The use of the word “natural” in this context is misleading. Natural gas comes from the earth, but by and large it has lain there, trapped, for millennia. It is only in the past century that man has tapped this resource and brought himself into physical contact with it. Thus, natural gas is highly unnatural as far as the human body is concerned—a substance with which the body has no physiological method of coping. Synthetic chemicals are also added to this “natural” product, such as the one used to give it its characteristic “skunky” odor.

A leaking gas line is, of course, a life-threatening hazard: each year over a thousand people die of gas poisoning in the home. An equally serious threat, in my opinion, is posed by the day-in and day-out inhalation of minute quantities of this same poisonous substance by the chemically susceptible.

We have been convinced by skillful advertising and public relations that natural gas is not only natural, but “safe” and “clean.” Yet studies at the University of California and elsewhere have shown that the carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide levels in a vented kitchen become as high as in Los Angeles during a smog attack, when an oven has been heated to 350°F. for one hour. If the kitchen does not have an exhaust fan, these levels climb to three times the Los Angeles smog level in the same period. Few people would not be susceptible to such high levels of indoor air pollution.

There are individuals, however, who are kept in a perpetual state of illness by far lower levels of the same poisonous substances. The gas which emanates from normal pilot lights or escapes from a well-saturated stove is often the main source of a patient’s illness.

Given a choice, then, everyone should choose an electric range over a gas range. The first rule of prevention in this field is to minimize one’s exposure to utility gas.

Since changing the stove might very well entail some expense, it is advisable to test oneself for reactions to the gas range first. This can be done by temporarily removing the range from the house, if at all possible. (A shut-off stove is better than a connected one but still disseminates gas into the environment.) Electric appliances such as a hot plate can be substituted for the range while the test is under way.

After the gas stove has been removed for a week or so, it can then be returned. The reader should keep a symptom diary, in which changes (positive or negative) in his condition can be noted. Both the removal of the gas stove and its reintroduction may be accompanied by changes in health. In cases in which the stove is definitely incriminated as a cause of symptoms, it should be permanently removed.

Although there may be some expense involved in making this change, it is a worthwhile investment in health. Several thousand patients have been guided in removing their gas ranges on the basis of such positive tests and not one has complained about the cost or reported being dissatisfied with the change.

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The history of medicine is littered with bogus ‘miracle cures’ that apparently worked wonders in their day. Hydropathy, popular in the nineteenth century, was said to be a cure for all sorts of nervous complaints and long-term illnesses. The treatments consisted of alternate hot and cold baths, wrapping the patient in wet blankets, and requiring him to drink huge quantities of water. These measures were supposed to ‘strengthen the fibres’ of the body and rid it of poisons. ‘Direct Faradism’ (named after Faraday, who helped to discover electricity) involved giving mild electric shocks to the arms and legs.

It was recommended to anyone who was tired, run down, or had other nervous afflictions. The electric shocks supposedly ‘stimulated the constitution’. Both these therapies were highly regarded in their day, and thousands felt they had benefited from them. Mass enthusiasm is a strange thing – simply feeling caught up in some wonderful new discovery may be a powerful form of treatment.

There are various other preconceived ideas that work against food intolerance – the belief that food is essentially passive and innocuous for example, the notion that what we have eaten for thousands of years must be good for us and the simplistic model of digestion which assumes that no complex molecules reach the bloodstream. These mistaken ideas all contribute to the understandable scepticism of the medical world.

*100\180\8*

Be careful not to binge or overload if you use substitutes that are closely related to things to which you are sensitive, in case you become sensitive to those as well. If you have to leave cow’s milk out of your diet, you can try goat’s milk or sheep’s milk as a substitute, but take care not to overload since they are related to cow’s milk. Goat’s milk, in particular, is very closely related to cow’s milk and it is common for people to become sensitive to it. Put it in your diet, but rotate it – once every four days at first – and use it sparingly. Increase its use later if you tolerate it well.

Sheep’s milk is generally much less troublesome than goat’s milk or cow’s milk, although this may be because it is more rare in the diet.

Rotate once every four days at first and keep it two days apart from goat’s milk if you are on a four-day rotation. Mail order sources of sheep’s and goat’s milk powder and cheese are given on page 167. You can also buy yogurt and cheese culture so you can make your own.

Fresh bought goat’s and sheep’s milk and yogurts are often unpas-teurised. Cook them before serving to babies and young children, pregnant women, the infirm or the elderly.

You can also use soya milk and nut milks as a substitute for cow, goat or sheep milks. These are rich sources of calcium and particularly useful in casseroles and baked dishes. Be careful not to overuse these since both soya and nuts can cause reactions. Some people are sensitive to processed soya milk in cartons, but not if they make their own. The reason for this may possibly be minute contaminants, either from the water used or from the packaging.

