How to Beat Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)
Multiple chemical sensitivity is one of the hardest conditions you could ever live with. In a world littered with toxic chemicals, you always feel under attack. Whether it’s in the food you’re eating, or the air you’re breathing, synthetic chemicals are everywhere.
After struggling with multiple chemical sensitivity myself and then watching my daughter experience the same, I have become VERY passionate about this topic. This is why I wanted to create a recovery guide for those still battling MCS.
In this article, I will provide you with plenty of tips for overcoming multiple chemical sensitivity. Fortunately, I learned these crucial concepts while beating MCS in both my daughter and self. This will help you get over the hump, so you can overcome MCS once and for all. Take a look below to get started.
How to Beat Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)
Test House/Self for Mycotoxins
This is first on the list for a reason. Typically, people with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) have a history of being exposed to trichothecenes, the most toxic of all mycotoxins. They can cause severe immune dysfunction, impaired protein digestion, neurological issues, and plenty more. After someone is exposed to the mycotoxin significantly one time, they become hypersensitive to it, even in very small amounts. If you have MCS, it is essential to get a mycotoxin urinalysis, an ERMI or EMMA indoor mold test, and an organic acids test. This will help you see if you have mycotoxins inside of you, if there is mold in your house, and if you are colonized by this mold.
How do I know so much about this? Well, I experienced this firsthand and saw my daughter go through it as well. When we were living in a house that had black mold, we both had increased sensitivities to smells/chemicals. My daughter was so reactive that she had seizures, her eyes crossed, she was itching herself till she bled, slurring her words, unable to remember things, and plenty more. Once we found a place that was free of black mold, and followed the mold illness recovery protocol, she became symptom-free within an eight months. This is not my only experience with black mold causing MCS. I’ve seen it in many clients as well.
Start Eating Mostly Plant-Based
If you have multiple chemical sensitivity, you are likely having issues breaking down your proteins. More often than not, this is due to mycotoxin exposure. The problem is that when you eat meat that is not digested well, your gut becomes inflamed. This causes a leaky gut, which then leads to food sensitivities and a worsening of your MCS symptoms.
To heal the gut and the immune system, you must transition your diet from one that depends mostly on protein/fat to one that depends on fiber/glucose. This will help your good bacteria flourish, take stress off the elimination channels, and balance your mast cells/Tregs. Though it may seem like a tough transition, it is essential to success.
Reduce Protein/Increase Fiber
I will say it again just because of how important it is. You must reduce your protein intake and, in some cases, even fully eliminate meat. If you have MCS, any dense protein source will be difficult for your body to break down. Eventually, this undigested protein will cause a leaky gut to develop, which will make all of your symptoms much worse. Even the plant-based proteins need to be kept moderate. It’s not just because it’s meat, it’s because it’s a protein.
If you are reducing protein, you must increase fiber to remain full. Also, fiber is critical to stabilizing your immune system. It feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut, which secrete short-chain fatty acids (SCFA’s). These SCFA’s are essential to keeping your immune system calm. Though you can get fiber from supplements, it is best to get it from a wide variety of plants. To learn about which plants are safest to start with, read my article on the elimination diet. This process is extremely helpful for identifying hidden food sensitivities, which are aggravating your mast cells and keeping your MCS symptoms alive.
Eliminate Synthetic Supplements
Anything synthetic should be considered a risk. The reason is that it was created in a lab, not by God. Even though it appears like the real thing, it isn’t. Eventually, your immune system recognizes it’s an imposter and starts to react to it. To prevent this, all of the supplements I use are plant-derived and typically have only a single ingredient. This increases your chance of success and minimizes the possibility of a reaction. To learn how synthetic supplements trigger mast cell activation, read the article linked.
Keep Everything Super Simple
When you have multiple chemical sensitivity, the simpler, the better. This means with supplements, foods, cleaning products, and even your thoughts. For example, you never want to take supplements with several ingredients. This increases your chances of having an issue with something in it. Another example, you don’t want to have too many ingredients in your meals. If you do, it can stress the digestive and immune system.
