MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity); What is it and is There a Cure? Part 3

Moving Forward

In April of 2010,  my husband and I decided to have my neck looked at more closely due to the constant and worsening neurological issues, specifically sleep disturbance and insomnia.   Our first visit to the Upper Cervical Specialist was an eye opening one for sure.  X-rays showed that my first cervical was shoved up against my spinal cord and brain.  It was beginning to fuse to my spinal cord and the cerebral spinal fluid was leaking into my brain.  While this is not a good diagnosis, it did explain why I had constant pressure in my head and when I was exposed to specific environmental toxins, the pressure increased…like a pressure cooker.  This had been going on since 1991, but worsening since 2006. 

Doctor A.T. Wood, my Upper Cervical Specialist feels that over the next couple of years we will be able to train that cervical to stay where it is supposed to, eliminating the need for any further treatment.  But the catch is, only he can correct my neck. This was a hard reality for me to face, since my husband had been correcting my neck sometimes 3 times a day just so I could function for quite some time…..years. So, giving that up was like giving up cocaine in some ways. 

Since I began seeing Doctor Wood I have been through many ups and downs with my health, mainly downs with a few glimpses of normal life.  In November of 2010, I had to recieve another IV for my dropping Ferritin (5th one now) levels which we were hoping would aleviate my sleep issues.  So far, it is still up and down with too many downs and many nights with little to no rest.  If you have ever suffered from chronic sleep disorders, then you know how quickly your quality of life breaks down.  That is where I am, but I am hopeful. 

Hopeful

Hopeful in what?  With all the suffering, why hope?  God has me on a journey of transformation, one that rips the hope of this world from my flesh, leaving me with a gaping hole that can only be filled with and by Him.  After 5 years of wrestling with God over this issue and ending up quite angry about it, I can say now that I am no longer angry or wrestling.  I do not put my hope in anything of this world, but instead I put it in God’s will for me.  Once this paradigm shift happens, the need for better understanding falls away.  I can say with confidence, I look forward to the day that I meet Him face to face and that day can’t come soon enough, but my life is in in the palm of His hands, not mine.  So, I wait and do what I can to share my story with others who suffer and struggle for understanding within that suffering.

Most suffering of this world makes no sense to us and we ask why.  Only He knows why and only He has the big picture of what life holds for each of us.  Our job is to see that sovereignty and surrender our expectations and simply abide in His presence.  If you have The Hope of Glory living in your soul, you understand. If you do not, then this will sound ludicrous.  Please know that I am not making this up, this is the truth and it is not relative.  God loves each and every one of us regardless of our circumstances, appearance, sins or suffering and He awaits your invitation to let Him dwell in your heart.  When you do, you will have The Hope of Glory and it will begin to take over the dark unknown that used to dwell there.  Simply let Him in.  Love will prevail!

 

MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity); What is it and Is there a Cure? Part 2

The Healer

My husband is also one of  my doctors here on planet earth and has worked very hard over the past 20 years of our life together to help me through the uncountable crises that I have been in as a result of a very compromised immune system that reacts to environmental toxins at the drop of a hat.  Pat is a Chiropractic Physician specializing  in helping people who have chronic health problems like MCS, Fibromyalgia and many other auto immune illnesses known to western medicine as mysterious due to the fact that they are so hard to treat with a “blanket” drug route.  These illnesses will require one thing for one person, but not neccesarily the same treatment for another, leaving most MD’s shaking their heads and misdiagnosing. 

According to the book,  “Explaining Unexplainable Illnesses” by Martin L. Pall, PhD, neurology is perhaps the most directly affected system in the body and the main culprits to MCS.  There are the 3 forms of pesticides along with Volatile Organics Compounds and Solvents (VOC’s).  It is no coincidence that I have had major sleep disorders (months with 0-4 hours of sleep per night) from exposures to building pollutants that increased specific neurotransmitter levels resulting in the inability for my brain to relax.  This is a pretty typical symptom of MCS along with spinal, muscle and joint pain, weakness and mental / emotional confusion. Not to mention the ultra sensitive digestive tract that requires organic whole foods.

What isn’t typical is the disease itself.  Recent research proves that 4% of the entire population suffers from this illness at a severe level, reducing the quality of life (which is definitely my case), so it is quite rare.  Less severe cases however have been reported in 15-30% of the population.   As I was studying these statistics I could not help but feel a sense of doom about getting well.  Yet, my Lord tells me to trust and walk in faith, so I do, sometimes begrudgingly. 

While I am thankful that He led me to the earthly, human  understanding of this hideous disease, I am most thankful for His presence in me, instilling quiet confidence and peace that He is indeed my Healer. He is the only true Healer.   He is so alive and so connected to us.  Not only does He create each one of us but He transforms us into who He created us to be. And all we have to do is choose Him over our own human understanding.  His way is the way of life.  Our way is limited to life experiences here on earth. 

One day I hope to share with you my story of deliverance and freedom from an illness that grants much mystery and heartache, but at the core, requires a healing that goes much deeper than physical, it is a Godly healing that cannot be explained away.  This is a transformation worth living through.  And if He takes me before I actually do heal here in my life, I will be healed in eternity with Him.  That is good enough for me.

