For about 13 years I've suffered with chemical sensitivity (which then gives rise to symptoms of Chronic Fatigue, depression etc.) The whole thing has massively impacted my life in so many ways...
I would like to try some sort of detox therapy. I suspect it is heavy metals and, actually, PVC that are the issues with me. This is such a minefield I'd rather find a true expert to guide my course, a gifted naturopath/doctor/medical toxicologist/alternative therapist who has studied the subject for years and who doesn't have a product to sell! Such a practitioner would know what to test for and the best way to detox. Can anyone recommend such a person? 🙂
For about 13 years I've suffered with chemical sensitivity (which then gives rise to symptoms of Chronic Fatigue, depression etc.) The whole thing has massively impacted my life in so many ways...
I would like to try some sort of detox therapy. I suspect it is heavy metals and, actually, PVC that are the issues with me. This is such a minefield I'd rather find a true expert to guide my course, a gifted naturopath/doctor/medical toxicologist/alternative therapist who has studied the subject for years and who doesn't have a product to sell! Such a practitioner would know what to test for and the best way to detox. Can anyone recommend such a person? 🙂
Hi Jazz, it does sound like you're at a loss here!
Firstly have you been tested for sensitivity to any chemicals? or is this the feeling that you get personally.
I say this because ( and i don't mean to belittle your situation) in modern days we are constantly bombarded with the fear that chemicals, foods, materials, etc. are the cause for our illness and pain.
The human body has evloved to adapt to many contaminants and diseases through the ages and will continue as life and the environment changes.
When you have suffered for such a long time, as you have, things can get a little confusing and additional options present themselves for our ill health.
The main symptoms that stand out in your post are : Sensitivity, Fatigue and Depression.
Sensitivity can be your adrenal system working overtime to expel contaminants and foriegn bodies, but this can get stuck in a catch 22, and create more unrest.
Fatigue could be the effect of the adrenal system exhausting itself leaving your body tired form all the hard work.
Depression is as it says ' depressed' your body is trying to slow itself down so it can go into healing mode to correct the imbalance.
Try to look back to the two year prior to your first symptoms or even back to childhood, were there any recurrent illness or trauma?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine your symtoms are caused by a weakening of energy ( to put it simply) for there to be what you call sensitivity would suggest a chronic weakening which may have given rise to what we call symptoms of excess (trying to restore balance)
When there is a substantial weakening of the system everything else can seem 'excessive' but is just a relection of the existing weakness ' when yin is deficiant, yang will rise'.
One thing that does spring to mind is 'Anti-Biotics'. Have you taken any in the last 2 years? Many Gp's , when at a loss to illness are quite happy to bombard us with this stuff, and it just wipes the systems protection completely!
Science is now telling us that it can be just as harmful as it is good. 🙁
We can spend many countless months and years searching for an answer, usually and external one, but ultimately healing starts from within, ourselves.
There are too many allergies and intolerences nowadays, many of which are just the energetic body being too weak to rebalance itself.
I constanly treat Chronic Fatigue, MS, Candida, Intolerences and in most cases (80%)can be resolved by restoring the system with Acupuncture and Qigong.
The one thing i would'nt recommend is a detox, thes can be good for seasonal changes but could make you even worse
I would however recommend seeing a trained Acupuncturist or even a specialist nutritionalist, both would be even better!
We are taught to see the pattern of your illness and not just your symptoms. A clear prospective would be a great advantage at this point.
I hope this is of help to you and wish you the best in your quest for greater health.
INDO
Hi Indo. Thank you so much for your reply. Appreciate it!
A fairly quick post from me for now....
I wrote that I am sensitive to some chemicals because that much is quite apparent! Without going into too much tedious detail, events have shown that this sensitivity is unconnected to anything I might be expecting etc. In fact, chemical sensitivity was truly the last thing my own philosophy (which recognises different forms of subtle energies and our own energy systems etc....) was inclined to embrace, yet I had to eventually concede that a sensitivity to (airborne) chemicals was indeed happening in me.
Of course, the fact that this is happening on a physical level does not mean that a better flow of subtle energies (I'm deliberately using generic terminology!!) in me could not prompt physical toxins to be released etc. So I am very open to tackling this from any angle, including a (subtle) energetic one...
Anyway, just as an example of the sort of thing that goes on with me: Some cars (being in them, I mean) will 'wipe me out' for days, lead to blurred vision, a metallic taste in mouth, cognitive dysfunction, lethargy etc. Others just will not. I might add that sometimes the very opposite to my expectations will occur! eg. I once borrowed a rather beaten up old van that smelt of oil inside and had a bit of an exhaust blow too. Well my immediate thought was 'Oh dear, THIS vehicle is surely going to have LOADS of nasties that I will react to', yet actually it turns out I am always as right as rain in this particular vehicle!
