coeliac, then craves certain minerals etc and consequently absorbs tham ANY WAY it can.. including from pollutants and chemicals. Then the MCS develops. Has anyone heard of this??

So far the best way I've dealt with the MCS side is avoidance, and detox through saunas (or total cahnge of climate to Northern Australia!).

[mike007]

Does anyone here have MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) or any chemical sensitivities? I used to be really sensitive to chemicals pre-gluten-free, but once I stopped eating gluten I didn't seem to have any problems. So, I got glutened last Thursday, I still feel like crap today, and yesterday was the day they decided to re-wax the floors at work. It stinks around my desk and I have a headache and I'm thinking of vacating for the day. I also got sick when I cleaned my bathroom this past weekend. I'm going to buy some of that natural chemical-free cleaner next time I'm at the store. I think I wouldn't be having so many problems if I hadn't gotten glutened. Is there anything I can do to make me feel less sick? Why couldn't they have done this last week when I was feeling fine???

I was diagnosed with celiac disease 3 years ago and have had chemical sensitivities for about 11 years. I am pretty sure the two are connected. I've been glutten free since I was diagnosed but it doesn't seem to help. I can sympathize about having to put up with chemicals in the workplace. They tell you the best thing to do is avoid chemicals that bother you but its pretty hard to at work. They decided a few weeks ago that the windows at work needed caulking, and dicided I think to go with the most toxic brand that they could find. The material Safety Data Sheet mentions things lilke, poisonous, irritating for the nose, throat, upper respiratory tract and lungs, exposure to vapors may result into headache, dizziness, nausea and narcotic effects. Target organs: central nervous system. Very toxic material causing other tocic effects. I think that when they select the materials they use they honestly feel that the more toxic the stuff is the better it must work.

[Helena]

Interesting thread. I am sensitive to various chemicals----some perfumes make me feel kind of spacey + I start sneezing and feel like I'm catching a cold. Until I switched to chemical free cleaners, I felt like I had a hangover the morning after cleaning the bathroom. Also, I found that I would get kind of jittery.

I have all kinds of allergies (food and environmental). . . so my immune system is pretty messed up.

[loraleena]

I started having MCS several months before going gluten free. Gluten free did not help at all. My sensitivity seems to vary weekly. I get brain fog, sore throat, chill, fever depending how long I am exposed. My worst exposure put me in bed for 2 days. Usually I just get away from whatever the smell is as quickly as possible. I can relate to the work thing. Last week they had the brilliant idea to take all our chairs and shampoo them. When I came into work after lunch, it smelled so bad that my supervisor let me go home!

[rinne]

I noticed a sensitivity to chemicals about 15 years ago and started to avoid them, I changed my diet to mostly organic and unprocessed food and that seemed to help. About ten years ago the problems I'd always had with wheat seemed worse and I cut bread and pastry out of my diet for the most part. About three years ago I started to have deep bone pain and other symptoms, chest pain, heart palpitations, neurological issues and more. A year ago I became nauseaus and I still am, I've lost 40 pounds. Last May I learned about gluten and cut all gluten and then all dairy from my diet. That improved my health by about 50% but I knew I was getting worse in other ways.

A brother and sister have both been diagnosed with Celiac and initially I was convinced it was my only problem but when my digestion improved on the gluten free diet but when my other symptoms got worse I kept looking. In my opinion, a diagnosis can be dangerous if it leads us to fitting all of our symptoms into one illness but there is something else going on.

I was diagnosed with Lyme disease a few weeks ago.

[Rachel--24]

I posted earlier in this thread about my chemical sensitivities.

I now know why I have them. Its because I have Lyme Disease. Finally a Dr. recognized it right away (apparantly alot of people with Lyme have MCS) and got me tested for Lyme Disease. It was positive.

My body is highly toxic and unable to detox. The build-up has led to multiple chemical sensitivities. I'm currently going through treatment for this. I was just diagnosed last month. I havent started Lyme treatment yet because the first step is getting my body to detox. I also have a build-up of heavy metals due to all of this. My Dr. sent me to a woman who has treated people all over the country for chemical sensitivities....she is supposed to be the best in the country for treating MCS...successfully.

At my first visit my Dr. told me these were the top reasons for developing muntilple chemical sensitivities.

1. Lyme Disease

2. Heavy metal toxicity

3. Exposure to molds in the home or workplace

4. An accidental exposure to toxic chemicals

He tested me for Lyme right off the bat.

[bluejeangirl]

I'm very sensitive to chemicals. I've been through alot trying to find them and avoid them. Here are some tips that you might find interesting.

