The Efficacy of Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) Treatments
A
Study by Katherine Aaron, ND, NMD, BS
The
Study
The following information is from a national research project conducted by
Dr. Katherine Aaron. Standardized self-reporting survey forms were sent to
MCS support groups throughout the United States to get a sampling from all
regions of the country.
The
Rating System
The participants were encouraged to list all MCS treatments that they have
undergone and rate how effective each treatment was for them. They also rated
if the treatment caused harm.
The Rating Scale
+3 = without symptoms
+2 = symptoms greatly improved
+1 = symptoms improved
0 = no benefit or harm
-1 = symptoms worsened
-2 = symptoms worsened lasting one year or longer after treatment was stopped.
The
Treatment Categories
Treatment categories were designed for an overall view of efficacy. The treatment
categories are: Holistic (Alternative Medicine), Standard Medical, Psychological,
Avoidance, and Other.
THE
RESULTS
The
results are listed according to the number of responses
in each category beginning with the largest number of
responses. The category of Psychological Treatments
had too small of a sampling (12) to have a table for
specific treatments and most of the participants simply
said "therapy" but the overall results are
listed in The Results Category table.
All
of the participants
indicated that treatments, whether they were
alternative medicine or mainstream medicine,
needed to be altered and individualized
to meet their specific needs. The treatment
of avoiding synthetic chemicals had the best
outcome with the least negative impact of all
categories. Changes in the diet was also an
important treatment. Overwhelmingly the treatments
that had the most negative long
lasting effect were psychiatric pharmaceutical
treatments.
The
Results of Individualization of Treatments
When
asked if holistic treatments needed to be adjusted for
them, 100% of the participants said yes. When asked
if standard medical treatments needed to be adjusted
for them, 100% of the participants said yes.
The
Results on Categories
| Treatment
Category |
-2
Rating |
-1
Rating |
0
Rating |
+1
Rating |
+2
Rating |
+3
Rating |
Holistic
Treatments
716
Responses
|
.5% |
9% |
10.5% |
41% |
37% |
2% |
Avoidance
Treatment
464
Responses
|
0% |
2% |
.5% |
16% |
81% |
.5% |
Other
Treatments
181
Responses
|
8% |
8% |
19% |
22% |
37% |
6% |
Standard
Medical Treatments
172
Responses
|
9% |
32% |
15% |
18% |
26% |
0% |
Psychological
Treatments
12
Responses
|
33.4% |
8.2% |
0% |
33.4% |
25% |
0% |
The
Results on Holistic Treatments
| Type
of Treatment |
-2
Rating |
-1
Rating |
0
Rating |
+1
Rating |
+2
Rating |
+3
Rating |
Diet
Change
144
Responses
|
0% |
0% |
2% |
43% |
52% |
3% |
Nutritional
Supplements
132
Responses
|
0% |
8% |
10% |
32% |
50% |
0% |
Detoxification
Treatments
104
Responses
|
0% |
17% |
8% |
46% |
19% |
10% |
Homeopathy
39
Responses
|
8% |
18% |
38% |
28% |
8% |
0%
|
Acupuncture
34
Responses
|
0% |
0% |
23% |
56% |
21% |
0% |
Subtle-Body
Energy Work
29
Responses
|
3% |
0% |
14% |
45% |
28% |
10%
|
Herbal
Treatments
23
Responses
|
0% |
0% |
21% |
58% |
17% |
4% |
Mind-Body
Treatments
20
Responses
|
0% |
0% |
0% |
55% |
20% |
25% |
The
Results on Avoidance Treatment
| Type
of Treatment |
-2
Rating |
-1
Rating |
0
Rating |
+1
Rating |
+2
Rating |
+3
Rating |
Avoid
Synthetic Chemicals
233
Responses
|
0% |
1% |
2% |
6% |
88% |
3% |
Relocation
108
Responses
|
0% |
2% |
0% |
13% |
85% |
0% |
Air-filtration
Devices
25
Responses
|
0% |
0% |
0% |
52% |
48% |
0% |
The
Results of Other Treatments
| Type
of Treatment |
-2
Rating |
-1
Rating |
0
Rating |
+1
Rating |
+2
Rating |
+3
Rating |
Allergy
Treatments
88
Responses
|
11% |
11% |
25% |
21% |
25% |
7% |
(Non-Standard)
Treatments for MCS requiring an MD
29
Responses
|
0% |
0% |
35% |
17% |
43% |
5% |
Moderate
Exercise
12
Responses
|
0% |
0% |
0% |
25% |
75% |
0% |
The
Results of Standard Medical Treatments
| Type
of Treatment |
-2
Rating |
-1
Rating |
0
Rating |
+1
Rating |
+2
Rating |
+3
Rating |
Antidepressant
Medication
41
Responses
|
15% |
41% |
10% |
12% |
22% |
0% |
Anti-Fungal
Medication
36
Responses
|
8% |
0% |
53% |
8% |
31% |
0% |
Thyroid
Replacement Medication
20
Responses
|
0% |
40% |
5% |
15% |
40% |
0% |
Back
to Library Index