You can make nut milks by liquidising 100 g (4 oz) nuts with 340 ml ? pint) water. Hazelnut, almond, cashew and peanut are particularly delicious. You can use these as bases for puddings, to thicken soups or stews, or, sweetened, to drink.

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Tobacco smoke

Vehicle exhausts

Cavity wall insulation

Paper coatings and finishes

Printing inks Newsprint

Textile and fabric finishes

Chipboard, blockboard and other building boards

Glass fibre insulation

Resin adhesive Melamine

Foam rubber fillings and fascia Photographic chemicals

Tanned leather

Insecticides and moth-proofing Fungicides

Propellant in spray aerosols Preservative in cosmetics, toiletries, personal hygiene products, pharmaceuticals and cleaning products of all kinds:

disinfectants

cleaning liquids

antiseptics

toothpastes

shampoo

soaps

cosmetics

hair treatments

WHERE IS CHLORINE FOUND?

Liquid bleaches Powder bleaches Household cleaners Disinfectants

Sterilisers and hand rinses Tapwater

Swimming pool water Bleached fabrics Bleached paper Fungicides Mould inhibitors

WHERE IS AMMONIA FOUND?

Household cleaners Disinfectants Deodorants Toothpastes

Preservative in some latex products Permanent wave solution Hair bleaches

WHERE IS ROSIN FOUND?

Adhesives Chewing-gum Grease removers Cosmetics

Paper coatings and finishes Soaps

Grip aids and resins Varnishes and lacquers Waxes and polishes Fabric finishes

Pharmaceutical ointments and plasters

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A wide range of chemical ingredients in grooming and beauty products cause sensitivity and allergy, the most common being perfumes and preservatives. Natural plant extracts or oils are no less allergenic than synthetic chemicals and are not automatically safer.

Hypoallergenic (low-allergen) products exclude the most allergenic substances. This does not mean that they are totally safe, but the major sensitisers are absent and most people tolerate them well.

Sensitivity to skincare products is highly idiosyncratic. You may not be able to tolerate one brand of products, but could tolerate another brand, or selected products within a range, quite well. If you react to a hypoallergenic product, do not therefore assume that you will react to any low-allergen product or brand. Try another with care and see how you go.

If you want to know how medical treatments can help you cope. If you know that you are sensitive to cosmetic and skincare products, your best advice for avoidance is to:

• Use unperfumed products where possible

• Try low-allergen products (details below) until you find some that suit you

• Use as few products on your skin, hair and body as you feel able to. Reducing the load will help your system cope

• Use perfume, cologne or aftershave as seldom as possible

If you suspect that you are sensitive to cosmetic and skincare products and want to find out,

Either

• Switch to low-allergen products and see if you see any improvement

or

• Reduce the amount that you use or cut out certain products or

• Stop using products altogether for one week. Use low-allergen soap and shampoo only, then reintroduce products one by one, at intervals of at least a day and preferably one a week. Use either your previous products, or low-allergen brands. Monitor any symptoms carefully.

Caution

You may feel worse before you get better when you stop using things you have used regularly. This is a form of withdrawal and new symptoms can result.

You can also use the Sniff Test and the Patch Test (see pages 88) to test a small amount of product to see if it upsets you. If you want more detailed advice about sensitivity to cosmetics, toiletries and skincare products.

Avoid using fragrance-free products if you are very sensitive to perfume. These are legally allowed to contain one perfume, usually for the purpose of masking the smells of other ingredients. Use unperfumed products in preference – these cannot contain any perfume at all.

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If you work in the building trade and are sensitive to the materials you use, then your life will be very hard. You may have no say at all in the choice of materials you use. The Health and Safety Executive is increasingly active in the field of hazards from building materials and can provide specific guidelines on basic precautions to take when using them. These will not always prevent low-level exposure sufficient to cause sensitivity, but may be important information for you to bring to the attention of an employer or contractor, if you are concerned that adequate care is not being taken. Consult the telephone directory to find your local branch of the Executive.

Alternatively, the building union UCATT produces health and safety information and recommendations for handling and working with hazardous materials.

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If you know that you react severely to stings, you can carry an emergency kit containing a syringe of adrenalin, which can be used in case of sudden reaction. It may also be wise to wear a disc or locket giving details of your allergy for fuller details.

In other cases of milder reactions – say to mosquito or tick bites -the reaction manifests itself usually as an exaggerated local reaction at the site of the sting or bite – a red, raised bump and flare. You can use topical anti-histamine cream to relieve these. Alternatively, if you are highly chemically sensitive and react to topical creams, wiping the site with Cream of Magnesia (unflavoured from Boots the Chemist) works very well.

Desensitisation – a course of injections of dilute amounts of the allergen, which prevents the body reacting allergically – can be effective against insect bites and stings and may be your most useful protection if you are highly allergic.

*201\117\8*