Lastly, you must attempt to simplify everything in your life. If your thoughts are racing, you are not healing. Try my slow deep breathing technique and implement as many stress-reduction activities as possible. In the end, less is more with multiple chemical sensitivity, unless it comes to stress reduction techniques.
Use Prebiotics/Probiotics
If you can tolerate probiotics, I would try the supplement Probiota Bifido by Seeking Health. The reason I mention this one is because it is only bifido strains, and I have worked with it for a decade. Bifidobacterium modulates the immune response and has been proven in studies to bind to trichothecenes. In terms of prebiotics, there are plenty of options. My favorites are arabinogalactan, acacia senegal, inulin, apple pectin, colostrum, and bee propolis. All of these have a significant impact on the gut microbiome. In short, if you live in a mycotoxin-free environment, use the right supplements, and eat mostly a plant-based diet, healing is inevitable.
Alkalize Body with Juicing etc.
The more alkaline your body is, the easier it will be to remove toxins. In addition, alkalinity leads to calmer mast cells. Since these are the cells that are responsible for your MCS reactions, you don’t want to aggravate them. You can increase your pH level by consuming fresh vegetable juices, eliminating meat/processed foods, eating more leafy greens, and supplementing with chlorella, spirulina and zeolite. Of all those, the fresh juices have the biggest impact on pH level. I tested my urine before and after these fresh green juices and the pH boost was significant.
Increase Ventilation Significantly
It is critical to increase ventilation in your home. This means placing box fans in the window and initiating cross-ventilation strategies. Keep in mind, it is more important to suck the air out of your place than it is to get fresh air in. Pumping air in only dilutes the air. It does nothing to remove what’s in the air currently. Even if the weather is cold, you still must have times in your day when you ventilate your place. The last thing you want is to have stagnant and stale air. Since environmental irritants often drive multiple chemical sensitivity, you MUST be a nutcase about air quality.
Start Using Mycotoxin Binders
Since multiple chemical sensitivity is often caused by mycotoxin exposure, binders are extremely important. My favorite binders are carbonized bamboo, bentonite clay, micronized zeolite, and apple pectin. I also used raw colostrum and bifidobacterium because of their unique mycotoxin removal properties. Learn more about the best mycotoxin binders via the article linked.
Eat Mostly Organic Foods
If you are sensitive to chemicals, it wouldn’t be wise to eat conventionally grown food. The reason is, it’s typically contaminated with pesticides. Even if you can’t taste them, they still aggravate your immune system. Trust me, you can’t trick your immune system, especially when you have MCS. The reality is, you must avoid synthetic chemicals in every form. If you eat food that isn’t organic here and there, it’s no big deal, but I wouldn’t keep it in your home. To beat MCS, you must approach this from every angle. If your higher power sees how hard you are trying, trust me, it will throw you a bone.
Identify Food Intolerances
To beat multiple chemical sensitivity, you MUST identify and eliminate your food intolerances. If you continue to eat foods you are sensitive too, then the gut lining will never repair itself. This will lead to the leakage of toxins and bacteria into the blood, which will aggravate the mast cells significantly. The first step to identifying food intolerances is implementing the elimination diet. This will help you create a diet that is founded upon foods that agree with your immune system. Take a look at the link when you can, it’s a game changer.
Repair the Gut Lining
The best choice for repairing the gut lining is raw bovine colostrum. If you do not have access to colostrum, then focus on Bifidobacterium (probiota bifido) and prebiotics. In addition, you must identify/eliminate food sensitivities, greatly reduce meat, and make sure you’re not living in mold. All of these things can affect the gut lining, making symptoms of multiple chemical sensitivity much worse.
