Quote from lil chick on February 3, 2020, 2:45 pm

from wikipedia

quote "Alcohol intolerance is due to a genetic polymorphism of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme that metabolises ingested alcohol. This polymorphism is most often reported in Asian patients.^[1] It can also be an effect or side effect associated with certain drugs such as disulfiram, metronidazole, or nilutamide. Stuffy nose and skin flushing are the most common symptoms when ingesting alcohol.^[2] It may also be characterized as intolerance causing hangover symptoms similar to the "disulfiram-like reaction" of aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency or chronic fatigue syndrome. Severe pain after drinking alcohol may indicate a more serious condition.

If people are intolerant, some nearly non-alcoholic beverages may be a problem, similar to alcohol-containing medications, vinegar, inhalation of alcohol or the vapour of alcohol-containing cleaning agents.

Drinking alcohol first or afterwards together with Calcium cyanamide, an inorganic compound used as a fertilizer, can cause permanent or long lasting intolerance (nitrolime disease),^[4] contributing together with other substances to the accumulation of harmful Acetaldehyde by inhibiting the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase." end quote

Interesting... I was on topical metronidazole for a while for my rosacea (before I gave it up because I thought it was making me redder!)

Interesting that vinegar is also mentioned.  And cleaning agents.  I also live next door to an orchard, and orchards around here are contaminated with all sorts of things (fertilizer mentioned).

Quote from lil chick on February 4, 2020, 8:23 am

It has occurred to me that this is the first time I had a negative result when falling off the wagon of a special diet.

That right there is progress, people.  That is info I can use.

I can see that some foods might be coming back into the diet (such as beans) while others might have to stay away (such as BBQ ribs). 

I'm a bit concerned that the whole idea of being "aldehyde intolerant" might make me even more neurotic than I am.  🙂  Because aldehydes are everywhere.

However, it makes total sense with my history.  Just as the VA thing made total sense for me and my history.

I still feel that I need to internalize my limitations so that I can take this show on the road.  To know how to live.

Quote from lil chick on February 5, 2020, 6:22 am

I was thinking that my BBQ pork rib problem might be the "pork effect" (what does doctor garret call it?)  and whatever happened to the rats in the early VA studies...

It might also be why I have grown to hate supplements.

Could the process of making that feed in the VA studies have created aldehydes?  Could supplement processing create aldehydes?

Quote from lil chick on February 5, 2020, 8:10 am

I have been learning about people's adverse reactions to living in brand new RV's, and have had a huge aha moment.

Perhaps our detox systems (such as the alcohol dehydrogenase and the aldehyde dehydrogenase)  are being used up by our toxic indoor environs!  And now I'm not talking as much about molds (which people have already brought up here) (or EMF ditto) or even about fragrances and cleaners... but instead about off-gasing of plastics, glues, fabric treatments, caulk, PVC (in pipes and false wood), paint, carpets etc

I've been the housewife of a new, off-gasing house for the last 20 years.  And I suffer with my nausea in my PVC-panelled bathroom, and sip the water from my PVC pipes... and wonder if it is my food killing me.

https://axleaddict.com/rvs/Are-Dangerous-Chemicals-Lurking-in-Your-RV  (the comments are as interesting as the article)

https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2019/07/camping-with-mcs.html

Quote from joshz on February 5, 2020, 10:33 am

Good point. It wouldn't surprise me with all the chemicals these days... Maybe that's why Elon musk has his eyes set on mars 😉 

Quote from lil chick on February 6, 2020, 7:43 am

I'm surfing the web looking at MCS and just accumulated these random tidbits that I found interesting (below).  Many people think of MCS as a psycho-somatic disease, and that reminds me of a joke:    A gravestone on which it reads:  "I TOLD YOU I WAS SICK".    They look for allergic response to the chemicals and find none.  But this isn't about allergy to chemicals.  This is about overloading your detox system.

Another exposure that I had the other night (before my food attack) as that we used our NEW OVEN TO BROIL FOR THE FIRST TIME.   5 hundo degrees.  Our food in there with the fumes... Not to mention I was working in the kitchen for hours, making all those yummy Super-Bowl snacks and doing the dishes.

I see the MCS thing as being so parallel to the VA thing.  No one wants to admit that our furnishings, our fabrics, our trash bag liners, our paints and glues are poisoning us.  Just like no one wants to admit that vitamins (like VA) or minerals (like iron or fluoride) could be damaging us.  

Yes, allergies come along with the problem.  High histamine is a symptom of this overload. 

I remember as a child my mother tearing apart my asthmatic-brother's bedroom to make it allergen free at the doc's recommendation.  She threw out all of his soft toys, but she left the plastic ones.  Ripped out the old rug and put in a new one. Plastic mattress cover.  Closed the windows never to be opened again.  Plastics and things off-gas a LOT at the beginning, but then settle down to a very slow off-gasing that goes on... forever really.    Brother continued having asthma.

"The demographics of CI suggest that the majority with either MCS or subclinical presentations are women (80%) (Levy, 1997)"

"Patients with MCS report an inability to tolerate alcoholic beverages and many drugs (Miller and Prihoda, 1999)"

"In one study12 of 35 patients with occupationally related MCS evaluated in an occupational medicine clinic, 97 percent of the patients had stopped activities outside the home, 91 percent had limited their travel, 89 percent had limited their contact with friends and 77 percent had left a job. Many changed home routines: 97 percent had stopped using cleaning compounds, 69 percent removed home furnishings and 63 percent limited their contact with family members. In their personal care, 94 percent stopped using fragrances, 91 percent changed their diet and 86 percent changed the type of clothing they wore."

