An addiction response is quite properly referred to as a “trip.” Such a journey, consisting of many ups and downs, may stretch over many years. At first, the “highs” of addiction may be pleasant and rewarding. But as the “trip” continues, such “highs” tend to become less desirable, though still far preferable to the more disastrous “lows”. The addict’s prospects are bleak, whether he is hooked on foods, drink, or drugs. Generally speaking, he tends to climb to a certain stimulatory level before falling into a pit. The pit consists of increasingly common and prolonged withdrawals which can no longer be avoided or postponed by recourse to the formerly effective substances. Allergies of all sorts, including fatigue, aches and pains, and depression come to dominate the addict’s life. When he is no longer able to cope with these withdrawals as he formerly could, he finally seeks medical care.

Table 1 presents the various levels of addiction and the manner in which they affect the addict’s physical and mental state. It can be seen from this chart that many of the most common chronic illnesses can actually be way stations of the addiction trip. These include some problems usually dismissed as “psychosomatic” by physicians and psychotherapists.

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For people whose main problem is sensitivity to chlorine, and who cannot afford a plumbed-in filter, a jug filter would be a good choice.

Most jug filters contain silver to prevent bacterial growth, but even if silver is present it is important not to leave water standing in the jug for more than a day, as there can be a build-up of bacteria. These are not usually harmful species, but it is wise to be careful. The top part of the jug should be cleaned out once a week. Jug filters without silver cannot be recommended. To discover if the filters do contain silver, you will probably have to write to the manufacturer.

In areas with hard water, the filter may not last as long as the manufacturer claims. However, the activated carbon element should go on working after the ion-exchange resin is saturated with calcium carbonate. So you should continue to get chlorine removal, even if the kettle furs up slightly.

Plumbed-in filters using activated carbon are intended to remove much more from the water than jug filters. They contain far more carbon, and it is generally of a higher quality. Most of these filters do not contain ion-exchange resins, so they do not remove hardness from the water, nor do they take out

metals such as lead. But for anyone whose main problem is chemical sensitivity, they are a good choice. (Lead is only really a problem in areas with soft water.)

A high quality filter of this type will cost between £100 and £200, but the filter should last for several years. The actual running costs work out at between 3 pence and 5 pence per gallon, quite a lot cheaper than the jug filters. (Reverse osmosis units usually cost £300 or more. Once this outlay has been made, the running cost, in terms of replacing filters and membranes, is about 3 or 4 pence per gallon).

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This often happens during the first few days of die exclusion phase, and it is generally considered a good sign. These ‘withdrawal symptoms’ are seen in many food-sensitive patients and seem to be caused by suddenly cutting out the offending food. They should pass by the end of the first week.

If you continue to feel worse after about eight days, then it may be that one of the rare or unusual foods you have included in your diet is affecting you. If you are eating buckwheat, cut this out for a few days – it can cause both food allergy and false-food allergy in susceptible people. If this produces no improvement, then cut out all other rare foods at once, and see how you are. Should you continue to have symptoms, go back to the ‘healthy eating’ diet and reconsider other possibilities.

Feeling a little worse

This may be a mild version of the withdrawal symptoms, but if it persists after seven days, then it is something else. One possibility is that you were somewhat undernourished to start with and the diet has made things worse. If you think this is likely, go back to the healthy eating’ diet and take a nutritional supplement . Stay on this regime for a couple of months to try to recover your general health. Then try the Stage 3 diet again.

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Diet and drugs

Since commonly eaten foods are the most frequent offenders in food intolerance, varying the diet is recommended. In particular, try to avoid eating milk and wheat too often – try to restrict these foods to just one meal a day. Avoid eating large quantities of the other high-risk foods, notably eggs, orange juice and peanuts. Never consume huge quantities of a particular food at one sitting – sausage-eating competitions are not for you.

Try to cut down on the number of cups of tea and coffee you drink each day, and to make them a little weaker. The evils of caffeine are listed on pl59, and both drinks contain a variety of other chemical constituents that can irritate the stomach lining or cause changes in the body chemistry.

Avoid anything that increases the permeability of the gut wall: excess alcohol, highly spiced food, raw pineapple and papaya (pawpaw). Certain drugs also make the gut more leaky, notably aspirin and other drugs of a similar type – these are used mainly for treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, period pains and headaches. You should only take these if you really need them.

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One study carried out in Canada showed that 20 per cent of cases could be attributed to true IgE-mediated allergy to food. From the case-histories compiled by allergists treating such children, it seems that most are sensitive to a great variety of things, including pollens, house dust, food additives and household chemicals. So it may be that IgE-mediated allergy plays a role in more than 20 per cent of cases, when other types of allergen, besides food, are taken into account.

Hyperkinetic children may also have deficiencies in certain enzymes that break down toxic compounds found in food, or produced by bacteria in the gut. It is quite probable that both IgE and enzyme deficiencies are important in causing the symptoms.

The role of food colourings, preservatives and other additives in hyperkinetic syndrome has received a lot of publicity. This idea was first put forward by Dr Ben Feingold of San Francisco, who also suggested that aspirin might be to blame, along with naturally-occurring salicylates (aspirin-like compounds) in fruits and vegetables. His diet excluded all these items and he claimed that 70 per cent of children improved considerably on this regime. Subsequent studies have not endorsed this, but they seem to show that there is a more modest level of improvement. For a small percentage of children, the Fein-gold diet makes a dramatic difference.

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In 1921, two German scientists, Carl Prausnitz and Heinz Kustner, showed that something in the blood could reproduce such reactions. Kustner was sensitive to fish and developed urticaria, or nettle-rash, soon after eating it. A small amount of blood serum from Kustner was injected into Prausnitz’s arm. The next day fish extract was injected into the skin at the same spot and produced a red, itchy bump. When tested previously, there had been no such reaction. The two scientists gave the name reagin to the unknown component in the blood that had caused the reaction in Prausnitz.

