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- bolam56
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I've been a medical professional (Surgical Technologist) for over 25 years... I've also had MCS for 5 years now, and have gone through much of the spectrum of doctors in my community. Here's what I have learned:
Work Comp: Think Plausible Deniability... My work comp doctor was a board certified toxicologist. Highly specialized in chemical exposures and the symptoms/illness caused by them, and I might add, was a very pleasant fellow. I often thought he also minored in law! His favorite lines were: \"that chemical can harm you only if you drink it, the vapor is harmless\"... \"There's no proof of that\"... \"That's an opinion, not scientific fact\"... And my favorite; the catch 22 of work comp: \"All I can do is to order you re-assigned, but your career will be over and you'll have to accept whatever your employer gives you\".
The life of a work comp doctor is an endless stream of employees limping through their doors saying \"I'm hurt... I need some time off to heal... I don't think I can go back to that... I am disabled!\" No matter how valid the employees claims are, the work comp doctor must resist doing the right thing... His job depends on it! In days gone by, the employee was given the benefit of the doubt... For a short time. The \"new way\" is that they are shown no quarter. \"Give them an inch and they'll take a mile... Acknowledge any harm or injury and they will sue\". Systems have been developed, perfected and put in place to \"properly manage\" employee claims, and all the angles have been covered. Like the Borg in the old Star Trek series... RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
General Practitioners: Think CLUELESS... General Practitioners, by law (where I live) are not allowed to see or diagnose any work related illness or injuries... Their expertise is in sprains and sniffles, high blood pressure and diabetes, sore throats and back strains. Start talking to them about mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative metabolism dysfunction or the blood brain barrier and their eyes glaze over. \"I'm sorry but I can't help you with that... Perhaps you should see a Neurologist\".
The Neurologist: Think Denial: Neurologists are experts in organic brain dysfunction and diseases of the nervous system... They have intimate knowledge of diseases like Alzheimer's, Epilepsy and Parkinson's, and how chronic alcohol abuse and teenage solvent huffing can damage the brain. They do not however have a great knowledge of toxicology, and the interaction of non-pharmaceutical chemicals on the brain. Neurology is a very proud profession, and they like to think that if they don't know about something, it probably doesn't exist! My neurologist acted like I was \"wasting his valuable time\" trying to look into how my chemical exposure was affecting my brain. \"Your toxicologist should know if something you were exposed to was harmful, and what kind of damage it might do\".
The Toxicologist: Think Brainwashed... Back in the early days of the industrial revolution, when a lot of chemicals were causing great harm to a lot of people, a system was worked out to decide \"how much was too much\" where chemical exposures were concerned... This system was based on the belief that chemical exposures were unavoidable in industrial processes, and therefore low level exposures to most chemicals must be considered \"safe\" unless it could be \"scientifically proven\" that low levels caused serious harm. Government agencies then set \"PELs\" or permissible exposure levels for industrial workers.
The PELs are based primarily upon animal studies... The animals used in these studies are specially bred to be genetically perfect, and live the early part of their lives in \"chemical free\" environments, to avoid any corruption of the studies due to exposures other than the chemical being tested. They are exposed to the chemicals for testing at the height of their post adolescent vigor (never on the old or ill). The great weakness of these studies, is that combined exposures are never looked into, as this would be \"too complicated\". Unfortunately, these animals can never be asked \"how they feel\" when exposed to chemicals... The scientists dissect the animals and tell us how they felt... No visible organ/cellular damage? \"They felt fine!\"
These PELs are the toxicologist's bible, and no amount of evidence or credible medical opinion will sway them from their belief that as long as chemical exposures are well below the PELs, there can be no possible harm! When asked about \"potentially sensitive sub-populations\" like pregnant women, they will say: \"Oh, pregnant women should avoid all possible chemical exposures!\" Why? Because we say so! This contradiction says volumes about whether or not low level chemical exposures present risk to human health.
