Which Poison Will Change Your Life?: An Mcs Survivor’S Eye-Opening View into the Socio-Political Forces Which Make Today’S “Invisible Illnesses” Possible and Probable

By Glenna J. Chance

Are chemicals and electro-smog in your home and workplace making you sick?

Does your doctor tell you that your symptoms are not real? are all in your head?

Has your condition been dismissed or labelled idiopathic (and then dismissed)?

Turn on any newscast. Open any newspaper. Read any blog.

What are they talking about? Pollution, global warming, and our skyrocketing disease rate. With so many research studies, how can these intricately-related topics still be called controversial and the results inconclusive? How can the scientists giving advice all have different versions of scientific fact? What and whom are we supposed to believe?

Real science doesnt lie! The answers and solution are clear. Read this book to discover why todays so-called invisible illnesses are never idiopathic and to learn how to hold your own within a system that gets you sick, keeps you sick, and wants you sick!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 18, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456712945

Glenna J. Chance

Glenna Chance, M.M., is a professional musician, environmental consultant, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity advocate/activist. She is the founder and director of MCS Advocacy.com, an agency which advocates for the MCS-disabled and their families who need assistance in finding housing, benefits, non-toxic products, and medical and legal resources. She is a proponent of life lived in harmony with the universal truths of nature. Ms. Chance does not use wireless electronic devices. Why? Read the book!

Book preview

Table of Contents

Introduction

Dedications

Foreword

Chapter 1:

There’s No Place Like Home

Chapter 2:

What is Invisible about Illness?

Chapter 3:

MCS is as Real as a Broken Bone

Chapter 4:

What is it…Really?

Chapter 5:

What’s in it…Really?

Chapter 6:

Hand-in-Hand-in-Hand

Chapter 7:

Reflexions

Chapter 8:

From the Access Annals

Chapter 9:

On the Medical Horizon

Conclusion

References

Recommended Reading & Viewing List

Introduction

Which poison will change your life? If you live in the 21st century, this question is more predictive than you might think! The question used to be why so many citizens such as you and I not only develop seemingly ambiguous multi-system invisible illnesses, but also why these debilitating illnesses are routinely dismissed, ignored, ridiculed, or labelled idiopathic and even imaginary by the medical and legal establishments. Now, with vast information availability, quantitative environmental assessment, and proper medical diagnostic tests, the question has been answered and these illnesses can be irrefutably linked to toxic industrial exposures at home, work, and school.

The list of such diverse invisible illnesses as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Gulf War/Persian Gulf Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Leaky Gut Syndrome, Heavy Metal Toxicity, Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome, Autoimmune Disease, and many more related multi-system conditions indicates that something more similar than dissimilar is afflicting us. Could it be that these illnesses arise from different degrees of poisoning? Is this poisoning a symptom of today’s diseases or are these diseases a symptom of the massive industrial poisoning which continues to be perpetrated on the world-wide community?

The physical fallout from industry-sponsored science experiments on the public has spawned rampant social problems which will not be solved by more laws, more surveillance, or more victimization of a chemically-injured populace that trusted its elected officials to place citizen well-being before mercenary corporate interests. Contrary to what government and the media entice you to believe, continuing on the current toxic path is not progress! Only when the poisoning stops can our social problems improve. That is progress.

Perhaps you picked up this book because the words multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) strike a resonance with your own past, present, or foreseeable future situation. You need no explanation of the MCS living and housing dilemma caused by increasingly inescapable environmental hazards. Some readers might have experience with a friend, relative, patient, or client who, due to the restrictions of MCS, is unemployed and occasionally or continually homeless. Most of you, however, have not yet encountered or given thought to the 16 (and growing) % of the population who suffer from this illness and whose full-time life’s task has become seeking a safe refuge from the toxic chemical and electro-smog onslaught which precipitated the condition. Living with MCS is, indeed, a curious journey!

What will it take to reverse society’s toxic trend and ensure a happy, healthy future for all of us? It will take knowledge, awareness, and a collective effort. You can start right here—right now—just turn the page!

Dedications

To my very gifted past and present cadre of Clinical Ecologists, Orthomolecular, Naturopathic, and Chiropractic physicians and other truly environmentally-oriented health professionals both here and beyond who have always taken the high road despite struggling against the allopathic tide.

To my non-MCS friends and family—I hope someday you’ll understand. Keep trying.

