Healing from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)
Adeline Weiss, Dietzenbach (Germany)
When, full of good ideas, I enthusiastically planned our family’s new house in 1975, I had no idea that a fatal destiny awaited us. As a construction engineer I wanted to make use of my knowledge and got to work. Wood, a natural product was important to me, and thus I had about 150 m² of wooden ceiling installed. Construction standard DIN 68800 stipulated that it was mandatory to apply a commercial wood preservative to all structural timber parts. I would never have dreamed of doubting what I had learned. I didn’t suspect that the toxic substances the preservative contained to prevent and kill insects and fungi could also mean a death sentence for us. PCP, lindane and the associated dioxins are contaminants, which means that they emit vapors for decades which are absorbed by people, animals, plants and all porous objects, and can then be passed on further. It can lead to terrible health problems and contamination of living spaces.
Environmental criminal law proceedings regarding prohibiting the manufacture and use of PCP
In the 1970’s the industry must have already been quite aware of the danger of these substances. But no one said anything. Only in 1989 did a community interest group of those who had been affected by wood preservatives prevent the use and production of PCP in Germany. More than 4000 people joined forces and brought a charge of aggravated assault. In 1996, the largest criminal case in relation to the environment resulted in a compromise in the form of an endowment fund. The intention was to use the penalty monies to create a chair at the university of Giessen to research the toxicology of indoor air. But what happens to the sick and poisoned people? They wander around from one doctor to the next, different clinics and medication. No one can help to restore full health back to these “environmentally damaged” people. After having lived in our house for 12 years, we were faced with shocking results.
Toxicologically contaminated house and weakened immune system
The timber sampled showed a PCP content of 1800mg/kg (recommended upper limit is 0.5mg/kg) and a lindane content of 0.3mg/kg (recommended upper limit 0.1mg/kg). PCP and lindane was found in the blood of all members of our family. In my case, the PCP value was 15.6 µg/l (recommended upper limit is 5,0 µg/l) and lindane was 0.12 µg/l (recommended upper limit is 0.08 µg/l). In addition, the inside air was polluted with a formaldehyde content of 0.16ppm (recommended upper limit is 0.025ppm), a value that was six time above the upper limit, most probably due to a disintegrating carpet.
Based on a medical statement the Health Department of the Offenbach am Main District recommended leaving the house to avoid further threat to the family. Due to the contamination we also had to dispose of the majority of our household goods and personal effects. Our health condition improved over the following five years, however, many symptoms of the poisoning remained. Our immune systems were so weak that the slightest trace of chlorinated hydrocarbons such as PCP and lindane was enough to cause hypersensitive reactions with the most diverse illnesses and emotional conditions. We saw toxicologists and medical specialists. But neither they nor alternative practitioners or healers could help us significantly and permanently.
Due to the hypersensitivity, being in places like shopping centers, restaurants, hotel or schools was very difficult for us. Textiles, leather articles or particle boards triggered uncomfortable reactions.
But we had the most difficult problems when we came in contact with wood preservatives. This caused a burning sensation on the tongue, dizziness, vertigo, lack of concentration, impaired speech and sudden tiredness. I was like a poison barometer. If we didn’t withdraw from the poison in time, we were really sick the next day. I had cardiac arrhythmias, stomach and intestinal cramps, cystitis as well as itching and burning of my mucous membranes. The family had headaches, migraines, depression, skin rashes, bronchitis and nerve pain. They were the same symptoms that we had experienced in our house.
Once again we can stay anywhere with no limitations
In the spring of 1993 we heard about the Bruno Gröning Circle of Friends and the teaching. We absorbed the Heilstrom twice a day together and went to the community hours regularly. After some time I had the feeling to stop taking medication. Bit by bit we regained more strength.
Two months later the fibroid and the fungal infection had disappeared. In the meantime, our family has become totally healthy and has remained so without using any other medical treatment. Cystitis, allergies, migraines, skin diseases and all other burdens belong to the past. We can eat everything again and feel well. The wonderful thing is that even the profound sensitivity to these chemical substances has completely disappeared. We can stay anywhere without limitations and there are no ensuing illnesses or reoccurrence of the former uncomfortable conditions, which is sensational from a toxicological point of view.
Medical commentary:
The extensive documentation describes a severe and classical clinical picture of MCS (multiple chemical sensibility). MCS is an environmental illness that was studied by clinical ecologists in the USA and Canada. The pioneer of MCS research, Cullen, defines MCS as “an acquired disorder characterized by recurrent symptoms, referable to multiple organ systems, occurring in response to demonstrable exposure to many chemically unrelated compounds at doses far below those established in the general population to cause harmful effects. No single widely accepted test of physiologic function can be shown to correlate with symptoms.“
The illness manifests through a variety of mostly diffuse health disorders as described by Mrs Weiss’ success report: unusual tiredness, disturbed thought processes and concentration, dizziness, headaches, breathing difficulties, muscle and joint problems, disorders of the urinary tract and sexual organs, of the stomach and intestinal tracts as well as the heart (e.g. arrhythmias).
MCS cannot be treated with conventional medication and methods, which is very frustrating to both patients and doctors. Accordingly, as with Mrs Weiss’s case, many affected people have an odyssey through traditional medicine and – in despair – finally turn to alternative medicine, which can alleviate the symptoms, but cannot bring healing.
Mrs Weiss’s healing one year after she came in contact with the teaching of Bruno Gröning is spectacular and medically cannot be explained. As a doctor, I have personally convinced myself that today, Mrs Weiss has become a healthy, joyous and life affirming person who is fulfilled by this unbelievable healing.
Dr G. B., MD
