[Intro Music. Vincent Tone - New Summits]
Hey guys, in today's video I'm going to talk about Multiple Environmental Chemical
Sensitivities. This happens to be another illness that I was diagnosed with
when I was also diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I haven't really
talked about this much, I haven't explained what it is or how it affects
me. So in today's video I'm going to do exactly that. But before we get into the
video please be sure to give this video a thumbs up if you liked, it subscribe if
you're new, and please be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram - all my
social media links will be in the description below. So first of all I'm
going to explain what Multiple Chemical Sensitivities is and for that I will go
to Wikipedia. Multiple Chemical Sensitivities or Idiopathic
Environmental Intolerance is a disputed chronic condition characterized by
symptoms that the affected person attributes to a low-level exposure to
commonly used chemicals. Symptoms can be vague and nonspecific and may include
fatigue, headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Commonly attributed substances include
scented products, pestacides, plastics, synthetic fabrics, smoke, petroleum products, and
paint fumes. Although the symptoms are real and disabling ir's not recognized as
an organic chemical caused illness by the World Health Organization and several
other professional health organizations around the world. Some attribute these
symptoms to depression, anxiety or a somatoform disorder. Symptoms can range
from mild to disabling and can include feeling tired, having brain fog,
short-term memory problems, difficulty with concentration, gastrointestinal
problems, headaches, muscle pain, difficulty breathing, pains in the throat,
chest or abdominal region, skin irritation, neuropathic symptoms, anxiety,
panic, anger, sleep disturbances, suppression of the immune system, digestive
difficulties, nausea, vomiting, and joint pain, vertigo, acute sense of smell,
sensitivity to natural plant fragrances, dry mouth and eyes, and an overactive
bladder. There is no clear cause for Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. The
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have
defined Multiple Chemical Sensitivities as a Chronic reoccurring disease caused
by a person's inability to tolerate an environmental change or foreign
chemicals. The distinction between physiological and psychological cases is
often quite difficult to determine, and there is no test for it. Many chemicals
have been reported to trigger Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, substances with
strong scents are the most commonly reported. These can include cleaning
agents, pesticides, perfumes, vehicle exhaust, products used at beauty salons,
new carpeting, new furniture, chlorine, fluoride in drinking water, fresh ink, - and
less commonly wood smoke, secondhand tobacco smoke, food items like dyes and
preservatives, and in the absences of an allergy coffee, and monosodium glutamate.
There really is not a test for this illness based off a diagnosis, it is
usually a clinical diagnosis based off the symptoms and your exposure to these
certain products and how you react to them. And depending on where you live and
what doctor you see this illness could either be classified as a physical
illness or psychological illness. There really isn't a treatment, most just
remove all triggers in their life and live in a scent free environment. So now
that we know more I am going to talk about my personal experience with this.
As I said earlier I got diagnosed with this illness at the same time I was
diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
diagnosis I think is a bit of a mis-diagnosis because it's so closely
similar to Lyme disease that it was an incorrect diagnosis at the time, but I do
believe that I do have a very mild form of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
because I do find that I react quite negatively to different scents and
smells, so I will explain that more. I will also point out that for me this is
a physical illness, it is not a mental illness, and I think for many it is a
physical illness not a mental one. My main triggers are
strong scents and smoke. I cannot wear perfume because I can't stand the smell
of it, I can't use certain body washes, or hand moisturizers, or lotions, lipsticks,
or deodorant - anything like that, that might have a really strong scent. When I
smell these things it usually ends up making me feel quite nauseated, it gives
me a headache, and it can make my nose burn, it can make me feel dizzy, and it
can make me feel kind of like I'm suffocating and can't get enough air. Um,
I also cannot stand cleaning products. I get much of the same symptoms I do when
it comes to most scented products, except with cleaning products because of the
ingredients that's in it I will have a much stronger reaction and usually I end
up getting a pretty bad headache. I will note that I have not been able to step
in a detergent aisle for quite a while, and if I do step into a detergent aisle
I always have to cover my nose and mouth because when I do smell the fumes it
makes me feel very sick. And if I do use cleaning products I have to use
something that doesn't trigger my symptoms too terribly. I also can't stand
smoke of any kind, either from a wood fire, cigarette smoke, or even when my dad
cooks smoked bacon - I cannot stand it. My symptoms between strong smells with the
cleaning products and scented products is much different compared to smoke.
With smoke I do have a much stronger reaction, it can usually last for hours, to
days. It can give me a headache or migraine, I usually get quite nauseated,
my nose burns, and sometimes I feel like my esophagus is burning, and my lungs are
burning, it can be quite painful. And often if I inhale smoke for a very long time
my chest feel like it hurts, it's just it feels very sore, I mean I feel like I'm
suffocating and I can't get any fresh air. My body you can also feel very
tingly, and it can kind of vibrates in that sort of way
where it just it feels weird - it makes me feel very weird. I also get very
fatigued, I get very weak, and it also gives me quite a bit of brain fog. The
reaction is most severe with prolonged exposure to wood smoke, and it less
severe when I get a whiff of someone smoking a cigarette.
My other triggers are food. I get severely nauseated when I smell coffee.
Um, I can't stand the smell of it at all - I can smell if someone has made coffee
downstairs when I'm up in my room, I can smell it and it makes me nauseated, I
have to shut my door and not go near it. I have not been able to step in and Tim
Hortons without covering my nose for a very long time, I can't even go to the
drive-thru sometimes because it smells so bad,
and I can't even stand when someone else is around me drinking coffee, usually I
have to leave because it makes me so nauseated. I also get quite nauseated
with the scent of oranges, or the scent of any type of seafood really - the
worst would probably have to be lobsters though, that's definitely the worst or
fish sometimes when it's cooking. Um but I do have the most severe one with the
coffee. I will again mention that I do have a very mild case of this, I have
heard of people with this illness who are so sick and disabled by this that
they have to be in a completely scent-free environment and they have to
avoid all triggers, and they are incredibly sick with it. Um, I'm lucky in
the sense that if I smell something bad it only affects me for anywhere from a
few minutes to a few hours, to maybe two days - it's not something that triggers me
to often as I usually stay away from most triggers, but it can be something
that does affect my quality of life at times, it's especially bad when I inhale woood
smell, that is probably the worst. So thank you guys for watching this video.
In the comments below I want to know if you are someone who suffers with
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. Please be sure to give this video a thumbs up,
subscribe if you're new. Please be sure to hit the notification button down
below to get notified when I upload new videos, all my social media links will be
in the description below, and I hope to see you guys next time, bye!
[Outro Music. Vincent Tone - New Summits]
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