Mahes Visvalingam
Post-retirement postingsPlease note that this site is under construction.
Some Experiences with Natural Medicine
and related observations
Toxic airplanes : Chinese Medicine, Saw Palmetto and Vitamin E
This page was prompted by two articles which seemed to relate to my allergic reactions after long-haul flights.
One was an online posting at the Saga website.
Can anyone give me a reason why my wife always takes a throat and chest infection after she returns from holiday by plane? Especially from Canaries.
Several of our visitors from abroad have also experienced this.
An article entitled Is cabin air making us sick? by Charles Starmer-Smith in the Travel Section of the Saturday Telegraph on 23 Feb 2008 (See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/759562/Is-cabin-air-making-us-sick.html and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4610474/Toxic-cabin-air-found-in-new-plane-study.html).
These and similar reports made me realise that my instinctive aversion to flying based on past experience may not have been idiosyncratic. Initially, I put the reactions down to the stress of travelling and jet lag. With passing years, I seemed to get more and more ill, exhausted and disoriented after long haul flights. I put that down to advancing age. But, after a trip from London to South East Asia in 2005, I began to think that it was the cabin air. I initially thought that I was reacting to fumigation of the plane. Now, I am not so sure. So, what follows is a report of my symptoms and 'cures' for the benefit of researchers. Others should read the disclaimer.
My reactions
I flew to South East Asia on 4 June 2005 to escape from the peak of the hayfever season in Britain. When I boarded the plane (MH001) I was fit and full of energy and excitement. I had paid more for this non-stop long haul flight thinking that it would be less stressful than the longer journeys with stopovers. During the night when the lights were down, I woke up with a sore throat and a cough and asked for some water. I noticed that I was sat almost under what looked like steamy sprays coming out of nozzles along a gantry on the ceiling. It had a sickly sweet fruity smell. I thought that it was some kind of air freshener, which we avoid using at home because they do not suit me.
So, I just used the change of clothes I had in my hand luggage to cover my head and nose and tried to sleep. After a while I noticed that some others in the cabin started to cough and clear their throats. By the time I disembarked, I had stopped thinking about the cabin air. I was exhausted and felt that I could not stand and that I would fall asleep unless I kept moving. Since I had an itinerary to see family and friends, I got myself going the next morning but knew that I was not myself. I put it down to the journey and the hot, humid and polluted air in the capital city. On the following day, I started to shiver and felt very unwell - the whole body ached. Everyone put it down to either the heat or a flu. I thought that it was some sort of allergic reaction and did not see a doctor since I did not want to take antibiotics; which I had stopped taking since 1988 owing to their adverse side effects. Instead, I kept some notes on my state of health and mind, which form the basis of this report.
I woke up during the 2nd night after landing feeling very unwell. By the following morning. I could not open my eyes which were gummed up with thick gluey yellow phlegm, which also coated my tongue and throat. Thick phlegm was 'flaking off' from sore red eyes. The throat was very painful and my ears were all bunged up. I had difficulty swallowing and breathing, which became short and very shallow. I felt as if there was a clamp around my chest - it was particularly painful across the front and back along the bottom ribs. Lung, throat, nose, ears were all bunged up with thick yellow phlegm. The worst part was that my head also felt all bunged up and heavy - my mind was confused and I had difficulty organising my day and had to rely on others shunting me to where I needed to be. I had difficulty eating and talking. My tongue was thick and swollen and food would slip down the throat before I could chew it because I could not control my tongue. Despite my visiting several relatives and friends, some quite elderly, no one caught my ‘flu’ like symptoms - which again made me think that this was an allergic reaction. My muscles were all weak and I was listless. I felt like I could sleep forever. This continued until 16 Jun 05 – then throat eased off a little.
I had to postpone my trip to Singapore since I felt that I could not make that journey. After two weeks, I was starting to feel slightly better and a relative drove me down in his car to a wedding. I forced myself to keep going when I could have just slept and slept. When I stopped a night with friends in China Town, my friend felt that I ought to see a doctor. When I would not, she rang a friend, Dr Koh Chin Aik who practises Chinese Medicine, and asked him come to her house. He said that something had upset the yin-yang balance of my spleen, which had affected my lungs and prescribed some Chinese Medicine. My friend got the prescription made up and insisted on paying for it so that I will feel obliged to take it. I said that I would do so after my return to Britain if I was no better.