The test became known as the Prausnitz-Kustner test, or passive transfer test, and was at one time used in diagnosing allergies. (The only reason it is no longer used is that there is a risk of transferring viral infections such as hepatitis and AIDS.) Progress thereafter was slow, and it was over 40 years before scientists could say exactly what ‘reagin’ was. The breakthrough came in the 1960s, the result of painstaking research work by a Japanese husband-and-wife team, Kimishige and Teruko Ishizaka, working in the United States. They discovered that reagin is a type of antibody, now known as IgE.

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The recommended daily intake of calcium is as follows:

Foods Rich in Calcium

Broccoli, watercress, soya, nuts, figs, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, parsley and molasses are rich sources of calcium. Other good sources include most green leafy vegetables, beans and pulses, and carob powder.

White bread and other foods made of white flour are moderately good sources of calcium, but wholemeal bread is a poor source of calcium, containing phytic acid which interferes with calcium absorption. Spinach contains a high level of calcium but also contains oxalic acid which renders most of the calcium unab-sorbable. The bones of fish in canned fish are high in calcium, but it is disputed whether calcium eaten in that form is absorbed by the body.

It is possible, even on a rotation diet, to keep up calcium levels by eating a variety of calcium-rich foods. In particular, it is useful to eat dried fruit, nuts and seeds as snacks, and to use garnishes of sesame seed, sunflower seed and parsley on salads and casseroles. Use tahini in salad dressing. You can use nut spreads and nut milks in soups and stews making nut milks). Use carob, molasses, dried fruit, seeds and nuts in biscuits or cakes.

Milligrams per day

Adult men and women 500

Pregnant and breastfeeding women 1200

Children: up to 1 year 600

1-8 years 500

9-14 years 700

15-17 years 600

500 1200 600 500 700 600

If the body has insufficient Vitamin D, calcium cannot be absorbed from the bloodstream. Vitamin D is formed naturally in the skin when exposed to sunlight and, if you encounter normal amounts of sunlight, you should have no deficiency at all. Fatty fish and fish liver oils are rich sources of Vitamin D, as are eggs, milk, butter, cheese and margarine (Vitamin D is added to the latter). Even if you have to leave any of these foods out of a special diet, you should have no problem with Vitamin D deficiency provided you are getting out of doors regularly.

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If you use an oasis as a means of testing whether you are chemically sensitive, set up the oasis and use only a minimum of common chemicals when you have to – outside the oasis if possible as well as inside. Wait for a week, and then reintroduce any chemicals you want to test, either using them outside the oasis, or bringing them in if you need to.

Having an oasis is also a way of handling tension within a household when other members want, or are obliged, to do things that upset the chemically sensitive member. If there is a rule that one room is a no-go area for certain activities, but that they are permitted elsewhere or outside the home, it helps defuse squabbles and emotional competition, especially between children.

The bedroom is usually the best place for an oasis, partly because most people spend so much of their lives there, and partly because it is usually recognised as a place for privacy and individual expression. If you share the room with a partner, or if a chemically sensitive child shares with a sibling, there may have to be a compromise on how far you go. If you have enough space in your home, you can also create an oasis living-room or playroom, in addition to the bedroom, but for most people, this is not feasible.

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The brand names of emulsion paints change frequently, as do the formulations in minor ways, so it is not easy to indicate specific paints. At the time of writing, Dulux and Crown both make their brand of simple vinyl matt emulsion called Vinyl Matt Emulsion which can be bought in most shops. Major chains such as B & Q or Do It All sell their own brand Vinyl Matt Emulsion. Ask for current Technical Data Sheets to check contents.

As general guidance when buying emulsion paint, look for as simple a paint as possible. Matt paints are generally better tolerated than others. Avoid paints which are said to be non-drip, easy-to-apply or one-coat, for they are likely to have higher vinyl content, to contain polyurethane or other chemicals, or even to contain solvents. Generally speaking, a simple, water-based vinyl matt emulsion, needing more than one coat (and usually cheaper) will be a better choice. Simple emulsions of this type are best not used in kitchens or bathrooms, or anywhere else where condensation levels are high. They offer less protection against damp, dirt, cooking residues and moulds. In these situations, either tile walls, or use a water-based satin paint such as Dulux Water-Based Satin which is suitable for these conditions.

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If you are exceptionally sensitive, you may notice particles or chemical traces on the filter media before the time that the manufacturer suggests for cleaning or change. If this happens, then change, wash or vacuum the filter as soon as you begin to notice anything.

If you have used a device in a particularly heavy atmosphere, or very intensively for a while, then change or clean the filter parts straightaway to remove the traces.

Even the strongest and most effective of the filters will not instantly remove fumes or chemical vapours when they arise. If someone smokes in a room when a filter is on, for instance, it will not prevent the smoke affecting you, but the filter should clear the fumes quickly and help prevent the residues clinging to surfaces.

Filters can also be very helpful after decorating or building works have been done, to clear chemical fumes more rapidly and thoroughly.

Most filters are designed to sit off the ground, and facing without obstruction into the space of the area they are meant to clear. They will not operate properly if the space around them is cluttered.

Some people find that the noise of a filter disturbs and irritates them. In this case, run the filter before you use a room to clear the air -leave it on at home whenever you are out, or in a bedroom during the day. Most devices are very economical on electricity and cost little to run. If the filter’s noise does not bother you, then run the filter as much as you want. Carry it around with you, from room to room, to work, out of the home, as much as you can.

Cooker hoods – extraction devices fitted over cookers – usually contain a layer of activated carbon. If you have one, it can help to remove fumes in the kitchen.

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