People with severe chemical sensitivities?

[manifold]

Do you know anyone with severe chemical sensitivities? The kind that carry around an epipen and hit the thing like a junkie at the slightest whiff of perfume, cleaner, deodorant, fresh paint, second hand smoke, etc.? I used to think it was all in their head or if not, it really sucked to be them. But now I wonder if perhaps these people are on the vanguard of evolution, developing hightened sensitivity to all the toxic crap we've been spoon feeding ourselves for the better part of a century. Perhaps, in the long run, such sensitivity could be a survival advantage. What do you think?

Vote now and please post your thoughts.

 

[American Horse]

Do you know anyone with severe chemical sensitivities? The kind that carry around an epipen and hit the thing like a junkie at the slightest whiff of perfume, cleaner, deodorant, fresh paint, second hand smoke, etc.? I used to think it was all in their head or if not, it really sucked to be them. But now I wonder if perhaps these people are on the vanguard of evolution, developing hightened sensitivity to all the toxic crap we've been spoon feeding ourselves for the better part of a century. Perhaps, in the long run, such sensitivity could be a survival advantage. What do you think?

Vote now and please post your thoughts.

My wife suffers from a rare disease known as Bechet's Syndrome. This is a severe immune disorder manifest by painful redness and swelling at connective tissue, and is most severe in patients from the Eastern Mediterranean and European descent.

Perfume (some cleaners, deodorant, fresh paint, especially quick drying solvents); If she goes into her real estate office and someone is wearing a strong perfume, she will suffer immediate redness of the eyes and nervousness. At christmas time, when the office has a 'Live cut' Christmas tree, she can only stay for a few moments, and has to stay away.

If she gets Poison Ivey it quickly goes "systemic", and it's almost impossible for her to get over it. If she is able to strengthen her immune system enough she finally can. She had a spot on her wrist, originally from poison oak, that was red and swollen, encircling her wrist for all of two years, and there was some concern that she might lose her hand, the condition had become so bad. Eventually that problem went away but it took lots of therapy for her immune system to recover by limiting her diet ,and staying away from "chemicals" as much as possible. the least and briefest contact would cause it to painfully swell up, turning red, even draining from cracks in the flesh.

In my opinion, people with heightened sensitivity to chemicals are not on any vanguard of evolution but instead are suffering some sort of immuno damage, perhaps genetic, perhaps from becoming over sensitized by prolonged exposure on an ambient level so that their immune systems are confused in some way, causing immediate painful, sometimes dangerous reactions, like swelling of the esophogas for instance, even leading to asphyxiation.

My wife can show symptoms in as little as 30-seconds to contact by either physical, oral, or by breathing certain "chemicals". After years of problems which went undiagnosed by several doctors, our family doctor had a theory that she had Behcet's and sent her to Mayo Clinic for their diagnosis. They confirmed it and told her there was no cure, and that people who were afflicted with it would eventually die from it. One way that would occur was the connective tissue of the brain and the surrounding tissue would swell causing a condition which could be confused with brain cancer. Her aunt died that gruesome death. She was given a list of foods to avoid; "glutens", dairy products, grains like wheat and corn, fruits, pasta, and much much more.

She sought help from a local "holistic healer", and was advised to fast for several days, to only drink water, and then to add one food at a time to see what her body's reaction would be. She learned that she could eat pototoes, fish, and chicken (grilled not fried) at first, and made her own bread, actually a "cake" with potato flour.

In the 25 years since Mayo she has added more to her diet, red meat for instance as long as it is a fresh cut with no preservatives added. If we go to a restaurant, our first time there we will ask the question about any preservatives, but if something has been added they aren't aware of she'll be ill in just a few minutes.

Mayo Clinic refers people with Behcet's to her for advice, and she tries to help but few have the self discipline to resist living a "normal" life and simply eating what they always have. Maybe they can't accept it. They end up dying horrible deaths, and she feels her efforts to help are futile, and doomed to failure.