The Psychologist: Think \"It's all in your head\"... The Psychologist is not a medical doctor, but has a Masters or PhD in human behavior. To the psychologist, early emotional experiences lead to \"personality disorders\". The MCS question is quite simple here... You may have drank something you shouldn't have as a child, inhaled something that made you sick, or had your mouth washed out with soap for saying something bad, and this has led to a phobia! Nothing a little Prozac and a lot of counseling may not cure. Or perhaps you \"need\" some mysterious illness to help you get the attention you crave... Were your parents divorced? Did you feel abandoned? Really bad news... Avoid them like the plague!
The Neuropsychiatrist: Think HOPE... While it may seem \"crazy\" to seek help from the psychiatric profession, these doctors are experts, not only in diseases of the mind, but also of disease processes that affect the mind. Psychiatry is also an intellectually curious profession... The psychiatrist can not rely on simple tests and canned solutions, but must actively ponder the problem to find solutions.
For me, the crippling brain fog was not only my most prominent and distressing symptom, but also the most puzzling. The Neuropsychiatrist is a medical doctor with an expertise on chemical imbalances and neurological damage in the brain. I don't have a lot of experience with them, but I did sit on a jury were a neuropsychiatrist testified as an expert witness, and if anyone can figure out how chemical injuries affect the brain, these guys (and gals) should. A Neuro-Psychiatrist may provide the best hope of understanding the enigma that is MCS.
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\"The (neuro) psychiatrist is thus the mental health professional and physician best qualified to distinguish between physical and psychological causes of both mental and physical distress.\" medicine.net.com (med terms dictionary/psychiatrist) Well said!<br /><br />Post edited by: bolam56, at: 2009/03/06 15:40
Work Comp: Think Plausible Deniability... My work comp doctor was a board certified toxicologist. Highly specialized in chemical exposures and the symptoms/illness caused by them, and I might add, was a very pleasant fellow. I often thought he also minored in law! His favorite lines were: \"that chemical can harm you only if you drink it, the vapor is harmless\"... \"There's no proof of that\"... \"That's an opinion, not scientific fact\"... And my favorite; the catch 22 of work comp: \"All I can do is to order you re-assigned, but your career will be over and you'll have to accept whatever your employer gives you\".
The life of a work comp doctor is an endless stream of employees limping through their doors saying \"I'm hurt... I need some time off to heal... I don't think I can go back to that... I am disabled!\" No matter how valid the employees claims are, the work comp doctor must resist doing the right thing... His job depends on it! In days gone by, the employee was given the benefit of the doubt... For a short time. The \"new way\" is that they are shown no quarter. \"Give them an inch and they'll take a mile... Acknowledge any harm or injury and they will sue\". Systems have been developed, perfected and put in place to \"properly manage\" employee claims, and all the angles have been covered. Like the Borg in the old Star Trek series... RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
General Practitioners: Think CLUELESS... General Practitioners, by law (where I live) are not allowed to see or diagnose any work related illness or injuries... Their expertise is in sprains and sniffles, high blood pressure and diabetes, sore throats and back strains. Start talking to them about mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative metabolism dysfunction or the blood brain barrier and their eyes glaze over. \"I'm sorry but I can't help you with that... Perhaps you should see a Neurologist\".
The Neurologist: Think Denial: Neurologists are experts in organic brain dysfunction and diseases of the nervous system... They have intimate knowledge of diseases like Alzheimer's, Epilepsy and Parkinson's, and how chronic alcohol abuse and teenage solvent huffing can damage the brain. They do not however have a great knowledge of toxicology, and the interaction of non-pharmaceutical chemicals on the brain. Neurology is a very proud profession, and they like to think that if they don't know about something, it probably doesn't exist! My neurologist acted like I was \"wasting his valuable time\" trying to look into how my chemical exposure was affecting my brain. \"Your toxicologist should know if something you were exposed to was harmful, and what kind of damage it might do\".
