MEBO PATM : Japanese Study: Elevated petrochemicals in PATM

Japanese TV show, "World Astonishing News"

PATM, which stands for People are Allergic To Me, is a condition in which the sufferer notices that people around him or her tend to experience allergic reactions, which eventually subside after the sufferer steps away from the person.

In Japan the topic of PATM seems to be very prominent. While many medical professionals there consider it to be a delusional mental disorder (Olfactory Reference Syndrome (ORS), Jikoshu-kyōfu) there are also some experts who believe that it really exists, and are carrying out research in an attempt to help PATM sufferers understand the cause of their condition. A study carried out by Drs. Yasuhiro Konishi, M.D., of the Konishi Clinic in Japan, and a researcher, Professor Yoshika Sekine, involved a skin gas test of PATM patients, which showed that the PATM patients had abnormally high amounts of petrochemicals. Even though in most cases, the elevated chemical was toluene, also known as toluol or methylbenzene, there were also other elevated petrochemicals. It is normal to have these chemicals in the human body, but in low amounts. Toluol is also used in paint thinners and known for its irritating effects on the nervous system, eyes and respiratory system.

These finding would suggest that there is the possibility that petrochemicals may very well be the underlying cause of PATM. More research into this condition would be most helpful in order to be able to help PATM sufferers control the levels of these chemicals to enrich their social life and potentially their health. MEBO is poised and ready to research further into these and possibly other metabolites resulting in PATM.

The Japanese TV show, "World Astonishing News" presents a classic case of PATM, allows the researchers the opportunity to be interviewed and to present their findings and analysis on this mysterious disease.

Below is the translated summary of the PATM part starting at time interval 30:10 of the above YouTube video:

Six years previous to starting treatment for what she would subsequently identify as PATM, this ordinary woman in her 40s noticed strange things happening. She was a teacher at a school and also attending night classes to get a new qualification. One day she started feeling very tired but didn’t have a fever, so she resolved to sleep more but still couldn’t get rid of the fatigue, which continued for a year. She noticed meanwhile that her students noticed a weird smell in class that she didn’t notice. Then they had itchy eyes when she was near them but it stopped when she moved away, then on the other side of the class they’d start up there. Students reported an “old house” or “burnt” or “weird” smell and it also happened to the other teachers.

She started to think she might be the cause so she took lots of time to wash her body and used anti-odour products on her clothes and underwear, and carry an anti-odour spray at all times but it didn’t help and she stopped thinking it could be just her imagination. She explained it to her parents but they didn’t notice any smell. But she felt she was causing bother to those around her so she changed jobs but the same things started up – people coughing and noticing a burnt smell.

Six years after she started noticing the symptoms, she found an article online about PATM and thought it applied to her so she found a hospital that does PATM examinations. The doctor did a “skin gases test” – apparently humans, from kids to the elderly, produce over 300 different types of gas including flatulence, and they are collectively referred to as skin gases. When they did the test the doctor said that she produced high levels of toluene, a petrochemical found in things like glue and contact cement, which is toxic and strictly regulated.

The mechanism behind PATM is still not understood but one theory is that skin gases given off by sufferers cause allergy-like reactions in those around them. More research is needed to find if this is the real cause of the condition, but the doctor says that when they examine people who report PATM-like symptoms, in almost 100% of cases they find high levels of petrochemicals. The graph shown at 40:35 shows levels of xylene, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, ethylbenzene and toluene in non-PATM person/s (green), and two different people who report PATM (red and blue). Those people did indeed have high levels of various chemicals. The chemical found to be high in the woman this report is about, toluene, smells of paint thinner or gasoline, and can sting the eyes, nose and throat. It is found in all human bodies in small amounts but this patient had very high levels. The exact relationship between the smell and the symptoms is not yet fully understood but it is possible that if there were people sensitive to this chemical around such a person, they could potentially show allergy-like symptoms.

The patient has been treated for PATM for the past two years and is taking various supplements to improve her digestive system and her body’s ability to remove toxins. As shown in the video at 43:40, with the patient’s permission, they have someone get up close to her face and fail no notice any kind of smell or sting in their eyes etc.. While she had a great improvement with this treatment, since the exact causes of PATM are not yet known, this isn’t a treatment that all sufferers could benefit from. There is no “wonder drug” for PATM – the patients are treated by trying to “balance their bodies” and some are helped while some aren’t.

María