The following Web Pages are by Katherine Whited, ND, NMD on Chemical Sensitivity. Most of the pages are from her book, "The Hidden Epidemic: Chemical Sensitivity and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities", which is a self-help book for people with MCS that also covers the social and political aspects of Chemical Sensitivity. These free Web Pages do not contain the chapters in their entirety, but are merely excerpts.
2004 © Katherine A. Whited, ND, NMD  All copyrights reserved. No reproduction in any media format without permission.

Symptoms
 
One of the difficulties in treating people with CS and MCS is the variety of symptoms that patients present with. This large array of symptoms is due to two phenomenons; one is the variety of chemicals on the market today with their direct affect on target organs. The other is the body’s reaction to toxins, the natural defense against harmful agents and genetic predisposition.
 
ONE: THE TOXIN
The synthetic chemicals on the market today are primarily organic and since both they and your body are made up of carbon molecules the chemicals are taken into the body readily.
 
For example, neurotoxic chemicals have an affinity for lipids (fat). Like the outer coating of an electrical wire, the nervous system has a tissue made of fat cells called the myelin sheath to insulate the bioelectric messages traveling throughout the body. When myelin is damaged and develops scar tissue the result is known as Multiple Sclerosis.

Neurotoxic chemical exposures are linked to Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and other diseases of the nervous system. Each disease has its own set of symptoms.
 
Remember a few years ago when many members of the TV show, Family Ties, were stricken with various neurological disorders? In an interview, Michael J. Fox stated that they were looking into chemical exposures as the most likely culprit. Mr. Fox developed Parkinson’s Disease but not all of the crew and actors developed the same disease, yet the nervous system was affected. The following section, Two: The Body, will tell you why there are variances among people exposed to the same chemical.

The route of exposure may cause symptoms at the point of initial contact with the toxin. As tissues react to the chemical; rashes, hives and redness are common when the toxin is absorbed through the skin; burning eyes, nose and throat and mucus secretions are typical when the chemicals are inhaled; digestive problems occur when the toxin is consumed.
 
TWO: THE BODY
The body’s defenses against harmful agents such as bacteria and viruses has taken many generations over tens of thousands of years to evolve. Up until the recent few generations, synthetic man-made chemicals were unknown; therefore we as a species are in the beginning stages of evolving to cope with these new harmful agents. Some of us have better coping mechanisms than others. People with better coping mechanisms against the Black Plague survived and as they pro-created their offspring also had those mechanisms to protect them. This is the evolution that biology dictates for survival of a species.
 
The body uses the only mechanisms it has to cope with chemical exposures. The routes of detoxification are your lungs, skin, digestive tract, kidneys and liver. These detox pathways are often overloaded and having worked so hard, they burn themselves out, so here is where you’ll find many of the symptoms related to CS and MCS. In another chapter you’ll discover ways to assist these detox pathways and get them functioning more effectively as well as protect yourself from further chemical exposure related damage.
 
People in modern societies are exposed to any combinations of chemicals at the same time. Sometimes the synergetic affect of these chemicals combining together creates an even more toxic chemical within the body. This also happens as the body routes the synthetic chemical through the detox process. As the body reacts with its only known coping mechanisms to get rid of a harmful agent, you end up with is a new and more potent chemical inside of your body.
 
Another genetic aspect of variances in symptoms is due to the predisposition of the person who is exposed. Someone with a family history of Parkinson’s Disease will have the genetic marker for developing that disease. When they are exposed to neurotoxic chemicals their chances of developing Parkinson’s is high.

Children are most vulnerable to toxic chemicals. The most widely studied neurotoxic exposure, lead, affects adults by causing peripheral neuropathy (damage to the peripheral nervous system) and children by causing encephalopathy (brain damage). Although the route of exposure and the level of exposure per body weight are the same, a child's blood brain barrier isn't fully developed, therefore the damage is more severe. The under-developed immune and nervous systems make children much more likely to suffer from exposures than adults.
 
 
CHEMICAL FLU
 
A worthwhile note is that during an interview with a chemical engineer who wrote Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for 3M, Mr. Abner Fische introduced me to the term ‘Chemical Flu’. He stated that when people are exposed to synthetic chemicals they might experience flu-like symptoms. He also stated that the chemical industry is aware of this, but they know that people don’t correlate using a product (getting a chemical exposure) with the flu, so Chemical Flu isn’t listed on the MSDS.
 
As a doctor in natural medicine, this makes sense. The Chemical Flu is the body’s mechanism to cope with a harmful agent. Remember that your body will use the same coping mechanisms that have evolved over millennia. This immune response works fine against agents like bacteria and viruses; the fever makes the environment too hot for the invading agents to survive, the mucus washes them out of the body and cleans the vulnerable tissues, etc. The problem is that this does little to protect the body against these new harmful agents, synthetic chemicals.
 
The vast majority of people that I’ve spoken to experienced chemical flu during the onset of developing CS and MCS. Most people who are chemically sensitive will continue to experience flu-like symptoms upon exposure. However, Chemical Flu affects everyone. Many times when people talk about coming down with the flu I ask them about their recent activities and find that they are reacting to a chemical exposure. Chemical Flu is common when people install new carpet, paint, use pesticides or are using a new product.
 
However, many people with MCS live with these symptoms everyday of their lives not just after an exposure. Recall the worse case of the flu that you’ve experienced. Now imagine living with those symptoms night and day. This is a common experience of people with severe MCS.
 
 
COMMON SYMPTOMS
 
Here’s a list of the most common symptoms related to CS and MCS. This list doesn’t include all of the symptoms, but is a general overview. They aren’t presented in any particular order. You may only experience one symptom or you may experience most of them on a daily basis or only after a chemical exposure.
 

The following table is a list of symptoms common to CS and MCS

TABLE TWO

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