Use Liver Flushes Regularly
Liver flushes can be a great way to reduce the severity of MCS symptoms. By eliminating the gallstones and toxic sludge, you greatly improve liver function. Also, mycotoxins tend to build up in the bile. For this reason, you must eliminate this toxic bile to overcome MCS. Learn more about how liver flushes affect the mast cells in the link provided. It will cover the liver flush process and plenty more.
Trade Synthetic for Natural Products
The most common items with synthetic toxins are cleaning products, laundry detergent, self-care products, bath products, fragrances, and clothing/blankets. When my daughter was battling multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), we had to use natural products for everything. Even polyester blankets would send her into flareups. It was unbelievable to me, but the one thing I realized was that anything synthetic is a risk. The reason is, it is foreign to the body, and if the body is under significant stress, it wants nothing foreign to enter it.
Always Mitigate Cooking Fumes
When cooking, you must have the windows open and a box fan sucking out the air. I understand you may have an overhead fan, but unfortunately, it’s not good enough. The reason is, these cooking fumes are actually toxic to your immune system. Studies have shown that various harmful chemicals are created during cooking, especially when using oil or baking. If you don’t ventilate properly, they linger in the air and aggravate the immune system. The last thing you need is to inhale cooking fumes when you have MCS.
Intermittent Fasting before Noon
When people have MCAS, often food doesn’t agree with them early in the morning. It either makes them react, feel slowed down, or a number of things. For this reason, I always had liquid nutrition in the morning like colostrum, juice, a smoothie, or a whey protein shake. This would make me feel better, but not worse. I eventually found that if I only eat between 12-8, I feel sharper and better overall. If you have MCS, don’t eat three meals in your day. Rather, have two plant-based meals and some liquid nutrition in the morning. This will take stress off your digestion system, liver and immune system.
Manage Air Quality/Humidity
If you have MCAS, you must make sure your air quality is on point. The best way to do this is by combining box fans with HEPA air purifiers. I would have one of the 1900 square-foot air purifiers in each room, even if the room is much smaller. When I healed my daughter, we had four air cleaners in a hotel room and two box fans going. Without being so strict about air quality, she may have never recovered. In addition to particulate matter in the air, you must be concerned about humidity. If any parts of your home get damp, getting a dehumidifier is important. The reason is mold-like 60%+ humidity and cool/dark conditions.
Create Dietary/MCS Symptom Log
If you want to be able to beat multiple chemical sensitivity, you must be willing to observe your symptom flares. This requires you to create a dietary/symptom log. In my opinion, this is one of the most important things you can do. By doing it, it allows you to identify the causes of your flares and see patterns/correlations. This is what I do with all of my clients who have multiple chemical sensitivity. To be successful, you MUST observe everything closely and make changes based on these observations. If you don’t, you will never be in control of your healing.
Increase Circulation/Sweating
If you have MCS, your body is typically in a state of fight-or-flight. For this reason, you have to be very careful with anything that accelerates your heart rate. With this in mind, you can try sitting out in the sun, stretching in the sauna, going on long walks, pickleball, light biking, etc. The key is to find activities that increase circulation and promote sweating without accelerating heart rate much or tearing down muscle tissue.
Keep in mind that even these activities may be too much for you. I know they were for me when I started my journey back to health. If that’s the case, it’s time to focus on walking, stretching, and slow deep breathing. These will help heal your limbic system so you can gain more strength and increase your tolerance to stress.
Support Detox Pathways
To overcome multiple chemical sensitivity, you have to assist your detoxification channels. Most importantly, you want to make sure your bowels are moving regularly. Ideally, you should have 1 to 2 bowel movements per day, typically around the same time. To improve bowel movements, you simply need to increase the amount of plant fiber you are consuming and reduce the animal products.
To increase the natural production of detoxification enzymes, you need to stimulate Nrf2 production. The best product for that is BioToxin Binder by CellCore. It contains broccoli seed extract, humic acid, molybdenum, and yucca root. The broccoli seed extract contains sulforaphane, which has been proven to stimulate Nrf2 production. Some other products that have been proven to stimulate Nrf2 are andrographis and resveratrol. These are a much better choice than something like glutathione.
