The nervous system is integrated with the vascular, endocrine and im- munesystem. For the body to respond properly to pollutant exposure, these systems must be in balance. However, in some cases of chemical and radio-sensitivity, the balance between these systems becomes im- paired, and the autonomic (nervous) system itself becomes the primary target organ for pollutant injury.


The hypothalamus is the highest vegetative (autonomic) center in the brain and is the focal point in triggering the pollutant-driven responses seen in the chemically and radio-sensitive patient. It also has functional connections with the forebrain and brainstem. When the hypothalamus is triggered by pollutants, it may stimulate the sympathetic and/or the pa- rasympathetic nervous system, resulting in extraordinarily varied symp- tomatology.


The key elements in the vulnerability and acquired neuronal supersen- sitivity, however, are hypoxia, hypoglycemia and convulsion, caused by toxic-induced loss of tolerance.


The cardio-vascular system has a rich autonomic nervous system (ANS) supply. To understand early pollutant injury to this system, one must also understand the anatomy of the autonomic as well as the neuro-en- docrine system.


In the chemically resp. radio-sensitive individual, for example, one path of response to pollutant stimuli may end in cerebral arterial malfunction with headaches that then become generalized cerebral arterial malfunc- tionwith short-term memory loss and and finally extend to frank hemi- plegia. Another regional response might be coronary spasm with resul- tant angina pectoris, while another might be renal arterial spasm with changes in angiotensin and, thus, blood pressure.


The nervous system response to noxious substances entering the body is immediate, with reflex-like rapidity. This pollutant-triggered quick respon- se is the clinical response in the maladapted chemically sensitive indiviual with overt and florid symptoms and signs in contrast to the adapted nor- mal who does not even perceive the response.


Toxicant-induced injury to the nervous system of the respiratory tree can occur in the brain and in the respiratory center as well as in the spinal cord, anterior horn cells, peripheral nerves, and/or the Autonomic System and neuro-endocrine receptors. Also vascular dysfunction of the respiratory tree causes discomfort and dysfunction in the individual. Medical misinterpretation leaves the affected individual to proceed on a path that eventually may lead to irreversible fixed-name disease; e.g. a true ischemic transverse myelopaty (oedematous swelling of the cord) is a recognized complication of a vasculopathy with proliferative changes involving small blood vessels, or can occur as a result in mixed con- nective tissue disease or, more commonly, in systemic lupus erythematosus. Transverse myelopathy may be the first manifestation of lupus ery- thematosus; the spinal cord is most vulnerableto damage in the event of an exacerbation of the underlying disease ("endless backache"). The spinal cord has remained, until recently, the Cinderella of the nervous system, receiving relatively scanty attention.



Quintessenz neuer klinischer Erfahrungen aus Germany & USA
(Literatur beim Verfasser)







Links

• TILT = Toxicant induced Loss of Tolerance (MEDLINE)
• TILT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT/Prof. Nicholas Ashford)
• TILT (Univ. of Texas/Prof. MD Claudia Miller, Vortrag in Bonn, 1999)
• Die Neurotoxizität alltäglicher Chemischer Substanzen/Prof. Singer, Vortrag in Bonn, 1999)
• Tox-Center München, Dr. med. habil. Max Daunderer

• Vaskulitis-Forum (Vaskulitis.org)