What Can I Do About It? Avoidance - at home

The best thing to do for MCS is avoid your triggers. I know, you have to work, go grocery shopping, have a social life, etc. So let's start with your home.

Personal care products: Make sure that everything you use on your body is as pure and natural as possible. Most of us with MCS avoid fragrances of all kinds. I have fragrance-free shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and lotion. Fragrance chemicals do not have to be listed on labels and many have not been tested for their effects on people.
However, fragrances are not the only problems for us. Some people have figured out what chemicals they react to, but I find that nearly impossible, so I try to avoid anything that might be an issue. To help avoid troubling chemicals in your personal care products, you can go to www.ewg.org which is the Environmental Working Group. They have tested many products and you can search on the type of product you are looking for such as deodorant or soap for their results and ratings.
In addition to using safe products yourself, I recommend that everyone in your household use them as the fragrances and possibly some other chemicals can get into the air.

Air "fresheners": No no no no no. Do not use them. If your house gets stuffy or smelly, open windows. You could also try using baking soda, charcoal, or another non-chemical product that absorbs odors. An electric air cleaner is a great way to clean the air. I recommend using one that has a charcoal filter to eliminate odors.

Cleaning products: Most commercial cleaning products contain fragrance, ammonia, and other harmful chemicals. I do almost all my cleaning with baking soda, white vinegar, and alcohol. Other things that MCS sufferers can usually use are lemons and borax. I use white vinegar for windows and mirrors; baking soda for counters, sinks, and tub; alcohol mixed with water for tiles; white vinegar mixed with water for wood floors. If you need ideas on what to use for a specific job, googling should help. Steam is another cleaning option.

We'll discuss other ways to avoid triggers in the next post.

How do I know if I have MCS?

How do you know if you have MCS? Many of us are self-diagnosed because it can be hard to find a doctor who "believes in" MCS.

Finding a doctor: In the USA, mainstream doctors have not yet accepted MCS as a diagnosis. To try to find one who does, do an online search in your area for a doctor who specializes in Environmental Illness. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the one who diagnosed me because he has retired. He was an Allergist. However, not all Allergists "believe". It is also possible that you may find help from a Naturopath, though insurance may not cover those visits.

Self-diagnosis: Please be reminded that I am not a medical professional and my advive is based on my own experiences and those of other MCS sufferers who I have spoken with as well as some reading. Basically, if you have negative reactions to chemicals, you probably have MCS. The reactions can be in any body system. For me, the reactions are primarily in the respiratory and nervous systems and include headache, irritated lungs, sore throat, and emotional changes. I primarily react to fragrance chemicals in perfumes, lotions, air "fresheners", and cleaning solutions.

MCS reactions can be mild or very severe and often get worse as time goes on. Most of us can trace the beginning of our symptoms to a specific event. For me, it was four years working in a sick building with little air flow.