♥ Christmas, Birthdays, and Other Holidays with MCS/ES ♥
For most people, these special occasions are times of joy and celebration in the company of friends and loved ones, but for people with invisible disabilities and chronic illnesses like MCS/ES, they can be sad reminders of the lives that we no longer have access to.
We are still seldom included in the festivities and are usually left alone to fend for ourselves. Unfortunately, since human beings are social beings, not everyone is well equipped to self occupy, and some people become seriously depressed and even suicidal because of this.
To realize it’s because some friends, family, neighbours, and co-workers prefer to keep using certain products instead of using other products so we can safely be around them and enjoy their company, makes it even harder for us, knowing they care more about the products they buy than they care about us. It’s a heart breaking thing to have to live with.
♥ Thankfully, not everyone chooses products over people ♥
Before I became too chemically injured to socialize in crowds, I had a wonderful friend who happily made the effort to make her place and parties safe for me!
In 2005 her invites were all sent out with these words:
Posted in Accessibility, Community, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Fragrance, Friendship, Gifts, Support
Tagged allergies, chemical sensitivity, chronic illness, coping, environmental sensitivities, fragrance-free, Gifts, holidays, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, toxic chemicals, visiting
If you prefer getting your research information by watching and listening instead of reading, here are a couple of video presentations by the esteemed Dr Stephen J. Genuis, who is one of the leading experts on environmental health.
In these presentations he discusses the increases in chronic illness and mental health problems, chemical and other causes and effects, shortcomings in our health care systems, as well as some treatment options to improve health.
I’ve also linked to related research for those of you who like to read.
Posted in Disability, Education, Environmental Health, Health, Public Health, Research
Tagged allergies, autism, cancer, chronic illness, exposures, fibromyalgia, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, mental health, multimorbidity, pain, petrochemicals, sensitivities, Stephen J. Genuis, toxic chemicals, video
Dr. John Molot is a doctor who sees patients with complex, chronic, environmentally linked, and often disabling, health conditions. Although he is retiring from private practice, he is still a staff physician in the Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.
He recently released a book, “12,000 Canaries Can’t Be Wrong“, wrote a report in support of the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Environmental Health (OCEEH), and appears in a video presentation about the health effects of common chemical exposures (see below).
Check these out:
12,000 Canaries Can’t be Wrong
What’s making you sick & what can you do about it
Posted in Chemicals, Disability, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Health, MCS/ES, Pollution
Tagged allergies, autism, canaries, cancer, chronic illness, Dr. Molot, environment, fibromyalgia, health care access for people with MCS/ES, Human Rights, indoor air quality, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, OCEEH, petrochemicals, sensitivities, toxic chemicals
Guest Post by Candy Martin
1) Firstly get an illness/disease that no one has ever heard of. As everyone knows everything about every disease that exists, what you have can’t possibly be true or real as they have never heard of it.
2) Try to explain your illness to your friends. They still won’t believe you because they still haven’t heard of it, and frankly your explanation bores them.
3) Try to give a clearer explanation, because YOU REALLY WANT THEIR UNDERSTANDING. Now you will be accused of complaining or of being negative because you have talked about your illness for more than 1 minute.
4) Try to explain why their suggestions to get well aren’t feasible. Now you’re just being difficult and are not worth “helping” any more. Despite knowing nothing about your illness they “know’’ that exercise will help, getting out more will help, eating magic marshmallows will help etc etc. (Even if your Dr advises against it)
Posted in Disability, Environmental Health, Friendship, Health
Tagged chronic illness, friends, invisible disabilities, loss
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Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 