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Meryl Avery suffered from depression, with occasional seizures of panic, for six years. Before that she had had a long history of physical and mental-like problems, although she was still in her twenties.

As a baby she had thrown up easily, and she had wet her bed until she was fourteen. As a child, she would sometimes hold her breath until she turned blue in the face and passed out. She had many mysterious “infections.” By the time she entered college, however, she seemed to be doing fairly well.

The long drive home from college during her freshman year triggered her ill health once again, however. She became acutely ill during the trip, and when she reached home, she could not walk but had to crawl up the stairs to her bedroom, crying all the way. She had a severe headache, was sick all night, and had residual symptoms on the following day.

The other passengers in the car also got headaches, but only Meryl became so desperately sick. In retrospect, her friends figured that there was a leak in the exhaust system of the car and that some of the fumes and carbon monoxide had gotten into the passenger compartment. None of the passengers could recall smelling any exhaust odors, however, or noticing anything unusual about the trip. The car was checked out and was not found to be defective.

While the other people recovered, Meryl’s health started a precipitous decline. She was plagued by weakness, fatigue, and dizziness at school. She started getting headaches again, a problem she had had frequently as a teenager. She took stimulatory drugs—”White Crosses,” or “uppers”—and alcohol to relieve feelings of weakness and mental exhaustion.

Because of these problems she was unable to attend most of her classes and lost credit for the term. The trip home was again traumatic, and she arrived in tears. To be closer to home, Meryl transferred to another college, but her problems became worse. She cried almost continually, threw temper tantrums, and was soon depressed most of the time. Her eating habits deteriorated: she practically lived on “instant breakfasts.”

Her reading comprehension declined. Her memory was poor; she was unable to handle taxing situations and “froze up” on examinations. During the next summer she visited relatives in the rural South and, simultaneously, contacted a nutritionist who was familiar with clinical ecology. The combination of relatively pure air and a partial diagnosis of her food problem worked wonders. “I discovered what it was like to feel good,” she later said in reference to this time. For the next six months she remained on a Rotary Diversified Diet and avoided some incriminated foods. But on Christmas day, at a family party, she began cheating on this diet and continued to slip downhill all week. The binge ended in a marathon cookie-eating session, in a room with a gas fireplace.

The next morning Meryl was, as she says, “totally freaked out.” Although she kept taking alkali salts, which can often ameliorate allergic symptoms, and ate what she thought were her compatible foods, she could not regain her previous feelings of health. She screamed and hit the walls, the furniture took on odd shapes, and she became severely depressed. Her sister had to come and calm her down.

Finally, she sought help at the Ecology Unit. After an initial period of headaches and itchy eyes, she felt well again. She reacted to several of the waters tested, but one was found with which she was compatible.

The worst reactions were as follows: Eating corn was followed by blotchy face and itchiness; cod brought hot feelings, tingling in the neck and shoulders, panic which came on quickly, and headache. Red snapper brought severe depression, crying, panic, and a “spacey” feeling. Eggs were followed by aches and pains all over and panic after two hours. After eating rabbit she fell asleep and then awoke in panic, crying and depressed. Avocado brought sleepiness, after which she awoke depressed and angry. Cauliflower was accompanied by an immediate depression. Between such tests, or when given compatible foods, she was pleasant and cheerful.

We next took some of Meryl’s safe foods and fed them to her in their chemically contaminated form, just as they came from the supermarket, presumably contaminated with residues of pesticides and preservatives. Within ninety minutes of her first meal, she developed a severe depression which lasted for several hours.

Food reactions are not always traceable to commonly eaten foods. Often a person will react, or rather cross-react, to less frequently eaten foods, if those foods “remind” the body of other, allergy-causing substances. In Meryl’s case, however, there was a clear link between her reactions and her eating habits.

She had previously reported a craving for sweets and a severe reaction to cookies. These usually contained corn syrup, and thus it is not surprising that she had a strong reaction to corn and corn sugar in her hospital diagnostic test. People with such allergies, as explained in Chapter 10, also frequently are allergic to alcoholic beverages, which often contain corn in some form. Meryl had reported severe reactions to alcoholic beverages of all sorts and was on the verge of becoming an alcoholic. She had a serious reaction in the hospital to yeast, which is an ingredient in all alcoholic beverages. After the nutritionist had diagnosed some of Meryl’s food allergies, she had switched to fish as a supposedly safe food, but she had eaten it in an addictive way, having it for breakfast every day. Thus it is not surprising that she should have had very severe reactions to cod and red snapper.

