Multiple chemical and food sensitivities - diagnosis, mechanisms and treatment

Accreditation: BANT approved 2.5 hours CPD and RSM CPD Applied For

The effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are often thought to be unable to produce biological effects and current safety guidelines are based on this assumption. However, thousands of primary literature studies repeatedly report diverse health effects from extremely low frequency EMFs. Dr Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences, Washington State University, will explain how people may be exhibiting sensitivity to extremely low frequency EMFs in his lecture describing EMF activation of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC). 

Dr Jean Monro, Medical Director of Breakspear Medical, will also present information relating to the use of low-dose immunotherapy (LDI) to reduce the influx of calcium ions into lymphocytes demonstrating that voltage-gated calcium channels are influenced using LDI. This is a key method used when treating many aspects of sensitivity.

To complement the subject matter of this lecture, The Healthy House will be exhibiting products suitable for the chemically / environmentally sensitive on the day.

A fascinating half day of lectures to gain greater understanding of environmental illness!

The main evidence supporting EMF activation of VGCCs is that effects of such EMF exposures, can be blocked/greatly lowered by 5 different classes of calcium channel blockers, drugs widely thought to be highly VGCC-specific (1).  However studies on EMF-produced changes in calcium fluxes &/or signaling also support this interpretation, as do studies supporting an almost instantaneous increase in intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i following EMF exposure (1).  While extremely low frequency EMFs act through VGCC activation, as do microwave frequency EMFs, the main health concern has been on microwave radiation, given the ever increasing exposures that we have had over the past 35 years.  One of the great puzzles in this area, is how can such low intensity EMFs produce biological effects?  Some have argued that they cannot and that therefore the only effects these EMFs can have are heating effects, which are only produced by high intensity EMFs.  Current safety guidelines are entirely based on heating effects.  However thousands of primary literature studies repeatedly report diverse health-related impacts of low intensity EMFs.  Heating effects are caused by forces on electrically charged groups in cells and tissues, almost all of which are located in an aqueous environment.  In a recent paper (2), I looked at the known structure of the VGCC voltage sensor: its structure and location in the plasma membrane predicts, based on basic physics, that electrical forces of these EMFs produce approx. 7.2 million times higher forces on the voltage sensor than they produce on singly charged groups found in the aqueous phase.  Thus we now have an empirically supported mechanism for low intensity EMFs, one that is strongly supported by the physical structure of the presumed direct target: the voltage sensor of the VGCCs.  The voltage sensor sensitivity also suggests that current safety guidelines allow exposures that are approx. 7.2 million times too high.  Consequently, even extraordinarily high sensitivity of some EHS people may be biologically quite plausible.

Downstream effects of VGCC activation including elevated [Ca2+]i, excessive nitric oxide (NO), excessive NO signaling, elevated levels of superoxide and peroxynitrite, elevated reactive free radicals and oxidative stress and also excessive [Ca2+]i signaling are all thought to have important roles in producing health impacts (2).  They individually or collectively explain: oxidative stress, cellular DNA changes, cancer (which is undoubtedly caused, in part, by cellular DNA changes), lowered male and female fertility, massive changes in the brain including widespread neuropsychiatric effects (3), life threatening cardiac effect including tachycardia, bradycardia, arrhythmias and heart palpitations, changes in endocrine function as well as therapeutic effects.  There are strong suspicions that neurodegenerative diseases including very early onset dementias including Alzheimer’s and also autism should be added to that list.  Animal studies have shown that the nervous system is massively impacted by EMFs, consistent with the high densities of VGCCs throughout the neurons of the central & peripheral NS (3).  Both multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) are triggered by stressors leading to excessive [Ca2+]i; MCS and EHS can be understood, in part, as responses to excessive [Ca2+]i leading to neural sensitization and NO/ONOO(-) elevation.  In summary, it can be seen, from the above, that a large variety of responses to EMF exposures can be understood as being caused by EMF-caused VGCC activation and that widespread health impacts can be caused by downstream effects of VGCC activation.

(1) Pall ML.  Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects. J Cell Mol Med. 2013;17:958-65.

(2) Pall ML.  Scientific evidence contradicts findings and assumptions of Canadian SafetyPanel 6; microwaves act through voltage-gated calcium channel activation to induce biological impacts at non-thermal levels, supporting a paradigm shift for microwave/lower frequency electromagnetic field action. Rev Environ Health. 2015;30:99-116.