FAQ- Overcoming Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
What is the cause of multiple chemical sensitivity?
The cause of multiple chemical sensitivity is an overactive mast cells and low levels of regulatory T cells. Often, the reason this is occurring is because of an ongoing exposure to mycotoxins. The one mycotoxin group most commonly associated with multiple chemical sensitivity is trichothecenes. This is because it causes severe immune dysfunction, which causes the body to attack itself and eventually leads to MCS symptoms. I went through this with my daughter, who was literally disabled by it. Once we eliminated exposure and detoxed her body, she became symptom-free. I have seen this with plenty of others as well.
Can meat consumption worsen my MCS symptoms?
Yes, absolutely! People with MCS typically have issues breaking down protein. This is due to their gut imbalance or mold exposure in most cases. If someone eats meat and it’s not broken down fully, it rots in the stomach. This produces various toxic compounds which are irritating to the immune system/mast cells. In addition, these toxins compromise liver function, irritate the gut lining, and impair the kidneys from filtering properly. Often, to beat MCS, you must eliminate meat entirely. This is because simply the presence of it can stop the detox system in its tracks. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to me, my daughter, and plenty of clients I’ve worked with. Once the meat was removed, progress was made.
Does my gut need to be repaired to beat multiple chemical sensitivity?
It depends on the primary cause of your multiple chemical sensitivity. For example, I was able to overcome the majority of my multiple chemical sensitivity symptoms by targeting the gut. In contrast, my daughter could not overcome the symptoms until she fully eliminated exposure to toxic mold. Regardless, there needs to be some level of gut repair to fully recover. If your gut is a wreck, your immune system will be, too, which will increase the probability of you reacting to toxic chemicals.
Are food intolerances common in people with MCS?
Yes, food sensitivities are extremely common in people with multiple chemical sensitivity. To identify your food intolerances, you must implement an elimination diet. This starts you off on the foods with the lowest reaction potential and gradually moves you up over time. If you have any food issues, it will be obvious. From there, you can determine which foods truly work with you and which ones do not. This will allow you to create a safe diet that does not exacerbate your symptoms further. The longer you stick with this safe diet, the more you can step outside the lines without problems.
What is the best way to optimize air quality for MCS?
The best way to optimize air quality is by choosing a house with low mold/mycotoxin levels, buying multiple HEPA air cleaners, and most importantly, increasing ventilation dramatically. To accomplish this, I would use the EMMA for mold testing, and box fans for ventilation. Also, I would create a regular cleaning schedule where I use vinegar to wipe down all the surfaces and floors. This will help to reduce the accumulation of mold in the house. The last thing you want to do is live in a house full of mold if you have multiple chemical sensitivity. In most cases, this is the main cause of the MCS in the first place.
Did you really beat multiple chemical sensitivity?
Yes, both my daughter and I beat multiple chemical sensitivity. You must keep in mind, this is NOT an incurable condition. There is a cause, and if you identify it, you can overcome it. On the other hand, if you continue to inhale mycotoxins and eat the wrong foods, this condition will persist. To beat MCS, you must be willing to make the changes listed in this recovery guide. If you aren’t, you will remain a victim of this insidious condition.
Conclusion- Beat MCS by Making Big Changes
To overcome multiple chemical sensitivity, you must be willing to make changes to your environment, life, and habits. There is no magic pill that will fix MCS. Unfortunately, it will require investigation, commitment, diligence, and perseverance. The good news is that MCS recovery is possible. Both my daughter and I are living proof.
If you are struggling with multiple chemical sensitively, reach out to me. I’m willing to help and blessed to have the opportunity. To read more about my daughter’s recovery from MCS, click the link provided.
Happy healing everyone!
Matt Nedin
Certified Holistic Nutritionist
EndSickness, Founder
Phone: (734) 846-8619
Email: endsickness@gmail.com
WhatsApp/Telegram: +17348468619
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