Category Archives: Education

What We All Need Now: Personal Exposure Detection Devices!

.

MyExposome has designed silicone wristbands (such as the ones worn in support of various causes) that are specially prepared to act as a sponge to absorb hundreds of different chemicals in our environment—the air, water, and even personal care products.

silicone-wristband-measures-1400-chemicals

The possibilities!

With all the toxic VOCs in everyday products,  the carcinogenic activity of the chemical cocktails we are exposed to on a daily basis, this is a great idea that can show people just how prevalent toxic chemicals have become, and how difficult it is to avoid them.

It would be really interesting to have a group of people with MCS/ES participate in some exposure measuring research, as those of us who have to practice extreme chemical avoidance for our health and well-being have some experiences that researchers will eventually find quite interesting.

Now, they would be able to see how difficult it is to avoid  these chemicals, even when making great efforts due to necessity (of course, different levels of MCS/ES dictate different levels of avoidance requirements and efforts too).

Continue reading

Fragrance Facts Brochure

I’ve been looking through some of my old files and ran across this printable brochure about fragrances. Made by Betty Bridges in 2002, it has very useful information that is still relevant.

What has changed since then is that fragrance industry members voluntarily disclosed over 3000 ingredients that they commonly use (only they know how many were not disclosed, as the fragrance industry is still not regulated), and more research has come out on how harmful many of the fragrance ingredients are.

Additionally,  many  more people have become permanently disabled with MCS/ES, often originally triggered from fragrance chemical exposures (in Canada, there was a 31% increase in people diagnosed with MCS between 2005 and 2010, with many more undiagnosed due to a lack of doctors trained in environmental health matters), and  now it has become impossible to avoid 1st, 2nd and 3rd hand fragrance chemical exposures in the “developed” world, so everyone is constantly being exposed to these chemicals.

Fragrance Brochure 1- horz screenshots

Screenshot of brochure. Download the document at link below.

 ∴

Continue reading

Have Your Say For May by Amy

tilted momAmy from Florida shares this with us:

Q ~ If you could tell the world ONE thing about your life with MCS/ES (or any other invisible disability that has MCS/ES as a symptom), what would it be?

A ~ What I’d really like to tell the world about my life is a full explanation of MCS, such that everyone would understand it enough to prevent, treat and accommodate me and everyone with this illness. That seems like more than I could do even if I had a whole book rather than a blog post. So I will focus my answer on something a bit more manageable.

I would tell the world that the invisible nature of this illness affects me on many levels. Some of the substances I react to are invisible, though they are obviously detected by my body. Some of my symptoms are invisible to others, but are still felt by me and still limit my abilities. Most importantly, the primary survival mechanism of chemical sensitivity is avoidance, which means that I have to avoid public places. Thus, the sicker I am, the more invisible I am to my community. That invisible nature of this illness is the most devastating part for me.


Q ~ How has this one thing affected your life?

Continue reading

MCS is International

People all over the industrialized world have been developing Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Environmental Sensitivities, or Environmental Illnesses. We are exposed to so many petrochemical pollutants, in our air, water, foods, clothes, furnishings, homes, and elsewhere in daily life, substances which are now known to cause many kinds of adverse health effects, and some of us just have the epigenetic disposition to feel the effects faster and more extremely than others who may develop cancer or some other condition many years later.

Amelia Hill (aka the Amazing Amelia Hill) lives in Australia and developed very severe, or extreme MCS after not being properly diagnosed for too many years. A lack of proper diagnosis and precautionary measures usually results in a debilitating worsening of the condition, which is best addressed with avoidance of the triggering substances, and building up health in very targeted ways. This is much more difficult to do the longer one isn’t able to take the steps to avoid exposures and rebuild life with safe alternatives.

Amelia’s life is probably unlike any you have ever heard of (even mine) although there are many similarities between the experiences those of us who have severe MCS/ES share. Amelia is known as “amazing” because of the ways she handles her life.

You will see why here.

Amelia 01

Amelia’s story has been featured as the cover story in what may be South Australia’s most popular newspaper weekend magazine: Continue reading

Have Your Say for May by Mimi

Mimi from Ontario, Canada has this to say to us:

I wish that you could accept that this is real and that your habits make me ill.

I wish you could understand how switching to fragrance-free products is such a small act that means a world of difference to me – literally.

It means being able to have a clear mind in order to work effectively and support myself, it means being able to receive hugs, it means not suffering every day.

Mimi

Trust Us, They Said

We’re telling the truth… they implied!

