BioSensEurope
The Body Feels. We Understand. Science Learns
Our technocratic worldview has long reduced us to the role of passive data consumers — as individuals who receive measurements, read forecasts, and adapt to models. But this perspective falls far too short. We are not merely recipients; we are carriers of a deeply rooted biological intelligence. Our bodies are finely tuned resonance chambers that perceive environmental changes often before they become measurable. Sensitivity, intuition, and physical reactions are not simply “disturbances” within our bodily systems — they are a highly valuable part of an expanded understanding of knowledge.
Sensitivity as a Valuable Resource
Individuals who respond sensitively to atmospheric changes carry a unique gift within them and we should learn to see these sensations not as flaws, but as an additional sensory capacity for the future.
Why the Medical Pathologization of Sensitive People Is a Misguided Approach
The medical pathologization of sensitive people – that is, their classification as “overly sensitive,” “psychosomatic,” or even “ill” – is a misguided approach. It is based on an outdated understanding of the body, health and perception, one that reduces us to measurable norm values and classifies anything that deviates as a disorder. But this is precisely where the fallacy lies.
My Body as an Early Warning System
I myself am massively affected and have been keeping “records” for years about when which symptoms appear before which events, such as heavy snow fronts, storms, hail fronts, tornadoes, massive low-pressure systems and in what form and especially with what lead time. And this is the crucial detail. Even before the app on our phone sends a notification, my body is already sensitized and in “alert mode” and my skin, my breathing, my muscle tone and my emotional resonance are fully activated.
The Language of Birds – Resonance in the Total Sound Space
Each time, it feels as though my body is communicating with the atmosphere – beyond language and measuring devices. And yes, of course, this is no “wellness retreat” for my body, as it is also accompanied by muscle pain, brain fog, dizziness, breathing difficulties, severe sleep disturbances and energetic sensitivity. But it is also fascinating, because my (massive) symptoms often begin simultaneously with the sudden silence of the birds. Many people around me don’t notice this at all, but I immediately sense the changed behavior of the birds as a classic precursor to atmospheric escalation. It’s as if we’re vibrating on a shared early warning frequency and sensing how changes in air pressure, electromagnetic fields and atmospheric tensions are shifting around us. I don’t just hear their silence – I feel and truly understand it. That is, my nervous system and my equilibrium system react early to changes in the overall sound space.
Early Response to Weather Phenomena
Especially with locally confined, hard-to-measure weather phenomena, these abilities are invaluable and make it possible to secure objects (garden furniture, cars and much more) in time and find a safe place.
Saharan Dust – Perception Before Visibility
And yes, when the Saharan dust comes again, my inner system responds even before the sky turns reddish and the windowsill is covered in sand dust, because the air has already changed – much denser, much drier, the scent is noticeably in the air and again the subtle irritation of my mucous membranes and skin, a changed breathing quality, the pressure in my head and also the diffuse light scattering even before the particles arrive in high concentration. The advantage is that I can prepare accordingly:
- I reduce many external stimuli and retreat to protected spaces with purified air.
- I increase my fluid intake to support my mucous membranes and skin.
- I schedule rest periods before exhaustion sets in and regularly practice breathing exercises.
- I inform my surroundings, because what I feel can serve as orientation for friends and acquaintances.
- I document my body’s signals to recognize patterns and refine my early warning system.
The advantage of this enormous high sensitivity is that, in contrast (although I myself am severely affected by MCS, but also CFS), I can survive these stormy phases very well prepared. Yes, I have the noticeable strong symptoms in the pre-phase of storms and much more, BUT I don't have the subsequent symptoms like the others - who didn't have the chance to prepare themselves because they couldn't perceive all this. Although I have severe allergic asthma, I don't suffer from severe coughing and other accompanying symptoms in the post-phase of the weather phenomenon after the massive Sahara dust. My own “early warning system” prepared me perfectly for this.
EBV + MCS: A sensitive early warning system for environmental toxins
And my (unfortunately) ever-reactive Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) plays a not insignificant role in this, as it manifests itself synchronously with certain weather phenomena and energetic upheavals through much greater exhaustion, swelling of the lymph nodes, muscle pain, Brain Fog, Mitochondrial dysfunction, increased excess histamine and also cognitive limitations (blurred vision / Irritability). And because I wanted to know this more precisely, I took the initiative to measure my IgM of EBV and total IgM in such a phase and yes, it rises by a further 30 to 50 units in addition to the already elevated value.