Buy your drinking water in glass bottles.

Try not to microwave foods as much as possible and if you do don't use plastic wraps while doing it.

Try and go organic as much as possible.

Avoid perfumes in lotions, deordorants, shampoos.

Coloring your hair. ( a hard one but it's a chemical reaction)

Do you have synthetic carpeting? I would like to eventually replace all mine.

Try and drink organic coffees. Decaf should be swiss water.

Avoid hydrogenated fats, margarines.

Avoid low-calorie sweetners or sugar substitues.

Be careful not to eat tuna more then once a week

Barbecued foods (in excess) is bad. Carcinogins.

Cooking in teflon pans not to good either.

Try and avoid taking synthetic vitamins.

Be careful to avoid being around fresh paint, varnish, particle board.

That new car smell is actually bad for you. Those compounds your breathing get right into your bloodstream.

Don't use pesticides. Most of them are dangerous and loaded with carcinogens.

Did you know that hairdressers are at high risk for alzheimers and other motor neutron diseases because of their exposures with hair dyes and solvents like hairspray.

Avoid MSG like the plague.

Cut down on procecessed foods.

Presured treated wood used on outdoor decks, picnic tables, and playground equipment contain high levels of arsenic.

A good book to read is The Hundred-Year Lie by Randall Fitzgerald. He goes into the drugs we take and all the stuff being hidden from us.

Gail

[phakephur]

I have MCS as well. I had to quit my job in an office building because I got so sick after they started renovating.

Perfume is the worst. Is it me or is fragrance completely out of control? I find the need to avoid it so isolating

I've noticed some improvement since going gluten free, but the thing I have found most helpful is the epsom salt/olive oil and grapefruit cleanse to get rid of intrahepatic gallstones. It's painless and cheap, and it can really help unplug your liver so it functions better.

One thing though - I had a gluten reaction the first 2 times I did it after going gluten-free, even though the cleanse itself is gluten free. As crazy as this may sound, I believe there was gluten in the gallstones (which are made up mostly of undigested cholesterol and other junk) and when those hit the intestine it caused a reaction. That was only the first 2 times and it never happened after that.

Sarah

[Helena]

Thanks for all the tips for avoiding chemicals. You're probably aware of this, but I'll mention it anyways--About the paint fumes---there are some paints out there low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that are better for people with chemical sensitivities (and for people in general.)

Rachel, I wasn't aware of the link between MCS and Lyme's . . . . hadn't heard of the heavy metal theory either. I wonder why people with allergies tend to be sensitive to chemicals? Does it have something to do witha n overactive immune system?

[Rachel--24]

I wonder why people with allergies tend to be sensitive to chemicals? Does it have something to do witha n overactive immune system?

Its more to do with the liver and the body's inability to detox efficiently. Its a build-up of toxins....eventually it leads to chemical sensitivities. The immune system is pretty taxed when chemical sensitivites develop.

Do a search on MCS....you'll find that heavy metal toxicity has ALOT to do with MCS. I never knew about Lyme causing MCS....not until my Dr. said I needed to be tested for Lyme because of my chemical sensitivities. He said a great deal of Lyme patients have chemical sensitivities. I did a search and found that its true....then my Lyme test came back positive.

I was also found to have high levels of heavy metals. It was explained to me like this....Lyme creates stress on the immune system....there are also other infections usually present with Lyme...this all creates a heavy burden and a toxic environment. When toxins build up the liver may not be able to detox them efficiently...some people may be better at detoxing than others. Everything kind of snowballs and heavy metals that would normally not reach toxic levels start to build up because the body is unable to get rid of all these toxins...they start getting stored in tissue. All of these toxins put even more stress on the immune system and yes....you can start reacting to everything.

I have really bad chemical sensitivites....I was told that ALL of my main detox pathways are pretty much not functioning properly. There is alot of "science" behind it all....I wont get into all that though. Basically everything that is toxic that goes into my body is not getting out the way it should....like it did before I got sick. Now all the toxins circulate, get stored in tissue, overwhelm my immune system, cause reactions, etc....its kind of a vicious cycle.

I react to everything but I dont have "allergies" to anything....my body is reacting because its in a toxic state.

[Helena]

Hmmm...don't like the sounds of that. I haven't researched the causes of MCS at all . . . I just figured I have an overreactive immune system (which sounds so much bettern than having an immune system that is overwhelmed with heavy metals ) I'm not really up on the science of it all, but the detox theory does make sense.