Many of Meryl’s problems seemed in retrospect to have been related to her chemical-susceptibility problem (which was demonstrated by her reaction to contaminated food). Her initial experience returning from college was probably related to car exhaust fumes. These could have been relatively “normal” amounts of exhausts which often seep into cars traveling at highway speeds. The other people in the car were apparently less susceptible to this influence, and suffered either transient headaches or no symptoms at all. By adhering to a new diet, and minimizing her exposure to chemical pollution, Meryl was able to finish college and begin a successful career.

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Animal skin (danders) and feathers Don’t keep furry or feathered pets. If you already have pets which you cannot bear to get rid of, consider housing them outside or in part of the house that the affected person can easily avoid. Do not allow pets into the bedroom of the person affected. If they sleep on furniture or carpets, clean up after them with a vacuum cleaner.

For very sensitive individuals it may be necessary to avoid people and clothing that have been in contact with animals.

For those sensitive to feathers, eliminate all bedding stuffed with

feathers, also cushions, armchairs and sofas. If you are also sensitive to synthetics, then duvets filled with wool or silk are available (p335).

For those sensitive to horses, check that you do not have any old items of furniture stuffed with horsehair.

Pollen

This is the most difficult allergen to avoid. Keeping windows closed on warm, sunny days can be helpful. When driving or travelling by train, avoid opening the window.

Keep away from meadows, parks and other grassy areas when it is warm and dry. Alternatively, move to an area with less traffic and other sources of air pollution. It seems that air pollution – from factories, lorries and cars – sensitizes the membranes in the nose, making them more reactive to pollen. Diesel fumes have been shown to have this effect. So moving to a less polluted atmosphere and keeping away from traffic may be of more benefit – and a lot easier – than trying to avoid pollen.

For very sensitive individuals, a stay at the seaside during the height of the pollen season is recommended – the sea breeze brings in pollen-free air. Alternatively, air filters can be used (p335) and are usually effective -as long as the patient stays indoors.

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During these weeks you should be addressing all the stresses in your life and seeking to minimise them by:

• getting adequate sleep, rest and recreation;

• taking adequate (but not excessive) exercise in the fresh air;

• driving the car within the speed limits;

• cut ting back on work, social and sporting commitments—many of my allergy patients are so tired from playing squash two nights a week, tennis another and netball or football on the weekends that they can’t get well;

• using cortisone creams and puffers to keep eczema and asthma at bay while the programs are taking effect.

• avoiding lying on the carpet to read or watch TV. This is a significant stress to the mucous membranes of the nose, throat and windpipe due to the close proximity to dust, dust mite, wool fibre, nylon fibre and formaldehyde.

Stay on the combined Anti-Candida/Anti-Allergy Program for a minimum of three months—longer if under supervision and it’s deemed necessary to do so. Then go back on the Metabolism-Balancing Program for the rest of your life. Those with acne should stay on the Anti-Candida/Anti-Allergy Program until no new pimples break out on the skin—however, if longer than three months your doctor or naturopath must OK it.

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Angela is typical examples of how a Candida albicans infection can sensitise the body to chemicals and produce spin-off allergic reactions to less noxious substances.

Angela (15) was brought to me by a distraught mother who was having trouble coping with her antisocial behaviour. As a child Angela was moderately, though not seriously, hyperactive. She was fairly clumsy and lacked the co-ordination needed to be good at ball-handling sports. Her concentration span was less than most of her peers and she had a low tolerance to frustration. She was below average in her schoolwork.

At puberty she became cranky, irritable, argumentative and aggressive. The bouts of aggression would alternate with bouts of depression which would see her become sullen and withdrawn to the point of spending hours at a time locked in her bedroom. She was a lover of junk food which she justified by her continuous craving for sweets. A craving for sweets is as much a symptom of Candida infection as it is a symptom of allergy addiction. The Candida plants live on sugar and white flour and call out for them when hungry.

