Summary of my Media Experience in June 2000

By Don Richard Paladin

I would like to share my letter to the Editor of The Bellingham Herald that
was published in Saturday's (6-17-00) paper and then make some comments about
my past experiences in dealing with the media. I tried to share this
information in the letter to the Editor with the reporters I have interacted
over the past year. I found the only way to get it part of the record was to
send it in as a letter to the editor.

I have to say the best reporters I dealt with were here in my hometown of
Bellingham. They were respectful, open, and tried not to use me as a subject
(or others) to create hype to sell papers or magazines. I have interacted
with about a dozen reporters either by phone or email this past year. Some
were just to share information on others stories about MCS or chemical
injury.

Here is my letter with information I think needed to be part of the record.

Letter to the Editor of The Bellingham Herald:

Dear Editor:
I would like to thank The Herald for its June 14th article on Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). I would like to add that MCS is not an
antibody-mediated allergy and that most people with MCS respond poorly to
many drugs because of poor tolerance.
William Morton, M.D., found in his research of 100 subject with MCS that
90% of them had an abnormal metabolic disorder that interfered with the
detoxification of chemicals.
In his Gulf War Syndrome research, Dr. Robert Haley found that he could
document organic brain damage for some veterans with symptoms of dizziness.
He also found that some of the veterans he tested have a deficiency of an
enzyme responsible for detoxification of organophosphate pesticides.
Current research is pointing to an important issue of a variability of
tolerance to drugs and other chemicals. Unfortunately most current research
does not control for this critical variable. It will take some time for the
science and understanding of the issues of low level toxic exposures to catch
up with the reality of the phenomenon. In the mean time, beware of those who
try to say that toxic chemicals that never existed before humans created them
are "safe."
--------------------------------------------------End of Letter to Editor---------------------------

I have spent much of the past year trying to help shed some light on the
issues of MCS. I want to briefly share some of the things I learned.

1. Don't expect the mainstream media to be ahead of the curve on
understanding issues that those in the medical establishment don't
understand. And don't expect to educate them with information that is not
already conventional knowledge.

2. If one has MCS, be prepared to be placed in the role of a subject and not
an expert on the issues of MCS. In this hierarchal society, news reporter
will always go to the top of the totem pole to look for guidance and
understanding on issues. By virtue of position, those at the top are always
given special status over those lower on the totem.

3. News reporters will take with them their current level of understanding
about any issue. They may be sympathetic but don't expect them to understand
any better than anyone else about the issues.

4. News reporting is about the "power of the pen." Don't expect to have any
power over that pen because the pen gravitates to those with power. The media
reflects the conventional wisdom and level of understanding of those in
power.

5. Do not expect what you have said to be accurately reported.

6. Don't expect sharing prepared information will prevent mistakes and
inaccurate reporting. It will help with getting your perspective presented to
the reporter, but be prepared for some to discount and ignore information
you may share.

7. News reporting is a template format type occupation. Don't expect to find
someone who is searching for truth and greater understanding who goes beyond
the parameters of the template.

8. Remember that the newspaper and other print media is written on about the
eighth grade level. Keep the concepts simple. Keep the amount of meaningful
information to a minimum.

9. News reporting is most often about power of the pen and not about the
individual needs of people. Expect news reporters to be "objective" about
your "subjective" issues. Expect them to be subjective in their level of
understanding of your issues.

10. Don't expect any product and you won't be disappointed. Tell the truth
and don't read the articles you interview for.

11. Expect the issue of MCS to be polarized. Controversy and hype create
attention to attract readers. Although not all reporters do this, be prepared
for those who do.

12. Expect to be quoted out of context. If you want a "real" record of what
you said, audio tape your interview. Reporters use information they gather to
report what they understand about what they report. They weave an article
from bits of information they gather. They will determine the direction of
their article.

13. Don't be surprised at what reporters think is important to report. In
many cases it may NOT be what you think is important.

14. If you want YOUR perspective to be heard/seen, write letters to the
editor, write Op Ed pieces, create your own webpage with the information,
and tell/write anyone who will listen, or create your own newsletter or news
release mechanism.

15. The process of evolution of understanding on any issue is slow. Be
respectful of the collective ignorance we all share.

There are probably more things I could reflect on after a year of contact
with news reporters. I am trying not to get impatient because everyone does
not think MCS is as important an issue as I do. That can be a challenge when
one receives phone calls from people with MCS who are homeless and very ill.

My gut level feeling is that once everyone recognizes that the problems of
chemical injury and the impacts of toxics on our environment, one can expect
some major turmoil related to this issue. I am beginning to think we are
getting closer than ever to an acknowledgment of the problem. It has only
been about 50 years since Dr. Randolph wrote about environmental illness. The
only thing that has really changed since then is the vast numbers of people
who are becoming chemically sensitive and the vast amount of chemicals being
added to our daily load. It is time for the unaware to wake up and smell the
chemicals.

Right now I have media burn out. I know there will be others who will take up
the torch and carry this unending marathon on.

I continue to believe that the key to solving the resistance to understanding
of reactions to low level exposures is research that can demonstrate
objective evidence of this relationship. I have had an opportunity to read
what those who don't understand MCS write on the issue. For some, the easy
answer has been that it is psychological. Yes, there are those who may
benefit from this characterization of our illness. There are also many
legitimate questions yet unanswered about MCS. The questions need to be
addressed and answered.

I believe that MCS is a much greater event in the human evolution of our
understanding than those who discount it. This disorder speaks to all the
issues of knowledge that our scientists and researchers don't really
understand related to wellness and our interaction with our environment. We
have a very strong digital paradigm in our scientific research that does not
look at multiples of variables that are systematically interrelated. Our
researchers test one variable at a time and seem to ignore the combined
impact of all the other many variables that may impact all living things and
systems.

Those of us with MCS are a reflection of an incomplete understanding of our
collective interactions. We don't interact with one chemical at a time. Yes,
there is a digital portion of our system in which one antibody reacts to one
antigen. Yes, some germs may cause diseases with some specific symptoms. It
is not that a digital perspective is incorrect. It is that a digital
perspective ignores the "analog" reality we all share. We react to multiple
of variables continuously. There must be a fail safe mechanism not yet
"recognized" as conventional knowledge that protects us from a class of
harmful (life endangering) substances. My body has told me daily that this is
the reality of the environment in which I live. Let's hope that the best
minds of our scientists catch up with the reality of this REAL life
experience that so many of us with MCS experience.

I could go on and on ... and wonder how many made it this far. Let me say
that I will continue to believe that research by those who can explain the
mechanism of our illness to the disbelievers will make all other issues much
easier to deal with.

When one builds a house, one always start with a FOUNDATION. I see objective
evidence of a relationship between low level exposures and MCS as the
foundation upon which all other issues will rest. If we understand the
mechanism we can then both prevent and solve the problem. Research continues
to be essential. Enough said.

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