If this fish is tolerated, the patient is then started on foods which he formerly consumed in some form at least once every three days. During this stage of food testing, the patient is given only organic, chemically less contaminated foods. These are obtained from reliable health food stores. Each meal is made up only of one food, in portions as large as the patient desires. These meals are prepared in stainless steel or glass containers.

The patient is then watched for signs of a reaction. Some foods, even those normally eaten with great frequency, are well tolerated. Others may cause a recurrence of symptoms. The patient is instructed in how to look for and record reactions to these foods. He employs a code, in which reactions are rated either OK (meaning the food is well tolerated), or first, second, third, or fourth degree, indicating the severity and speed of the reactions.

A first degree food produces minor, localized, transient reactions such as a runny nose, itching, mild rash, and so forth. These symptoms are generally of short duration and require no special treatment.

Second degree foods are those which cause a larger number of symptoms, more severe symptoms, or both. These may be either localized or generalized, but are normally not very severe. These symptoms often respond to treatment with alkali salts. Alkali salts are a two-to-one combination of potassium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate and are similar to the preparation sold over the counter as aspirin-free “Alka Seltzer Gold.” For reasons which are interpreted elsewhere,3 these salts often have a beneficial, even a dramatic, effect on allergic-type reactions. This relief may last a few hours. Milk of magnesia, which clears the system of offending substances, can also be helpful.

Third degree foods are those which produce a large number of symptoms or more severe reactions. If there is only one symptom but it is very severe or incapacitating, this is also classified as a third degree reaction. For example, any food which puts a patient to sleep is automatically classified as a third degree food, especially if the patient tries to stay awake but cannot.

Reactions in which concentration is altered or in which memory is impaired are designated third degree, because of the importance of these cerebral functions in everyday life. In general, third degree reactions are more severe, generalized, and incapacitating than either of the preceding categories.

A fourth degree reaction is, of course, the worst possible and is either very severe, very rapid in onset, very incapacitating, or all of these. Mania and convulsions are typical plus-four symptoms. Relief of a fourth degree reaction is basically the same as for a third degree, although it might include more vigorous efforts to empty the gastrointestinal tract. Oxygen, which also has a beneficial effect in such circumstances, might also be given.

As has already been indicated in the chapters on “stages and symptoms,” contaminated foods can also be used to detect the chemical-susceptibility problem. After the patient has passed his organic food tests, he is then tested on “normal” commercially available foods from the supermarket. The reason for such testing is twofold. First, it takes the average patient about ten days to recover from his formerly almost constant exposure to chemically contaminated foods. Thus, a test of chemically contaminated food early in his visit would not be decisive. Second, it is necessary to be sure that a patient reacting to a chemically contaminated food is reacting to the chemicals and not to the food itself. Organic foods which rated an “OK” in the first testing are thus used as a baseline control to which a patient’s reactions to commercially available samples of the same type are compared.

About five percent of the chemically susceptible patients react to their first meal of contaminated (“supermarket”) food; about ten percent to their second meal; twenty percent to the third meal; forty percent to the fourth meal; and twenty-five percent to the fifth and sixth meals.

The following commercially available foods are used for testing: raw apples, celery, and lettuce; dietetic canned peaches, cherries, blueberries, and pears; frozen broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and spinach; salmon, tuna, and chicken canned in lined tins.

These foods are selected because of their contamination with spray residues and with the golden-colored phenol resins in the linings of the metal cans. In my experience, next to pesticide residue, phenol resins are the most important source of chemical contamination of the food supply.

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Many lectins are inactivated by cooking, but they need to be heated for a long time and at fairly high temperatures to destroy all their activity. The powerful lectin found in kidney beans or haricot beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) can cause serious diarrhoea and abdominal pain if the beans are not soaked and cooked properly. Using low-temperature ‘slow-cookers’ to prepare casseroles containing beans has caused many outbreaks of such illness.

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• Acupuncture

• Homeopathy

• Reflexology

• Aromatherapy

It also discusses other types of therapy, such as naturopathy and herbalism, plus healing, psychotherapy, growth and relaxation therapies.

Whatever type of complementary therapy you might try, it is important to go to a qualified and reputable practitioner. Check what training and qualifications practitioners have and get a personal reference from one of their clients if you can. Some less reputable practitioners make inflated claims about what they can achieve – multiple allergy and sensitivity can be difficult to sort out and can take time, even for the experienced; unless you have relatively straightforward problems, you should be wary of anyone who offers an instant, or one-answer solution.