The white spots on her fingernails indicated a definite zinc deficiency and she was immediately put on the Metabolism-Balancing Program for six weeks. She improved significantly on all levels but was by no means completely cured. Allergy tests revealed her to be allergic to malt, brewer’s yeast, eggs, milk, MSG, dust mites, mould and a number of grasses. The appropriate Anti-Allergy Program (which was the Metabolism-Balancing Program minus the things she was allergic to) was prescribed and within six weeks there was a vast improvement.

Her schoolwork had improved so much she was pulling away from the middle pack and moving into the top ten bracket. Her concentration, memory, retention of details and sociability at school had improved out of sight. She had more energy than ever before and was experiencing such good physical co-ordination that her handwriting had become neat and legible without any concerted effort on her part. Her teachers and headmaster were thrilled.

Her parents were not so thrilled. They couldn’t understand why, when she was sticking so rigidly to her program, she could be sociable every morning at home and all day at school yet so antisocial at home each evening. The problem seemed to hinge around Angela’s allotted evening chore of washing the dishes. (Her younger brother dried them.) Dishwashing had always been the major hassle of the evening for the family as Angela would always throw a tantrum over it. At first, I tended to agree with Angela’s mother, that she was just an intractable teenager, but after a long talk with Angela one day, I could see that she really did want to improve herself and was quite genuine when she said she didn’t know why dishwashing made her so upset.

Further delving into her history revealed that Angela’s mother had a mild case of thrush during her pregnancy with Angela. Angela had been born with a mild case of oral thrush. Her infancy had been marred by colic and a nappy rash which was focused mainly around her anus. The latter two were overt symptoms of a Candida yeast infection situated in her gut. Clearly she still had the infection and the fact that her bloated tummy hadn’t completely reduced following the Anti-Allergy Program was confirmation of this.

The sudden mood swings that assailed Angela when she reached puberty were at last explained. The sudden release of the hormone progesterone from her ovaries at puberty had encouraged the growth of the small yeast colony in her gut into a large yeast colony which was filling her system with the chemical acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde, being a toxic chemical, had sensitised her to dishwashing chemicals which began to vaporise when put into hot water. Not only that, the heat from the sink caused the vaporisation of the dishwashing liquid in its container, as it was stored directly below the sink. The vaporised chemical released from the dishwashing liquid was formaldehyde, a close cousin, of acetaldehyde.

Was it any wonder that by the time dishwashing was over Angela was cranky, aggressive and often crying? She would storm out of the kitchen and into her bedroom slamming the door so hard the house would reverberate. She would spend the rest of the evening sulking. Often in the dark.

Substituting soap for dishwashing liquids solved the problem. No more tantrums and no more withdrawing socially after dinner. What was most interesting though was that after three months on the Anli-Candida/Anfi-Allergy Program, plus Nystatin powder, Lactobacillus acidophilus capsules and Formula Six multi-vitamin and mineral supplement, Angela was able to wash up with dishwashing liquid again without experiencing her usual massive mood swings and withdrawal from the family.

By removing the acetaldehyde from her blood the liver enzymes repaired themselves to the point where they could cope with limited exposure to formaldehyde. Evenings were no longer the bane of Angela’s day and she made good use of the time to do some extra study which improved her position in class even more.

It is debatable whether Angela could have coped with exposure to large sustained quantities of formaldehyde but 1 was not prepared to risk the return of her symptoms in an effort to find out.

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It is significant that the very foods that predispose us to allergies (refined, junk, tinned, frozen and packaged foods) are the every ones that favour the growth of Candida yeast colonies. As Dr Weston G. Price in his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, discovered: ‘Nutrition is the key to preventing the onset and perpetuation of allergies.’

Candida sufferers like sweets. Some have profound cravings for sweets. This is because they have large colonies of the yeast growing in them that are calling out to be fed on sugar, honey, fruit and white flour. If you have a sweet tooth the thought of going on the Anti-Candida Program may daunt you. Don’t let it. Resolve to go on the program and tough it out. Resolve not to let anything stand in the way of achieving your goal of optimum health. If you do this you’ll be well rewarded for, after the program, you’ll notice an amazing thing—your sweet tooth will have disappeared. Your taste for sweets won’t go entirely as it’s perfectly natural but you’ll only be eating 10-20 per cent of the amount you were eating before. You won’t be able to cope with any more. Your tastes will have changed so much that any more than 20 per cent will taste sickly. This lack of desire for sweet things is confirmation that the size of the Candida colony is so small, it’s having a negligible effect on you.