The Toxicologist: Think Brainwashed... Back in the early days of the industrial revolution, when a lot of chemicals were causing great harm to a lot of people, a system was worked out to decide \"how much was too much\" where chemical exposures were concerned... This system was based on the belief that chemical exposures were unavoidable in industrial processes, and therefore low level exposures to most chemicals must be considered \"safe\" unless it could be \"scientifically proven\" that low levels caused serious harm. Government agencies then set \"PELs\" or permissible exposure levels for industrial workers.
The PELs are based primarily upon animal studies... The animals used in these studies are specially bred to be genetically perfect, and live the early part of their lives in \"chemical free\" environments, to avoid any corruption of the studies due to exposures other than the chemical being tested. They are exposed to the chemicals for testing at the height of their post adolescent vigor (never on the old or ill). The great weakness of these studies, is that combined exposures are never looked into, as this would be \"too complicated\". Unfortunately, these animals can never be asked \"how they feel\" when exposed to chemicals... The scientists dissect the animals and tell us how they felt... No visible organ/cellular damage? \"They felt fine!\"
These PELs are the toxicologist's bible, and no amount of evidence or credible medical opinion will sway them from their belief that as long as chemical exposures are well below the PELs, there can be no possible harm! When asked about \"potentially sensitive sub-populations\" like pregnant women, they will say: \"Oh, pregnant women should avoid all possible chemical exposures!\" Why? Because we say so! This contradiction says volumes about whether or not low level chemical exposures present risk to human health.
The Psychologist: Think \"It's all in your head\"... The Psychologist is not a medical doctor, but has a Masters or PhD in human behavior. To the psychologist, early emotional experiences lead to \"personality disorders\". The MCS question is quite simple here... You may have drank something you shouldn't have as a child, inhaled something that made you sick, or had your mouth washed out with soap for saying something bad, and this has led to a phobia! Nothing a little Prozac and a lot of counseling may not cure. Or perhaps you \"need\" some mysterious illness to help you get the attention you crave... Were your parents divorced? Did you feel abandoned? Really bad news... Avoid them like the plague!
The Neuropsychiatrist: Think HOPE... While it may seem \"crazy\" to seek help from the psychiatric profession, these doctors are experts, not only in diseases of the mind, but also of disease processes that affect the mind. Psychiatry is also an intellectually curious profession... The psychiatrist can not rely on simple tests and canned solutions, but must actively ponder the problem to find solutions.
For me, the crippling brain fog was not only my most prominent and distressing symptom, but also the most puzzling. The Neuropsychiatrist is a medical doctor with an expertise on chemical imbalances and neurological damage in the brain. I don't have a lot of experience with them, but I did sit on a jury were a neuropsychiatrist testified as an expert witness, and if anyone can figure out how chemical injuries affect the brain, these guys (and gals) should. A Neuro-Psychiatrist may provide the best hope of understanding the enigma that is MCS.
----------------------------
\"The (neuro) psychiatrist is thus the mental health professional and physician best qualified to distinguish between physical and psychological causes of both mental and physical distress.\" medicine.net.com (med terms dictionary/psychiatrist) Well said!<br /><br />Post edited by: bolam56, at: 2009/03/06 15:40
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- lloyd
- EiR Junior
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- Posts:20
- Karma: 2
Just to say I totally empathise with your experience!
Other than that, have you heard about Martin Pall work?
I discovered about MCS and Martin Pall together 9 days ago, and my 18 years old ever worseing health condition is improving steadily since 9since 8 days)!
I am very optimistic now!
(But it's still too early to tell, although... soon I reckon..)
Other than that, have you heard about Martin Pall work?
I discovered about MCS and Martin Pall together 9 days ago, and my 18 years old ever worseing health condition is improving steadily since 9since 8 days)!
I am very optimistic now!
(But it's still too early to tell, although... soon I reckon..)
