MCS a Progressive disease
MCS is a progressive disease
that moves through various stages.
http://www.nettally
<http://www.nettally
“”MCS occurs in 4 stages. MCS starts with mild reactions to few things,
and depending on person’s physical health and the environment where
he or she lives, it gradually progresses to severe reactions to
practically everything.
“Stage 1: In Stage 1 of MCS, the person will start to react to chemicals
and substances in the environment. The person will be able to take
medication and can be treated for common illness. There will be
reactions to chemicals and medication, but those reactions will be very
mild. There will be no reactions to foods.
“Stage 2: In Stage 2 of MCS, the person will experience severe reactions
to chemicals and substances in the environment. The person will also
start to react to more things which he or she used to tolerate fairly
well. The person will violently react to medication and can not be
treated by traditional treatment for common illness without experiencing
severe reaction. The person will not be able to take any medication
internally or externally. The person will start to react to foods.
“Stage 3: In Stage 3 of MCS, the person will start to react to
practically everything in the environment. The person has to wear a
facemask to filter some of the chemicals from the air he or she breaths.
Only in a controlled environment the person may be able to breathe
without a facemask. But the moment the person comes outside of the
controlled environment and faces the real world, the person will need a
facemask to breathe. Some of the foods will give violent reaction.
“Stage 4: In stage 4 of MCS, the person will not be able to breathe
clean and fresh air even through a facemask. The person can only survive
by breathing oxygen 24 hours a day. The person will be able to eat only
limited number of food items without experiencing severe reaction. ”
On http://www.lectlaw.
<http://www.lectlaw.
“A brief overview of MCS as it relates to the immune system and the
inflammation and tissue damage that can arise from chronic immune
activation caused by chemical exposure follows:
“Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and the Immune System” * by William J.
Meggs, M.D., Ph.D. an invited presentation at the workshop on Multiple
Chemical Sensitivities sponsored by the Association of Occupational and
Environmental Clinics , Washington DC, Sept. 19-20, 1991. Dr. Meggs
served four years as a fellow in clinical research at the National
Institute of Health and recently served as an invited member of the
National Academy of Sciences Subcommittee on Immunotoxicology which just
completed their publication, Biologic Markers in Immunotoxicology. Dr.
Meggs is currently conducting research into chemical sensitivities and
indoor air exposures and practices at the Division of Clinical
Toxicology, Dept. Of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School
of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina.
“Dr. Meggs provides an excellent description of the observed stages of
chemically induced illness described as the “Hypothetical Chemical
Stress Syndrome”.
“STAGE ZERO — TOLERANCE: is what it appears to be, the ability of a
person to tolerate their chemical environment.
“STAGE ONE — SENSITIZATION: or the irritant phase, “occurs when an
individual is chemically stressed either by an acute high-dose chemical
exposure, or by a chronic insidious exposure. Individuals in Stage 1
have symptoms on exposure to chemicals, but no physical findings on
physical examination.
headache, fatigue, flushing, pruritis, nausea, et al.
“STAGE TWO — INFLAMMATION: is when the chemical exposure has led to
tissue inflammation, such as arthritis, vasculitis, some types of
dermatitis, colitis, myositis, non-allergic asthma, multiple sclerosis
and rhinitis. “It is at this stage that both findings in physical
examination appear and a medical diagnosis can be given… The
progression from Stage 1 to Stage 2 again follows increasing chemical
exposures, and if tissue damage has not occurred, the inflammation can
be reversed by removal of the chemical stimuli.” When a person is in
stage 2, the symptoms can be controlled through various medications if a
person is not sensitive to those medications.
“However, one needs to exercise caution because the medications are not
a cure for chemical exposure, but rather can mask the root cause of the
symptoms, allowing further subtle cell damage to occur if the chemicals
are not avoided: “That is, progression between Stages 1 and 2 is a
two-way process, with regression from Stage 2 to Stage 1 being possible
if chemicals are avoided. The inflammation of Stage 2 can be reduced by
medications such as corticosteroids and the non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory agents, but these agents are not a curative. If the
chemical stimuli are not removed, there is immediate relapse of
inflammation with discontinuation of anti-inflammatory medications.
Further, these medications do not prevent the progression from Stage 2
to Stage 3.”
“STAGE THREE — TISSUE AND ORGAN DETERIORATION: is when chronic
inflammation caused by chemical exposure has finally led to tissue
damage such as nerve damage, kidney damage, liver damage, lung damage,
autoimmune damage, etc. This stage is irreversible: “Unfortunately, once
tissue is damaged there is little hope in current medical practice for
reversal, and organ function is lost.” This doesn’t mean it’s time to
throw in the towel. It is a point where patients need to carefully
reevaluate their situation and further examine their environment for
possible contributing factors. They then need to adjust by making the
necessary lifestyle changes to try to prevent sill worse damage from
occurring. It is important to note here that individuals can pass
throughout these apparent stages without ever having developed MCS, or
even without making a mental connection to chronic chemical exposure in
their environment.
“MCS becomes debilitating for most of the individuals who eventually
progress to stages two and three.
The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and the Social
Security Administration have recognized MSC as a disability. Many state
agencies will help individuals with MCS by providing assistance with
homemakers, counselors and many other very important services.
Individuals with MCS have won Workers’ Compensation cases. A human
rights lawsuit in Pennsylvania established the right of an individual
with MCS to safe living space in subsidized housing. Both the Maryland
State Legislature and New Jersey State Dept. of Health have officially
commissioned studies of MCS. The NJ study provides an excellent overview
of medical and legal issues related to MCS. ”
on May 9th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
This article leaves very little room for hope…and without hope, a person can sink deeper into depression…for to have MCS is to also experience profound depression and hopelessness. We must have hope!
on May 10th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
You are right Ruth that a person must have hope. I have been chemically injured for almost four years and have made sure to avoid triggers at all costs even though that means taking disability instead of continuing to work. I’m sure if I would have continued to work I would be a lot worse. I have tried several protocols to help with the chemical injury which give me some hope. Dr. Martin Pall has done a lot of research on chemical injury and has five supplements which seems to help with my reactivity. (NFI) When I used to drive by the water park with my windows closed, four lanes away, I felt like I would throw up from the chlorine from the water but after using these supplements for a few months now I feel like I can drive by and still smell the chlorine but the reactions are not as intense so I think supplementation can give one hope. I also believe that many people with chemical injury have also encountered some kind of exposure at times to water damaged buildings which can mean mold exposures. Some people can’t handle the by products or mycotoxins from some molds and thus their reactivity can be also caused from fungal colonization in the body according to some doctors. So after taking the appropriate antifungals for my exposures, some of the reactivity has ceased. This is something people may want to explore with their treating doctors. Again, antifungals may give hope to some. Some who have been in sick buildings may not only encounter mold toxins, chemicals, but also bacteria’s by products or endotoxins which might require a look at an antibiotic protocol. This again may give some hope if one can get a handle on the toxic load in the body.
I have experienced hyperbaric oxygen therapy which also offers some movement of toxins which may help with detoxing. Many chemically injured report that infrared sauna treatments can also offer hope. None of this should be misconstrued as medical advice, but I think there is hope and one must be vigilant to consult with one’s practitioner in finding protocols which help with the reactivity.
on July 13th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Thanks, Christi! Your comments were very helpful to me and hopeful, also. I would like to know what the supplements that Dr. Pall recommends for MCS. Can you email me at my hotmail address please? Thanks!
Ruth