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Andy Croft: Country Coordinator
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The Chemical Connection:
I was diagnosed with M.E. and
hypothyroidism several months after moving into a newly renovated
home in 2005, I was largely unaware of any chemical connection at
that time. My discovery only came about when my symptoms got much
better whilst staying with family. On returning to my house the
symptoms soon got worse again. These included aching muscles and
joints, headaches, nausea, eye/nose/throat irritation, swollen lymph
glands, insomnia, unexplained allergic skin reactions, fatigue and
the inevitable depression as work became untenable and life ground to
a halt. Anyone unfortunate enough to relate to these kind of symptoms
from experience will know how debilitating they can be, especially
since they tend to be present all at once. I count myself very lucky
not to be suffering as acutely as some and lucky also to have managed
to hang onto my home and sanity!
At the time of the house move I was in pretty good health although I
was already intolerant to alcohol and various pharmaceutical
medications as well as milk and wheat. I also began instinctively
avoiding the use of perfumed and chemical-laden aftershaves,
deodorants, toiletries and household cleaning fluids many years ago;
they all seemed palpably noxious as well as irritating my skin. These
signs all add up to a classic picture of someone with a weakened
immune system and are common amongst those diagnosed with M.E. They
also all point to the fact that a chemical connection (if not the
foundation in at least some cases) to M.E. is quite obvious.
Certainly the more I learn about my condition and the more people I
have met with M.E., the more compelling that idea has become.
Background Information:
I'm 38 years old and living in Norfolk,
England. I was running my own business as a graphic designer but my
health problems have meant that my career has been sidelined for the
time being. One of the greatest problems I have had to face (aside
from having to curtail most social aspects of my life in order to
avoid inevitable poisoning and resultant illness) is a lack of
understanding and even disbelief amongst family, friends and work
colleagues - it's isolating and frustrating. Communications with
Gordon McHendry and others at MCS-International and working with my
local M.E. Support Group have been an enormous help in this regard.
I've managed to detoxify my previously 'sick' house (as much as
possible, still something of a work in progress!!) by removal of
synthetic carpets, MDF, and painting walls with special paints (which
were particularly troublesome since they had all been recently
replastered). I'm now able to live in the property but continue to be
dogged by M.E. symptoms and a high degree of chemical sensitivity
that I had not experienced before renovating the house, most
noticeably to perfumes/after shaves which trigger instant headaches
and to traffic fumes. I wear a carbon filter mask when I venture out
in the car on longer journeys or in heavy traffic and, yes, I get
some pretty curious looks from other drivers!
The Wider Context:
Before my discovery of MCS, I was already a
convert to the benefits of nutritional therapy, which helped me to
conquer depression and unexplained fatigue in the past when I found I
was intolerant to pharmaceutical treatments. I have a great interest
in this area (now becoming known as ecological or functional
medicine) and see diet, nutrition and toxic avoidance as the logical
panacea for treatment, not just of MCS but of a great many common
diseases and illnesses. Furthermore I believe the current Western
pharmaceutical approach to medicine is almost as harmful and
dangerous as the global proliferation of toxic chemicals. They're a
terrifying prospect in combination and if we don't make some
fundamental changes we genuinely risk becoming an endangered species
within a few generations.
Although official medical recognition of MCS is of the greatest
importance, I believe that success in changing the climate of public
opinion regarding toxic chemicals will rely on amassing the support
of sufferers of all forms of chemical (and EM radiation) related
illness and those concerned with their care. The scope of chemical
related illness does not stop with MCS, ME and CFIDS but encompasses
a vast assortment of recognised medical complaints, syndromes and
diseases that have become commonplace in Western industrialised
nations where the use and prevalence of synthetic and petro chemicals
in our food, our air and our water is now ubiquitous. There is surely
enough evidence to support the fact that the burden of toxic
chemicals is linked to the rising incidence of asthma which now
affects an alarming proportion of children worldwide. Asthma is the
very tip of the chemical related illness iceberg: chemical toxicity
has also been linked to aspergers syndrome, autism, ADHD, bipolar
disorder, birth defects, cancer, clinical depression, criminal
delinquency... that's just a few things beginning with a,b and c that
I can think of. The list is potentially massive. With this in mind, I
believe that there is already a critical mass of sufferers of
chemical related illness of one sort or another who can facilitate
real change if united in their cause. The first step in this is
communicating a critical awareness of the toxic chemical connection
to all groups and communities concerned with the care and rights of
the chemically injured.
I'm pleased to offer my services as the MCS International rep for
England and join a team of people who care enough to want to try and
make a positive change to public perception and policy making in
order to lead us into a less toxic future. It's an enormous task but
I believe that truth will prevail. My only hope is that we don't have
to reach pandemic proportions of illness and suffering before the
tide is ready to turn.
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