Exploring the Physiology of Multi-Chemical Sensitivity and Possible Treatments

Can you cure multi chemical sensitivity?

 

     My daughter and I both were vegan, and ended up with severe multi chemical sensitivity. She was a vegan first, and showed me plenty of vegan propaganda on YouTube. Unfortunately many of today’s doctors also talk about how healthy the vegan diet is, but they have no idea how to tell people how to supplement properly. After about a year of being vegan, I developed multi chemical sensitivity, ataxia, stuttering, and a brain MRI that showed the following:

 

     "Minimal periventricular white matter T2 prolongation which is nonspecific. However, may be seen with mild premature chronic microvascular ischemic change. Clinically exclude sequela of migraine headache versus sequela of demyelination."

 

     Both of us were intolerant to carbohydrates, as that became seizure inducing. A diet with mostly meat, cheese, eggs, butter, and most importantly fish helped reduce our symptoms. Eating fish at least once per day is necessary. We both felt the best from eating canned mackerel due to the large amount of omega 3 oils in it. We are not sure if that is a fish that is safe to eat everyday or not, so we try to eat sardines or salmon as well.

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     Sardines in particular should have the least amount of heavy metals, making it a safer option. This diet is not fun but it is necessary for us to live. After two years of this diet has reduced both of our responses to chemicals a lot, but not completely. Hair chemicals still cause some problems with us such as chest pain, palpitations, with a mild exposure. An intense amount of those chemicals will cause a seizure. While the recovery is not as fast as we would like it to be, grocery store trips have become more tolerable as people wear heavy perfume and the isles with cleaning products are intensely scented.

 

     As a precaution, be aware that if you are extremely omega three deficient, a shaky feeling to a seizure can be caused from eating omega 3. It took a few weeks for us to get used to eating fish to not experience those symptoms. The first time eating fish, an extreme clear headed feeling started that progressed to that shaky feeling, and then I had a small seizure. My seizures from eating fish took around two to three weeks of eating it everyday for the seizures to stop occurring after eating it.

 

     This information is shared based on our personal experiences and is not intended as medical advice. It’s important to consult with a qualified healthcare professional about your health concerns, especially if you have a condition like multi-chemical sensitivity. If you seek advice, make sure to find a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with your specific health issues.

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Different treatments I have tried to relieve the symptoms of multi chemical sensitivity

 

     Due to the lack of research, and doctors unable to diagnose or treat MCS, I had to try to figure out how to relieve the symptoms on my own. This is not intended to treat anyone else, it is just for educational purposes only, always consult a licensed medical professional before trying to treat anything yourself. These are different ways I tried to relieve the symptoms of MCS, especially reducing seizures, blacking out, severe itching all over, as well as walking and coordination problems.

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Cannabinoids (THCA, THC, and CBD) and TRPM8 activation

 

     THCA gave me the most relief with the blacking out and seizure reduction. Only strains that activate TRPM8 will work for that, and many other strains can activate TRPV3. I have tried many different strains, and only the Lemon Kush that I have was able to effectively activate TRPM8. I can only guess that the strain had eucalyptol since I cannot lab test my plants. Eucalyptol is the only known compound in cannabis that is an agonist of TRPM8, while other terpenes and cannabinoids that act upon TRPM8 are antagonists of TRPM8.

 

     That receptor is a cooling receptor, and will make the whole body feel cold. Taking a fresh leaf from the plant, and soaking in hot water to make a tea is a good way to try out different strains to see if the cooling effect is there. Dry cannabis stuffed into an empty capsule was the best way for me to achieve that effect, as fresh leaves are not always available. The other strains that activate TRPV3 will provide a warming effect that can cause some vasodilation, worsening the blacking out feeling. I noticed only the raw form (THCA) provided the cold sensation. This could be from decarboxylated cannabinoids activating more TRPV receptors, and antagonizing TRPM8.

 

     I had to stop taking THCA, and activating TRPM8 after developing some minor heart problems caused from low phosphate due to the prescription medication Keppra. 1 month after I stopped Keppra, the phosphate returned to normal, but the heart problems are still there. I don’t know if I will be able to resume with THCA/TRPM8, as I will need my heart to return to normal.

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CBD+THC

 

     Taking sublingual drops of CBD and THC in a 1:1 ratio works the best for me, especially since I cannot take THCA. I do have to avoid any strains that cause warming through TRPV3 activation. Smoking cannabis also helps a lot with the seizure reduction more than sublingual drops or edibles. Since my minor heart problems developed, the smoke makes my heart feel kind of bad; so I stick with the MCT oil drops. The smoke itself contains compounds that activate TRPV1 and TRPA1 which are absent in edibles. There is no research to point out why that is happening, but most likely the TRPA1 activation makes my heart worse.

