Dr. Jill Carnahan on “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity”
Jill Carnahan, M.D., wrote an article for her blog called “Shining Light on a Mysterious Illness: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.”
From the article:
Multiple chemical sensitivity is a condition that is activated by specific classes of chemicals which act along different pathways in the body and cause an increase in N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) activity. NMDA receptors are critical in neuroplasticity, which affects your memory and brain function. NMDA is an amino acid that mimics glutamate, which is the neurotransmitter that normally binds to NMDA receptors.
Another way of saying this is: instead of glutamate acting on the NMDA receptors (which helps with normal brain function), multiple chemical sensitivity causes a higher level of NMDA to replace the glutamate, which can cause brain dysfunction.
These reactions in the body are lowered by NMDA antagonists, which suggests that it’s our body’s way of dealing with these toxic chemicals. But when that’s not enough and the body can’t properly detox, it can initiate multiple chemical sensitivity.
Links on this page are in orange (no underlining).