Symptoms of MCS vary from person to person and can affect any part of the body.

The condition called multiple chemical sensitivity disorder (MCS) is affecting an increasing number of people who report adverse effects from exposure to everyday amounts of common chemicals such as perfume, car exhaust, and paint, which are tolerated by most people.

MCS must be distinguished from acute chemical toxicity, which is where a given amount of a chemical produces illness in all who are exposed to it.

Symptoms vary from person to person and can affect any part of the body. Severe symptoms often interfere with daily life and work. Those with MCS may suffer from depression, anxiety, dizziness and migraines. The condition often develops after exposure to a large amount of a single chemical, such as solvents and pesticides, but can also follow prolonged, low-level exposure to single or multiple agents.

When an MCS sufferer’s sensitivity to chemicals is heightened, normal levels of pollution can provoke illness. After single chemical exposure, sensitivity to the original chemical is followed by spreading sensitivity to other, unrelated chemicals. This is known as the spreading phenomenon. As the condition continues to develop, affected people often suffer adverse reactions to foods and inhaled particles, such as pollen and dust, in addition to other chemicals.

The clinical picture may be complicated by the fact that the body has an inherent, but variable, capacity to adapt to its environment. For example, the first cigarette ever smoked may cause irritation and nausea but, with repeated exposure to the smoke, these symptoms disappear. This is an example of adaptation. However when the body adapts, the true, toxic nature of the provoking substance is concealed and this is called masking.

To complicate matters further, the symptoms may not be produced until a personal threshold is exceeded, and a combination of different substances and influences may have an additive effect, which is called the load phenomenon. An example of the load phenomenon is when the symptoms of hay fever, caused by pollen allergy, may not be noticed until simultaneous exposure to car exhaust occurs. The increased load of the two substances causes the noticeable reaction. Another example is food-sensitive eczema that may not be evident until a period of stress occurs. Stress is the added factor that makes the load on the immune system too much for it to deal with adequately and this results in the eczema becoming evident.

How Breakspear Hospital can help patients with MCS

The underlying mechanism of MCS is not fully understood, though there are several important components. We believe that a heightened reactivity of the usual pathway for allergy is responsible.

At Breakspear, we have shown that patients with MCS have defective ability to detoxify certain chemicals, specific patterns of deficiency of vitamins and minerals, changes in the gastrointestinal tract, and alterations in the immune system. A specialised brain scan shows alteration in brain blood flow in MCS patients.

Associated conditions include food allergies and chronic fatigue syndrome. Treating these conditions may help ease the chemical sensitivities.

At Breakspear Hospital, after we perform various laboratory investigations to show the MCS sufferer’s current status, we then correct the nutritional and gastrointestinal abnormalities, advise on how to reduce exposure to, and body burden of, chemicals and use low-dose immunotherapy for chemicals, foods and inhalants.

Our environmental advice will help MCS sufferers reduce the burden on their immune system in their own home and place of work. Unfortunately it is out of everyone’s control that our indoor and outdoor environments are becoming increasingly polluted. The outdoor air is becoming more and more polluted as a result of fossil fuel combustion and the indoor air because of the chemicals introduced on carpets, furnishings, chipboards and in cleaning agents, paints, varnishes and pest treatments. However, there are numerous lifestyle adjustments, including eating organic food, that will reduce the load on the body and provide relief for MCS sufferers.

If you suspect you are suffering from MCS, make an appointment for a consultation with a Breakspear physician and find out which changes in lifestyle, diet, supplementation, detoxification regime and allergy/sensitivity treatment programme may be best for you.