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A slightly different kind of problem was presented by Karen Black. She complained, not just of hyperactivity and restlessness, but of headaches, stomachaches, skin rash, and a peculiar “spaced out” feeling in her head much of the time.

Her history provided a good clue: the symptoms became much worse after the family had moved so that she had to travel for a long time to get back and forth from school. In retrospect, this may have been due to an increased exposure to exhaust fumes. She developed stomachaches and an itchy rash under her armpits. A perceptive doctor advised her to stop wearing synthetic garments, and the rash went away, but the stomach problem and other symptoms persisted.

The family moved again, and now Karen developed a headache whenever she rode in the family car. Her teachers complained that she was in a world of her own, and before the end of the fifth grade the family had to remove her from school entirely and seek home instruction for her.

Because there was a strong family history of allergies, Karen was taken to a clinical ecologist. He diagnosed her as allergic to a variety of foods, including apple, chicken, grape, milk, peanuts, and rice, all of which made her feel “spaced out” on the provocative test.

To get a more definitive answer, Karen was referred to me. Upon fasting, she underwent withdrawal symptoms which, as I shall explain more fully below, are typical for those suffering from this syndrome. On the fourth day of the water fast, she felt sick to her stomach and threw up. Soon, however, she felt better—better, in fact, than she had in a long time.

Deliberate test feedings revealed a very serious allergy to cane, chicken, peanuts, corn, grapes and raisins, beef, milk, wheat, lobster, and peas, and lesser reactions to lamb, yeast, apples, and cherries.

Eating these foods would bring on her old symptoms, including periods of anger or tiredness. She complained of being “spacey” and “down,” although this alternated with irritable periods.

Smelling chemicals made her angry, tired, dull, and almost catatonic. Two consecutive meals of commercial foods contaminated with the “normal” amounts of chemicals made her tired, irritable, with episodes of staring vacantly into space.

The testing was quite successful, and Karen was like a new person upon leaving the hospital. Unfortunately, she went back into a house which was ecologically harmful for her. It had brand new carpeting with a foam rubber pad, both of which are often the source of adverse reactions among those with the chemical-susceptibility problem. What is more, the family’s furniture had been put into storage several months before and appeared to have been fumigated—a common practice among storage companies. All of these factors combined to make Karen’s recovery less complete than it could have been.

Hyperactivity and related syndromes are a growing problem in the United States. Rather than dealing with this problem at the level of environmental causation, orthodox medicine prefers to perpetuate the problem through the use of drugs. Of the 750,000 children seen for “minimal brain dysfunction” (another term for hyperactivity) in 1978, 212,000 were put on medication, and about 75 percent of them, or nearly 120,000 on methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin Hydrochloride).

A child psychologist recently complained that labeling a hyperactive child as in need of drugs eliminates the necessity of discovering the underlying problem which is causing his behavior problems. While the psychologist probably had in mind psychological causes, the same can be said, even more emphatically, about the chemical and environmental causes of this disorder.

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In recent years, energy policy has become a prominent topic of debate. What is almost never taken into account is the long-term harmful effects of petrochemical fuels on susceptible individuals.

The odors of various hydrocarbon fuels such as coal, gasoline, and natural gas can be a source of chronic illness for certain people. Prolonged exposure to such odors or even to their undetected fumes can result in a full spectrum of diseases.

Some of the worst practices of the past are now gone. In the old days, for instance, when coal was delivered by chute to the basement of one’s house, kerosene was often sprayed on the coal to control dust. It slowly gave off fumes, contaminating the basement or dwelling.

Today, fuel oil and natural gas have replaced coal and wood in most areas. These can give rise to their own set of problems, however. Old oil tanks, for instance, may leak and give off fumes which are almost imperceptible to those who have lived in the house for a while. With oil, there is always the danger of an overflow while the tanks are being filled. If a basement floor has been flooded with fuel oil, the odor tends to remain for several months or even years, despite the best cleanup efforts. This has caused numerous problems for susceptible individuals; in a few cases they have been forced to abandon their homes entirely.

Most fuel-oil installations, whether furnaces or space heaters, give off a characteristic odor. Although they tend to smell worse when they are actually operating, there may be enough odor coming from them even when they are shut down to cause reactions in highly susceptible patients.

Natural gas is advertised as the “clean fuel.” This may be so from the point of view of visible or smog-producing residues, but for the chemically susceptible individual this gas may be the worst form of fuel.

In the early part of this century, most cities were supplied with artificial gas derived from coal. Especially after World War Two, with the completion of a national gas line network, most cities switched to natural gas. From the point of view of chronic disease, it does not really matter whether artificial or natural gas is used, since both can cause problems for those with the chemical problem. Natural gas, however, is delivered at much higher pressures than the artificial product. This, in turn, can cause a serious problem of leakage if the pipes were originally constructed for the transmission of artificial gas. In Chicago, for instance, joints and turns in the old gas line become potential or actual sources of leakage. Gas, being lighter than air, tends to rise from the basement or kitchen into the rest of the house. The greater the amount of piping and the number of outlets, and the more pilots and other automatic devices on gas appliances, the greater will be the probability of leaks.