(3) Pall ML. Microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce widespread neuropsychiatric effects including depression. J Chem Neuroanat. 2015 Aug. [Epub ahead of print]

Dr Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences, Washington State University

Dr Martin Pall is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences, Washington State University and Research Director, The Tenth Paradigm Research Group. After personally developing chronic fatigue he began to investigate the biochemistry of the illness. His work allowed him to construct a well received theoretical hypothesis, which has been explored in thousands of patients with good outcomes. Martin's continued intellectual pursuit of improving the NO-ONOO theory has created additional strategies designed to hasten recovery from a variety of complex, but biochemically related illnesses.

Food and chemical sensitivities have detrimental effects on health and the quality of life. The natural course of such sensitivities can potentially be altered through low-dose immunotherapy. While resting lymphocytes maintain a low cytosolic calcium ion concentration, antigen receptor signalling results in calcium ion influx, predominantly via store-operated calcium (SOC) channels. Desensitisation by low-dose immunotherapy has been shown to be associated with reduced influx of calcium ions into lymphocytes and therefore reduced symptoms.

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) have declared that allergy is a “public health threat of pandemic proportions”, having a detrimental effect on health and quality of life (Calderon et al. 2012). Furthermore, they point out that while the current symptomatic treatments for allergies, consisting mainly of drugs offering short-term symptomatic relief and longer-term anti-inflammatory medication such as corticosteroids, are unsustainable owing to suboptimal effectiveness, symptom relapse following treatment cessation, and adverse reactions, allergen-specific immunotherapy can potentially safely alter the natural course of food and chemical sensitivities. Low-dose immunotherapy is one form of allergen-specific immunotherapy in which low doses of the antigen are administered intradermally or sublingually. It has been found to be effective in the treatment of a range of food, chemical, and inhalant-particulate sensitivities (Bahceciler and Cobanoglu 2011; Bordignon and Burastero 2006; Incorvaia et al. 2011; Yanagida et al. 2015). The molecular mechanism by which low-dose immunotherapy causes desensitisation will be explained. 

Dr Jean Monro, Medical Director, Breakspear Medical

Dr Jean Monro is the full-time Medical Director of Breakspear Medical and is internationally known for her work in allergy and environmental medicine.

Dr Monro has a background in hospital general medicine and worked at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, London, researching migraine and multiple sclerosis. She established the Breakspear Hospital for Allergy and Environmental Medicine in 1988. She was a Consultant at Fachkrankenhaus Nordfriesland, Germany, from 1991 to 2009.

Dr Monro is a Fellow of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and Principal Medical Advisor of the Environmental Medicine Foundation.

Dr Monro has focussed on this specialist area for much of her career and successfully treats a wide variety of conditions such as food allergy, M.E., Lyme disease and multiple chemical sensitivity, using certified laboratory tests to detect and address underlying infections and nutritional deficiencies, and by using low-dose immunotherapy as a foundation to rebuilding healthy immune systems.

In addition to treating patients at Breakspear Medical, Dr Monro lectures regularly at conferences around the world. She has links with universities for training doctors and others in environmental and nutritional medicine. 

The Marlowes Shopping Centre, Wolsey Rd, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP1 1DX

The Marlowes Shopping Centre multi-storey car park is a few minutes' walk form Maple House and has over 1,200 parking spaces, including disabled and parent and child spaces.

Disabled car parking spaces are available:

• in the Shopmobility area, accessible from the first entrance only
• on level C in the centre of the car park, accessible from both entrances
• on level D Red, accessible from both entrances

Parent and child spaces are available:

• on level B Red, accessible from the second entrance only
• on level D Red, accessible from both entrances

Opening hours:

Monday: 8:00am - 6.30pm; Tuesday: 8:00am - 6.30pm; Wednesday: 8:00am - 6.30pm; Thursday: 8:00am - 8:00pm; Friday: 8:00am - 6.30pm; Saturday: 8.00am - 6.30pm; Sunday: 10.00am - 6.00pm

Parking Rates:

Up to 2 hours: £1.50; Up to 3 hours: £1.80; Up to 4 hours: £2.20; Up to 5 hours: £3.00; Up to 6 hours: £5.00; Over 6 hours: £15.00

Free parking after 5:00 pm on Thursdays.

Half-price parking is available to disabled shoppers Monday to Saturday, by showing their blue/orange badge or Shopmobility card at the Customer Service Desk.  On Sunday, parking is £1.00 all day for all customers.

Tickets must be validated at one of the car park pay machines within the Centre prior to returning to the car park. Debit/Credit card payment is now accepted at all machines.