EiR Blog

by Anonymous Contributor We've all heard the saying "your health is your wealth". What does that really mean? Perhaps if I get healthy I will get wealthy? Maybe when I'm in great health that's all I will need in this world. Both statements are true. Your Health is your wealth. Let's dive in shall we. I was 24 years young, drinking monsters to stay up while working the graveyard shift at a local grocery store in El Paso, Texas. During the day I ate at my job, Whataburger. Between all the fast food and energy drinks I was feeling like CRAP, at the age of 24! I was tired, very tired, always tired, until one day I got tired of being tired. Sick and tired of being sick and tired. Well, believe it or not I wasn't always sick but you get the gist. I was always tired, not only from...

Many of those afflicted by environmental and / or invisible illness will have heard of Ashok Gupta or the Gupta Program he created. If you haven't, the Gupta Program is a form of brain retraining that focuses on re-wiring the limbic system (specifically, amygdala) within the brain using what's known as neuroplasticity; the ability of the brain to create new synaptic pathways. In this case the phenomena is used for creating pathways more conducive to health and recovery from complex multi-system illnesses. There is now much scientific and medical evidence that the likes of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) result from hyperactivity of the limbic system. Since this area of the brain is not under conscious control and is responsible for the fight or flight response (more accurately - fight-flight-freeze) and governs the hypothalamic-pitiutary-adrenal (HPA) axis, it is easy to see how hyperactive responses to stress,...

In 2000 I went through the horrible experience, as you no doubt have, of developing multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). It was a familiar story recounted by other 'MCSers' in which I first became sensitive to my family's deodorants and perfumes, I was just 21 at the time and still living at home. After that it was laundry detergent, fabric softener and my dad's cigarette smoke that lingered on his clothes. From that point on, over a period of around three months, I became sensitive to just about everything; all of the chemical products in the house, the gas hob / stove and central heating boiler fumes. I couldn't even escape to the outdoors as I eventually became sensitive to vehicle exhaust fumes and the scents worn by passers by. If you're reading this I have no doubt you can relate! This is not a blog about my struggles and suffering...

The Dynamic Neural Retraining System™ (DNRS™) is a therapy program initially aimed at sufferers of environmental and invisible illnesses such as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia, of which Founder Annie Hopper was one, but which has also been found to be helpful to those with a wide variety of conditions. The aim of the program is to "rewire" the limbic system of the brain to get to the root of illness, rather than simply chasing symptoms as medications and other interventions usually do. The basis of this approach is neuroplasticity therapy, since as stated on the System's website (retrainingthebrain.com) it has been found that "the disorganization of neural networks that occur during trauma can cause deep protective mechanisms within the limbic system of the brain to fire more rapidly and inappropriately." The result of the above is a heightened chronic stress response that may affect many systems of the brain and body,...

For a decade or more now a number of therapies variously referred to as brain retraining programs, limbic system therapy or limbic system techniques, have become very popular in the treatment of environmental illness and invisible illnesses from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Yet often little is explained on program websites about what exactly is involved.     Thankfully, in the case of the Gupta Program (formerly known as The Amygdala Retraining Programme) a number of members here at The Environmental Illness Resource (EiR) who have been helped, or even recovered, by using Ashok Gupta's techniques have been kind enough to share point by point descriptions of the program in our forums.  The program comes in the form of a DVD series available for shipping worldwide, although Ashok also conducts seminars and personal one-on-one sessions to help patients through the program.  In our forums you will find accounts...

For those coping with chronic neuroimmune disease, everyday tasks can be much more difficult and exhausting. Not only do these diseases cause painful, irritating symptoms, but having to explain and excuse them can take an emotional toll. If you’re someone who is dealing with a chronic immune deficiency or disease, making sure that you’re prepared to deal with flare-ups and awkward situations is a critical part of living your life. While it’s not always convenient, taking little steps to prepare for flare ups can soothe your symptoms, social life, and any anxiety that comes with coping.   Building a Toolkit   Immune diseases can manifest themselves in a broad variety of ways, and symptoms look different for every person. If you’ve been living with a disease for a longer period of time, you’re probably aware of the triggers that can cause issues for you, and knowing is half the battle....

Chronic sinusitis is an extremely common and troublesome condition, yet symptoms are often dismissed as being due to the common cold or a bout of flu, even by medical doctors! The suggested treatment simply rest and painkillers... I became interested in finding out more about chronic sinusitis and how best to treat it after becoming suspicious my wife was suffering from the condition. She was developing the telltale symptoms every month or two, and despite working as a teacher in a school where viral infections frequently infect much of the staff and student body, I couldn't believe she was catching every single infection going - every time. Things began to fall into place when I read a highlighted statement on the website SinusitisWellness.com run by sinus specialist, Donald Dennis, M.D. The statement reads: "We believe the true cause of chronic sinusitis is an allergic reaction to MOLD. This has been...

