For example, many lamps now have plastic shades. As the light bulb heats up, the plastic begins to give off odors and fumes which can have a marked effect on mental and physical well-being. It is necessary, in such cases, to replace the plastic shades with shades made from glass, metal, or natural fabric. In the kitchen, plastic bowls and dishes should be replaced by ceramic, glass, or wooden ones. Wrap foods in aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap and use glass or metal containers instead of plastic refrigerator ware.

The degree to which one must make such changes obviously depends on the severity of the problem. Some people are able to tolerate the harder plastics, while others find they must make a clean sweep through the house in order to feel reasonably well. It is beyond the scope of this book to discuss every aspect of this large problem, although books listed in the “Suggested Reading” should be of help with the practical details.

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A proportion of the allergist’s patients may be people with psychosomatic problems, who have latched on to diet as an explanation for their symptoms because they find the label psychosomatic’ unacceptable. Despite their lack of success in identifying dietary triggers for their symptoms they are unwilling to give up. Of course, the first group of patients – those seen by the gastroenterologist – may well include some with psychosomatic problems, but they are probably fewer than in the group seen by the allergist.

When referring patients, family doctors take account of the consultant’s views, and, it must be said, their own personal preferences. A ‘difficult’ patient whose diarrhoea is accompanied by a patently neurotic personality is likely to be referred to a consultant whose main interest lies in psychosomatic causes. Another patient with much the same bowel symptoms, whom the family doctor believes to be mentally well-balanced, will probably be referred to a consultant who is more interested in physical causes. This again biases the ’sample’ of patients that a particular consultant sees, and tends to reinforce medical prejudices.

Neither of these two groups of patients is a representative sample of everyone in the country with persistent diarrhoea. A survey which showed that a third of ‘apparently healthy’ people suffered some form of bowel disorder also discovered that the majority had not sought medical treatment. So the statistics produced by any medical study are not necessarily applicable to the population at large.

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Fish, if you tolerate it, can be a very useful, and relatively cheap, way to extend your rotation. There are a large number of families of fish, and you can have a wide diet by using this variety on a rotation. Some people react to fish of any kind, however, so take care if you know you react consistently to all fish.

Pure nut butters can also be useful to extend your diet. You can buy almond, cashew and peanut butter without added oil.

Introduce herbs, spices and seeds into a rotation to give you variety and flavour. Treat each as a new food as you introduce it, and stick to the food families.

You can use fruit oils or nut oils, such as grapeseed oil or hazelnut and walnut oils, for salad dressings. Do not use for baking or cooking as they produce unpleasant-tasting chemicals when cooked.

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• totally avoid one or a small number of specific chemicals

• eliminate chemicals in one area of your life (e.g. clothing or cosmetics)

• create an oasis in one room

• have a radical clear-out

Selective strategies

The first two strategies are usually where people start, as they are much less disruptive and can, if you pick on the obvious candidates first time, bring quick results.

If you choose the second strategy, to pick off selected areas of your life, use the various relevant sections in this book to help you in your avoidance.

The drawbacks of the selective approaches is that you sometimes get confusing results. The first strategy can turn out to be very difficult, that it is almost impossible to eliminate a specific chemical. The second strategy often fails because you are only eliminating certain chemicals partially – you may not get benefits or clear results until you go much further. You may think that you are not sensitive to a particular chemical when in fact you are, and your symptoms would clear if you were more thorough about elimination.

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If you know you react to skincare products, have done all you can to avoid things yourself, yet are still having problems, the source may well be other people’s products. You can react to these by inhaling them, or by contact with them. This can be a real problem at work, or in public places where people gather – such as pubs, shops, cinemas and clubs. If you feel ill after a sports activity, it may well be because of other people’s bodycare products.

Eczema or asthma in babies and children can often be caused by products that parents or siblings wear, or those worn by a childmin-der, babysitter or relative caring for them, classmates at school, or teachers. Teenagers’ problems could perhaps be caused by a boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s toiletries.

Dealing with other people’s products is a tricky area. Within the family, you may have to negotiate and agree that everyone wears products that the person with allergies or sensitivity can tolerate, at least within the home. With a childminder or relative carer, you may have to agree on products they can wear. At work or school, you may be able to negotiate so that people close to you or your child use less of the things that upset you, or use products that are tolerable.

If your work involves considerable exposure to things that upset you, it may not be possible for you to continue with it. Most situations will be beyond your control and you will have to find ways of minimising your exposure.

If you go to the barber’s or hairdresser’s, go at a time when the place is relatively empty and free of substances first thing in the morning, or early in the week. Take your own products if necessary. Or get a hairdresser to come to your home.

At a cinema, theatre or concert, sit at the end of a row or at the back or front, so that you are not totally surrounded by other people. Arrive as late as you can.

Ask people coming to your home not to wear perfumes, aftershave, hair gels or sprays or other perfumed products.

Carry a handkerchief or scarf with you. Place over your nose and breathe through it if you have to go into places where perfume and cosmetic smells are intense.

In pubs, clubs or at parties try to move near a door, windows or fan ventilation so that you are breathing cleaner air.

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Use of UFF has been controlled more closely by Building Regulations since 1985, due to concerns about health risks and bad publicity, and is very unlikely to have been installed after 1985. It was most in use in the 1970s to the mid-1980s.

Polystyrene is also commonly used in cavity wall insulation, as is mineral wool. These do not give off fumes in everyday circumstances and are well tolerated. Polystyrene insulation can be installed in an existing building in bead form. Polystyrene in other forms, and mineral wool can be installed in cavity walls only at the time of construction.

For dry-lining walls with an insulating layer, you can use polystyrene block bonded to plasterboard, or mineral wool secured to plasterboard.

For insulating and lagging water and heating pipes, two types of material are commonly used. One type consists of foamed plastics, often polyurethane, which give off fumes when new, or when warm, and which are best avoided. Use fibreglass wool as an alternative that does not cause sensitivity. It can scratch and irritate skin and airways when handled, so use hand and face protection.

For roof insulation, glass and mineral fibre wools are commonly used. These do not cause sensitivity but again can irritate the skin and airways on handling. Formaldehyde is applied to virtually all roof insulating material but not in high concentrations. If the material is in a well-sealed, or totally sealed, roof space, the formaldehyde should not cause any problem. Untreated roof insulating material can be manufactured, but is not usually available at wholesalers and cannot be ordered in the small volumes needed for domestic use, so, for all practical purposes, is not available. Always use hand and face protection when handling irritant insulating materials.

Hot water tank jackets do not normally cause problems once aired off. Keep cupboard doors well sealed and shut.

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Air filters and other devices will not solve your problems on their own, however. Even the best do not totally remove allergens from your environment; they can help reduce or remove airborne particles or vapours, but they cannot remove them from surfaces or furniture, or in intense exposures. They are not a substitute for carrying out other avoidance measures – they are best used in combination with avoidance measures, where they often add an extra percentage of improvement which can make a real difference.

They are also helpful when you have to spend time in environments where you cannot remove allergens or substances that upset you -such as at work or when staying away from home. Again, they can add an extra percentage of improvement which can make things tolerable.

What To Look For

Air cleaning or filtering devices can do five basic things:

• mask smells, through air freshener inserts

• produce negative ions (ionise) which causes dust and other particles to be attracted to surfaces in the room

• filter out particles in a fabric filter or web

• attract particles to an electrically charged surface

• filter out gaseous vapours through activated carbon

The various devices available often have these functions in different combinations.

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