I have learnt that brand new cars are completely out of the question for me (I had not even heard of off-gassing until after I had hired a new car and reacted massively, and this has happened a few times now...). Other things that affect me badly are wet paint and memory foam (well I believe it is the fire retardant that is added to memory foam - foam itself is pretty inert). I will just add that the connection between certain stimuli and the effects in me is very clear. I have on occasion even felt effects when I did not know that I was in the proximity of a 'nasty,' only to find out later...
I would love to be tested definitively for my reactivity to chemicals, even more so for any unusual toxicity that is in my body, but I'm not sure that such tests are available or, if they are, just how reliable they might be.... hence my search for an expert!
I don't believe I've had any antibiotics for about 36 years! But I do have reasons to believe that I had a somewhat toxic water supply (illegal underground PVC pipes... am thinking nasties from PVC plasticisers etc. etc....) for some years prior to this problem starting, and that is my best guess at the cause, though I really don't know, I must say.
I have just started getting interested in Qi Gong and would be very interested to see if that or indeed acupuncture could help.
Thanks again Indo. Wish I lived nearer you, I'd book myself in for a session if I did!
"have just started getting interested in Qi Gong and would be very interested to see if that or indeed acupuncture could help. Indo if after reading that lot you think you might be able to help do please drop me a line! Thanks again."
I would love to help and i think i could put you on the right path! 😮
Again a few things stand out....
Metal taste in mouth : in western terms can suggest a deficiency of the immune system, in TCM terms related to the lungs which is your first line of defense and 'wei chi' protective energy.
Blurred Vision : related to blood, which could suggest that there is chronic weakness in the system , if Qi is deficient it with ultimately effect blood (as a nourishing fluid) which is also YIN in nature.
Fatigue : a deficiency of YIN.
You mention 'subtle' energy, but your symptoms are all physical. Physical manifestation is just a material effect of energy. If the energy is healthy then there should be a physical effect of this, well-being.
i used to be affected by paints, fumes and chemicals quite badly, but l;ooking back i was quite deficient myself. I rarely experinec these problems now, although alcohol affect me strongly, but this saves me money 😀
I had a lady come to my clinic when i first opened, she was very indecisive on the phone with repeated calls for confirmation and directions, also a cluttered conversation, to which i had nearly made my diagnosis befor i had met her. She arrived at the clinic with a slight dry cough which i heard was deep in her lungs like it was irritated, trying to push something away.
I handed her a form to fill out, her cough got worse. This told me there was weakness of her protective energy (as mentioned) and uncertainty in her personal self as it was being over protective.
As soon as she found out the carpets were new and new paint on the walls she abruptly left while raising her voice in a very angry and fearful way.
Fear is realted to Kidney energy which is our core energy and in chronic illness it is this energy that is affected. The same energy deficiency that results in CFS , ME, Fatigue, etc.
When you look at the presenting natural expression of an illness, all the 'un-natural' symptoms are just the body crying out for help.
Without energy there is no physical life and the symptoms it presents.
INDO
So I guess Acupuncture would be your recommendation. So how/where do I find a brilliant acupuncturist?!
By 'subtle energy' I was mostly meaning Qi btw. (while not excluding non-physical energies of other types).
Fatigue : a deficiency of YIN.
Interesting. During our training we normally saw fatigue and depression as a YANG deficiency, and treated it with a protocol involving opening the Du Mai from below to above. I've used this in my own practise with some interesting results. I learned the method from Professor Wang Tianjun, who did clinical trials with the technique, and would be happy to share it.
Obviously any differentiation would need to be qualified with other factors too.
David
Perhaps it is relevant that ALL the symptoms I experience ONLY ever occur after exposure to certain airborne stimuli?
I deeply accept that, in the main, our physical health is a reflection or outcome of our more subtle energies (including Qi). But I do wonder if, in the case of someone who is physically poisened as I believe I might have been (not deliberately by the way!!), whether it might not be better to directly tackle that toxicity first, hence my thought to try and find some way to detox.
Anyway... having said that.. I am certainly very willing to give acupuncture a go.
During our training we normally saw fatigue and depression as a YANG deficiency, and treated it with a protocol involving opening the Du Mai from below to above. I've used this in my own practise with some interesting results....
David
Thanks David, that's interesting! As an aside, I have experienced significent improvement after visiting energy healers, but always things will revert... If a channel of energy is opened in me, I would hope to also learn the means of maintaining that condition...
QUOTE] yet I had to eventually concede that a sensitivity to (airborne) chemicals was indeed happening in me
Around the time of the Song dynasty, a hypothesis for airborne pathogenic factors was first propsed, which eventually became loosely termed "Pathogenic Wind", said to affect the upper and outer layers of the body, arising suddenly and is often accomanied by slight fever. The common cold is a typical example of Wind, which often combines with other facors such as Cold or Heat (sore throat etc).