To many authors and musicians not personally known to me who have had profound influence on my life over the years—especially:

Dr. Deepak Chopra; Dr. Wayne Dyer; Dr. Bernie Siegel; Roger Gilchrist; Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn; Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen; the late James Allen and Drs. Leo Buscaglia, Joseph Murphy, and Hans Selye; Dr. Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt; Omar Faruk Tekbilek; Jai Uttal. Sometimes the slightest turn of phrase can inspire someone to greater understanding and higher aspirations. I hope to meet you someday…somewhere.

To all the Naysayers—remember the Buddha’s words: Three things cannot be long hidden—the Sun, the Moon, and the Truth.

To my MCS friends, colleagues, and the worldwide MCS community: Keep the faith!

Special thanks to:

My scientific technical advisors: A.W.; R.M.; I.O.; B.G.; J.L.

My friends of diverse professions and viewpoints who offered valued feedback.

Jack Goldstein, without whose computer and house this could not have been written.

FOR MY PARENTS:

Sine Quibus Non

Foreword

This book simply had to be written because a world without information remains in the dark. I live the physical limitations of MCS every day—as I have since I was pesticide poisoned in 1988. I continue to survive the unfounded criticism of skeptics (people who choose to remain in the dark) and the effects that their determinations have on many portions of my life. One portion that the skeptics cannot touch is my crusading spirit, which has always striven for education, excellence, and decency.

I am very fortunate to have had a stable and happy childhood in which material and educational necessities were provided, though not taken for granted. The local public schools which I attended were among the top-rated in the country and, living in close proximity to a major city, opportunities abounded for every interest. Mine was music. From a young age my life was filled with music and since I showed promise in the field, I pursued the art to its full extent—both locally and at out-of-state institutions such as the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan (now called the Interlochen Center for the Arts). Eventually I completed nine years of University—all on merit scholarship—at institutions such as the Eastman School of Music; the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Freiburg im Breisgau; De Paul University; and Syracuse University. I have taught music for more than three decades—both privately and on a college staff; I have taught and tutored language to the PhD level; and yes, I have performed at Carnegie Hall. During all this time I have also supported the upkeep of my instruments, transportation expenses to auditions, and obvious living expenses. While a student at Eastman I worked up to 6 part-time jobs in addition to my full-time academic studies and at one time while a full-time graduate student at Syracuse University, also worked a full-time office job and performed with the Syracuse Symphony. Later, I established my own environmental consulting business and MCS advocacy agency and licensed myself as an independent debt collection agency as I had worked in this field also for more than 20 years. I have since become certified in energy work and hospice.

This, in large part, is my background. Many people have worked harder and accomplished more and many have not! This narrative simply illustrates that I have always recognized what I needed to do for myself in order to accomplish the goals required by my profession and vocations. Why is this important?

• Because people who have worked hard their entire lives do not want to be disabled.

• Because people who attain goals through hard work and intellectual pursuit have the mental acuity to know if they are indeed ill.

• Because people who work to receive positive attention for their good performance don’t suddenly choose to seek attention for being sick!

This book is dedicated to those struggling with MCS—both diagnosed and undiagnosed; to the medical and legal professionals who believe us and truly help us; to the skeptics, for whom there is always hope of an open mind; and especially to those not yet afflicted with the illness, for you have a difficult road ahead of you. It is my hope and wish that this book be used by the MCS-disabled, their health care providers, and their friends and family members to dispel the myths which, despite overwhelming medical evidence, still persist around the topic of MCS and other 21st century illnesses.

MCS Advocacy.org pre-lecture questionnaire administered to Monroe County, N.Y. EMT’s. Passing grades? 0. From whom do they learn their medical information?

1. MCS is:

a) an allergy

b) a diagnosis

c) a psychological disorder

d) a disease

2. Doctors qualified to treat MCS are called:

a) psychologists

b) psychiatrists

c) clinical ecologists

d) oncologists

3. Name four of the following which are valid treatments for MCS:

a) prescription drugs

b) infrared sauna

c) orthomolecular therapy

d) oxygen therapy

e) avoidance of chemical exposure

4. The cure rate for MCS is:

a) 100%

b) 70%

c) 10%

d) 0%

5. The incidence of MCS in the general public is:

a) 2%

b) 16%

c) 25%

d) 47%

6. MCS is recognized by and covered under:

a) Social Security Administration

b) Americans with Disabilities Law

c) Fair Housing Law

d) none of the above

e) all of the above

7. MCS targets the following body systems:

a) nervous system

b) respiratory system

c) digestive system

d) endocrine system

e) immune system

f) all of the above

g) none of the above

8. MCS is directly caused by which two of the following:

a) genetics

b) long-term toxic exposure

c) one-time toxic exposure

d) psychological trauma

9. The percentage of M.D.’s trained to recognize MCS is:

a) 100%

b) 50%

c) 25%

d) 2%

10. There are reliable and reproducible medical tests to substantiate MCS:

a) yes

b) no

Chapter 1:

There’s No Place Like Home

May 20th. Today is the four-month anniversary of my latest displacement from the house where I pay the mortgage, taxes, utilities, and upkeep. Too bad I can’t live there, too! This time the intense trauma of the situation has actually turned some of my hair grey—not noticeable to the casual observer, perhaps, but to me, an inescapable reminder of these past few months of exile and its consequent roller-coaster of emotions.

