This website is designed to help you learn how to live each day with your Multiple Chemical Sensitivity & Environmental Illness.  If you can find help in the medical community, by all means do so; however, if they’ve told you there’s nothing they can do or it’s all in your head, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ll approach the problem of chemical sensitivities from a natural perspective, turning to diet and environment for answers and solutions.  MCS and EI are the result of an overworked immune system. However, with enough determination and perseverance you can rebuild your health.

For those of you who suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, there are many articles on this website to help and encourage you.  For those who do not have MCS but know someone who does, perhaps you will gain some insight into what life is like for us.  For me, breathing any of the following for just a few seconds can give me a whale of a headache that lasts from 12 to 24 hours:  diesel and its exhaust, gasoline and its exhaust, perfume of any kind (including laundry soap, dish soap, bar soap, shampoo, dryer sheets), newsprint, books, magazines, mail, marking pens, paints and cleaners, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, plastic, dry cleaning, new carpeting, plastic grocery bags, new tires, new shoes . . . the list goes on and on.

I’ve conquered MCS 7 times now.  Why have I gotten over it 7 times and allowed myself to get it again?  Well, the reasons are simple:  MCS is directly related to Candida albicans Syndrome, and is also directly related to overall immune system health.  If you aren’t extremely careful (like limiting stress in your life, sometimes you can control that and sometimes you cannot), you tend to fall into it again, simply by eating, and living.

How is Candida Albicans related to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?  Candida albicans is a common yeast that is part of our body’s normal flora.  When kept under control, the yeast populating our bodies is harmless and digests what our bodies cannot or do not use.  However, when we feed the naturally-occurring yeast too many antibiotics, consume large amounts of sweets, or are under a great deal of stress, the yeast population grows out of control.  This condition is known as systemic candidiasis and is marked by Candida yeast invading the blood, gastrointestinal tract, and tissues.  Insufficient intake of minerals and trace minerals like magnesium, potassium and zinc may also stimulate Candida overgrowth in the body.

Modern day wonder drugs, such as antibiotics, birth control pills, hormones, steroids and tranquilizers not only kill the bad bacteria, but also the good bacteria.  When the body is deprived of its good bacteria, it has no ammunition to fight disease.  The immune system gradually becomes useless and vulnerable to infections. Stress is also a contributing factor.  If there is continued or excessive stress, it lowers your body’s immunity and creates the perfect environment for Candida to grow.  Too much sugar in the diet is another factor because Candida loves sugar and sweeteners.

Candida survives on the warm, moist mucous membranes of the human body and its favorite location is the digestive tract where the yeast will excrete large amounts of poison called mycotoxins as part of their life cycle.  These poisons must be detoxified by the liver.  The continual burden of detoxifying this poison puts great pressure on the immune system, interfering with its responses, which often results in sensitivity to many chemicals.  If not kept under control, this condition will eventually wreak enormous damage on the tissues and organs and is believed to be an aggravating factor in many degenerative diseases such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes and cancer.

Fasting is helpful for controlling Candida.  It gives your body the rest it needs so that it can repair itself.  Every time I fast my body says, ‘thank you, thank you.’  It always erases the chalkboard so to speak, and lets you start over and try again.  There are almost as many types of fasts as there are people to do them.  Experimentation will tell you which type of fasting your body appreciates the most.  There are fruit fasts, juice fasts, water fasts; I go into them all on the fasting page.

Symptoms of Candida include:  Bloating or gas after eating, poor digestion, irritable bowel syndrome, spastic colon, recurring vaginal and urinary infections, recurring ear, nose, throat and respiratory infections, skin rashes, muscle and joint pains, recurring headaches, insomnia, dizziness, depression, anxiety, poor memory and concentration, thyroid dysfunction, allergies to foods, chemicals and mold.

It’s been estimated that 1 out of every 3 people in the Western world has Candida.  The disease can effect anyone, infant to adult.  Some cases are mild while others are so ill they can no longer work.  Candida is connected to many diseases:  AIDS, cancer, Crohn’s disease, Epstein-Barr, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Antifungals are often prescribed in treating Candida.  In addition, there are many herbal remedies available.  You should most certainly attempt to gather as much information as possible regarding this, then proceed with a treatment program that is right for you.   Candida hates garlic and Pau de Arco (Taheebo) tea; also Tea Tree oil and many herbs and spices such as thyme, cumin, peppermint, lavendar, rosemary, cinnamon, clove, chamomile, spearmint, bay leaves, oregano, ginger, and lemongrass.

I hope this website will assist you on your road to better health.  God bless you and good luck!