Mold and the illness it causes can be hugely stubborn to get rid of unless an appropriate and comprehensive protocol is put in place. That's not to say this needs to be a complicated or difficult process however. In this article you will learn of 5 simple steps you can take to get on top of the problem for good! To me it seems logical that if you want to treat mold-related illnesses such as chronic sinusitis, you first need to ensure your home environment, work (as much as possible) and even your car are free from mold so you are not constantly re-exposing yourself and/or your family to the source of your ill-health. None of us want to waste money on products that simply treat our recurring symptoms before the root cause of our illness is addressed, do we? This type of approach is also prudent for other environmental and...

Being a homeowner is never easy, especially when you're dealing with chronic illness, and the last thing you need are major unexpected problems. Unfortunately, that's exactly what my wife and I suffered recently when a central heating pipe burst and flooded our main living room. Aside from the immediate inconvenience of moving bulky furniture and fixing the leak, I soon began to worry about other consequences, particularly the possibility of persistent mold growth and the potential consequences for our health. Mold and its spores are nothing to be sniffed at - excuse the pun! As a study published in the journal Environment International explains, exposure to these mycotoxins has been linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver disease and immunosuppression. The last of these includes illnesses such as chronic sinusitis, which my wife suffers from (and is currently treating with the Breathe Easy Kit), and possibly chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) which I have lived with for 25 years; in...

As regular readers will be aware, I was unlucky enough to be struck down with a chronic illness as severe and life-changing as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) at the age of just 11 years old. But was it really just "bad luck" or did environmental factors - specifically toxic mold exposure - play a role? This is something I've been considering carefully lately and wish to share with you.  Being just a child at the time, I obviously wasn't concerned with the "hows and whys" of what caused this annoying and frustrating illness, or the ramifications it would ultimately have for me and my family. All I wanted was my family doctor to give me some medicine to cure whatever was wrong. He had of course done so many times before for the recurrent ear, nose and throat infections I'd experienced growing up (mold-related themselves perhaps?). Surely I'd be back riding my BMX on the...

Anyone who suffers from myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) will have been delighted to see news last week that reliable biomarkers for the disease had finally been found. Essentially, researchers at Columbia University have pinpointed changes in immune function that go a long way to proving once and for all that the illness once dismissively dubbed 'Yuppie Flu' is most certainly a physical, biological illness rather than a psychological disorder. Something any sufferer knows to be the case all too well from the moment it cruelly turns their lives upside down. The key point that makes this study so important is that it was conducted on a large scale with 298 ME/CFS patients involved. In medical science this gives the findings a huge amount of credibility and reliability. It means the findings cannot be ignored and should lead to greater funding from both governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and charities for future research and education....

Seasonal Affective Disorder (known widely by the appropriate acronym - SAD)  is a form of clinical depression associated with late autumn and winter and thought to be caused by a lack of light. It’s estimated to affect 10 million Americans, with another 1-2 million Americans suffering from a milder form, often referred to as 'the winter blues' - making it extremely common, affecting 1 in every 30 people in the United States. The signs and symptoms of SAD are almost identical to those of clinically diagnosed major deppression with the difference being that those affected by SAD generally experience a gradual worsening and then resolution of their symptoms as the seasons change and with them the amount of light and sun exposure.  Symptoms of SAD Feelings of Sadness and Despair Irritability Crying Spells Poor Sleep Tiredness & Fatigue Body Aches Trouble Concentrating Lack of Motivation Loss of Sex Drive Overeating...

Dear Friends, Over the past 10 years I have grown used to writing for The Environmental Illness Resource with the aim of helping all of you out there, who like me, have had your lives turned upside down by environmental and invisible illnesses. Today I must take my turn and ask you for your help.  For those who might be unaware, I (Matthew "maff" Hogg) have designed, built, maintained and written the majority of the thousands of pages of content on the site entirely by myself. People often email me saying they thought the site was run by a group of volunteers or a company, but no, it's just me! With over 3000 people having registered on the site and a database of over 8000 pages you can imagine that it's a lot for one guy with ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (and the rest!) to handle alone. I can "get by" with the technical side of the site but I...