I was beginning to feel a bit better by the time I was due back on 29 June 05 on MH008. I took videos of the landscapes we were flying over (and especially of the Taj Mahal) and chatted to other passengers. Just before we landed at Heathrow, the cabin crew marched down the aisles and sprayed the cabin with a can in each hand,. We all covered our noses and tried to avoid breathing. When I asked whether such over kill was necessary, the air stewardess said that they would not be allowed to land at Heathrow unless the the plane was fumigated in view of SARS and other infectious diseases. This made me wonder whether what I thought was air freshener on the way out had been fumigants but I thought no more about it in my haste to try and catch an earlier bus home.
I did not notice any adverse effects until I got on my bus at Heathrow when I succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep. When I got back home, I only wanted a cup of tea and had to go to bed and slept for nearly 3 days. I had spasms in my chest, which was painful - and I had to move really slowly and carefully when I turned over in bed. This time I was coughing up thick grey phlegm from my lungs, and throat. My reactions were bad - but not as bad as after the outward journey. I was drowsy, pale and dizzy – perhaps just tired. But, symptoms continued for more than 10 days with dizziness and breathlessness in the morning and after any sudden movement or exertion.
I was getting so concerned about how I felt that I started to note things in case I had to see a doctor. Since I suffer from hayfever and air pollution, I still thought that my illness was due to breathing recycled cabin air fortified by fumigation, which would wear off after a couple of weeks. It did not.
The cures
Dr Koh's Chinese Medicine for immediate reliefWith a wedding looming, and being unable to pull myself together, I decided to take the Chinese medicine with almost miraculous results. I have the prescription written in Chinese and my letter of thanks to Dr Koh giving him a blow-by-blow account of the effect of his medicine.
I took each dose in the evening. The effect of each dose was apparent on the very next day.
After dose 1: coughed up almost solid lumps of grey phlegm from left lung the next day, and could feel the breath fill the lung for the first time in weeks. The lung no longer felt dead.
After dose 2: Right lung cleared. Able to sleep more comfortably through the night without painful spasms in the chest.
After dose 3: Throat cleared and relaxed. Able to swallow freely after months and with no pain.
After doses 4 & 5: Tongue feels normal.
No more spasms in chest, except when straining and reaching – need to exercise to get rid off this now. Still dizzy and breathless before lunch but perfectly OK otherwise.
Unfortunately, the symptoms started to return after the effects of the Chinese medicine wore off. I still had pain in my chest with occasional spasms, a cough, sore throat, heavy eye lids, a strange thick feeling in the head and exhaustion on even going up the stairs. The strange muddled feeling in the head was worse when I was out in sunlight. The purchase of a blood pressure monitor, prompted by my readings of alternative therapies, made me realise that I had developed postural hypotension. Sudden movement made me light headed, making me fall down the stairs at home and forcing me to lie on the floor in public. Pressure readings ranged from 106 – 122 for systolic (1 spurious 151); 48 - 62 for diastolic; 65 - 83 for pulse rate.
When I got a nurse at my medical centre to double check my blood pressure, she said that I was lucky to have low blood pressure since the pressure tends to rise with age. However, I read on the web that people with LP are more prone to early onset to senile dementia. I felt that not enough blood was getting to my brain, especially on waking up. I have also passed out momentarily and suffered from shock even after no more than a stumble. So, for me, low blood pressure became a problem and I needed to see if anything else was wrong with me.
I was getting very worried that my mental state was affected since I was finding it difficult to do mental arithmetic, recall telephone numbers etc. When I saw my General Practitioner, I started to cry despite trying not to. He said that what I had was similar to what the Victorian women had when they fainted at the sight of blood. He said that it was nothing to worry about. Realising that I was not going to get much medical help, I decided that I would not tell him about the mental confusion and loss of short term memory since I did not want him to think that I had early dementia. Instead, I asked for a health MOT to reassure me that there was nothing wrong with me physically, e.g. with my heart, lungs etc. I was beginning to feel that I could no longer cope and started to think about assigning Enduring Powers of Attorney in case I was indeed having an early onset of dementia.
