Multiple Chemical Exposure and PFS

General Discussion
#1

Multiple Chemical Syndrome is a syndrome that’s quite similar to PFS, expect unlike PFS, the case has been “closed” on it by the medical community. It started in the 1950’s when pesticides such as DDT and indoor chemicals such as lead paints and petroleum-based products started to become ubiquitous. Doctors were, for the first time, getting patients complaining about a wide range of physical and psychological problems solely attributed by the patients to exposure to petroleum-based products.

The case was closed on it after extensive research into immunology showed no allergic reaction to the petroleum based chemicals and after several patients recovered from the condition after psychological therapy.

However, despite the case being closed on MCS, those chemicals still exist today and are more ubiquitous than ever. We live in a world where everything around us -the floors, the walls, the ceilings, the air, the food, the water - contain petroleum based chemicals that we are constantly exposed to. And it’s only in the past 20 years or so that we’ve realized the endocrine disrupting properties that these chemicals have.

All in all, I wonder if reducing, or completely eliminating, exposure to petroleum based chemicals would improve or “cure” PFS? After all, many of these chemicals are anti-androgenic, which puts them in the same boat as Finasteride as something that we should definitely AVOID.

Personally, I felt my condition improve a lot after moving into inner city Tampa, an area which has all pesticide usage banned, although the earth is mostly concrete there anyway. There’s a lot more bugs flying around there as well, and in general the environment seems more rugged and “high testosterone” than the sterilized suburbs I grew up in, which had pesticides sprayed weekly. Men in the inner city are generally more fit and rugged then men in the suburbs, ethnic and cultural differences aside.

All I’m saying is, with PFS, it’s possible that the weakness of the androgen receptor in humans is permenantely (or “persistently”) exacerbated, and that constant exposure to these chemicals is preventing our systems from recovering. And considering most PFS victims are white or Asian, who have weaker androgen receptors than say, black or Polynesians, I wouldn’t be surprised if the constant, never-ending exposure to pesticides and petroleum products are worsening our conditions without us realizing. The only thing you can do is move away from it and stop using petroleum products on yourself and surroundings.

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#2

Very improbable theory.

#3

You’re right a lot of anti-androgenic chemicals, such as phthalates, are having a measurable impact through modern environmental exposures upon androgen function. In fact, I saw a pop science YouTube video this morning on what is a rather personal subject for many PFS patients! It made a very good point, in line with the WHO advice on EDCs I have commented on before, that “innocent until proven guilty” isn’t really good enough when it comes to EDCs:

Those of us unlucky enough to be badly hit in this way know it’s not a matter of “over the decades”. There is a significant and targeted medical exposure precipitating the onset of PFS - and a variably severe and unusual biological response. There is a also peculiar further vulnerability to antiandrogenic substances in PFS patients, particularly the very badly affected. This is something we constantly try to warn of, particularly as the active userbase has a high turnover, and individuals’ therapy ideas can be discussed without caution.

Pharmaceutical products like SSRIs, concentrated vitamin/extract products, or even foods with significant polyphenol content (soy etc), are going to be more significant for a patient than would be a big risk from such exposures (unless you’re in the vicinity of pesticides like vinclozolin).

Endocrine disruption in developmental problems (eg hypospadias, a penile malformation which features deregulated AR expression and can be induced by endocrine disruption per Nature) are a matter of organisational epigenetics (instructions for your cells, not something the body recognises as “wrong” or “right”). Traish and a few other authors have written on potential epigenetic mechanisms in PFS, which is very plausible considering tissue-specific evidence. Therefore, I personally don’t think there’s a remote chance that living in a cave will cure a severe case. Still, as there’s so many products marketed as “natural” these days (plant oils, shower products etc) that do have large amounts of EDCs, if you’re badly affected, it’s probably sensible to keep things simple where possible without going overboard. After all, it’s not going to just check when buying a plastic bottle for reuse that it is BPA free if you have the opportunity, etc.

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