I'm sorry to hear you have Lyme's---that must be really tough.

A number of people in my immediate family have varying levels of chemical sensitivities---my mom, me, my two sisters. I do wonder if one of my sisters had something like Lyme's----she got bitten by ticks while travelling (she isn't certain it was ticks, but she had bug bites after walking through a field--her one foot was rather swollen, too.) Some time after the bug bites (can't remember if it was one or two weeks) she got very ill---photophobia, headaches, 0 energy. She was barely able to get out of bed. She got better, but not 100% and then a few years later, a lot of her symptoms returned, and she had to move back home (it was that or go on disability). Then she was developing all these GI symptoms + food intolerances and her environmental allergies and chemical sensitivities got worse---she is majorly intolerant to gluten (I think she has celiac.) She is a lot better now--she's back in school, but she still gets really tired and has to pace herself. And the food intolerances/allergies haven't gone away. Since she's a lot better she's not so intent on getting a diagnosis anymore. I think she was tested for Lyme's, but the tests came back negative.

[Rachel--24]

Helena,

Your sisters' situation sound alot like Lyme. I've been reading personal stories of people with Lyme....how they got it...when the symptoms hit them...etc. What you wrote about her sounds alot like some of the stories I've read. Symptoms will usually appear at the time of infection....but they can vary in severity. Some people get very ill very quickly. All I got was a high fever, headache, fatigue and weakness....after a few days I was pretty much back to normal and stayed that way until 2 years later. I got under alot of stress and had some dental work done that might have exposed me to mercury. At that time everything came on fast....within a couple months I had to go on disability...I couldnt work for 2 years because noone could figure out what was wrong.

I finally got myself well enough to return to work by making lifestyle changes. I started avoiding chemicals as much as possible, quit smoking altogether, no alcohol at all, all organic foods....I had massive improvement just from avoiding all these toxic things....even though I still had no diagnosis. I assume that because my body was so overwhelmed with toxins from the Lyme it couldnt handle everything else and I had toxic overload which was somewhat relieved when I made all these changes.

The testing for Lyme is so unreliable that even if your sister had it she could easily have a negative test....it seems very common with Lyme....unfortunately. My Dr. only uses Igenix lab for Lyme testing....from my own research I already knew that this was the best lab to get tested at. It was a big relief to find out that he used the right lab...I wouldnt have trusted the results from any other lab from all that I've read online. People who KNOW they have Lyme.....saw the tick, got the rash and developed symptoms of Lyme have repeatedly gotten tested with negative results...sometimes up to 10 times....then they use Igenix and finally get a positive result. Alot of times you cant get treated unless the Dr. sees a positive test result so if they're using an unreliable lab the person stands a good chance of remaining undiagnosed while the infection continues to grow....its really sad that this happens to alot of people.

I dont think we have to be destined to live with MCS or other debilitating symptoms.....I think these things can be resolved once the causes are found and treated. I was on a Lyme board tonight trying to see if any of these people had MCS. I'd never heard of a connection until my Dr. told me he wanted to test me for Lyme because of my chemical sensitivities. This is some of the stuff that people had written....

I do feel lyme and multiple chemical sensitivity are related in many individuals. It makes since to me since lyme is attacking the liver and liver pathways that the body uses to clear the nasties from the body that it could lead to mcs in many.

Like I said mcs got better for me when I went on antibiotic therapy.

I have both Lyme and MCS as lots of people do.

Check out Planetthrive.com lots of mcs and lymies there.

Lyme messes up the immune system bigtime. Then the immune system cannot handle chemicals.

I also can't be nesr cigarette smoke, perfume, cleaning fluids, new paint, new carpet, etc.

Being on abx has helped diminish a little of these sensitivities.

Before my diagnosis and subsequent abx treatment I was definitely heading down the road of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

At this point I think MCS is a product of recirculation of lyme junk whether it is dead or alive, and a real sluggish lymph system.

Try to eat as well as you can. If you eat a lot of prepackaged and prepared foods (doubt you do) then start reading labels and stay away from artificial stuff.

It kind of makes me feel better to know that the Lyme is probably the reason for all this so now that I've been diagnosed I have a good chance of recovering from the sensitivities. It would make my life so much more liveable to get past these chemical sensitivities.

[Creative-Soul]

yes I have multiple chemical sensitivities. I even have had anaphylactic reactions to fragrances.