These days, there are some who will stop at nothing to protect and increase their profits, no matter what the consequences. I’m grateful to the others who are sharing some wisdom on what is going on and how to spot the red flags.

First off, in this TEDx talk, veteran investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson shows how astroturf, or fake grassroots movements funded by political, corporate, or other special interests very effectively manipulate and distort media messages.

I’ve noticed so many of those tactics used. Have you?

 

Next, the new film Merchants of Doubt from Robert Kenner and Kim Roberts, inspired by the book of the same name by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, is  “a satirically comedic, yet illuminating ride into the heart of conjuring American spin”.

How do you decide who is trustworthy and who is not?

Learning About the Health Effects of Wireless Technology

 

Health Effects of Wireless Technology Dr

Very few doctors have been taught about how environmental exposures to chemicals, molds, wireless radiation, and EMF fields impact our health. People are experiencing all kinds of adverse health effects from exposures, yet all too often remain undiagnosed and unable to address the true causes of their ill health or functional disabilities.

This is costing society dearly, hence it’s imperative that more people learn about all of the possible causes in order to prevent suffering, and save time, energy, and money.

Fortunately now, we have more resources for health-care practitioners, created by professionals who have been researching and treating the adverse health effects of wireless technologies. These presentations discuss the types of symptoms and conditions that are known to be affected by EMF/EMR and offer current knowledge and practices of how to deal with them.

Please watch, learn, and share the links with your health care teams.

Continue reading

Teaching Doctors About the Health Effects of Wireless Technology

Health Effects of Wireless Technology Dr

The updated contents of this post may now be found here:

Learning About the Health Effects of Wireless Technology

https://seriouslysensitivetopollution.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/learning-about-the-health-effects-of-wireless-technology/

Day 256 In the Pursuit of Love (IIAW A “Sister’s” Journey)

Colleen and her friend Beth discuss statistics and friendship challenges and benefits in another revealing post for Invisible Illness week…
Just like Colleen waited for years to get officially diagnosed with MCS, so did I, and for mainly the same reasons.
I knew that the doctors at the time knew nothing about it (or they would have given me a clue as to what the early signs were years ago).
Eventually I came to realize that statistics ARE important (to decision makers), and if we don’t make the effort to get an official dx (I say effort, because many people go from uneducated doctor to uneducated doctor for years… see my post about good news for Ontario to understand what a major deal the announcement of training 2 doctors in environmental health is) then in the eyes of decision makers, we do not exist.
That means that services for us continue to not exist also…
But when we speak up, things change.
I love how Colleen is speaking up, and how her friends are too!

Colleen's avatarLife in the City with a Future

PERSON

Image17meshovelFor day 5 of Invisible Illness Awareness Week, my buddy Beth has agreed to give her perspective of what it is like having a friend disabled from MCS. In a Canadian study, in 2010, over 800,000 people were diagnosed with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) an 31% increase in 5 years. Those during the same time period with one or more of Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, and MCS were 1,415,000 (a 25% increase). This study excluded children with MCS and focused mostly on people with MCS diagnosed by a doctor. I personally went undiagnosed for decades. I avoided the triggers of perfume as much as I could. I figured there was nothing a doctor could do for me anyway and why be just another statistic. I now understand how important it is for our governments to have accurate statistics. The more people who give MCS a voice — the more likely we…

View original post 1,076 more words

Environmental Sensitivities Day Event in Montreal

From the Environmental Health Association of Québec (aseq-ehaq)

May 12, ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITIES DAYLet’s talk about it!

Conference on Environmental Health in Montréal May 12, 2014

Montreal, May 12 , 2014 – Today, May 12th is Environmental Sensitivities Day.

On May 12, in addition to a conference in Montreal, the Environmental Health Association of Québec is having events on Environmental Health in Québec City, Sutton, Saint Casimir and Gatineau.

The Environmental Health Association of Québec is proud to present a ground breaking conference titled:

TOXIC LEGACY & GENDER INEQUALITY
Women are more susceptible to the effects of the environment on health. How you can safeguard yourself from harm.

Simultaneous translation available

Chair:
Dr Barry Breger, M.D.

Speaker:
Dr John Molot, M.D., C.C.F.P., F.C.F.P.
Environmental Health Clinic, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto

Press Conference: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Private press time with Dr Molot)

Registration including booth visits: 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Conference: 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Meet the speaker & book signing: 9:15 – 10:00 p.m.

EHAQ bilingual_conference_invitation_jpegVenue:

Continue reading