 

MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity);What is It and Is There A Cure? Part 1

Led to Understanding

I was led to read a book that was given to me about 1.5 years that claims to give explanations about unexplainable illnesses including MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), FM (Fibromyalgia), CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and (GWS) Gulf War Syndrome.  For those of you who have not heard of these illnesses, google them and you will find about as much information as you want or don’t want to about them. This particular book was written by a PhD who specializes in Medical Biochemistry. Sound exciting and interesting?

 

Ozone Generators; Do They Work?

Why all The Hoopla?

Ozone generation has good and bad implications on the earth and indoor air. It is a very controversial subject when it comes to air quality, indoors and out.  My job is to “clear the air” (no pun intended) on it’s role and effect on indoor air.

First of all, climatically, overabundance of ozone is not good.  Build up of GHG’s (Greenhouse gases) produced largely by vehicles and buildings, are causing the air above the Earth’s surface to warm at a quickening rate.  This is a fact and it is and will continue to change how we live life on earth as a result, not to mention the devastating effects it has on the future of our ecosystem and animal life.

 

The Truth about VOC’s (Volitale Organic Compound)

Will the Truth Please Stand Up?

Low Toxic Finish Label

Great emphasis is placed on the term VOC in the building (materials) industry, to the extent that many people have begun to believe that all VOC’s are bad and should be eliminated.   The truth is:

• Just because something is labeled O VOC, does not mean that it is not toxic. Zero VOC does not mean zero emissions, or even zero VOC.

This is because the government allows the use of many chemicals which are actually VOC’s but which do not cause smog. These are called “exempt compounds”. They are VOC’s which do not count against the manufacturer as VOC’s, allowing the product to be marketed as “zero” VOC.

Volatile Organic Compounds are defined as any organic compound that participates in a photochemical reaction, except those designated by the EPA as having negligible photochemical reactivity. VOC’s are chemical compounds based on carbon and hydrogen structures and are vaporized at room temperatures.

• Therefore, the focus of government regulation of VOC’s is not primarily with toxicity or health but rather on the fact that some VOC’s react with nitrous oxides and ultra violet light to form low level ozone, or smog. It is more of an issue for outdoor pollution. If the VOC’s don’t participate in this reaction, the government doesn’t really care if they are toxic or not, and so they can be exempted from the VOC calculation.

• This regulation of VOC’s shows no concern for toxicity of various chemicals that are not considered VOC’s. For example, ammonia and acetone, two very toxic chemicals, are exempted in the US because they do not contribute to smog formation. Yet, they are regulated in Europe because they are toxic!

As a matter of fact, a large emission testing was done on 2 labeled “zero VOC” paint products.  Even though they were both marketed as zero VOC, or low VOC, one actually registered very high levels of emissions (in this case 246 grams per liter, 2.05 pounds per gallon), but the tests did not screen for exempt compounds.

The other product registered a true “O”  because this product actually left out exempt compounds as well. Thus, many commercialized paint companies will label something 0VOC but will not actually leave out the exempt compounds, resulting in a toxic paint.  There are actually only a handful of companies in the US that are going beyond the O VOC label and really creating an honestly clean product.

 

The Body of Your Home: A Blessing or a Curse?

The Body Parts of Your Home

Sustainable, Healthy Siding, Foundation and Roof Materials

Your home has skin; the exterior siding.  Your home has feet; the foundation. Your home has a head; the roof.  Your home has a heart and lungs; the HVAC-DAF (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Dehumidification and Air Filtration).

If any of the parts above are broken, damaged, falling apart, leaking or missing; you and your home are in need of some healing.  Without healing your home, your immune system will be compromised.  You see, our environment not only shapes us as we walk forward in this world, but it affects us in vital ways.

Environment, A Curse or a Blessing- the Choice is Yours

According to God, the author and creator of the universe; our environment can be a curse and a blessing to us.  Since the beginning of time, our choices mean so much.  In Leviticus Chapter 14, God warns some of the first people about the curse that mold plays on the home and the body:

“If the priest discovers greenish or reddish spots that go deeper than the surface of the walls, he will have the house closed for seven days. Then he will return and check to see if the mildew (or leprosy) has spread. If so, he will have someone scrape the plaster from the walls, remove the filthy stones, then haul everything off and dump it in an unclean place outside the town. Afterwards the wall must be repaired with new stones and fresh plaster.”

“If the mildew (leprosy) appears a second time, the priest will come and say, ” This house is unclean. It’s covered with mildew (leprosy) that can’t be removed.” Then he will have the house torn down and every bit of wood, stone, and plaster hauled off to an unclean place outside the town. Meanwhile, if any of you entered the house while it was closed, you will be unclean until evening. And if you either slept or ate in the house, you must wash your clothes.”

This passage is taken from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible.  But if you study the many versions of God’s words for us, you will see that Leprosy was defined in the Hebrew language as a skin disease including  mold and fungi. When it spread into the walls of a home, causing deep greenish or reddish streaking or spotting, then steps above had to be taken.  The same applies to us today.

Basically, if our homes are plagued with illness, then we will be plagued with illness.  Therefore, our homes can either be our “sanctuary of restoration from the world” or our homes will a “burden to our bodies and souls”.  The degree of burden they become to our body and soul depends a lot on each occupant’s immune system response.