The Perfume Counter Effect

I hate walking past perfume counters in department stores. My sinuses hurt, my head spins and I feel sick. Longer exposure (think stuck small car and someone doused in perfume) and I get a headache. Cigarette smoke has a similar effect. I don't like it at the best of times and I was even more sensitive to these chemical smells when I was pregnant. I knew I was more sensitive to chemicals than most other people but I hadn't considered that this was a symptom, in itself.

The heady components of many perfumes are aldehydes. Aldehydes can damage the liver and nervous system so the body quickly converts it to harmless substances. However, the body needs a few factors to enable this conversion and some people are lacking in these. This means that the conversion is slow and the acetaldehyde is hanging around in the system too long.

To test this using kinesiology you can isolate a specific muscle and check that it is able to activate as it should (be “strong”) but be able to switch off appropriately too (“weaken”). This is known as a strong indicator muscle or SIM. If sniffing an aldehyde-containing perfume (think Chanel no. 5) weakens the SIM, it's seen as problematic for the body. It is then possible to test the factors that may help it's conversion to see what's required. The following factors are necessary for conversion: molybdenum, iron, vitamin B2 and vitamin B3. Sometimes, selenium and vitamin E can be helpful too.

Alcohol is also converted to acetaldehyde, so drinking too much can have the same effect. Some people are more sensitive to alcohol than others and, guess what, I get the WORST hangovers. Acetaldehyde poisoning can cause headaches, fatigue, brain fog and nausea. Acetaldehyde is also a problem for people suffering with fungal overgrowth in the body, as it is one one of the waste products of fungi. Acetaldehyde can sometimes be released in a particular area, causing itching, skin irritation and pain as well as the same general effect: more headaches, fatigue, brain fog and nausea.

If you're suffering with fungal overgrowth or if your regularly drink alcohol, your liver is already likely to be working hard to process the acetaldehyde and may more easily run out of the factors it needs to do this. Deficiency in molybdenum is often relevant. Molybdenum is an essential nutrient - it's absolutely required by the body but (usually) in very small amounts. In some people, supplementation is helpful to quickly eliminate the acetaldehyde poisoning and minimise damage, whilst the cause is addressed.