Dream home morphs into nightmare

Susan was a 42-year-old woman who was perfectly healthy, had a wonderful career and a full and rewarding life. She developed a condition known as environmental illness (a.k.a. chemical sensitivities) soon after she moved into a newly renovated apartment. Everything was new - paint, flooring, carpets, kitchen cabinets - new everything. The toxins that were being released from these products were unknowingly making her sick. She started to notice that certain scented products like perfumes and cleaning products started to give her headaches. Her sense of smell was changing and she would often complain “that stinks!”

Susan’s health was deteriorating with every passing day she spent in her new home. Even though she consulted a number of physicians to help her, none were able to effectively diagnose or reduce her symptoms. Interestingly enough, not one doctor or alternative health care practitioner asked her about her home environment.

Photo: Contributed

Meanwhile, the affects of toxicity were affecting Susan’s pets. Her cat became so ill from the apartment that it died within two weeks of moving in. Her dog could barely walk at one point. After seven months of living in this chemical cocktail she put the pieces together and moved to a healthier home. However the damage was already done. She had already suffered from toxic overload that resulted in a chemical brain trauma that was causing a cycle of inflammation and illness. The chemical injury activated protective mechanisms within the deep circuits of the limbic system, thereby changing the structure and function of her brain. Resulting over-activation of the threat mechanisms in her brain had also altered her sense of smell - a stress response and warning sign of toxic danger.

As the illness progressed, exposure to even small amounts of chemicals found in shampoo or detergents would leave her cognitively impaired with a host of life threatening and disabling symptoms that could last for days. Her life became increasingly isolated as a result and merely surviving through another day became the focus of her existence.

While Susan’s story is extreme, it is a very horrific reality for people. And although her degree of suffering may seem uncommon, toxins in our environment are affecting millions. In fact, varying degrees of chemical intolerance affects one in every five people, yet goes largely undiagnosed by physicians according to clinical research published July 9, 2012 in the journal Annals of Family Medicine.

Chemical intolerance refers to people who are highly sensitive to common substances such as cleaning products, tobacco smoke, fragrances, pesticides, new carpet and auto exhaust. Chemical intolerance is just one of many illnesses that are characterized as Toxic Induced Loss of Tolerance or TILT associated illnesses. A toxicant injury from chemicals, bacteria, viruses or extreme psychological or emotional stress can cause brain trauma involved with Chemical Sensitivities, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Electric Hypersensitivity Syndrome.

What’s the good news in all of this? There is renewed hope for those who are suffering from this set of illnesses. As a result of rewiring the deep limbic circuits of her brain, Susan is now living a normal healthy life once again.

Understanding the brain impairment caused by toxic injury and actively rewiring the circuits involved is changing people’s lives. This represents a new paradigm for healing in understanding brain function as it relates to optimal health.

If you would like to experience recovery for yourself, please join us at the Ocean Resort in Campbell River on May 22 - 26 . For more information please email us at [email protected]

Annie Hopper is a Limbic System Rehabilitation Specialist and can be reached at [email protected]

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.