MomsAgainstMold.org

In her book "Chemical Sensitivity" Dr. Sherry Rogers emphasizes the importance of looking at the whole picture of a person's life rather than the symptoms only. Remember the key words: conjugates (chemical groups like glutathione which detoxify the body) and xenobiotics (foreign chemicals). She also emphasizes there is a wide range of individual vulnerability.

"A person with chemical susceptibility can become depleted of conjugates if he persists living in an environment that overburdens his detoxication pathways. The man who has a headache and difficulty concentrating at work when using a particular solvent will be less likely to recover if he has recently painted or carpeted his home. His xenobiotic detoxication capacity may become overloaded and even exhausted."

When I started my original blog 8 months ago we had just received our official diagnosis of mycotoxicosis. My hope was to raise awareness about the hazards of indoor mold. I did not know we would soon add the diagnosis of multiple chemical sensitivity. MCS often grows out of mold exposure because the toxic load becomes so high that the body is no longer able to detoxify any insult to the system.

I remember the day I first became aware of our chemical struggle. It was January 31st of this year. We were moving into a new rental house the next day. Chris and I had been apart for 6 weeks. He was driving a U-Haul full of new mattresses and other belongings from Colorado, to meet us in Tucson the next morning. We spent the day packing. We decided to go to the park before heading out to dinner. The kids rolled in the grass at the park. I'm not sure what game it was, but the 3 youngest were rolling in the grass.