Since I was pesticide poisoned in Syracuse, NY in August of 1988, I have lived in a church, numerous apartments, a van on the street, on friends’ couches, and, since 2000, in my own house which I have painstakingly modified to accommodate the physical requirements of MCS. I was lucky to find this house after five years of searching. It was the only house which did not cause my face to burn (animal, pesticide reaction), or my throat to swell (chemical reaction), or my lungs and muscles to weaken to the point of non-function (animal, pesticide, smoke, petrochemical reaction). It has no particleboard (formaldehyde glues), plywood (phenols), drywall (chemical adhesives, possible asbestos, mold attractor), or PVC (carcinogenic dioxins). There have been no animals inside for at least 55 years. There is no mold (multi-organ system mycotoxin). There has been no pesticide use inside or out (possible organophosphates such as wrecked my immune system in the original 1988 injury). Such is the running inventory which an MCS-disabled person must tirelessly consider in every aspect of life—whether it be in choosing housing or in planning a trip to the store. If you find the above description to be a bit hypervigilant or even hypochondriacal, 1) you do not suffer from MCS and 2) it’s time for some background of the illness.

FACT: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is an acquired disease characterized by recurring multi-symptoms in response to a variety of chemicals at doses below levels assumed to be safe for the general public. The symptoms recur at increasingly lower levels of exposure over time and the numbers of substances which trigger the response increase over time [so-called spreading effect] (Matthews, p. 4).

MCS is also referred to by the following names:

• Environmental Illness (EI)

• Chemical Sensitivity (CS)

• Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome (MCSS)

• Environmental/Chemical Hypersensitivity

• Chronic Immune System Activation

• Total Allergy Syndrome

Note to astute MCS supporters and detractors who, for opposing reasons, are screaming, You left one out!: I purposely do not include the newly-coined name for MCS—a name which was designed to discredit not only MCS patients, but also the physicians who treat them—because I do not want it linked with appropriate MCS monikers. It will make an appearance in a subsequent chapter.

FACT: The symptoms of MCS can be life-threatening on a daily basis and range from general malaise to confusion to extreme muscle weakness to intense pain to vocal cord paralysis to toxic encephalopathy to seizures to autoimmunity.

FACT: The cause of MCS is either a long-term chronic or massive one-time chemical exposure.

FACT: MCS is an illness recognized by and covered under the Social Security Administration, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Fair Housing Act.

Why, you may ask, if we are all exposed to ambient chemicals at similar levels, do some people develop MCS while others do not? The answer to this question begins with an understanding of the body’s detoxification process and pathways:

The human body is equipped with many detoxification pathways starting with its first defense and largest organ, the skin. Just as the skin absorbs beneficial substances such as the curative properties of an epsom salts or baking soda bath, it as readily absorbs toxic chemicals which happen to contact it—or worse, are purposely applied to it—such as pesticides, plasticizers, and chemical cleaning agents. Who would purposely apply toxic chemicals to his skin? Anyone who uses the myriad synthetic chemical hygiene, laundry, and cosmetic products which contain proven toxic ingredients. Personally, if I can’t safely ingest a product, I don’t apply it to my skin or hair, clean with it, or even have it in my house! Remember—the human race did successfully bathe, beautify, and survive for thousands of years before the chemical industry invaded its hygiene routine!

The skin does double duty in that it also provides an exit route for toxins when they are sweated out. Exercise will facilitate this process, as will a sauna regimen (consult your doctor before embarking on any medical regimen). At minimum, the skin should be brushed regularly to maintain its ability to breathe and to stimulate circulation to facilitate the elimination of toxins from the blood. Consider a houseplant with dirty, dusty leaves. It can’t breathe! Thus, its processes to maintain life are inhibited. You must gently, carefully, and lovingly wash each leaf. Doesn’t your own body deserve at least the same compassion and care?