When I started to see the supermarket shelves stocked full with new green Coca-Cola bottles branded with the name 'Life' towards the end of last year, and moreover seeing that it used the natural plant-based sweetener stevia (steviol glycosides), I was all set to heap praise on The Coca-Cola Company. I even purchased a few of the products right there and then with this positive intent and planned try to this new "healthy" Coke for myself. Sadly when I got home and actually read the label, there was a nasty surprise. Admittedly, as a health conscious consumer I should have checked the label before making the purchase; perhaps I was in shock that a major producer of traditionally highly sugary drinks was even aware of stevia! In any case, my impulse buy led me to the discovery that rather than being a cola drink sweetened purely by natural means - the misleadingly named Coca-Cola...

With us now a couple of weeks into another year I'm sure many of you have made New Year's resolutions and begun putting them into action. While some of you will no doubt have given up already, right? You won't be alone! But I digress. I thought today I'd draw your attention to the fact that while resolutions are always made with the best of intentions some may actually do more harm than good in terms of those relating to health. Since the most popular New Year's resolutions tend to focus on health and lifestyle changes such as losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising more and eating a more healthy diet (Time Magazine) - it's a good idea to make sure what you're doing (or planning on doing) is actually going to achieve your goals in a safe and healthy way. So let's look at five of the most common resolutions and how...

As most people are looking forward to Christmas and the Holiday period with the promise of plenty of festive cheer with family and friends, the mere thought of it can send those of us affected by chronic illness into a panic. As a child and teenager suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) I still throughly enjoyed Christmas and New year's celebrations, after all what kid doesn't love opening gifts and gobbling down festive feasts? As an adult things are rather different and dealing with the fatigue, pain and other symptoms of chronic illness during the Holidays can cause a lot of stress and really get you down...if you let it. This year however, I am determined to find as many reasons as possible to be cheerful and to enjoy the next few weeks to the fullest! I know everyone has different health concerns and different circumstances but I hope you can all...

There's almost a month to go until 2015 but I'm so excited about what I have planned for next year, both here at The Environmental Illness Resource (EiR) and a major new project, that I couldn't wait to tell you all about it! Firstly, it's been a while since I've had the chance to write for EiR other than the odd forum post or comment here and there that I'm just happy to be back doing so. Other things have been occupying me over the past year, not least purchasing my first house with my partner and more recently getting engaged. Not that I am blaming my fiancee for keeping me away of course, that would just land me in trouble... I also spent a large part of 2014 being what I can only describe as "messed around" by various international media organisations - but I won't go into the details...

I have posted on the benefits of high dose vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) with regard to reducing the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) before. Those of us living at high northern latitudes as I do in the UK, or indeed in lower southern latitudes, are particularly susceptible to SAD. This is not simply do to a lack of natural light but also it seems as a result of insufficient vitamin D which plays a key role in many important metabolic pathways throughout the body, including regulating the production of serotonin, melatonin and many other neurotransmitters and hormones that are vital for positive and stable moods.

Anyway, to the point of this post! In previous years I have taken vitamin D3 (the form produced in the skin during sun exposure) in a single high weekly dose of 25,000IU. I found however that this produced peaks and troughs in my mood with an initial significant brightening followed by a noticeable tailing off after 3-4 days.

I first read about the drug nimodipine (Nimotop) being used in very small dosages to treat chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and related 'environmental', or 'invisible' illnesses (e.g. fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity) over a decade ago. Looking back I am not sure what prompted me to cast it aside so easily as a treatment option but this is what I did. I think perhaps I was more focused on resolving my gut dysbiosis issues which I saw (and still see) as the main driver of my ill-health. I also was more averse to opting for pharmaceutical interventions than I am now. Regardless, after reading of the recoveries of Dr. Mason-Brown MD and psychologist Dr. Kristina Downing-Orr in the latter's book Beating Chronic Fatigue using nimodopine as the basis, I have decided it is time to give it a shot. In the intervening period since reading about nimodipine use in ME/CFS I...

Environmental Health Perspectives recently drew attention to a controversial statement released by the largest general scientific organization in the world - The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) - which asserted that GM crops are completely safe and no labeling of GM foods and food products is required. In response to this the environmental and consumer health information group published both the AAAS statement and a counter argument written by Patricia Hunt, PhD, of Washington State University and co-signed by 20 prominent scientists from fields including environmental health sciences and medicine. This set up a very informative and enlightening yes/no debate on whether or not foods containing GM ingredients should be clearly labeled as such. I would urge every health and diet-conscious reader to take a look at the full texts of the statements over at the Environmental Health Perspectives website. Below are the opening statements from both...