In uncooperative environments, the chemically susceptible person must stake a claim to part of the house as an off-limit, no-smoking oasis. The reason for this is that smoking is not only a major source of cancer, heart disease, and lung disease, but also an ecological disaster for the susceptible person.

Cigarette smoke is no simple thing: it contains hundreds of different chemicals, not all of which have been thoroughly analyzed. For example, tobacco, like other crops, is intensively sprayed with pesticides, and these are incompletely removed from the leaf before curing and packaging. When you breathe in someone else’s tobacco smoke, you have the privilege of breathing in stale pesticide residues as well. Tobacco is frequently kept warm, while being cured in large bams, by kerosene-fueled heaters.3 This kerosene, in trace amounts, then gets into the leaf and cannot be removed: it is present in the smoke as well. Each manufacturer adds flavor and taste additives which are composed of synthetic chemicals. These too are breathed in by the susceptible person, often perpetuating reactions to other common pollutants. The exact nature of these additives is guarded as a trade secret.

The cigarette smoker thus contaminates his own body and that of everyone around him.

There is still much to be learned about the hazards of cigarette consumption, hazards the $18 billion tobacco industry is not about to reveal. For example, in certain cases, cigarette smoke alone has been sufficient to cause schizophrenic-type reactions. One schizophrenic patient was able to control her symptoms with comprehensive food and chemical control. She then suddenly, and unexpectedly, suffered a relapse. Her bewildered parents finally discovered that when their daughter suffered such an attack, their son was in the room across the hall smoking a forbidden cigarette. In a comprehensive study conducted at the Fuller Memorial Sanitarium, South Attleboro, Massachusetts, Dr. William H. Philpott, director of research, and Dr. Marshall Mandell, showed that 75 percent of the patients who were classified as schizophrenics suffered mental symptoms from cigarette smoke. In fact, says Mandell, “tobacco smoke caused psychotic behavior in one out of ten.”4

Since one food or chemical addiction feeds and supports another, bringing the total environment under control is the best way to beat the smoking habit.

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One of the patients involved was a five-year-old girl with nose, eye and chest allergies, for which Dr Rapp was consulted. The parents mentioned that she was also irritable, over-active, depressed and weepy, and suffered from stomach aches, headaches and diarrhoea. Dr Rapp suspected brain damage as the cause of the behavioural problems, which of course would be incurable. Her main concerns were the allergies, and these she attempted to treat with an elimination diet, plus suggestions for the removal of major allergens from the home. ‘In three days, her mother called to say she was extremely pleased. I assumed Paula’s hay-fever and asthma had improved, but her mother said no, Paula’s disposition and her activity were better. I was amazed and perplexed. The mother said Paula’s teacher had called to find out which “drug” the child was taking

A succession of similar experiences were enough to change Dr Rapp’s outlook. ‘How could I have missed it for so long?’ she goes on to ask. ‘The answer is that a doctor often sees what he wants to see and is trained to see. If parents noticed their child had a better disposition, stopped wetting the bed, or seemed less tired or less over-active after a diet, I always believed that it was because the nose and chest allergies were better

Many other doctors who work in the field of food sensitivity have similar tales to tell. Some have come to the idea because they themselves, or members of their families, were plagued by mysterious illnesses. In desperation, they tried an elimination diet and found that symptoms which had troubled them for years cleared up within a week or two. This encouraged them to look again at some of their long-term patients with unidentified illnesses, and when they began to try elimination diets on such patients they found that many of them responded very well.

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Heating or cooking cow’s milk and milk products modifies its proteins. Many people who cannot tolerate ordinary milk can tolerate it if it has been boiled, or if it is used in sauces, puddings, confectionery, milk chocolate, or baked products. Evaporated milk and UHT milk have been heat-treated – so try these to see if they are acceptable.

Baby formula milk, in which the proteins are heat modified, is often tolerated by babies and young children who do not tolerate cow’s milk proteins in ordinary cow’s milk. Try this for them, unless you know they are sensitive to formula, and also for adults.

Ghee (clarified butter) is tolerated well by many people sensitive to cow’s milk. You can buy it at Indian groceries and large supermarkets, or make it yourself. It can be used for cooking or spreading. To make ghee, melt butter over a gentle heat, allow to cool for a while, then pour into a glass jar, leaving the white residues (the proteins) in the pan. Keep in the fridge. Do not eat the white protein residues which will settle in the jar when the ghee is cold.

If you are lactose intolerant (intolerant of the sugar in milk), rather than allergic to milk proteins, you may be able to tolerate cow’s milk products in which the lactose levels are low. Such as:

Cheddar Cheese

Cheshire Cheese

Cottage Cheese

Live yogurt

Camembert Aged Gouda

Aged Edam

Pasteurised processed cheese

Get a doctor’s advice on any need for supplements.

