General Information:

What are Chemical Injury Illnesses?

Chemical Injury is an umbrella term, as Cardiovascular Disease is an umbrella term.  The term “Cardiovascular Disease” includes such ailments as Angina, Cardiac Arrest, Stroke, Aneurysm, High Blood Pressure, etc.  Likewise, the term “Chemical Injury” includes such ailments as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Sick Building Syndrome, Gulf War Syndrome, etc.

The common thread in Chemical Injury Illnesses is the body’s inability to deal with the daily bombardment of chemicals.  The body becomes overloaded and enters a poisoned condition.  In some cases, this poisoned condition is the primary cause of ill health; and in other cases, it is the secondary cause.  In Cardiovascular Disease, there is a lot of overlap.  For example, frequently Stroke patients also have Heart Attacks.  Likewise, in Chemical Injury Illnesses, there is a lot of overlap.  For example, patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome might also develop Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. 

Very rarely are there two patients alike.  There is a wide variety in the symptoms and the manifestations of these illnesses.  The reason is very simple.  Each person is a unique individual, with his/her own life experiences.  The variety of chemicals daily encountered will probably be very different with each person.  Different chemicals have different characteristics when they enter the human body.  They also have different target organs.  For example, some bond rapidly with fat tissue, some with bone tissue, some with muscle and organ tissue, etc. 

Chemicals can be classified as:

•  Carcinogens (Causes cancer)

• Cardiovascular or Blood Toxicants

• Developmental Toxicants

• Endocrine Toxicants

• Fetotoxicants (Causes death of the unborn baby)

• Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicants

• Immunotoxicants

• Kidney Toxicants

•  Musculoskeletal Toxicants

• Mutagenic (Causes genetic damage)

• Neurotoxicants

•  Reproductive Toxicants

• Respiratory Toxicants

• Skin or Sense Organ Toxicants

•  Teratogenic (Causes birth defects)

Consequently, various combinations of organ systems may be affected.  This accounts for the wide variety of symptoms and manifestations of these illnesses. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is one of the most common Chemical Injury Illnesses, and it frequently begins as a slight sensitivity to chemicals. 

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