High dose Vitamin E for Low Blood Pressure and poor circulation
It could be that the reaction to cabin air had made a pre-existing condition worse. So, I looked into three problems which had become exacerbated by my reactions to cabin air, namely varicose veins, restless legs and low blood pressure. (PS: I now recall that these problems started after a long-haul flight in 1996 when my feet were so painful that it felt as if they were going to burst; I even tried sleeping with my legs stuck up against a wall to try to facilitate backflow of blood from the feet). Of the various remedies I have tried, I believe that high doses of organic Vitamin E (400-500iu) were the most beneficial. Slowly but surely, all three of these conditions have improved to an extent which does not trouble me. But, sudden intake of high doses of Vitamin E can be dangerous so check with your doctor.
Liquorice Extract for Chest Pain
Concentrated Liquorice Extract (Holland & Barratt) has helped. Liquorice is widely used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicines for chest complaints.
Saw Palmetto for reducing inflammation of the mucosa.
Saw Palmetto is best known for reducing inflammation of enlarged prostate glands. Actually, I bought the concentrated Liquorice Extract, Vitamin B6, Brazil Nuts (for selenium) and Saw Palmetto for someone who had problems with an enlarged prostate gland. Unfortunately, his PSA test and biopsy revealed prostate cancer which is now under control following hormone injections and radiotherapy. So, I started to take the remedies I had bought for him - one thing at a time - to note their effect on me. As noted above, the Liquorice helped my lungs. The Saw Palmetto not only helped the lungs, but it also returned my throat to normal and reduced the inflammation in my sinuses. My ears have cleared, the eye lids are no longer heavy and the tightness around the eyebrows have gone. I later found out that traditional Chinese medicine uses Saw Palmetto for respiratory complaints. Best of all, it has cleared my head of that thick confused feeling and my mental functions (mental arithmetic, recall of names, telephone numbers etc.) have improved. So, my brain cells are either still intact or they have rewired themselves - see my page on strokes for current research on neural plasticity.
CONCLUSION
I initially thought that the exhaustion and illness was bought on by the stress of travelling. I do not really think this anymore. I have done the 42 mile Lyke Wake Walk and often used to have very little sleep when i was working. I now think that it was something to do with cabin air - something that I was allergic to, even if it was not toxic. Whatever it is, it affects not just the respiratory system, but also the circulation and brain, causing depression, mental confusion etc.
I personally did not feel very sick in the plane apart from a sore throat and cough. Also, the worst effects were always delayed in my case, which is why it took me so long to make the connection with cabin air. I came to this conclusion long before I read the article in the Saturday Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/759562/Is-cabin-air-making-us-sick.html) and am inclined to believe what the air crew say. The fact that I have not flown since June 2005 is testimony to my concerns about cabin air.
The most heartening thing about this whole thing is the reassurance that the body and mind can recover with some help. I am glad that I managed to recover without the intervention of allopathic drugs with their side effects, especially on sensitive people like me. Also, even the immediate benefits of Chinese herbal medicine were only short-lived. The bottles of Liquorice and Saw Palmetto are still more than half full - I do occasionally have a dose as a boost. I am continuing with the Vitamin E as recommended by Dr Shute (see page on varicose veins).
April 2008
We went away by car from 6th to 8th April 2008 - when there were hail and snow storms and gusty winds. I had to use the screen wash (25% diluted) on several occasions on the motorway. It suddenly dawned on me that this was the smell in the cabin on my outward flight in June 2005 - the sickly sweet fruity smell. We use CarPlan All Seasons Screen Wash. This contains propan-2-ol (wiki page on Isopropyl alcohol -IPA). This solvent is used in cosmetics, the food industry, household chemicals and even allopathic drugs - all of which I avoid. I also avoid cleaning pads for the same reason and stopped cleaning (and then using) white boards when lecturing. The wiki page cited above states that Isopropanol is a major ingredient in "dry-gas" fuel additive.