Using complementary therapy may not remove the need for carrying out avoidance techniques – you may still have to take care with diet or other measures. Treat any therapy as another weapon in your armoury, not your only route to wellbeing.

If you are extremely sensitive to chemicals or foods, or have multiple sensitivity, you should take extra care with any therapy that involves using chemicals (even if natural, such as oils or herbs); that involves special diets, or taking herbal, plant or other remedies (such as homeopathy). See below for advice on individual therapies.

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Water softeners are also only of benefit in certain areas of the country, mostly the south of England, where the water is harder. They can save money on detergent use, and on heating costs because of reduced scale in pipes. The salts need refilling every few months, and cost £1 per week or so.

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Any of the symptoms of chemical sensitivity can result from ingesting, inhaling, or contact with, water. This section covers the substances that cause reactions to water, how to detect sensitivity to water, and what you can do to avoid problems. There is detailed information on different types of water treatment equipment and advice on what to buy.

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If you are allergic to latex, you should avoid using condoms, cap, or diaphragm made of pure latex. There are no alternatives to pure latex caps and diaphragms. Durex make a condom with the alluring name of Allergy made of non-allergenic latex. It also has a water-based lubricant, Sensitol, which does not contain spermicide. Try this to see if it suits you better. This may be your best option for protection against HIV and AIDS. It can be ordered through pharmacists, or contact Durex for stockists.

Spermicides are often risky to people who are chemically sensitive. Try the Sniff Test and Patch Test to see if they cause you to react – but with the caveat that you may be more sensitive to them on intimate contact than you are under test conditions. Most brands are of similar composition, so trying different ones will not help greatly. If you are sensitive to spermicides, stop using them, plus vaginal sponges and condoms containing them.

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Always wear protective gloves to do washing-up, when doing DIY, or when handling any strong chemicals such as cleaning products or adhesives. Try to get children to wear gloves, if using play materials that upset them.

Use gloves in any other situation where you are particularly sensitive. Some people react to handling food, such as milk, the juice of fruit or vegetables, or eggs; if this applies to you, then wear gloves to prepare food. Some people react to handling laundry or clothes, or even paper and newspapers, or the steering wheel of their car. Again wear gloves.

Wear fine gloves if you need to. Remember, if eye surgeons can do micro-surgery in gloves, you can certainly brush your dog, chop carrots, or do the gardening in gloves.

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This diet is also constructed to take account of ‘food families’. Some people cross-react to foods that are closely related. On a rotation diet, foods that are closely related have to be eaten on the same day, or else can be eaten at a two-day interval. In one example in the diet, you can see that cow’s milk is eaten on Day One, while goat’s and sheep’s milk, which are closely related to it, can be eaten on Day Three. In addition, cow’s milk is related to beef and to lamb. Beef has been allocated to the same day as cow’s milk, and lamb has been allocated two days away, on the same day as sheep’s milk.

A doctor or dietitian will usually draw up a rotation diet for you and help you with any changes you eventually want to make, so that it is planned correctly. If you want to know more about how to make changes yourself.

The diet is based around a core of fairly ordinary foods. If you find you cannot tolerate foods like these, even on a rotation, it is usual to substitute more unusual foods such as game, rare fish, exotic fruit and rare grains.

Some people prefer to move, once they are established on a rotation diet which they tolerate, to a seven-day rotation based on the days of the week. This has the advantage of simplicity in planning, but it can be monotonous, and even exasperating always to eat certain foods on certain days of the week. It is also not feasible if you have very few foods that you tolerate, or if you cross-react to related foods, and need to organise your diet to allow for food families, which requires an even number of days in the rotation.

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If you want to know more about which chemicals cause reactions and why, read on from here. The term ‘sensitivity’ in the remainder of this section includes both allergy and sensitivity.

Chemicals Commonly Causing Chemical Sensitivity

COAL TAR AND DERIVATIVES

Asphalt Benzene Creosote Phenol

Some food additives

COMMON CHEMICALS -

Ammonia Chlorine Formaldehyde Sulphur dioxide

CONTAMINANTS IN FOOD AND WATER

Herbicides Insecticides Organic solvents Pesticides

Environmental pollutants

Gas fumes Industrial discharges Paraffin fumes Tobacco smoke Vehicle exhausts

FRAGRANCES (SYNTHETIC AND NATURAL)

NATURAL OILS AND TERPENES

Essential oils Latex

Plant terpenes Turpentine

ORGANIC SOLVENTS

Alcohol (ethanol) Glycerol

Methylated spirits Phenols Styrene Toluene

Trichloroethylene White spirits

SYNTHETIC FIBRES, FABRICS AND MATERIALS

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