In terms of allergy, this is often treated as Wind as allergy fits many of the critera, eg anything arising suddenly; affecting the upper or outer layers (think sneezing or itching), sore eyes, slight dizziness, possible fever etc.
I've treated hayfever using Wind-related acupoints with some success- my wife has now been totally free of symptoms for 3 years. We know that certain procedures can modify/modulate the immune system in some people, hence the response.
It might be possible that a short course of treatment will give indications as to whether a longer course might be helpful. If you show a little improvement in say 6 sessions, it might be worth continuing for a few more. Conversely, no improvent in the same timescale probably means you need to save your time and money for a different solution.
Immune boosting
It sounds likely that formaldehyde in new fabrics is one of your sensitivies. Once you have one, it weakens your immune system thereby over time they can increase. I ended up with over 60 before working out what was going wrong, & finding a Homoeopath who specialised in allergies etc.
Due to a one-off toxic fume poisoning event I had serious problems back in the 80s, with airborne chemicals which now barely affect me, thanks to many different interventions. Maybe some would work for you.
The most effective has been immune boosting with liquid Olive Leaf, Comvita is the best on the market, available via Nutricentre. They give discounts for those with ME/CFS & similar. You need to ask for it.
LDN (low dose naltrexone) has both immune & energy boosting properties. I have to buy it online from
riverpharmacy.ca (Canada)
in 50mg tabs & chop them up. For lower doses it's easier to make a measured solution using pure water & shake first. Recommendation is to start at 1/2-1 mg for 1 week, to see if it suits you; increase by 1/2 -1 gm per week up to 4.5gms. As I have a serious, complex disease (probably as a result of an impaired immune system due to the poisoning) I worked up to 10mg x 2, morning & night.
Spirulina & Chlorella are, amongst other benefits, very good blood cleansers.
I had some benefit from homoeopathic de-sensitising treatments.
Other treatments such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, in my experience, can support the system while it heals itself.
Oxygen water helps. More effective than deep breathing!
Best of luck.
Thanks so much IrmaJ for taking the time to write that post. I will certainly look into the remedies you kindly suggest! 🙂
For about 13 years I've suffered with chemical sensitivity (which then gives rise to symptoms of Chronic Fatigue, depression etc.) The whole thing has massively impacted my life in so many ways...
I would like to try some sort of detox therapy. I suspect it is heavy metals and, actually, PVC that are the issues with me. This is such a minefield I'd rather find a true expert to guide my course, a gifted naturopath/doctor/medical toxicologist/alternative therapist who has studied the subject for years and who doesn't have a product to sell! Such a practitioner would know what to test for and the best way to detox. Can anyone recommend such a person? 🙂
I suffer from CFS and MCS too. It's hard to find practitioners that aren't just flogging expensive products. You really need to trust your intuition. Have you tried cutting out sugar and caffeine. I have found that harsh detoxes make me infinitely worse. It's all about moderation. Meditation is helpful too and Reiki healing. I self-heal daily and probably would be bed-ridden without it. If you want a free psychic reading PM me as I feel I can give you some spiritual guidance. 🙂
Thanks so much Psychic Oracle. Have sent you a private message... 🙂
It seems I may have got quite a bit nearer to finding a practitioner of the sort described in my original post. For more details, see my new thread:
I know a very good Health Kinesiologist in London. She would be able to check what you are sensitive you and recommend a treatment plan. She is my first port of call for illness for the last 6 years, for me and my 4 year old, so can highly recommend. PM me if you want details 🙂
Neuroenergetic Kinesiology
I recently completed an Immune and Vaccinations course which covers the immune response to all toxicity s . Its amazing . Just by using the advanced Kinesiology balancing we get to a very deep level of clearing in a few sessions.
Self Help and guidance
Firstly consider Hair tissue analysis, this is a good starting point when considering heavy metal toxicity.
Consider ruling out food sensistivities, these contribute to many health issues, as well as putting extreme stress on the immune system.
Take "Milk Thistle" immediately. it is your liver not adrenals, that has to detox, Improving liver funtion will have immediate health benefits in your instance. For your info the major drug companies are in a race to develop a synthetic copy of Milk Thistle.
Metal taste in mouth is a definate sign of heavy metal toxicity. To detox these substances is a very very serious undertaking. Start with MCP (Modified Citrus Pectin), take this daily, nothing else, for at least six months. This is the best starting point of all. Expect detox to take upto 1 and a half years for every decade of life.
These are starting blocks to help you on the way.
It would take me hours to coach this detox. But please tread with great caution. Metals when pulled back into the blood stream that then reintoxicate can cause symptoms that you were not experiencing to start of with, many of them very serious and distressing. Find a local practitioner who'm will offer support not just protocols.
Pete..