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1. Have you ever taken any type of cortisone drug for more than two weeks at any time in your life?

2. Does exposure to perfumes, tobacco smoke, insecticides, household cleansers or fabric shop odours (some fabrics are treated with fire retardants) aggravate your symptoms?

3. Have you taken any antibiotics for acne for a month or longer?

4. Have you ever taken broad spectrum antibiotics for throat, respiratory, urinary or ear infections for two months or longer or in shorter courses four or more times per year?

5. Are you on the contraceptive pill or have you ever taken it?

6. Do you crave sugar, white bread or alcoholic beverages?

7. Do sugar-containing foods (sweets, cakes, biscuits, soft drinks), while bread or alcoholic beverages cause your abdomen to distend and/or give you wind?

8. Do these foods give you a foggy, spaced-out, detached, off-the-planet feeling in the head?

9. Do you suffer from premenstrual tension, vaginitis, menstrual problems or lack of sex drive?

10. Are your symptoms worse on a clamp day or in a mouldy environment?

11. Are your symptoms worse on a cloudy (dry) day and disappear on a sunny clay? (Cloudy days hold in city pollution and most Candida victims are chemically sensitive.)

12. Does walking into new buildings (such as office blocks and department stores) make your symptoms worse (formaldehyde)?

13. Does the smell of newly laid carpet make your symptoms worse (formaldehyde)?

14. Does getting into a new car aggravate your symptoms (formaldehyde)?

15. Did you have oral thrush as a baby or did your mother have vaginal thrush while carrying you?

Successful treatment of yeast infections is not much different from successful treatment of bacterial infections. Seven basic ingredients are needed:

1. The Candida must be starved of the food it normally lives on.

2. A substance must be used to kill the Candida.

3. Adequate rest must be taken during the time of treatment to give the white blood cells the time and strength they need to do their share of the organism killing.

4. A nutritious diet with supplementary vitamins and minerals to boost energy levels, white blood cell vitality and resistance must be strictly adhered to.

5. Stress levels must be reduced.

6. A positive attitude needs to be adopted.

7. As many chemicals as possible must be removed from your living and working environment and from the food and water you consume.

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The best way to disinfect a cut or wound is to bathe it in a sterile solution of salt (saline). The easiest way to do this is to take a cup of boiled, cooled water and dissolve a teaspoon of salt in it, then wash the wound gently with a clean or sterile dressing. This is a very effective antiseptic.

For convenience, you can buy from a pharmacy sterile saline solution in sachets (Normasol or Steripod). These are handy for first aid kits, for workplace or school, or for travelling.

Be careful to use water (for solutions or for drinking) which you tolerate well. You can be sensitive to tapwater, and this may make you react when you use it for medicinal purposes. Use filtered, mineral or distilled water if you are not sure.

Boric acid, dissolved in boiled, cooled water, can be used as a stronger antiseptic. It should not be used on young children, nor on broken skin. You should consult your doctor or pharmacist before using it.

Calendula, a homeopathic ointment or tincture, is antiseptic. Some allergy sufferers tolerate it well. Patch Test or use with care, to see if you tolerate it.

If you have a persistent infection or sepsis in a cut or wound, you should always consult a doctor.

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You can relieve the effects of a strong reaction by taking alkali salts. This works for food intolerance and chemical sensitivity, as well as for allergy. In a reaction, the environment in the body becomes acid; alkali salts neutralise the reaction and can relieve its effects, or even stop them dead. The simplest way to take these is to dissolve a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in a glass of water and drink it.

Some people find that sodium bicarbonate on its own does not suit them as well as other mixtures of alkali salts. You could also try the following mixtures; ask your pharmacist to mix them for you:

• Sodium and potassium salts

Mix two parts sodium bicarbonate to one part potassium bicarbonate. Dissolve one teaspoonful in a glass of water.