A positive “side effect” is the immediate implementation of relevant protective strategies, i.e. the full program such as air filters in 24-hour operation, compatible and safe places to stay, anti-inflammatory diet, breathing and Kneipp techniques tailored precisely to the situation (because here too there is no standard method, everything must always be adapted), precisely tailored and specifically adapted supplementation, special vein relaxation techniques and brush techniques for the neurons.
Each new weather phenomenon (storms, thunderstorms, heavy rain, Saharan dust) also acts as a perfect means of transportation and acts as a massive amplifier for all pollutants (particulate matter, microplastics, VOCs, pesticides, heavy metals) i.e. a mixture of atmospheric toxins that have a much more aggressive effect on our bodies due to turbulence, changes in air pressure and humidity. Moisture and aerosols, ozone formation and nitrogen oxides, ionization and electrical charge, as well as air mass shifts then play a very decisive role.
And this is precisely where we as Human Sensors have great added value, because technical devices often only measure standard parameters such as particulate matter (PM2.5/PM10), ozone, nitrogen oxides or CO₂. Our perception threshold for pollutants is completely different. The burning sensation in the eyes, nose, skin, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, irritability, restlessness and tachycardia set in much earlier than the devices even sound the “alarm”. This is because our signaling pathways such as FOX (FOXO3a), WNT and Nrf2 (Master regulator) have long since been disrupted by environmental stress.
What happens due to the additional pollutants?
Our epigenetic dysregulation of these signalling pathways is significantly increased because pollutants come in concentrated form (due to increased electrical charge and ionization).
The magic word here is - transforming sensitivity into competence
Due to its fragmentation, I see a major weakness in current genetics-based diagnostics, which falls on our feet in this environmental and catastrophic text. Most providers supply SNP lists without functional correlation and compensation mechanisms, often with blanket recommendations that take neither the complex biochemistry nor the individual environmental impact into account. So I have taken my own path of analysis here. Only when focusing on pharmacogenetics do environmental toxins, viral reactivity and oxidative stress go unnoticed. Standardized recommendations in some reports along the lines of “take more B vitamins” instead of targeted, genetically coordinated intervention are also not really effective and no integration of environmental medicine, i.e. MCS, EBV, mold, VOCs, pesticides are not sufficiently included. The lack of contextualization, i.e. no connection to real symptoms, environmental factors or disease progression.
An example of how non-smoking works
You have MTHFR C677T → take folic acid = fragmented recommendation and not sufficiently targeted
Genetics is not destiny, but a navigation system - strive for holistic approaches
From Experience to Research – Genetics and Concept Development
But that’s not all … I began developing concepts. Not just to describe my own perception, but to transform it. I explored my own genetics and identified individual markers. And yes, it’s a combination of many fascinating puzzle pieces – biological resonance, epigenetic dynamics, genetic predispositions and the ability to detect subtle changes in air, light and atmosphere.
A New Understanding of Body and Environment
By now, I have developed several comprehensive concepts – for atmospheric early detection, biological sensitivity, genetic “self-measurement” and I have made them available to science, because I firmly believe that we need a new understanding of body and environment. An understanding that is not based on pathologization, but on genuine potential development. Not based on rigid norms, but on living intelligence. I myself do not see the body as a passive receiver of stimuli, but as an active, valuable resonance space – a biological “instrument” that communicates with its environment in real time.
Sensitivity as a Future Competence
I do not believe in rigid labels. I believe in processes, rhythms and cycles, because health is not a static state – it is movement. And I trust in the body’s ability to speak – not just in symptoms, but in signals. Sensitivity should be rethought. As a resource, as an early warning system and as a climate future competence.
My conceptual approach starts where many research projects end, namely with ourselves, i.e. not just as a “data source” but as a fully conscious and active human sensor and a valuable complement to EO and GIS data, translating complex relationships into clear applicable strategies.
BioSensGlobal is my personal response to an experience that many people share (whether ME/CFS, MCS, mast cell disease, Long Covid, ADHS and many other chronic illnesses) but hardly anyone makes visible and usable. Based on my own strong experience and with strategic clarity, I develop concepts so that these can hopefully be integrated into EO and GIS data in the near future.
Based on my many years of personal observations, my own genetic analyses and a particular sensitivity to atmospheric changes, I have already developed a specific concept for Africa. The goal is to strengthen early warning competence, self-regulation and environmental perception as valuable resources – even under challenging conditions.
This contribution was written by Birgit Bortoluzzi, the creative founder of the “University of Hope” – an independent knowledge platform dedicated to resilience, education, and compassion in a complex world.