Guest Blogger

Guest Blog: A message from Kikilani about her initial experience with Gupta’s MCS recovery program

Dec 042011

As a certified traditional naturopath, I know every part of the body is connected to every other part. So if I “fix” one part, it spills over to all other parts. I have always taught that we only need to get in balance, not be perfect, in order to be well.

Kohala, a favorite spot in Hawaii.

By guest blogger Kikilani, a certified traditional naturopath and one of The Canary Report’s “Mother Hens.”

When Susie told me about her progress on the Gupta Multiple Chemical Sensitivity recovery program I thought she was nuts, maybe delusional. Ha ha. I thought, “Yah, she is better today, but when she crashes (don’t read this, Susie, or if you do, say stop-stop-stop!) then she’ll see you can’t fully recover from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.” But I met her in person in Hawaii last month so I got to hear it and see it firsthand. She is well! Really well! Amazing.

My process with the Gupta program was a bit different than hers. She got the Gupta DVDs and intensely practiced the techniques for many hours, then saw results. I watched Ashok Gupta’s YouTube videos while I was communicating with Susie and reading other posts about the program. I was soooooo skeptical. I was really negative, so sure MCS could not go away. But once I watched all three hours online, I understood the concept behind Gupta’s treatment. I have a degree in psychology and have meditated for 40 years. I also am a certified traditional naturopath (ND). All this education and practice made it obvious to me what Gupta was getting at. He helped me observe and recognize my inner dialog that was so negative. It was incessant. I was always looking for the next “hit” and figuring out how to “flee,” classic amygdala thoughts. I also was a Science of Mind minister in my youth, so am well versed in “positive thinking.” But I still was sick. The first in-bed experience I had was at 35 years of age after a few years of intense pressure in my life. It has never totally gone away since then.

After listening to Ashok Gupta’s videos and looking at my thinking, including my fears, I realized I just needed to tell my brain I am safe, I am ok, I am cared for, I am protected, etc. I would hold my hand over my kidney meridian (the seat of fear) and affirm these statements from a quiet inner place. I kept doing this for hours until my emotions calmed down. Within days, my MCS symptoms calmed down. Within a week I was able to take a trip on a plane to Hawaii (a trip I had been dreading) and I didn’t get sick! There is vog in Kona from the active volcano and I didn’t get sick from that. Then I noticed the diesel on the highway wasn’t making me sick and then a friend hugged me and she had perfume on and I didn’t get sick.

After I arrived in Hawaii, I ordered Gupta’s DVDs. When they arrived my fiancé and I watched them together each night. We’d discuss them and I practiced the main amygdala retraining technique incessantly, like Susie, for hours at a time. Within a week I noticed my negative thinking reduced by a lot, maybe half. With Susie’s example of taking time off work, I took off from my work and any obligations so I could practice. By the end of my second week, I had very few negative thoughts about symptoms. I was getting good at interrupting them. This has been such a blessing because my mind has about driven me mad at times in spite of my best efforts. As Ashok Gupta writes, “The amygdala will also over-stimulate the brain, causing repetitive negative thoughts and feelings about the reactions, which themselves become hardwired into the brain. This reinforces the vicious cycles.”

I am now on my 5th week and I have now tackled the non-symptom thoughts. This is much more of a challenge for me because it is a bigger chunk of my thinking.

It has helped greatly to be able to disconnect from life to work on this. I have even had to interrupt discussions with people where I could start to feel my amygdala/adrenals going off. I offended a few people at the beginning by telling them to “stop.” It is totally out of character for me. This has created a safe space for me to let my nervous system calm down.

It has also been very helpful to have my partner’s help and support and Susie’s support. We have laughed over the fact that this is such a huge life changing event that there is a re-integration time. None of us are very good at being healthy. It has been outside of my experience for over 30 years. And even before that, as a girl, I had lots of problems because they sprayed our farm with DDT often and I got doused.

I am not sure how to proceed with communicating my Gupta experience to the MCS community. I want to honor everyone who is doing all those creative things we have all done to get better. I have no intention of making anyone wrong. At the same time, I want to celebrate being well, to grow in my understanding, to accept of a new life, and continue my commitment to service to help others become as well as possible.

