Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Fibromyalgia has a lot of “symptoms” that apply to some but not all of its victims. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is something that I face, but not everyone with fibromyalgia does.

Here is a website about MCS: http://www.thecanaryreport.org/ (Note: My original link was to a different website, but thanks to Harry Clark, who commented on my choice, I have changed it. Thank you Harry, for a better site to reference.)

I am sensitive to the following airborne chemicals: the scent of plastics (think new plastic shower curtain), almost all perfumes & fragrances, gasoline, new car smell or newly constructed building odors (perhaps glue or paint?).

I am sensitive to Aspartame (commonly known as Nutrasweet), Acesulfame K, Saccharin, and Sucralose (commonly known as Splenda). I also react to certain packaged foods without knowing exactly why. For example, a drop of soy sauce will give me a severe headache. Is it the high sodium level? Nothing else with high sodium seems to bother me. Is it the caramel color? I just don’t know, but I avoid it.

Avoiding what I am sensitive to is the key to feeling good.

I avoid Aspartame religiously. It angers me that I have to buy “retro” gum like “Black Jack” or “Clove” from some specialty store in order to avoid Aspartame. Look at the ingredients for yourself as you are standing in line at the grocery store checkout. Every modern brand of gum contains it. About 95% of the so-called “breath fresheners” also contain NutraSweet.

How much sugar could the manufacturers pack into a stick of gum if they were trying to make me fat? Seriously, who chews that much gum? Do they really need to use a sugar substitute? Perhaps it is less expensive. Heck, I’d pay three times as much for gum with sugar.

Here is a great website that talks about the evils of Aspartame: http://www.sweetpoison.com/

Dr. Janet Hull indicates on her web site that Aspartame causes a number of ailments, fibromyalgia among them. At one point she asks the question, “Ever gone to the doctor with real, physical symptoms, but he/she can’t find the cause? Well, it’s probably your diet, your environment, or both.” Hmmmmmmm

Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, I drank diet cola like there was no tomorrow. Would I have fibromyalgia today if I had not done that? I don’t know. I do know that today I am very careful about what I eat and drink.

There was a time when I believed that the Food and Drug Administration existed to protect people from ingesting things that might be harmful. In today’s world of artificial sweeteners and fats, chemical additives, and genetically altered crops, I choose to own that responsibility myself.

What is my advice to you? Pay attention to what you eat, drink, breath, and put on your skin. Be aware of what you are doing and how you feel afterwards. For anyone with sensitivities, It matters.