"An increase in the prevalence of other diseases in cases versus controls was also detected: asthma, allergies, atopic dermatitis, autoimmune, neurological, gynecological, cardiopulmonary diseases, etc.^{51,54,61,68,78,85"}

"Changes in cytokine levels may be indicative of an inflammatory process that is not generated from the nose after olfactory stimulations. In this scenario, the sensitivity to substances may also be caused by different polymorphisms involved in the detoxification of xenobiotics, which could lead to an accumulation of oxidizing substances and subsequent damage. In some studies,^69,72,74 various polymorphisms of Cyp 450 (Cyp 2C9, Cyp 2C19, Cyp 2D6, etc) were analyzed, also including glutathione transferase and peroxidase (glutathion S-Transferase M1, glutathion S-Transferase T, glutathion S-transferase P), aldehyde dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase (SOD₂), and paraoxonase (PON1).^69,73,74 The SOD₂ polymorphism⁶⁹ and a specific variant of NOS₃⁶⁷ seem to be associated with the syndrome and increased levels of oxidative stress. Glutathione both reduced and oxidized are decreased in the MCS cases and there is also an altered pattern of cytokines,⁷⁴ different from that observed in the study of Dantoft et al.⁶⁸ Controversial results, positive⁷² and negative,⁷⁴ were observed for some frequencies of Cyp isoforms. Caccamo et al⁷² have studied the prevalence of some haplotypes of the Cyp 450 family (cyp 2C9^∗2 and Cyp 2C9^∗3; Cyp 2C19^∗2 and CYP 2D6 ht) in MCS cases, suspected cases, or patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and in controls. They have discovered a higher frequency of the haplotypes mentioned above in MCS patients that could be evaluated, together with others, as possible risk factor of MCS."

Quote from lil chick on February 12, 2020, 12:11 pm

After digesting the thought that I probably do need to think of myself as multiply-chemically-sensitive (in order to make sense of my roller-coaster health), I was thinking about how impossible it really is to avoid the triggers that Multiple Chemically Sensitive people over-react to.   I got a dose yesterday.

What I will do is to be "that person" now... that is always opening windows even in winter!   I also was thinking about Dino and his work with his client who just happened to be able to spend entire days outdoors!

I was also thinking about how the image of an MCS individual just totally parallels the VA-toxic immune-system-on-overdrive scenario.

I was wondering how useful it might be to ingest high-enzyme foods.  I wonder if it would help.  Perhaps set a goal of raw pinapple chunks or lemon juice... perhaps take up kraut making or other ferment-making activities, and try to get some really active, fresh enzymes into the system.  Coconut kefir or  raw,lowfat yogurt making at home.  etc.

Yesterday at work I was exposed to freshly off-gasing plastic, and last night experienced some insomnia in which I felt a bit asthmatic.   Followed by a mucus-y morning!  It's interesting to me that I have, in fact, been aware that I over-react to all sorts of smells-- but  I have always been much more concerned with what I EAT, rather than what I breathe-in or touch.

Quote from lil chick on February 12, 2020, 1:18 pm

More about enzymes (from the book Nourishing Traditions)

"Dr. Howell formulated the following Enzyme Nutrition Axiom:  The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential of an organism"

"Humans eating an enzyme-poor diet, comprised primarily of cooked food, use up a tremendous amount of their enzyme potential in the outpouring of secretions from the pancreas and other digestive organs.  The result (according to Howell) is a shortened lifespan, illness and lowered resistance to stress of all types."

"Plant foods noted for high enzyme content include extra virgin olive oil and other unrefined oils, raw honey, grapes, figs, avocados, dates, bananas, papaya, pineapple, kiwi and mangoes."

"Grains, nuts, legumes and seeds are rich in enzymes... but they also contain enzyme inhibitors"  (thus needing extra preparation)

"Almost all traditional societies incorporate raw, enzyme-rich foods...not only vegetable... but also raw animal protein and fats...raw dairy...raw fish...raw muscle and organ...These diets also...include...cultured and fermented foods, which have an enzyme content that is further enhanced...sauerkraut... pickled...cucumbers...Cultured soybean...such as natto and miso... Cooked meats that have been aged or marinated present less of a strain on the digestive mechanism..."

So (me talking again) it seems to me that eating enzymes might have a sparing effect on the body's enzyme-production facilities.

 

Quote from tim on February 12, 2020, 3:34 pm

This theory is perhaps influenced by ancient thought about life force. According to this model we lose life force through sexual activity, negative emotions, extremes of temperature, over thinking, injury and illness, excessive exercise and improper diet.

Ancient believers of this model did not eat raw food to my knowledge. Stomach acid destroys most enzyme activity as far as I know. Starch was thought of as a primary source of Qi, cooked starch.

I think that the release of pancreatic enzymes uses up a fair amount of Qi. So it would make sense to consume foods like aged meat that have already been enzymatically acted upon, this should conserve life force. I'm not sure about the raw food theory proposed by Howell (I've read the book), I think it's a bit problematic.