In my practice I see a number of people who have varying symptoms related to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), an illness that affects more than 16% of the American population. Approximately 10 million people suffer severe symptoms, while 25-45 million people have mild to moderate sensitivity.
This is a condition in which the body can’t defend itself against toxic chemicals that are everywhere in our environment. It is not an allergy to chemicals, but the opposite of an allergy—the body fails to react adequately to aggravating chemicals. Instead of processing the chemicals and getting rid of them, the body can’t seem to eliminate them all.
No one is born with MCS, but anyone can develop it at any time, with no warning. Most sufferers had normal healthy lives before becoming ill. MCS is usually brought on by chemical exposure. It can be a chronic exposure over many years from certain occupations or from working in a poorly ventilated building with copier fumes, perfumes, and chemical cleaning products. It can also be triggered by a sudden catastrophic event such as a chemical spill or pesticide exposure.
But chemical exposure is not the only way to impair the detox processes of the body. Some other causes of MCS include viruses, severe emotional or physical trauma (especially in childhood), liver damage, or disorders of metabolism. Some people with MCS also have porphyria, a genetic disorder of the enzyme pathways that may not manifest itself until triggered by a chemical exposure.
For a person with MCS, the most ordinary daily activities can be painful and difficult, both physically and emotionally. Some people with MCS report having to leave work suddenly after exposure to a chemical, resulting in lost wages and sometimes lost jobs. If they ask co-workers to use unscented products, the request is often met with disbelief and hostility. Employers and co-workers feel put-upon and often blame the person with MCS, believing that he or she is making unreasonable demands, being a control freak, or is mentally ill. Trips to the store, church, restaurant, or movie theater may have to be terminated abruptly when someone nearby is wearing fragranced products. Buildings with newly shampooed carpeting, medical offices with disinfectant chemicals, public restrooms stocked with “air fresheners”—all these settings can cause nightmarish results for those with MCS.
Depending on the severity of sensitivity, symptoms can range from the subtle to the dramatic. MCS symptoms can include debilitating headaches, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, depression and irritability, anxiety and panic attacks, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, difficulties in breathing and swallowing, mental confusion, concentration and memory problems, asthma attacks, even seizures and heart attacks.
The most common triggers are petroleum-based solvents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and synthetic fragrances. Fragrances are the most aggravating trigger and the hardest to avoid. One fragrance alone can contain up to 600 petroleum-based chemicals. Fragrance chemicals are found in soaps, fabric softeners and dryer sheets, laundry detergents, shampoos, conditioners, cosmetics, lotions, suncreens, deodorants and anti-perspirants, toothpastes, plastic garbage bags, household cleaners, cat litter, air “fresheners,” room “deodorizers,” scented candles … and on and on.
What most healthy people don’t realize is that when they use scented products, they “outgas” toxic fumes everywhere they go. For example, scented laundry detergents and fabric softeners leave chemical residues on clothing that can trigger acute symptoms in a sensitive person several rooms away. The same is true for hair conditioners and other scented “personal” products.
Other common toxins that can trigger MCS attacks include cigarette smoke, dry-erase markers, new carpet and furniture, fresh tar, and vehicle exhaust, but this list is not complete.
How can acupuncture help MCS?
Those with MCS are, basically, unable to process the toxins in their environment because of damage to their livers and kidneys. Stress is a major factor in their lives because of constant exposure to unavoidable “ordinary” toxins and because of lack of understanding from their co-workers, friends, families, and health care practitioners. The world seems a tricky, dangerous place to people with MCS.
Acupuncture can offer help and hope for people with MCS by providing slow and deliberate detoxification, alleviation of symptoms, and restoration of emotional health and optimism. Acupuncture’s ability to bring the whole system back into a place of balance is more important in cases of MCS than in most other conditions. Treatments are by necessity highly individualized to each person’s specific symptoms and life situations; there is no set protocol for everyone with MCS. The body’s systems are already so compromised that a gentle, deliberate approach is always appropriate. The relaxing, restorative effects of acupuncture provide a calm center from which to begin the process of healing.
The toxic danger of fabric softeners and dryer sheets
Fabric softeners and dryer sheets are some of the most toxic products around. A staggering 99.8% of Americans use common commercial detergents, fabric softeners, bleaches, and stain removers, but if they knew these products contained chemicals that cause cancer and brain damage, they might think twice.
The fact is, 95% of chemicals used in fabric softeners are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes, chloroform, ethanol, pentane and many other toxic substances known to cause cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders, and allergic reactions. Many of the chemicals are on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. These chemicals are even more dangerous when heated in clothes dryers.
Babies, older people, and those who are already sick are especially hurt by these chemicals. Damage can be permanent, causing lifelong illness. Babies often react with rashes, frequent crying, and/or diarrhea. Some experts are now suggesting a possible connection between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (“crib death”) and the use of these products for washing baby clothes and crib sheets and blankets.
The chemicals in fabric softeners are especially pungent and strong smelling—so strong that they require the use of heavy fragrances (about 50 times as much fragrance) just to cover up the smells. Fabric softeners are made to stay in your clothing for long periods of time, and as such, the chemicals are slowly released into the air to be inhaled or onto your skin for you to absorb. Dryer sheets are particularly noxious because they are heated in the dryer and the chemicals are released through dryer vents and out into the environment. Health effects from being exposed to the chemicals in fabric softeners include: central nervous system disorders, headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, blood pressure reduction, irritation to skin mucus membranes, and respiratory tract, and pancreatic cancer.
What can we do?
For some of us, the fragrances we wear have personal, religious, or cultural significance. But we need to understand that what is empowering to one is dangerous to another. While the fragrances we wear may feel personal and private, they do not stay on our bodies but float out into the air around us and, in many cases, may linger in the air after we leave the room! People with MCS are anywhere from 100 to 1,000 times more sensitive to synthetic fragrances than are healthy people.
For your own health, and that of the people around you, consider switching to non-toxic, fragrance-free household and personal care products. These can be found in Bellingham at the Co-op, Terra Organica, and Bargainica. Chain stores such as Haggen, Albertsons, and Food Pavilion are also beginning to stock healthier products—because we are demanding them! If your favorite store doesn’t have any detergent or soap without fragrance, ask the management to get some, or switch to a different store.
Look for products that say things such as “no perfumes, dyes, or additives,” or “fragrance free” or “hypo-allergenic.” Beware that “natural” or “unscented” do not necessarily mean they are safe. “Natural” can mean anything—it is an unregulated word—and “unscented” may mean that the product contains an additional (toxic) masking fragrance to cover over other odors. Products that say “100% fragrance-free” are a better bet. Some of these products may cost slightly more than the scented ones, but consider the health benefits as worth the extra price!
For the health of those I treat who have MCS, I’d like to ask all who come to my office to refrain from wearing fragrances. Even after a person has left my office, the fragrance can remain in the air and affect the next person who arrives.
To soften fabrics and reduce static cling, you can simply add a half cup to one cup of plain baking soda to each wash! Easy, inexpensive, healthy, and environmentally conscious!