Some people believe that these conditions are not solely due to the body’s reactions in and of themselves. But are due to the fact that we live in a more toxic environment containing many chemicals that can do us harm in large quantities.
However, if it was purely down to the chemicals themselves, then those specific same symptoms would be present in the population at epidemic levels.
Why do some people develop these conditions, and others who are exposed to the same chemical, do not?
It is because it is the “brain’s programing”, its “software program” if you like, which gets altered during a traumatic event. After that initial sensitizing event, that person’s brain will respond in a different way.
Furthermore, it is likely that the more prone someone is to a hyper-aroused amygdala (e.g. history of anxiety, panic disorder etc), the more prone they are to developing a condition because the amygdala and insula are more sensitive to new threats.
My Amygdala and Insula Hypothesis For These Conditions
These Conditions are Neurological Disorders.
My hypothesis is that MCS, Mold Illness and EHS are neurological disorders caused by conditioned trauma in the amygdala and insula, involving similar pathways that are hypothesized in ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia. We call these types of conditions, "Neuro-Immune Conditioned Syndromes (NICS)".
A Genetic Disposition?
There is likely to be a genetic pre-disposition to developing these conditions, which may influence mechanisms that are described within this page, or maybe peripheral to them. However, our genes are not our destiny, as emphasized by the latest developments in epigenetics. Therefore a genetic predisposition does not necessarily mean a person cannot heal and improve.
What Are The Roles of The Amygdala and Insula?
The amygdala is responsible for detecting threats to the body, and initiating appropriate responses to mitigate those threats.
The insula modulates sensory experiences and information about the physiological state of the body.
During a particularly stressful period in someone’s life, the amygdala is on high alert responding to emotional and physical threats. If the level of alert of the amygdala is particularly high, and the person is exposed to a toxin at the same time, a conditioned trauma can occur in the amygdala in association with the insula.
This exposure may be a one-off exposure or a repeated exposure. (If there is repeated exposure, there is a theory called “kindling” which occurs in epilepsy, which might help explain how the neurological process itself works).
This Amygdala and Insula hypothesis serves as a potential unifying model for the various observations in patients. You can find out more here.
Ashok
Ashok Gupta is the Director of the Gupta Program. He has dedicated his life to helping people get their life back from Chronic Illness, improving people’s well-being, and helping them achieve their potential. He has been teaching meditation around the world for over 15 years. He runs a global e-clinic specializing in treating ME, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia & Multiple Chemical Sensitivities – guptaprogram.com
Ashok has spent many years researching the brain neurology of emotion and linking well-being tools with science. He has published medical papers on the basis of stress-related illnesses. He has appeared in many media as an expert on stress on the BBC, CNN, Guardian Newspaper, ITV, The Independent, and many others.
He wrote and presented the Meaning of Life Experiment which is a Free, Award-winning Meditation and Self-Development App www.themeaningoflife.tv
He also works with companies around the world, teaching courses in Leadership, Time Management, and Personal Development. www.ashokgupta.tv
I agree with you that the lymbic system plays a role but there are also genetics. For example, only 10 percent of the population is homogenous MTHFR and these people do not detox well and are like canaries in the coal mine. Toxic chemicals for these people are a real issue and this downplays the issue that we need to get rid of so much toxicity in our air and water
Dr Neil Nathan also says in his book, Heal the Body, that 25% of people have genetic SNPs that don’t allow them to effectively bind and eliminate toxins. Neil Nathan recommends the Gupta program to reduce people’s sensitivity (often they are so sensitive they negatively react to even the mildest detoxification programme) before moving onto therapeutic protocols. I’d be interested to know how this fits in with Ashok’s hypothesis.
I’ve had MCS for 10 years or more .I can’t use a lawn mower or any small engine.All sorts of chemicals give me brain fog then a headache afterwards! I’ve worked on this so much with 2 different programs and thankfully I’m somewhat better but still react to many smells.I must live with it I guess!
I would love to hear/read testimonials of healing mold illness. Thank you.
The Gupta Program is truly amazing. I am so happy to be applying it in my life. Living with health issues for many years, caused by a body that is overreacting much of the time has made it a challenging life. I can see how this program can assist me in achieving much success. I have been applying it for about 2 months. With this said, more recently, 6 years ago, I also developed EHS. Nothing prepared me for this. The life I had learned to manage with chronic illness was uprooted and changed. I had to move to a location that is much more free of wireless radiation. Not something I wanted to do. I know that some of this has been my body’s overreaction, no doubt. However, how does a person go out into a world that is saturated with toxic levels of radiation? Just because a person doesn’t react to this in an overractive way, does not mean they are not being harmed. Robert F Kennedy Jr. and Dafna Tachover of Children’s Health Defense just won a lawsuit against the FCC. The FCC can no longer state that wireless radiation is safe. Many things in life that woud be toxic to everyone, generally speaking can be avoided, but how do we avoid this whole world encroachment of wireless radiation? It is pretty much everywhere and levels are too high. Although I love Ashok Gupta for what he is doing for so many, including myself, I feel this is one area he and his team have not thoroughly addressed as yet. I am asking, please address this for those of us with EHS. I feel it is a valid question. Thank you for listening.