Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Enzyme Related Toxic Overdose Environment

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November 16, 2004

 

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Enzyme Related Toxic Overdose Environment

 

Health

 

 

More than 200 diseases have been linked to pollution by a recent

study, according to an article published in The Independent. Although

it has been known for some time that increased cancer incidence is

linked to pollution, it is seldom we see an open acknowledgement in

the mainstream press that we are actively poisoning ourselves with

chemicals and other pollutants released freely into the environment.

Those substances are so ubiquitous that most people have a toxic

cocktail mixed in with their blood.

 

Although some tentative steps in the right direction are being

taken - there is the recent announcement of a National Institutes of

Health study that recommends Doctors and nurses be given more

environmental health training to prevent, recognize, and treat

diseases caused by environmental exposures, we are still a far way

from really understanding just what we are doing to ourselves.

 

Unfortunately there is much politics involved and the sufferers

from pollution are having a hard time to get their illness recognized,

much less to be treated with anything but psychiatric medications, as

the going explanation is that " it's all in your head " . Martin Walker,

author of " Dirty Medicine " , has researched the pressures brought to

bear against patients and physicians by the chemical and

pharmaceutical industry in his latest book " Skewed " . The book is

revealing, although it does not attempt to explain causes or possible

cures for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and related illnesses. It lays

out what the politics are and gives us a good idea of the players

involved.

 

There is an effort to attain global recognition of Multiple

Chemical Sensitivity and related illnesses as real and caused by

pollution, not by the imagination of those suffering. The Global

Recognition Campaign site is run by Diana Buckland, a representative

of the Australian Chemical Trauma Alliance.

 

Another Chemical Sensitivity campaign is located in Washington

State, in the US. Don Richard Paladin of Bellingham, Washington State,

gives us a succinct overview in his article which links chemical

sensitivity to a deficiency in detoxification enzymes...

 

.

 

Chemical Intolerance - Overcoming Psychogenic Psychobabble

 

There have been attempts to help explain why one person may have a

low tolerance for a chemical and others may not.[1] Very recent

research from Canada may demonstrate a relationship between

deficiencies of enzymes and chemical intolerance.[2] The American

Academy of Family Physicians, The American Medical Association and

other medical associations need to review and become current on their

positions on Environmental Intolerance (aka Multiple Chemical

Sensitivity).

 

There is much literature sponsored by advocates for industry which

attempts to minimize the consequences of synthetic toxic chemicals by

suggesting that those who report symptoms from these chemicals have

psychosomatic disorders. [3], [4] There are likely relationships

between environmental triggers and psychological as well as other

symptoms. Symptoms, however, are not causes.

 

Dr. Robert Haley has reported a relationship between Gulf War

Syndrome and a deficiency of the enzyme serum paraoxonase (Pon-Q) that

detoxifies organophosphates. He has concluded that a deficiency of

this enzyme

can explain why one soldier may tolerate a higher dose of an

organophosphate exposure and another may be damaged and become ill. [5]

 

A report in the New York Times explains, " Citing new scientific

research on the effects of exposure to low levels of neurotoxins, the

Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses concludes

in its draft report that " a substantial proportion of Gulf War

veterans are ill with multisymptom conditions not explained by wartime

stress or psychiatric illness. It says a growing body of research

suggests that many veterans' symptoms have a neurological cause and

that there is a " probable link " to exposure to neurotoxins. " [6], [7]

 

Recent research by Ella H. Sklan et al may help explain the Panic

Attack and anxiety connection to exposures to stimuli that may be

toxic (like pesticides). " Serum AChE and PON enzyme activities were

both found to be affected by demographic parameters, and showed

inverse, reciprocal associations with anxiety measures. " [8]

 

If one has a much lower level than normal of the enzymes involved

in detoxification of any given stimuli (Pon-Q and organophosphates are

the example being used), then one will have a lower TOLERANCE to the

stimuli than those with a normal tolerance. It is interesting that a

lower level of PON-Q and AChE may also be implicated in the

precipitation of anxiety. This suggests the lower level of enzymes and

other biochemicals may be responsible for symptoms of anxiety and

panic disorders.

 

It is time we move away from a psychological explanation of the

cause of chemical intolerance and try to understand the rudimentary

biochemistry behind the illness. Not only will this information help

those with antibody mediated allergies but also greatly help those

with intolerance to environmental stimuli.

 

Since MCS (Chemical Intolerance, Environmental Intolerance) is not

an antibody mediated allergy, allergy specialists and others should

acknowledge they do NOT understand the mechanism of the disorder and

quit trying to discount it with a " psychogenic " canard. Anyone with

any knowledge of medical history knows that both antibody mediated

allergies and asthma were once considered to be psychosomatic. There

is a great deal we all don't understand. A little humility by the

medical community would go a long way.

 

References:

 

1. Understanding Chemical Intolerance, an investigation by Don

Richard Paladin,

 

2.Gail McKeown-Eyssen, Cornelia Baines, David E. C. Cole, Nicole

Riley, Rachel F. Tyndale, Case-control study of genotypes in multiple

chemical sensitivity: CYP2D6, NAT1, NAT2, PON1, PON2 and MTHFR ,

International Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/ije/dyh251 ,

 

3. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Under Siege by Ann MacCampbell,

M.D.,Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, January 2001, #210, p. 20

- 27 in which she writes. " When confronted by the harm they have

caused, corporations typically blame the victims, deny the problem,

and try to avoid responsibility for the harm caused. The corporate

response to MCS has been no different. "

 

4.THE CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION'S ENVIRONMENTAL ILLNESS

BRIEFING PAPER, 1990 , in which they state: " Because it has the

potential to impact many segments of society, many groups have an

interest in placing environmental illness in its proper perspective.

.... Because environmental illness is a health issue, the only people

who can legitimize it are physicians, and they have not. Should

environmental illness arise as an issue, a coalition with the state

medical association is absolutely necessary. "

 

5. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas,

..UT Southwestern researcher finds genetic cause for Gulf War syndrome

 

6. Shane, Scott, Chemicals Sickened '91 Gulf War Veterans, Latest

Study Finds, The New York Times, October 15, 2004

 

7. Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans‚ Illnesses,

Scientific Progress in Understanding Gulf War Veterans‚ Illnesses:

Report and Recommendations, September 2004, [The complete report may

be downloaded in pdf format from this site.]

 

8. Ella H. Sklan, Alexander Lowenthal, Mira Korner, Ya'acov Ritov,

Daniel M. Landers, Tuomo Rankinen, Claude Bouchard, Arthur S. Leon,

Treva Rice, D. C. Rao, Jack H. Wilmore, James S. Skinner and Hermona

Soreq , Acetylcholinesterase/paraoxonase genotype and expression

predict anxiety scores in Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training, and

Genetics study Biochemistry., April 13, 2004 | vol. 101 | no. 15 |

5512-5517

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content

 

Don Richard Paladin

Washington State Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Network

P.O Box 29722

Bellingham, WA 98228-1722

 

 

See also related:

 

A recent conference at McGill University, Montreal - PESTICIDES IN

OUR BODIES / A TOXIC LEGACY

 

Considerations for the Diagnosis of Chemical Sensitivity

 

Chemicals high on WHO agenda, according to an article of The

Lancet: Chemical danger

 

Posted at November 16, 2004 08:52 PM | TrackBack

 

 

 

 

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