I have the same reaction, Nini! Perfumes, some hand lotions, toiletries...doesn't matter what, it sets me off; any sort of smoke also does the same thing. There were a few times I've actually just swollen up - especially my face - and develop a sky-high fever. I've always had sensitivities since childhood but they got much more severe @ 10 years ago (I'm 34 yrs old now).

[Helena]

Rachel,

Thanks so much for the info. I didn't realize that testing for Lyme's was so uncertain.

The connection with chemical sensitivities is interesting---my sister's did get worse after her illness. Also, when she was very ill, she was sensitive to medications. (She wasn't allergic to the meds., but the one medication she was given for "chronic fatigue" just made her feel much worse. Benadryl made her feel kind of drunk. She hasn't taken medications for ages.)

If you don't mind me asking, does having a positive diagnosis enable the dr.'s to treat the disease? Is there a chance that if my sister does have Lyme's that it won't get any worse than it is now?

The reason I'm asking is (after some bad experiences with doctors) my sister has pretty much made up her mind to abandon conventional medicine and just trust her naturopath. Her naturopath has helped her a lot, but obviously she can't diagnose Lyme's, and her advice on celiac has not been good. If my sister's health could improve if she gets diagnosed with something less vague than chronic fatigue, perhaps I can convince her to try to see another specialist.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel,

Thanks so much for the info. I didn't realize that testing for Lyme's was so uncertain.

The connection with chemical sensitivities is interesting---my sister's did get worse after her illness. Also, when she was very ill, she was sensitive to medications. (She wasn't allergic to the meds., but the one medication she was given for "chronic fatigue" just made her feel much worse. Benadryl made her feel kind of drunk. She hasn't taken medications for ages.)

If you don't mind me asking, does having a positive diagnosis enable the dr.'s to treat the disease? Is there a chance that if my sister does have Lyme's that it won't get any worse than it is now?

The reason I'm asking is (after some bad experiences with doctors) my sister has pretty much made up her mind to abandon conventional medicine and just trust her naturopath. Her naturopath has helped her a lot, but obviously she can't diagnose Lyme's, and her advice on celiac has not been good. If my sister's health could improve if she gets diagnosed with something less vague than chronic fatigue, perhaps I can convince her to try to see another specialist.

Helena,

I have also made the decision to abandon conventional medicine due to very bad experiences. Conventional medicine and mainstream Dr.'s did NOTHING to help me. I had asked to be tested for Lyme and was sent to an infectious disease specialist...who not only refused to test me but basicially laughed at me, ridiculed me and told me I was needing psychiatric help because there was nothing physically wrong with me. This unfortunately was a reoccurring theme in the 3 years I batteled with these Dr.'s. They caused more harm then good. I also reacted badly to alot of medications that were thrown my way.

At this point I dont tolerate meds, supplements, most foods and obviously chemicals. This is what I'm being treated for first....before they even attempt to go after the Lyme. I need to be able to detoxify and to be able to handle supplements and antibiotics if I choose to go that route. Right now I would get terribly sick if I attempted to start treatment for Lyme before my body is ready and can handle the toxins that will be released when Lyme bacteria is killed.

I have seen naturopaths but never found one qualified to diagnose me let alone address all of my many issues. There has to be a good amount of trust and I need that in order to proceed with ANY treatment. I do alot of research and know what I want out of a DR. I trust who I'm seeing now....so far so good....plus he gets bonus points for being the first who was smart enough to actually diagnose me.

I've come to the conclusion that the best Dr.'s are those that have a medical background but have also opened their eyes to the alternative world. These Dr.'s are recognizing that mainstream just isnt getting alot of people better when it comes to chronic illness. These Dr.'s are recognizing that Fibromyalgia, CFS, IBS...these are symptoms of disease. Alternative medicine is ahead of the game here and when an M.D. has the insight to incorporate the best of both worlds into his practice....this can be a really good Dr. for someone with problems like mine. This is the type of Dr. I'm seeing now. He's an M.D....25 years in internal medicine and now he runs a practice of integrative medicine.

My Dr. told me that mainstream is largely ignoring Lyme Disease once it becomes chronic. They dont test for it...they dont want to treat it....and they dont use a qualified lab like Igenix. The reasons behind this are highly political. Lyme Disease....I'm quickly learning ....is a highly controversial disease. My Dr. said that even if the infectious disease specialist had tested me...I wouldnt have been diagnosed. My results would have likely come back negative and he said that even when they do see positive results...they still dont treat the patient and they still wont give a proper diagnosis. I'm researching and finding this to be true and I'm actually very shocked about how little mainstream Dr.'s are willing to do for Lyme patients.

