MCS is a controversial illness. Patients complain of fatigue, memory problems, mood changes and many other health problems. To those who accept it, MCS is a new diagnosis in medicine that is in a transitional stage of acceptance. They cite lupus and multiple sclerosis as examples where doctors detected a disorder, but could not immediately understand it. In many MCS patients, the illness appears to develop following a major exposure to any of a wide range of environmental chemicals.
Patients say a wide range of products trigger symptoms.
These include nail polish remover, new carpet, insecticides, a fresh newspaper, perfume, tobacco smoke, hair spray, fresh paint and even the detergent aisle at the supermarket. Chemically sensitive patients do not react the same way as people with allergies. The body produces IgE, an antibody, when it encounters a known allergen such as ragweed or bee venom. Dr. Miller and Iris Bell, MD, PhD, a leading researcher on the subject, theorize that airborne chemicals may sensitize the brain's limbic region, which controls mood and helps record new memories, making it more vulnerable to subsequent exposures. Nerves in the nose that allow us to smell connect directly to the olfactory bulb, which is within the brain and offers the most direct pathway between the brain and the outside chemical environment.