Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia & Smoking
May 4, 2006 by Adelle Tilton
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Everyone knows smoking is not good for you. You don’t need me, or anyone else, to tell you that. But did you know that cigarette smoking may be particularly aggravating to a person with chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia? Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), is a condition that is closely linked to CFS and FM. And commercial cigarettes are loaded with chemicals.
- Some chemicals found in commercial cigarettes:
- Benzene
- Formaldehyde
- Ammonia
- Acetone
That is by no means a complete list. But if you consider that chemicals trigger flares of CFS and/or FM, and that these chemicals are present in cigarettes, it might make you think twice about lighting up.
Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia patients often report that smoking helps alleviate their pain level. That is difficult to get past, because few things do ease the pain. But when weighed against the chemicals found in a commercial cigarette, the trade-off has a high price tag.
From The BBC: Cigarettes – A complex cocktail of cocktails
Harmful Chemicals in Cigarettes
Cigarettes’ Deleterious Ingredients
I can definitely attest to chemicals triggering symptom flares. When we have especially smoggy days and more of the refinery pollutants are squashed into our air, I wake up with massive sinus migraines, sore spots all over my body, and a deep ache that just won’t go away. It isn’t until I ingest a massive quantity of painkillers and decongestants that I can even smell well enough to catch that “refinery scent” in the air and know what hit me.
I haven’t hit the point yet where I’m willing to spend the money and time seeking a diagnosis for my assorted bag of symptoms (arthritis? CFS? thyroid? MCS? crazy?), but eventually I may. Thanks for all the insights you two share here! I’ve definitely bookmarked a few new places in my general ‘health bookmarks’ folder for reference and continued research.