I had severe chest pain across my front and back along the bottom of my ribs and developed a sore throat and cough by the evening of the 8th. I also had restless legs during the 8th and 9th April - something I have not had for ages. These symptoms had not cleared by 10th April 2008. I rang the distributor Tetrasyl and they pointed out that I should not open the car windows when using the screen wash since it could get blown in. But, this makes me think that I am sensitive to this substance, which is used in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industry!! Reliable sources say that the body converts IPA to acetone which is excreted by the lungs and kidneys. This may explain my frequent chest problems and need to drink a lot of water. Acetone is also said to increase fuel efficiency and it too is said to have a fruity smell.
After reading this, I decided to take a tea made of St John's Wort (which is already growing actively in my garden) since this improves liver function and elimination of toxins. Please note that cancer patients on the drug Interferon should not take St John's Wort since it will interact with the Interferon - see other warnings. You need to consult your doctor. By midnight, my chest pain has subsided and I am no longer coughing compulsively. The nervous tension in the head has also gone.
I am now wondering if my allergic reactions after the long-haul flights was due to a build up of solvents (amongst other nasties) in the aeroplane. This may explain why only some people were affected since I know many cleaning ladies who are unaffected by solvents. The experience was so debilitating and frightening, I have been putting off flying again. The worst bit was the fear of dementia. But, I was very accident prone while I was suffering the after effects of the flight and while cabin air may not be lethal it can cause fatality due to impaired judgement and muscular control. Thankfully, my recovery with natural medicine has helped me overcome my subconscious anxieties about my advancing age.
I do not know if the hay fever season is likely to bring back my problems. If they do, I will update these pages. So-called allergic reactions (i.e. immune system responses in the absence of bacteria and viruses) can be minimised by reducing the total load on the system. Contaminated cabin air in aeroplanes added to my load. If you too are a sufferer, remember that the body can recover and worrying can hold back recovery.
Relevant websites:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/759562/Is-cabin-air-making-us-sick.html
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Isopropyl_Alcohol_in_Soft_Drinks Isopropyl alcohol is commonly found in many cosmetics and food products. Worth reading.
http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v48aje21.htm The immediate effects were a fall in B.P. and dizziness. This seems to tie in with my experience.http://www.dow.com/productsafety/finder/iso.htm The health risks noted here correspond to many of the after-effects I experienced.
http://www.dow.com/productsafety/finder/iso.htm - See uses and health hazards.
© Mahes Visvalingam, 27 Aug 2006
Last updated on 24/02/09
Disclaimer The views expressed here are those of Mahes Visvalingam alone. She is just an open-minded, curiosity-driven independent researcher whose teaching portfolio included The Philosophy and Methodology of Science to postgraduates at the University of Hull. This site contains notes on her ad-hoc experimental use of natural remedies for treating her common ailments. She is not a certified health professional. She acknowledges that A little knowledge is a dangerous thing and that Curiosity killed the cat; it may well kill her.
There is the old saying that One man's food is another man's poison. As with food, One mans medicine can be another man's aggravation, even if not poison. This applies not only to allopathic drugs (leaflets enclosed in packets often cite contraindications) but also to some natural cures. Many systems of natural healing classify people into types according to their constitution. They believe that even the food which cures one person of an ailment may aggravate another's condition. So, the accounts provided in this website are for information only and for use by researchers interested in case studies. You should not act on it without consulting a suitably trained medical professional. Mahes Visvalingam shall not be held responsible or liable for any use of the information contained in this website.
I have provided links to other interesting sites. Please read widely before you decide to try a treatment. Much of the literature on the effectiveness of alternative therapies tend to be second-hand accounts. First-hand accounts (like mine) tend to be anecdotal and subjective and may be contradictory and confusing. This is inevitable given that people respond differently to treatments (see controversy). If you wish, you can publicise your comments and personal experiences through my web blog Messages for Mahes Visvalingam. Please see my notes on how to use this facility.
Durin