“Cured” MCS

I find that when I try to share my story of “curing” my MCS anywhere, it’s unwelcome, and I wish I could share it somewhere or help more people. I’ve offered via Facebook groups, and it’s declined - probably because they think I’m going to suggest something offensive or something I’m selling (which I’m not). I’ve also tried reaching out to the host of an MCS podcast, and they weren’t interested either. 5 years ago, I would have loved to have found any type of information about things that could help or hear someone’s success story. Does anyone have any recommendations on how I could share my story or try to help the MCS community?

Edit: Okay here’s my story.

I always had symptoms of MCS that I first noticed in 2010 when I was 16. I started feeling sick (nauseas/dizzy/headache) around my then-boyfriend’s cologne. The next thing I started reacting to was scented candles in 2012 that my roommate was using at college (lightheaded, brainfog, dizzy, sick). In 2014 I started reacting to perfumes, body sprays, strong-scented deodorants on my coworkers. In 2017, I started having very strong and instant reactions to everything - even fabric softener on someone clothing if they walked past my desk at work. In 2017, right before I got significantly worse, a concoction of things happened that most likely triggered the worsening of my MCS - I went under dental surgery to have a tooth extraction, I had 3 rounds of anti-biotics back to back, my office underwent a major renovation (new building materials), and I found my long-term boyfriend who had been living with me had cheated on me and it really messed up my mental health. After this, my MCS started ruling my life and I started researching, and trying lots of different things to get better.

The below is a timeline of everything that may or may not have contributed to the eventual “cure” of my MCS - but I’ve left everything intact as not to discredit any little change I made to my lifestyle:

2018 - Cut out all products containing fragrance - Stopped eating meat and dairy - Stopped taking birth control pills

2019 - Left the jail I was working in where there was mold, dirt, poor air circulation, new construction, asbestos, fragrances - Moved to a community in northern Ontario where there is much less air pollution - Worked in a clean office with fresh air where a fragrance free policy is followed pretty well by the employees

2020 - started working from home - Stopped getting acrylic nails done - Did a candida protocol through my nutritionist who had me eliminate these foods for 8 weeks: soy, trans fat, vinegar, sugar, mushrooms, corn, gluten, yeast, caffein, alcohol , honey, maple syrup, peanut butter, cooked/roasted nuts, dried fruits, dairy, processed meat (was already out of my diet) - Incorporated supplements and vitamins including multi-vitamin, zinc, selenium, digestive enzymes, candizyme, vitamine d3+k2, vitamin C, NACL, probiotics *****felt the biggest improvement so far at this point - Remained gluten free vegan forever afterwards - Brought in molybdenum, continued NAC and vitamin d3+k2

2021 - Had rhinoplasty for cosmetic reasons but dr also fixed turbinates and septum, used nasal spray during recovery, did not take any anti biotics or pain medication and worked with anesthesiologist to cater to MCAD/MCS type of needs with the type of anesthesia chosen - Left my relationship that I was unhappy in where I had been mistreated and began dating and feeling truly happy and having a sex drive for the first time in years - Did a 12 week therapy program for depression/ptsd and learned grounding techniques and emotional regulation

2022-2025

Have not had a reaction to fragrances or symptoms of any kind besides very brief light headedness or anxiety. I still live a fragrance-free life, work mostly from home, but I’m able to go into stores where there is scent, ride in Ubers where they have scent, go to bars, etc. with no issues.