Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is estimated to affect up to 15% of the population in the US and other industrialised nations (1), yet research into why people develop this hypersensitivity to chemicals is sorely lacking. Currently we have mainly animal testing and studies involving small numbers of participants diagnosed with MCS to go on.

One leading theory suggests the development of a hypersensitivity to chemical stimuli in an area of the brain known as the limbic system which controls a variety of functions including emotion, behaviour, long term memory, and olfaction (our sense of smell). Animals studies have shown that both large acute exposures and low-level chronic exposures to certain organic chemicals can result in hypersensitivity of the limbic system to subsequent minute exposures to the same, or similar chemicals (2). Perhaps the most complete theory of the pathophysiology of MCS thus far has been proposed by Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences at Washington State University. Pall believes the symptoms are the result of a trigger (primarily chemical exposures) that results in the body getting locked into a cycle involving elevated levels of nitric oxide, increased free radical production (oxidative stress), chronic inflammation, and again, excessive sensitivity of the brain and central nervous system to "normal" stimuli (mediated by the NMDA receptor) (3).

What all current biomedical research points to is that excessive exposures to chemicals that exceed the the body's detoxification capacity, may result in the development of MCS in susceptible individuals. This is true whether the exposure is acute and obvious or is more insidious, occuring at a low-level over a prolonged period of time.

For some who develop MCS it is obvious what initially caused their illness. Acute exposure to such things as organophosphate/organochlorine pesticides, formaldehyde, or various powerful industrial solvents are obvious examples.

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Suffering with environmental illness is a huge struggle, not only in terms of dealing with the dibilitating symptoms themselves but also the lack of healthcare provision and the way we are regarding with suspicion by doctors and even our friends and family. Finding ourselves in this situation though does have its up side...it has a way of opening our minds to possibilities we may not otherwise have considered.

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In 1991 I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) following a two day stay in hospital for a battery of tests. The diagnosis of M.E. was given by my GP and hospital specialists. It's funny then that the latest guidelines to doctors from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) here in the UK blatantly dismisses the very existence of this illness - referring to M.E. as a "colloquial" term. Rather odd when this is a true medical name which had been in use for decades, in contrast to 'chronic fatigue syndrome' or 'CFS' - the all encompassing term with which anyone suffering from a single symptom of mild chronic fatigue to what we used to know as severe M.E. is now branded.

Unlike those who pull the strings at the RCGP, and despite my 20 years of illness, I can be objective and like to give credit where credit is due. I have been pleased to note during this period that my GPs have become much more supportive. After my initial diagnosis aged 12 I was given no and told nothing could be done and both myself and my parents were made to feel like we were in the wrong - I apparently was a young hypochondriac with a dislike for school - and my parents were, well, bad parents for raising such a child (both polar opposites of the truth!). Nowadays however, I have a GP who not only is understanding and empathetic - believing ME/CFS patients are suffering the same ignorance as those with multiple sclerosis (MS) once did before its pathophysiology was elucidated - but also willing to entertain my requests for testing and biomedical interventions. I am hugely appreciative of this even though official guidelines and restrictions mean it is most often impossible to fulfill these requests. It is just nice to have a doctor working with me rather than against me!

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The other day I was contacted by new EiR member Emfsafety100 about the potential dangers the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from our modern technology, such as power lines, wireless internet and cell/mobile phones, pose to human health and also to wildlife.

Emfsafety100 reported coming across the global non-profit organisation Avaaz, who have a simple democratic mission: “to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want”. If you aren’t familiar with this organization, their campaigns typically address environmental issues, corruption and human rights.

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As a family of four, three of us have been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Myself, my mother and my younger sister. My mother and I were diagnosed in 1991 when I was aged 12 and she was 39. My sister became ill when she was 15/16 years old in 1998.

Obviously this is has been a tragedy of indescribable proportions for us as a family. My sister and I have (so far) had our youths and young adulthood stolen and our mum was not only struck down in the prime of her life but has had to watch both of her children suffer horribly, directly as a result of CFS and also due to society's attitude towards it. That we are certainly not the only family to be in this horrible situation is certainly no comfort. I would not wish this illness on anyone. According to recent research you are almost three times as likely to develop CFS yourself if a first degree relative is a sufferer; even a third degree relative with CFS in this study meant being twice as likely to be a victim than if there was no family history of the condition¹.

So it is becoming clear that there is a genetic or heritable component to CFS and it is common for multiple family members to be affected.

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Sleep problems are common among the general population but particularly so among those suffering from 'environmental', or 'invisible', illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FMS) and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). Everyone will be familiar with common causes of insomnia and poor sleep quality such as consumption of stimulants like caffeine (coffee, tea, soda/fizzy drinks) and psychological factors such as work or relationship stresses. For those suffering from environmental illnesses there may be other less obvious contributors to sleep problems, however.

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Albert Einstein is my kind of guy. Although undeniably one of the greatest scientists who ever lived, he did not see the world simply through the narrow focus of physics. Although his views on religion and the existence of God are far from clear...due in no small part to his (I suspect deliberately) ambiguous comments on these subjects, he appears to have had a spiritual side and despite his great knowledge and understanding of the workings of the universe, he maintained childlike wonderment at that which we call reality.

Einstein famously said "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind".

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I stumbled across an interesting snippet in a science magazine the other day about a study conducted by researchers at the University of Alberta, Canada. The scientists had observed that hospital staff habitually give surfaces only a single quick wipe with antibacterial products in order to disinfect them. They wondered if the number of wipes was important for bugs to be successfully removed from surfaces.

The main results themselves are interesting because it was found that one wipe is not enough and that in fact, three wipes is optimal to properly disinfect surfaces and equipment.

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Those of us affected by what are frequently referred to as 'Invisible Illnesses' - chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FMS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) etc - are constantly frustrated by the fact that we feel lousy, yet appear perfectly healthy to the casual observer i.e. our friends and relatives.

Perhaps even more frustrating is that to the eye of the conventionally-trained doctor we also show no signs of illness, leading many to assume it's all in our heads and to send us off to the shrink. Which is of course unproductive, and often counter-productive, given that these illnesses may often be invisible, yet are nevertheless as real and legitimate as physical conditions as the likes of diabetes and arthritis. The medical literature is now full of decades worth of research documenting immunological, endocrine, and neurological abnormalities that overwhelmingly makes this case for us.

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Most people suffering from environmental illnesses experience gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of some kind, or show other signs that something is not quite right in the gut. Perhaps tests such as a comprehensive digestive stool analysis (CDSA), or equivalent, reveal an imbalance in the normal balance of bacteria, yeast, and other microbes that is essential for overall health.

Research has revealed pathological changes in the composition of the gut flora (gut dysbiosis) in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, and autism...and this is a relatively new area of study so this may only be the tip of the iceberg. The most common (and most widely accepted) finding has been the presence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in IBS, ME/CFS and fibromyalgia. Healthy individuals have very little bacterial growth in their small intestines (most gut microbes reside in the colon) - SIBO is the presence of large numbers of bacteria in the small intestine. These bacteria are often normally gut residents that have grown out of control. Since the small intestine is where we digest and absorb the food we eat if we have SIBO a lot of this food is essentially "stolen" by the bacteria. The bacteria produce waste products as they digest the food including gases which can cause bloating and flatulence, as well as alcohols and various other organic compounds which our bodies absorb and which can cause any number of symptoms.

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