Other entryways into the body are the respiratory and alimentary pathways. Depending on its mode of entry—absorbed, inhaled, or ingested—a substance then enters either the bloodstream or the gut. In the case of inhalation, the lungs’ function is to exchange gases. They absorb oxygen molecules and expel carbon dioxide. Ideally, the red blood cells grab the beneficial oxygen from the inhaled air and transport it throughout the body via the bloodstream to facilitate the astounding array of tasks which the human body performs to sustain life. However, the red blood cells also absorb the molecules of other, similarly-structured gases which are counter-productive to sustaining and maintaining the human body. These are the chemical products of industry which are not only individually toxic but which increase their toxicity synergistically when combined. As Dr. Sherry Rogers points out in reference to this phenomenon, One plus one does not equal two but more like ten.. In addition, bypassing the lungs are the fat soluble—or lipophilic—toxins which can lodge indefinitely in cell membranes and fat tissues such as in the brain and central nervous system.

Toxins in the blood are filtered and metabolized by the liver, where they arrive via the portal vein, which carries blood from the intestines. The liver is our hardest-working organ. It breaks down nutrients for digestion and then assimilates them in their proper form to support the functions of their target organs. It stores essential vitamins and minerals and produces the red blood cells which transport oxygen throughout the body. Before the current synthetic chemical onslaught added to the liver’s workload, its task to remove microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites from the blood enabled the human race to survive. Incidentally, understanding that these microorganisms were here long before we were and will survive long after we’re gone is good reason to give up trying to eradicate them with chemicals which also kill us, and instead to concentrate on improving our liver and immune function to be able to withstand them. Of course, this is not to say that we should drink dirty water and eat dirt!

The liver neutralizes internally- and externally-produced toxic chemicals. Normal processes of metabolism create waste chemicals which the liver is designed to neutralize and send to their exit via the bile, the intestines, and the kidneys. However, when normal metabolic processes become abnormal, the metabolization process becomes incomplete and its end products—or metabolites—are not in the chemical form which the liver was designed to process. When liver function becomes impaired, an ensuing domino effect intoxification of the body’s systems occurs. What would cause metabolic processes to malfunction? The root causes are nutritional deficiencies and environmental toxins. According to the Columbia University School of Public Health, 95% of all cancers are due to diet and environment (Rogers, p. 170). These two factors go hand-in-hand, of course, as you will read further on.

Having familiarized yourself with the basic detoxification process, the question remains why some people succumb to chemical exposure and others are able to carry on with their normal lives. A typical analogy compares the MCS patient’s physical system to a rain barrel which keeps filling until it simply overflows. Some bodies can metabolize toxins more efficiently (albeit not indefinitely) while some simply accumulate toxins until the system is overloaded and breaks down. This can happen over time or instantaneously with a massive enough insult/injury. Depending on the efficiency of a person’s detoxification process, there can be up to a 500-fold difference in his and another person’s ability to detoxify the same chemical (Perera). Don’t forget that the detoxification process of the human body was never intended to have to eliminate the nightmarish chemicals which man has invented and with which he has crippled himself.

We with MCS have been likened to modern-day canaries in the coal mines. As the canaries gave up their lives by being the first-line defense against poison air deep in the mines, so our income-earning ability, professional and personal aspirations, and overall quality of life have been sacrificed to the poisonous greed of the industries which manufacture and market as safe unnecessary toxic chemicals, to the governments who enable and profit from these industries, and to the ignorance and apathy of a public which is less and less able to sort truth from lies. Unlikely as it may sound, I think that the chemically injured have much better functioning bodies than does the seemingly healthy population! Why? Because our bodies recognize and react to xenobiotics as they were designed to do. Something is dreadfully amiss with an organism that doesn’t mount an immediate defense to an invading and marauding poison. That idea keeps me going, anyway…

Back to my seemingly ideal house and why it is currently uninhabitable… Remember the Far Side® cartoon which depicts what we say to dogs (no, Ginger, bad dog) and what dogs hear (blah, blah, blah, Ginger, blah, blah, blah)? Here’s a typical (and actual) response of a non-MCS house hunter when considering a house in this area built in 1927:

• it will have pretty gumwood trim

Compare this response with the one from an MCS-disabled house hunter when given the same geographical and chronological information to consider:

• the basic building materials will be natural unless renovated

• no attached garage = no petrochemical residue drift into living area

• is it moldy? has there been water damage?

• is it insulated? if yes, with what material?

if no, what non-toxic insulation can I use?

• was chlordane used indoors? [chlordane, an organochlorine pesticide with a 30-year half-life, was typically used for termite control and was banned in 1988]

• is there/was there an oil tank? = unremovable pervasive petroleum residue

• was there a coal chute?

• what is the present roofing material? When will it need to be replaced?

• if a frame house, when was it last painted and with what material?

• if sided, with