Canaries In The Coal Mine Of Modern Living

The Union, Dr. Winni Loesch
Published August 30, 2007

One of the many tasks of a physician is effectively communicating health information to patients. The translation of complex clinical and scientific information from medical terminology used by doctors and scientists into terminology understood by an average layperson is challenging. It takes time and a committed effort to do it well. Seeing that spark of understanding in a person's eyes or hearing "Oh! Now I get it!"- makes it, for me, totally worthwhile. In the Aug. 3, 2007 edition of The Union, an article about local resident Brenda Schye described her experiences in dealing with the many complex, frustrating and often misunderstood health issues associated with having multiple chemical sensitivities. The article by senior journalist and health writer David Moller stated that various medical groups... "do not consider multiple chemical sensitivity to be a full-fledged disorder." Additionally, he noted that two university-based doctors wrote that it does not yet have a proven biological basis. I find such a position amazing in light of the fact that there is an abundance of scientific data which demonstrates that humans vary in responses to food, drugs and many other environmental chemicals and toxins to which we are exposed over our lifetime. Each patient is unique One of the great challenges in medicine is to understand how each individual interacts with and uniquely responds to their environment. Most folks are aware that scientists have sequenced the entire human genome - (mapped the sequence of building blocks of our genetic blueprint). Although we are about 99.9 percent identical as humans, the 0.1 percent of genetic variation holds clues to our different responses to food, drugs, environmental factors and susceptibility to disease. These clues are being studied in two emerging scientific disciplines: Nutrigenomics is the study effects of diet (nutrients) on the activity of an individual's genes and health. Pharmacogenomics studies human genetic variability in an effort to predict the probability of a drug response based on a person's genetic makeup. For example, there are specific genetic tests that predict which patients will respond best to certain cancer drugs and doses. Since we understand that genetic variation accounts for different responses of individuals to food and drugs, it makes sense that some of us handle the load of environmental toxins to which we are exposed better than others. Recall the report of the Environmental Working Group in 2005. Tests on newborn baby's' umbilical cord blood detected 287 human-made chemicals, most of them hazardous to health. Each of us has been exposed to an incredible number of chemicals in this modern world. Our historical and current toxic load varies as does our genetic makeup which determines our unique vulnerability and ability to detoxify and clear such chemicals. Consider the concept of the "Canary in a Coal Mine." Before technology became available to measure the methane gas seeping into the mine shaft (methane is odorless, tasteless, and colorless and can't be detected without technology) miners took a canary underground. A canary is much more sensitive and would show that methane levels were high by, well, dying. People like Brenda Schye are our canaries in this coal mine of modern living. We have to pay attention to them and focus efforts to discover and understand what's making them sick rather than offer skepticism. A client's mystery illness Two years ago, Janelle (not real name) presented to my practice complaining of chronic fatigue, muscle & joint pains, insomnia and "brain fog" lasting 24/7. Additionally, she developed hives in response to certain foods and food additives. At times her symptoms cleared. She had been tracking when symptoms recurred and noted that they tended to return upon exposure to certain environments or while engaging in specific activities. Janelle was calmly persistent in her quest to get well. She had sought the help of a wide variety of doctors and practitioners and underwent a host of tests and treatments. She kept careful track of circumstances associated with a flare up of symptoms. When vacationing near the ocean, she felt much better. While attending an air show out in the hot sun, her symptoms of "fatigue" and "brain fog" returned with a vengeance. She also correlated increased symptoms with high pollution days. Her overall health continued to get worse. Careful review of prior test results did not offer an explanation of what was happening to her, so she agreed to do a test that measures substances (organic acids) in urine which reflect the body's metabolism. This information helps to determine if there are malfunctioning processes which can be caused by altered genes, environmental toxins, nutrient deficiencies etc. In Janelle's case, her urinary organic acids pointed to a deficiency of an enzyme (protein) that has a critical role in making healthy cells, energy utilization, and maintaining blood sugar. With these results and the help of an excellent nutritionist, Janelle started taking specific nutrient replacement that has made an enormous difference in her quality of life. Most of her symptoms with which she had suffered for years are markedly reduced. She gave me permission to share her story with you much as Brenda shared her story with Dave Moller: "She hopes that telling her own story could help others, who are sick and don't know why, recognize a possible cause for their problems."