• Tri-salts

Mix three parts sodium bicarbonate to two parts potassium bicarbonate and one part calcium carbonate. Dissolve one teaspoonful in a glass of water.

The salts mixtures can be laxative. Do not take more than three times a day, and preferably only once a day. Consult your doctor if you are on a low-salt diet before using.

Vitamin C also helps relieve reactions. Take a teaspoon in a glass of water. You can also add a teaspoon of vitamin C to a glass of any of the alkali salts mixtures above. Ask your pharmacist for pure vitamin C powder (ascorbic acid).

Some people find that taking a salts mixture regularly each day helps to deter and control reactions. This could be worth trying as a controlling measure.

If you have an attack of nettle rash (hives or urticaria), or other local skin reactions, bathing the area in an alkaline solution will help relieve the discomfort. Use Boots Cream of Magnesia Liquid; Boots own brand does not contain flavourings, or bathe the skin with a solution of alkali salts.

To help control reactions, avoid extremes of heat and cold, or sudden big swings in temperature, as these can trigger reactions. Also avoid getting too hungry, as this can trigger reactions. Avoid swings, or excessive highs or lows, in blood sugar levels.

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Activated carbon masks come in various designs but all combine a fibre layer or web which will trap particles, and activated charcoal which absorbs a wide range of gases and vapours. They are designed to fit well around the nose, mouth and cheekbones to seal the areas where air can enter. They will protect against both small particles and chemical vapours.

3M make one which is made of a dense synthetic fibre web which traps particles effectively, and activated charcoal filter media within the fibre web. It is one of the most effective, and light and relatively comfortable to wear. It will not protect 100 per cent against chemicals and particles, and if you are extremely sensitive to synthetic fibres, you may react to the fibres of the mask, but reactions of this kind are rare and most people find it useful. The mask will need replacing every six months, or more often if you use it intensively. The 3M mask costs around £5-6 at 1992 prices and is available by post from Allerayde or The British Lung Foundation. A similar mask by Pirelli is available from Safety Equipment Centre.

One solution, if you react to contact with the materials of a face mask, is to line the inside of the mask with a pure cotton handkerchief or cotton muslin nappy, or with a silk scarf if you are sensitive to cotton. This helps protect skin in contact.

More expensive versions of charcoal filter masks are made by Respro. One version, the Respro Bandit (£10-12), is a 100 per cent cotton scarf with a nose clip, which incorporates a charcoal filter, laminated into the scarf. It is chemically treated to be fully washable; if you are exceptionally sensitive, you may react to the treatment. Wash it before use to try and avoid problems. The scarf looks more attractive than a nose and face mask, however, and may be more comfortable.

Respro also make the City Pollution Mask at £20 with a replaceable charcoal filter, which has a stretchable fitting to fit comfortably around the face. This fitting is made of neoprene, with a lycra lining, which again may upset you if you are exceptionally sensitive to synthetic rubber and elastomers.

Both Respro products are available from The Green Catalogue and Renaissance Design.

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Face masks come in three basic kinds:

• dust masks

• activated carbon masks

• respirators

which give varying degrees of protection against inhaled particles and chemical fumes.

You can use face masks to protect you in situations where you are unavoidably exposed to things which upset you – doing dusty tasks, vacuuming or household cleaning, doing DIY or car maintenance, at work, riding a bike, or even when driving a car.

Dust Masks

Dust masks are the simplest of all masks. They do not protect against chemical vapours, but will protect to some extent against irritant dusts and particles. The most common type, found in DIY shops, has a pure cotton gauze filter pad held in place across the nose by a light aluminium face-piece. Another type, also found in DIY shops, made of a cotton/synthetic blend, is a moulded white mask.

No guarantee is given of the size or type of particle which these masks keep out. Dust masks are not helpful in protecting against most chemical vapours, but they do offer some (but not total) protection against dusts, and against allergens such as house dust mites, moulds and animal allergens.

They are cheaper than other masks (£1-2 at 1992 prices) and unless you are very highly sensitive to inhalant allergens, such as house dust mites, they will offer you sufficient protection to allow you to do most tasks.

These masks are widely available at DIY stores or by post from Safety Equipment Centre. Safety Equipment Centre has a small-order charge for orders less than £25.

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