See original article at
Making Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
a Household Word
http://www.disabled-world.com/health/respiratory/allergies/chemical-sensitivity.php
Making Multiple Chemical
Sensitivity a Household Word
By Melva Gail Smith
Having severe Asthma and
trying to maintain a social life
isn't easy, but when you add the
disability of Multiple Chemical
Sensitivity to the combination, the
challenges become even tougher.
As a dancer with both Asthma and
MCS, I was forced to give up the
sport for 15 years before finding a
group of line dancers that were
considerate enough to cut back on
wearing chemically scented products
which trigger reactions in both
conditions. Dance had always been a
part of my healthy life style, and I
often practiced Ballroom Dancing 4
or 5 days a week, participated in
showcases, and had entertained at a
nursing home and mall. Just as my
young life seemed to be taking off,
illness struck; making it impossible
for me to be around scented products
that were unfortunately heavily
associated with the glamour of
dancing. Having to give it up
entirely was emotionally devastating
to me as it had always been my
life's passion. Anyone who has lost
a significant part of their life's
enjoyment due to disability barriers
can certainly relate to the sudden
traumatic impact it can have. The
experience was so gut wrenching that
it was impossible to watch a movie
with dancing in it without bursting
into a flood of tears. The next 15
years were lived with only memories
of better times, as without dance;
life suddenly lost it's spark.
Knowing the uplifting emotional
benefits dancing has, one of my
doctors suggested that I search and
keep on searching until I found a
place I could dance at without
having immediate major reactions. It
was during a time of trial that a
friend persisted to suggest places I
might go. Despite the risks, I
agreed to meet them at Dancin' Nuts,
a local line dance group, where many
of the dancers soon become
considerate of my condition. The day
that I began to take classes again
was so uplifting that it was like
experiencing a rebirth, and I never
quit going back. It didn't take long
for me to realize that there were
other dancers there who had the same
disability and had found it to be a
somewhat more MCS friendly
environment. What I didn't know at
the time was that there was going to
be a silver lining to my story, as I
was about to be given the unique
opportunity to participate in a MCS
awareness campaign that would span
across the globe.
When I heard dance choreographer
Ira Weisburd was collecting videos
from around the world for The Flash
Mob Project and would be splicing
them together into one large
documentary film, I wanted to
participate. I had never been in a
flash mob before and it sounded like
a lot of fun. A group called The
Nuts and Honey's Dance Club, that
also produces a TV show by the same
name on Insight Channel 98; was
going to record the Kentucky
segment. They were asking for
dancers from the Louisville and
Southern Indiana area to meet at a
festival to perform Ira Weisburds
line dance "Shuffle Boogie Soul," to
the song "Honky Tonk," by Preston
Shannon. Everyone was learning the
steps, and it was a really exciting
time for me. Getting to the film
site was a challenge in itself, as
it was filmed near one of
Louisville's more polluted
industrial areas. This fact almost
kept me from going, but I managed to
get to the site and through the
dance despite having both immediate
and delayed reactions that went
unnoticed by others.
After the video was submitted,
Ira asked dancers to share any
special stories they had associated
with the project, and these were
posted on a website next to the
video's. When my story posted next
to the Kentucky video, so many
e-mails were received from around
the world inquiring about the
condition; that Ira created the
Breathe Freely Campaign to create an
awareness about MCS and perhaps
promote a more breathe freely
attitude. An instructor in
California e-mailed the story to his
entire class, as one of his students
also had it. It was incredibly
wonderful to see this information
shared with others, and the seldom
heard of MCS becoming a household
word. Being in the Flash Mob Project
is one of the most uplifting and
significant high points of my life,
and the MCS community is fortunate
to have someone like Ira create the
much needed campaign; which
continues to generate an awareness
of this disabling and often
misunderstood condition. For those
who have never heard of MCS, it is
the inability of the body to readily
detoxify and eliminate chemicals
found in the everyday environment.
These chemicals then go on to store
in the liver, brain and fatty
tissues of the body. Patients often
detect and react adversely to very
small amounts of toxins that may go
unnoticed by healthy people.
According to an article by Dr.
Martin Pall that was published in
the 3rd edition of "General and
Applied Toxicology", pages
2303-2352: chemicals can actually
start a biochemical vicious cycle
that makes us something like 1000
times more sensitive to these same
types of chemicals . People carrying
certain forms of genes that have
roles in detoxifying these chemicals
are often much more susceptible to
this chemical sensitivity known as
MCS. Unfortunately, MCS is a
socially isolating condition with
symptoms that can be triggered by
everyday products such as lawn
spray, pesticides, cleaning
products, chemically scented
products and a polluted environment.
It can involve the respiratory and
central nervous system, create
musculoskeletal and digestive
problems, as well as cause cognitive
impairment just to name a few. With
reactions ranging from memory loss
and confusion to muscle weakness and
pain, it can become so severe that
it makes it near impossible for the
patient to participate in any
meaningful activity. Unlike Asthma,
there are no medications to help
prevent an attack. In fact, many
people with MCS become home-bound
and live on a daily basis with
chronic fatigue and other disabling
symptoms. Those with a severe case
can become homeless and unable to
tolerate standard building material
and home furnishings. Total
avoidance of environmental triggers
and wearing a face mask are the most
common methods used to help manage
it.
Pall, who is Professor Emeritus
of Biochemistry and Basic Medical
Sciences at Washington State
University has given dozens of
scientific talks on MCS in seven
countries around the world. He
states that the diverse different
types of chemicals implicated in MCS
all appear to be able to produce a
similar toxic response in the body,
too much activity of certain
receptors in the body known as NMDA
receptors. "We have, now a detailed
mechanism for how this leads to the
stunning chemical sensitivity known
as MCS. There have been many claims
that MCS is a psychological
response, but we know now that this
is false. It is a biochemical and
physiological response of the body
to chemical exposure" Pall states.
Asthma on the other hand is a
different story in that there are
medications on the market that can
help prevent attacks, or stop one
once it has started. While Asthma
can be exercise induced, an aerobic
workout can also be beneficial as it
enables the lung to receive oxygen
that is then transported to the
blood and circulated throughout the
body. One form of exercise that
helps improve lung function in this
manner is dance. It doesn't matter
if it is Ballroom, Zumba, or Line
Dancing, as long as it is fast
enough for one to reach an aerobic
state. According to the National
Lung and Blood Institute, "Aerobic
activity makes your heart beat
faster than usual. You also breathe
harder during this type of activity.
Over time, regular aerobic activity
makes your heart stronger and able
to work better." Strenuous dance can
actually double blood volume and
oxygen to the brain as well as
strengthen bones in both the hips
and legs.
Everyone should be given the
equal opportunity to participate in
dance. The many benefits of dancing
has been well documented and
includes but is not limited to:
increased circulation, enhanced
mood, improved range of motion,
increased confidence, weight loss,
lower risk of coronary disease,
increased HDL, and the joy of social
contact. "Dancing is one of the
healthiest hobbies you can have."
Ira Weisburd said when asked about
it's health benefits. "I have been
teaching seniors for more than 30
years and I can tell you that it has
added years to their lives. I have
several students in their 90's and
they are living proof that dancing
prolongs life," Ira said.
Here is a link to a petition
to the Olympic Committee about MCS
:
www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-scented-products-in-the-olypmics-and-affiliated-org.html
To read more about The Flash Mob
Project and the Breathe Freely
Campaign, go to
www.hannaian.com/sbsvideos/breathefreely.html
This article first appeared on E
Parent Magazine and is reprinted
with permission.
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