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If you want to find out for yourself what chemicals are, and where they are found, the following books are useful:

C for Chemicals by Michael Birkin and Brian Price (1989) concentrates on issues of toxicity and the impact of chemicals on the environment, rather than on sensitivity and allergy, but it is very informative on the nature of common chemicals and where they are found. It is factual, accessible and readable.

Contact Dermatitis by Alexander A. Fisher (Editor, 1986) is a massive tome, a medical reference work for doctors, but it is a useful source-book for the lay-person, whether or not you have contact dermatitis. It is clear, readable and a sound source of information on where many chemicals are to be found, often giving brand and product names. It has an American bias, but is helpful for the UK. Any public library can order it for you.

For a basic dictionary of chemical terms, use The Penguin Dictionary of Chemistry by D. W. A. Sharp (Editor, 1983).

Two other books that are useful for information on where chemicals are found in everyday life are: Chemical Victims by Dr Richard Mackarness (1980) and Chemical Children by Dr Peter Mansfield and Dr Jean Monro (1987).

Manufacturers

If you contact manufacturers directly to find out the contents of any product you want to buy, they are usually very helpful if you explain your reasons, and will often supply full contents lists. Write to them directly or telephone. For building and decorating materials, ask for Technical Data Sheets, which are usually accessible to the lay-person.

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• Perfumes and fragrances

• Preservatives

• Hair dyes

• Lanolin

Perfumes and fragrances most frequently cause sensitivity to cosmetics, toiletries and skincare products. Perfumes, aftershaves and colognes are themselves common sensitisers. If you react to any products (for instance, soap, hair gels, bath lotions, hairspray or make-up), the most likely cause will be perfume added to disguise the smell of ingredients. Natural oils used as fragrances (such as cinnamic alcohol or musk ambrette) are known sensitisers and allergens. Musk ambrette, commonly used in aftershaves, is a known photoallergen, causing reactions under certain conditions of sunlight. Look for unperfumed products wherever possible. This move alone may solve any problems you have with toiletries.

Preservatives are also known to sensitise, especially chemicals known as the parabens. Preservatives are necessary to give any product shelf-life. Without them, products would grow mould and bacteria within a few days. For people with sensitive skin, some preservatives are more likely to cause reactions than others when used on already inflamed skin, but are virtually hypoallergenic when used on areas not already sensitised. Therefore they continue to be used in many hypoallergenic products, although it is known that they can sensitise.

It is virtually impossible to avoid preservatives if you use grooming and beauty products. To avoid problems with preservatives, do not apply products directly to areas of highly inflamed skin unless you absolutely have to.

The Allergy Shop and Cosmetics To Go (addresses above) sell a small selection of preservative-free products.

If you know you are sensitive to a specific chemical, you can identify products which do not contain it by using the National Eczema Society’s database of ingredients.

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For use on tiles, cement-based adhesives without fungicide are a good choice. One product name is Evostik Cemfix, available in shops.

For wood and paper, and for use on other materials, such as cork and fabrics, PVA (polyvinyl acetate) without fungicide is relatively trouble-free. Brands of this include Polycell Super Bond, Evobond Building Adhesive, and PRITT Child’s Play. Copydex is a PVA adhesive which is latex-based; avoid it if you are sensitive to latex.

Epoxy resin adhesives (such as Araldite) work by a chemical reaction caused by mixing two compounds. Fumes are given off at the moment of mixing, but not over the life of the bond, and they are generally well tolerated.

For wallpaper and other papers, cellulose pastes made up with water are well tolerated. Look for one without chemical fungicides: Polycell Classic Interiors is one such brand. The Healthy House and Livos supply cellulose paste without fungicide by post.

Using products without fungicides will not cause you undue problems if you are allergic to moulds as well as chemically sensitive. Fungicides are of limited effectiveness, especially in damp conditions. >MOULDS for more advice on deterring and killing moulds.

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If you are sensitive to rubber made of latex, it is most likely that you are sensitive to chemicals used in its manufacture rather than to latex itself. Known troublemakers include accelerators such as thiuram; solvents, such as benzene or toluene; and phenol-formaldehyde resins.

You may commonly come into contact with rubber in protective gloves, in contraceptive devices, in soles and elastic on shoes, and if you handle rubber tyres. Some kinds of teats for babies’ bottles and nipple shields are made of latex.

Hypoallergenic (low-allergen) latex excludes chemicals particularly known to cause reactions and it can be used for protective gloves, condoms and heavy duty respirators. For advice on gloves. If you suspect that you are sensitive to latex or rubber, the best way to test is to buy a pair of pure latex gloves (available from Boots the Chemist). Air them for a few days, then place them in a glass jar, seal it and leave for a week, then open the jar and sniff gently to see if symptoms develop. Take great care if you have a history of anaphylactic shock or life-threatening asthma attack.

An alternative but more expensive way to test latex is to buy a latex and sleep on it.

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