BACKGROUND:The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on women diagnosed with conditions such as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and fibromyalgia (FM).

METHODS:The intervention group underwent a 10-week MBSR program. Symptoms Checklist Inventory (SCL-90R) was used as outcome measure and was administered before the start of the program (pre-), immediately upon completion (post-) and at three-month follow-up. Women on the wait list to receive treatment at the Nova Scotia Environmental Health Centre were used as control subjects for the study.

RESULTS:A total of 50 participants in the intervention group and 26 in the wait-list controls group were recruited for this study. Global scores in the intervention group reached statistical significance pre-post (<0.0001) and at pre-follow-up (<0.0001) while the global scores in the control group remained the same. Five of nine and eight of nine subscales of the SCL-90R showed improvement of statistical significance in MBSR group following treatment and at three-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS:The study showed the importance of complementary interventions such as MBSR techniques in the reduction of psychological distress in women with chronic conditions.

Sauna therapy has been used to treat a number of different diseases known or thought to have a tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) deficiency. It has been interpreted to act in multiple chemical sensitivity by increasing chemical detoxification and excretion but there is no evidence that this is its main mode of action. Sauna therapy may act to increase BH4 availability via two distinct pathways. Increased blood flow in heated surface tissues leads to increased vascular shear stress, inducing increased activity of GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH-I) in those vascular tissues which will lead to increasing BH4 synthesis. A second mechanism involves the heat shock protein Hsp90, which is induced by even modest heating of mammalian tissues. Sauna heating of these surface tissues may act via Hsp90, which interacts with the GTPCH-I complex and is reported to produce increased GTPCH-I activity by lowering its degradation. The increased consequent availability of BH4 may lead to lowered nitric oxide synthase uncoupling, such as has been reported for the eNOS enzyme. Increased BH4 synthesis in surface tissues of the body will produce increased circulating BH4 which will feed BH4 to other body tissues that may have been BH4 deficient. Similar mechanisms may act in vigorous exercise due to the increased blood shear stresses and possibly also heating of the exercising tissues and heart. There is a large and rapidly increasing number of diseases that are associated with BH4 depletion and these may be candidates for sauna therapy. Such diseases as hypertension, vascular endothelial dysfunction, multiple chemical sensitivity and heart failure are thought to be helped by sauna therapy and chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia may also be helped and there are others that may be good candidates for sauna therapy.

We describe the case of a 28-year-old woman, who had been suffering for more than 5 years from severe fatigue, myofascial pain, obstipation, obesity of trunk, abdominal striae, oedema, tinnitus, folliculitis, and facial swelling. The patient also showed a secondary adrenocortical insufficiency. From the anamnesis we assumed that environmental factors could account for the symptoms. The therapy consisted of dietary advise, chelating agents, supplements, and acupuncture. Under this therapy the patient became completely symptom-free. No such case has ever been reported before. We report mainly on the CAM diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, which are discussed together with the assumed pathogenetic factors.

We describe the case of a 28-year-old woman, who had been suffering for more than 5 years from severe fatigue, myofascial pain, obstipation, obesity of trunk, abdominal striae, oedema, tinnitus, folliculitis, and facial swelling. The patient also showed a secondary adrenocortical insufficiency. From the anamnesis we assumed that environmental factors could account for the symptoms. The therapy consisted of dietary advise, chelating agents, supplements, and acupuncture. Under this therapy the patient became completely symptom-free. No such case has ever been reported before. We report mainly on the CAM diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, which are discussed together with the assumed pathogenetic factors.

It was found that being a hygienic procedure sauna essentially improves well-being of the workers, activates the cardiovascular system and mechanism of general adaptation of the body. Sauna increased excretion with sweat fluid of toxic substances (lead, thiuram, captax, sulphenamide C) that penetrated the body during work. Sauna is recommended as an effective procedure in conditions where chemical and physical factors are the leading professional noxae.