Its more likely that if your sister does have Lyme and it goes untreated that she will definately get worse with time. It will continue to weaken her immune system. The prognosis for people with Lyme worsens over time. This is why its important to get diagnosed and treated....it isnt "cureable" but a person can get to a point where they are living symptom-free. There are Dr.'s who specialize in Lyme. They are called LLMD's (Lyme Literate Medical Dr.'s) I'm not positive but I believe most LLMD'S are not conventional Dr.'s.

It would be wise for your sister to try to see a Dr. who is knowledgeable about Lyme and who is NOT a conventional M.D.. I'm going to see a well-known LLMD hopefully in Dec. She is not in my area but visits here every 3 months to work with patients. She is a naturopath...not an M.D. I'm sort of trying to build a "team" of good Dr.'s who will all work together with me on this. I'm told this LLMD works well with my current Dr. so I think I will do best having them work together. Thats my plan for now.....plus I am seeing this woman who treats MCS...she knows my Dr. and the LLMD personally...they will all be in contact with one another on my health issues.

If your sister can find a Dr. who can order the Igenix test she can at least find out if Lyme is a possibility for her symptoms. She may be able to call Igenix and they may be able to tell her of a Dr. in the area who uses their lab. I'm not sure but I thought someone had posted that they went about finding a Dr. that way. Even Igenix isnt 100% reliabble but its the best lab available. Sometimes test results can come back negative because of the state of the immune system. If someone is battleing Lyme for a long time and their immune system is overwhelmed and weak it may not be producing as much antibodies as it once was. So unfortunately.....sometimes its the people who are the most sick from Lyme that test negative.

Lyme can be diagnosed and treated on clinical symptoms alone but conventional Dr.'s generally wont do this unless they see a bulls-eye rash....which would only occur in begining stages and not everyone gets a bull-eye or notices a bulls-eye. An LLMD can diagnose and treat chronic or late stage Lyme Disease based on clinical symptoms. They may decide to treat someone like your sister based on her symptoms, or if she's had history of a tick bite, etc....even if they see a negative test they can still offer treatment. If there is a response to treatment they can tell they have the correct diagnosis. There are also alternative methods of treating Lyme. Some people respond better to alternative methods and not antibiotics....everyone is different. Antibiotics are most useful in the beginning stages.....later on its often difficult to get better on antibiotics alone...although it does work for some. My Dr. is familiar with all of the methods available. I'm not sure what is best for me yet....I'm still undecided....leaning away from antibiotics though.

Here is the link for Igenix....there are some stories and articles and lots of interesting things to read....and of course the info. about testing. The best test for her would be the Western Blot IgG and the Western Blot IgM. If she got tested before it was likely the ELISA test which is highly unreliable. This is what most conventional Dr.'s order and its why they usually get negative results.

Open Original Shared Link

Also, her naturopath may be able to order the test but I'm not really sure about how all that works.

Hope this helps though.

[Helena]

Wow, thanks *so* much for all of this. [rest of this post edited out]

[Rachel--24]

Helena,

I've read your post and have sent you a pm.

[loraleena]

If your sister has celiac, than it could have damaged her gut so much that she does have leaky gut and is reacting to other foods as well. It is common to have other intolerances with gluten.

[Helena]

If your sister has celiac, than it could have damaged her gut so much that she does have leaky gut and is reacting to other foods as well. It is common to have other intolerances with gluten.

Thanks for the suggestion---this does sound possible in her case. I have noticed that there are so many people on this board with a whole lot of allergies/intolerances. . . . even more so than on allergy message boards.

[Dangerkitten]

I have MCS too. I had a severe delayed positive skin test for Balsam of Peru some 20 years ago, which is an allergy to Cinnamyl, Benzoic Acid, Cinnamate, Sodium Benzoate and Vanillin. They are all part of the exudate of the Balsam Fir. This translates into perfumes, spices, the most common preservatives, PABA, flavorings, and on and on...It cross reacts with so many chemicals that it took me years of cleaning out my house of wallpaper, carpet, drapes, sealing my mattress and pillows till it all calmed down. I used to make my own skin creams and soap because my skin was so reactive. Now that I'm gluten free however, I can use spices again and even dare to smell perfumed products. I used to carry an epi pen with me when I dared leave the house. It's so nice to be able to go wherever I want now and not be so nervous.

Oh and there are a few Lo VOC house paints out there. I buy mine from Sherwin Williams. You have to stick to light colors because the tints are what makes the VOC content increase. They are great paints and never bother my lungs when I use them.