My hubby and I went out for dinner a few nights ago. I ordered a big salad which was primarily romaine lettuce.

The next morning when I woke up I felt like I got run over by a truck. My joints were achy and my head pounded. That headache lingered for a couple of days afterwards.

All I could think about was that big ‘ol salad. On the surface it seemed like a healthy choice right? Problem was the mainstream lettuce I ate was not organic.

Pesticides Found on Lettuce

Did you know that in the U.S. lettuce is one of the most heavily sprayed foods? 52 different pesticides were found during testing.

That’s 52:

  • Known or Probable Carcinogens
  • Suspected Hormone Disruptors
  • Neurotoxins
  • Developmental or Reproductive Toxins

Paints a clearer picture as to why my body screamed in the days to follow that big salad.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

The thing is, it’s not just lettuce that bothers me. Ever since I was a young girl I’ve been sensitive to multiple chemicals in the environment.

A fellow endo sister recently posted about a chronic condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). With MCS those who come in contact with chemical exposure from scented products, pesticides, plastics, synthetic fabrics, smoke, petroleum products and/or paint fumes experience a host of reactive symptoms such as:

  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Headaches
  • Skin and/or joint inflammation
  • Sneezing, sore throat, etc.

This totally sounds like me. I am so sensitive to all of these chemicals: perfumes and cigarette smoke especially. I went into a store today where they were using conventional cleaning products and I immediately got dizzy and nauseous.

MCS & SOD2 Mutations

I know from reviewing my genetic results from 23andme.com that my body has a lot of genetic breakdowns in the areas of detoxification.

I got curious to see if there was a relationship between any of the breakdowns in my genes and MCS. I found a study in Japan that showed that people with MCS were more significantly associated with SOD2 polymorphisms.

What is SOD?

SODs are enzymes that provide protection against oxidative stress. SOD2 has manganese in its reactive center and is located in the mitochondria where it detoxifies superoxide radicals.

Turns out I have two homozygous mutations and one heterozygous mutation at SOD2.

Oxidative Stress & Endometriosis

Studies have shown that in the presence of oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species might increase growth and adhesion of endometrial cells in the peritoneal cavity, leading to endometriosis and infertility.

With breakdowns present at SOD2 my body is already at a disadvantage in its protection against oxidative stress.

Thus, it’s just that more important for me to be conscious of the chemicals my body comes in contact with.

And conventionally grown lettuce… is just too much. I felt that message loud and clear 🙂

What to do with SOD2 breakdowns?

For my breakdowns at SOD2 Nutrahacker recommends Manganese.

There are many food sources of manganese. The form that is most readily absorbed and digested comes from organic leafy greens.

While manganese is also found in beans, nuts and seeds, the phytic acid in these foods make it harder for your body to absorb manganese.

To avoid further toxic overload and oxidative stress in your body, it is important to pay attention to what goes in, on and around your body and do your best to reduce toxic load.

On the Positive Side?

To help with all the detoxification breakdowns in my body there are daily detox suggestions that can be implemented to support natural detoxification channels.

In the days to follow my pesticide salad I did a number of re-set activities that helped me to feel better: yoga, green juice, deep breathing, neti pot and supplemented everyday with manjistha.

The salad incident was a wake-up call to me. It’s worth it to buy organic and make a salad at home! Lol.

Do you notice that you are sensitive to multiple chemicals? Do you have SOD2 breakdowns? Have you found anything that helps? I’d love to hear from you.
Much Love,

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