Question from anonymous
Dear Debra,
First, I want to say thank you for all your fantastic work and effort in sharing all the information you’ve gathered. It is so needed!
I have MCS among other health conditions (which of course are all interrelated… candidiasis, EMF sensitivity, SAD, depression, etc.), and I am recovering from a long year filled with episodes of binge eating. I read in the autobiography section of your website that before you realized you were chemically sensitive, you also suffered from some of these other conditions, including binge eating. Can you tell me a bit more about how MCS and binge eating are related? I know that my low seratonin levels contribute to SAD, depression, and binge eating, etc., but I’m curious to learn more about the link between the MCS and bingeing.
Thank you for any information you have on this.
All best wishes!
An Anonymous Friend
Debra’s Answer
My observation was that when I was exposed to a toxic chemical, that exposure would create an uncontrollable urge to eat.
I don’t know the exact mechanism in the body for this, but it was always an urge to eat sweets and other carbohydrates.
I also know from experience that chocolate will stop a chemical reaction. I’ve seen that in my own body and with many others.
So I suspect that this urge to eat was my body’s way of trying to counterbalance the chemicals it was being exposed to.
As I reduced my chemical exposures, this binge eating went away and I was able to then choose the healthy foods I wanted to eat.
