Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Review of the State of the Art in Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Future Perspectives
J Occup Environ Med, 60 (2):
138-146 (February 2018)DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001215
Abstract
Systematic bibliography analysis of about the last 17 years on multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) was carried out in order to detect new diagnostic and epidemiological evidence. The MCS is a complex syndrome that manifests as a result of exposure to a low level of various common contaminants. The etiology, diagnosis, and treatment are still debated among researchers.Querying PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane library, both using some specific MESH terms combined with MESH subheadings and through free search, even by Google.The studies were analyzed by verifying 1) the typology of study design; 2) criteria for case definition; 3) presence of attendances in the emergency departments and hospital admissions, and 4) analysis of the risk factors.With this review, we give some general considerations and hypothesis for possible future research.
Description
In this systematic review on MCS from last year, the authors conclude that there is one aspect about MCS that is "broadly confirmed" throughout the scientific literature over the last two decades. It is that for MCS brains, there is a "greater involvement of the activity of the limbic system and of the autonomic nervous system at the expense of cortical areas."
In other words, out of all the studies that have been done on MCS, the one thing we know for sure is that the MCS brain is spending so much of its resources on the subcortical areas (the ancient, reactive, protective areas of the brain) that it leads to deficits in the areas of the brain that allow us to think clearly, quickly and rationally (the cortical areas).
I think we can all attest to the feeling of not being able to think as clearly as we once did (or as others do)—particularly when stimulated by some chemical exposure, or by EMF exposure, or by stress, or by food allergies, etc.
In 2019, I think it should be a no-brainer (no pun intended) that one aspect of an effective protocol to treat MCS must be to work on desensitizing this chronic stress response in the limbic regions of the brain. This does not mean MCS is a psychological problem. It means that the threshold at which MCS brains are *literally poisoned* has been lowered long-term due to some initiating toxic event, and an effective therapy should attempt to normalize that response.