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of this gas problem is the incredible sensitivity of some people to its presence. Merely shutting off a gas range is not enough to bring relief to such patients. The gas stove must be completely removed from the premises. This is because even a non-working range continues to give off odors from the gas which it has absorbed over the years.

In the course of my practice, I have directed almost 3,000 patients to remove their gas kitchen ranges because I found these people to be susceptible to chemical odors and fumes. This decision was not taken lightly or on the basis of blind hunch but after scientific tests, such as those conducted in the Ecology Unit. To date, none of these patients has complained that the changeover was not worth the cost or trouble.

In many cases, in fact, when the range was removed for the benefit of one member of the family, other members of the family also reported an improvement in health. A gas range was removed from the home of one patient, a girl with persistent headaches. Her mother, who was not a patient, reported an unsuspected benefit, however. While cooking with gas, she had often become highly irritable. She would scream at the children or anyone else who came into “her kitchen.” Since she frequently had a kitchen knife in her hand when she started screaming, this frightened the children and created a bad atmosphere at dinnertime. With the removal of the gas range, her temper tantrums quickly subsided. What had appeared to be a potential “mental” problem was solved simply by removing a hidden environmental pollutant.

In cases in which actual removal of the gas range has been impossible, certain halfway measures have proven useful. They have included increased ventilation of the kitchen; installation of a kitchen door, which is kept closed during the time the stove is on, keeping fumes from reaching the rest of the house; or disconnection of the stove, without actual removal. For many people, such measures are beneficial; for the seriously ill, however, there is no substitute for complete removal of the offending appliance.

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In popular usage, dysentery is taken to mean any severe form of diarrhea. More accurately, dysentery is an infection of the intestinal tract caused by one of several specific bacteria. Dysentery causes diarrhea, but dysentery is a distinct disease.

The germs that cause dysentery are salmonella and shigella bacteria. (Typhoid bacteria are a type of salmonella.) Dysentery may also be caused by amoebas (amoebic dysentery). Some doctors consider cholera to be a form of dysentery.

Dysentery is the result of eating or drinking food, milk, or water that is contaminated with these specific bacteria or amoebas. It also may be contracted from someone who has the disease or is a carrier of dysentery. (A carrier is a person who has the germ in the body but is healthy.) Complications that may develop from dysentery include arthritis, meningitis, and perforation (ulcers) in the intestines.

Signs and symptoms

The major symptom of dysentery is diarrhea. The diarrhea is often severe and is commonly bloody. The child may have a prolonged high fever (39.4°Ñ to 40.6°C). The child may also be extremely weak and exhausted. Any persistent diarrhea should be suspected of being dysentery, especially if it is severe or bloody.

Home care

Do not attempt to treat dysentery on your own. Whenever diarrhea is severe and bloody, see your doctor. Dysentery must be diagnosed by a doctor and often requires treatment with specific medications.

While waiting to see the doctor, give the child plenty of clear liquids. Liquids are needed to replace those being lost from the diarrhea. Extra liquids will help prevent dehydration (a serious loss of body fluids). Clear liquids that are the most helpful include tea, water, flavored gelatin water, and commercial mineral and electrolyte mixtures.

Limit or eliminate solid foods from the child’s diet. Especially avoid foods with roughage, fruits (except bananas and apples), vegetables, butter, fatty meats, and peanut butter. Do not give the child milk, since milk may further aggravate diarrhea.

Precautions

• Always report severe or bloody diarrhea to your doctor.

• If any diarrhea lasts more than two or three days, call your doctor.

• The younger the child, the more easily dehydration can occur with diarrhea. Infants can become dehydrated rapidly (within 12 to 24 hours after diarrhea begins).

• Do not give anti-diarrheal medications to children, since side effects are common and can be dangerous.

• When traveling, carefully choose sources of food and water. Avoid sources where sanitation may be poor.

• If you suspect dysentery, isolate the child and dispose of stools carefully.

• Practice good hygiene in your own home. Wash hands after treating an ill member of the family. Wash hands carefully before cooking and eating.

Medical treatment

A culture of the stools (with microscopic examination for amoebas and other parasites) confirms the diagnosis. Cultures of the blood and urine are sometimes performed, as well as tests for specific antibodies in the blood.

If dysentery is diagnosed, your doctor may hospitalize your child for treatment and isolation. Specific antibiotics for treating dysentery are available, although they are not always necessary. Diagnosed cases of dysentery must be reported to health authorities.

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