To a large extent it's the the afflicted person's responsibility to avoid these toxic substances, but that is not always possible. There are even a few people who will try to expose people with this disorder to things they shouldn't be, to "show them" that they are the intolerant ones and should "get used to it" and not be such a pain in the ass; which is hardly the case. I've heard people express this sentiment.

Unfortunate Bastards? Hmmm...

 

[strollingbones]

hubby and his sister both have major skin problems..the skin is the bodies largest organ....she is hyper senstive to nature...trees etc...he is hyper senstive to sunlight....rosaca... he has a disorder with a major fucking name multi blah blah blah...which means his skin breaks out in large welts..his face etc...if not care both will break out in red, runny sores...i hardly think they are the vanguard of anything....since exposure to natural things harms them...the mutation will be the one that can withstand toxins...not the ones sensitive to it...did no one pay attention in bio classes?

 

[strollingbones]

o who the hell said they never heard of such a thing? what hidey hole are you in?

bubble boy?

 

[Gunny]

Do you know anyone with severe chemical sensitivities? The kind that carry around an epipen and hit the thing like a junkie at the slightest whiff of perfume, cleaner, deodorant, fresh paint, second hand smoke, etc.? I used to think it was all in their head or if not, it really sucked to be them. But now I wonder if perhaps these people are on the vanguard of evolution, developing hightened sensitivity to all the toxic crap we've been spoon feeding ourselves for the better part of a century. Perhaps, in the long run, such sensitivity could be a survival advantage. What do you think?

Vote now and please post your thoughts.

Or they've become so isolated in an air conditioned society and world they have lost their natural immunity to such crap.

I for one can't walk past, much less into a Bath and Bodyworks without the sneezing commencing. I give those places the WIDE berth.

 

[editec]

Yes I know a woman who cannot wear anything but white clothes made of cotton (I think it's cotton). Almost any household chemical you can think of will make her skin turn into ugly blotches that are enormously itchy and painful

She wasn't like this her whole life and she and her doctors think that her body developed these sensitivities later in life due to some unknown reaction to some unknown chemical.

She's so hosed. She's practically a prisoner in her home.

 

[manifold]

I for one can't walk past, much less into a Bath and Bodyworks without the sneezing commencing. I give those places the WIDE berth.

I'm with you there. Yankee Candle is even worse. waaaay worse actually.

 

[manifold]

...the mutation will be the one that can withstand toxins...not the ones sensitive to it...did no one pay attention in bio classes?

You don't think awareness of things that cause harm could be evolutionary?

And btw, I wasn't talking about allergies.

 

[AllieBaba]

I have a client who believes she was exposed to some toxin or toxins while working as a diver. She is in constant pain, cannot go anywhere where anyone is wearing any perfumes. She was denied SSD because she could not find a doctor who would tell his staff not to wear perfume/deodorant the day she was coming in, so she could not see the doctor.

When I was working in a law office we had a client who had Gulf War Syndrome or something like it. He was sick all the time, but couldn't find a doctor to back up his claim of disability. I can remember calling him to appear for a hearing we had fought tooth and nail to get...and he told me he was too sick to get to his car. I didn't believe him. I was like, "You have to show up for this....we've been waiting for months and it wasn't easy to get, and if we cancel that's it.." I offered to call him a cab, but he insisted he couldnt' do it.

So he didn't, I was pissy about it and we canceled the hearing.

A few weeks later his family found him dead in his apartment.

Now I listen to people who tell me they're sick, even if they can't get a doctor to support them in their claim.

 

[Amanda]

I think it's a combination of what Gunny said, people not being exposed as much losing the ability to deal with things in the environment and a build up of toxic stuff in our bodies that interacts with the environment to make people have reactions.

I worry about the food we eat. There is so much done with chemicals and bioengineering and we don't know what effect that's going to have on us. I try to buy organic food as much as I can even though it costs more.

 

[xsited1]

Whenever I hear Obama speak, I faint. When I wake up, I've got a new house with my own kitchen and bathroom. Is this normal?