Mechanisms of Allergy
Chemical sensitivity
In time it became obvious that some individuals
were sensitive to environmental chemicals. It is hard to describe
this as an allergy; probably the term ‘low-grade poisoning’
would be better since many of these chemicals would make anyone
exposed to them in sufficient concentration feel ill. The problem
is just that certain individuals react to smaller doses. We
are all subject to a barrage of alien chemicals in our bodies
(Greek word: xenobiotics, meaning alien to life. We have chemical
pathways in our bodies designed to remove toxic substances:
a process called detoxication or biotransformation. The trouble
is these new man-made chemicals have no equivalent in nature
and so we do not have the right systems in our body to fully
eliminate the toxicity. In fact, in its attempts to deal with
the problem the body sometimes, by mistake, actually coverts
these xenobiotics into something even more toxic (Casarett and
Doull’s Toxicology. Basic Science of Poisons. Third Edition,
Editors: Klaasen CD, Amdur MO, Doull J, Macmillan, New York
1986).
It’s a self-perpetuating problem, since the alien
chemicals can poison the enzyme pathways that are there to remove
them. The result is that sick and sensitive people get sicker
and sicker. Pioneer UK psychiatrist Richard Mackarness christened
these patients “chemical victims” (Mackarness R. Chemical Victims,
Pan Books, London, 1980). The media used extreme phrases like
“allergic to the twentieth century” but there is no doubt that
for these sufferers, our modern techno-chemical society is a
nightmare. The phenomenon of chemical overload and the chemically-sensitive
patient is one that we have created for ourselves with our advanced
lifestyle. Toxic chemicals, such as benzene, formaldehyde, methacrylate,
tetrachloroethylene, toluene, zylene, naphthalene, phthalates
and styrene, can come from many sources in the home (this particular
list of substances are all given off by new carpets). Then there
are more chemicals at work; some are recognized occupational
hazards and strictly controlled, but the majority are not considered
“occupational”: photocopy fluid, glues, plastics, paper treatments,
inks, dyes, fabrics, and so on.
Then there are numerous chemicals sprayed onto
or added to our food supplies, which we are constantly assured
is safe.
Most doctors don’t believe these low ambient levels
of chemicals can make you ill. But there are grievously in error,
through ignorance. First, most doctors don’t know any toxicology;
it’s another sad case of one discipline being completely isolated
from another. All toxicologists know that present ambient levels
of chemicals are more than capable of making individuals ill;
there are tens of thousands of scientific papers attesting to
this fact.
The second major black hole in medical practitioners’
knowledge is that, although they admit occupational chemical
exposures and diseases to their mend set, they do not believe
in home exposure. Yet repeated tests show that levels of toxic
chemicals in the average home are way above those encountered
at work and, in many cases, well above legal safety limits which
are imposed in the workplace.
That much ignorance causes much unnecessary suffering
and may cost lives.
This problem, of course, can co-exist with other
mechanisms and often does. Indeed, multiple chemical sensitivity
seems to provoke intolerance of others substances (and probably
vice versa). Integrate this knowledge with reading about other
ways allergies and overload cause symptoms.
To deal with the ensuing problems you need to
see detoxification and chemical clean-up sections.
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