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Terpenes I tried to relieve the symptoms of MCS

 

     Some terpenes were extremely helpful to reduce the problems with MCS, especially a-pinene and myrcene. Many of the others caused more problems, including linalool, humulene, and eucalyptol. I tried terpenes out to reduce the coordination and mild dementia problems from mild neurodegeneration; as well as mid to upper back cramping related to an abnormal reaction to adrenaline naturally released from the body. This cramping is sometimes blamed on anxiety, which could be linked to the reaction to adrenaline. Terpenes can cause contact dermatitis on the skin, especially oxidized terpenes. 

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a-Pinene and Linalool

 

     A-pinene is the piney scent that is found in pine needles. Linalool comes from lavender, and is responsible for the relaxing effect. A-pinene acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor,(5C) which increases acetylcholine in the body.

 

     Linalool reduces acetylcholine in the body through it interacting with the nicotinic receptor ion channel,(64C) and is in many household products. The night time or sleepy themed fabric softeners have a lot of linalool along with many other chemicals. Some of those fabric softeners would induce ataxia on me, and I had to crawl on the ground since my legs would not work. Linalool is something I must avoid. Even flowers like lavender and star jasmine are things that I cannot be around.

 

     Alpha-pinene became a necessity to keep me walking more normally, increase my coordination, and help with mental clarity. This is all due to the increase in acetylcholine. I have tried 2 different ways to administer this. First, a topical application on my forearm with 1-2 drops of a-pinene gave me the best effect. If that terpene is too old and oxidized, it will cause contact dermatitis. I keep the terpenes in the refrigerator, and they stay good for about 1 year. After that year, I noticed they became more skin irritating.

 

     Another method I tried was a diluted sublingual dose that was about 20 parts MCT oil to 1 part a-pinene. The problem with that way of administering it, is that my heart rate was going too slow and it made me more tired.

 

     This effect is the same as how some people taking the dementia treatment, Aricept (Donepezil), have an increased parasympathetic response with increased acetylcholine. That caused some people treated with that to have bradycardia (low heart rate) that needed to be treated at the hospital with atropine.(65C)

 

     There is no available research to show why the topical and sublingual dose gave me a different response. It is possible that the topical application caused some localized activation of acetylcholine that led to some neuro-excitement as opposed to the centrally acting sublingual dose.

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b-Myrcene

 

     Myrcene also became a necessity, and I use that often along with the a-pinene. Myrcene was able to reduce the shakiness from partial seizures, and the muscle cramping in the upper to mid back. Treatment with a-pinene can sometimes cause a slight shaky feeling, and myrcene balances that out. Most often, I use 1-2 drops of isolated myrcene on my forearm. Severe cramping on the upper to mid back responded better to several drops (5-8) directly to the cramped area. Sublingual drops of myrcene were too strong for me, while some other people I know were not affected adversely with sublingual Myrcene. This was probably from my MCS giving me a stronger response to Myrcene compared to people that do not have MCS.

 

     The relief I got from myrcene could have been from the release of endogenous opioids, or through the interaction with the alpha-2 receptors, in which myrcene affects both.(69C)

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Eugenol

 

     Eugenol is the main component to cloves, is an agonist of the TRPV3 receptor.(36A) This terpene, and receptor activation can make seizures worse through vasodilation. I had to avoid eugenol ever since developing MCS, as it makes my seizures and blacking out worse.

 

     TRPV3 agonist include: oregano, savory, clove, thyme,(41A) camphor, menthol, dihydrocarveol and 1,8-cineol,(38A) 6-tert-butyl-m-cresol, carvacrol, dihydrocarveol, thymol, carveol and (+)-borneol.(39A) All of those could make the seizures and blacking out worse with MCS.

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Eucalyptol (1.8 Cineole)

 

     Eucalyptol is another terpene that did not work well for me. Eucalyptol is known to lower blood sugar,35D which worsened the shaky low blood sugar problems I got after eating carbohydrates. I became severely carb intolerant causing seizures after being vegan. I was able to tolerate small amounts of eucalyptol after the MCS improved to reduce seizures and the blacking out that frequently occurred.      

     Eucalyptol is an agonist of TRPM8,33D which can cause a cold sensation. TRPM8 activation helped with seizure activity, but worsened the chest pain and palpitations that I developed after having low phosphate from taking Keppra. That was probably from TRPM8 being activated in the heart, similar to how some people experience heart problems in cold weather or drinking cold water.

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     Caution: It is generally recommended to dilute terpenes with a carrier oil before topical use to avoid adverse effects. While I have applied pure terpenes for faster response times, I’ve also mixed myrcene with shea butter when a higher dose was needed for a larger surface area. Although this method may take longer to take effect, it provides safer, extended coverage. Be aware that excessive use of terpenes can lead to undesirable side effects. Natural remedies should be used with caution, and it is advisable to consult a healthcare provider before beginning any treatment.