To say there is anything wrong with a protocol, any protocol, is not what we are here for. I made the same remarks to myself when Susie first said she was better! If my partner had not insisted I get the Gupta DVDs and do the program with him, I might not have tried it.

I also would never tell someone to quit their supplement protocol (I am still on mine) or stop being cautious with chemicals. An over exposure can kill a person. So that is a reality check. At the same time, I want to live a free and happy life with a brain that works and is not fogged out all the time. I also want a body that is not in pain constantly, and energy to do the constructive things I need to do. The past few years, I have been so ill that my businesses have suffered greatly. I need to get my life back in order.

I’d like to add that I think my background has contributed to my quick success with this program. It didn’t take much of a stretch for me to put the pieces of training I have had together with Gupta’s process.

I cannot say I totally understand what has changed in my body. As an ND, I know every part of the body is connected to every other part. So if I “fix” one part, it spills over to all other parts. I have always taught that we only need to get in balance, not be perfect, in order to be well… like there is a “tipping point” we need to get on the other side of.

I don’t see the amygdala issue as being psychological. It is hard wiring. It is how our nervous system has been conditioned to work. Calming the amygdala is perhaps essential, I would guess, in all diseases. Of course it would be over stimulated when one is chronically ill. Makes me think of a friend who is a special effects designer who has been contracted to design peaceful environments in surgical rooms so the doctors, staff, and patients have a more positive experience.

I want everyone to know how much I appreciate your sharing. It has made a huge difference in my life. I just hope now that I am better that I can still be of some help.

Kikilani

~~~

“Kikilani” is a certified traditional naturopath (ND). Naturopathic medicine is based on the belief that the human body has an innate healing ability, and naturopathic doctors teach their patients to use diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and natural therapies to enhance their bodies’ ability to ward off and combat disease. Arriving to Our Canary Report community in great need of support for her own MCS challenges, Kikilani found the camaraderie of like minded canaries made her feel less alone. She enjoys paying it forward by connecting with and helping others on Our Canary Report forum (now on hiatus while Susie does the Gupta program).

This post was originally published on the forum at MCS News Australia.

Guest Blog: Working to change policy about the use of toxic chemicals at my son’s daycare facility

Posted by Guest Blogger

Sep 252011

Following a presentation about toxic cleaning products I made to the board of the daycare, they decided to adopt the Toronto District School Board’s Scented Products Awareness Program. But there is still more change needed to make the facility a truly nontoxic and safe place.

By guest blogger Nancy in Toronto.

When my family toured my son’s new daycare at the end of the summer 2010, I spied dryer sheets in the laundry room attached to the preschool room. At the time, I figured that if the daycare stopped using the dryer sheets, I would be comfortable sending my child to the program.

But after the dryer sheets were taken out of the classroom, my son still came home with so much chemical fragrance in his hair and on his clothes that it literally made me sick to have him sit on my lap. I was worried about what the health risks were for him being in that environment all day.

After some mostly promising and then progressively colder back-and-forth emails, the president of the board of the daycare asked me to speak to the board about my concerns about chemical cleaning products and personal care products in the classroom.

I decided to do a presentation and in my research, I learned that the science was already there identifying the risks that chemicals pose to children (including cancer, learning problems and aggression problems). As well, it was a surprise to learn that 100% plant-based products designed for the commercial/institutional setting are already available and that they cost less locally than the products currently in use at the daycare.

There was no quorum at the board meeting where I was asked to speak, but I spoke informally to the people that were there. I was not provided with the date of the board meeting where the matter was finally discussed, however, as a result of my presentation, I was informed that the daycare board made the decision to, as they phrased it, “go green.” They tasked the daycare director to choose a brand for the first four target products and, within a few months, an order was placed for Ecomax Laundry Wash and Hand Cleanser.

Despite the changes, my son was still on occasion coming home with fragrance in his hair and on his clothes, and on some days the classroom still had a heavy smell. Sure enough, one day I asked about it and let my nose sniff around and it turned out that one of the teachers was wearing perfume. The conversation deteriorated quickly and soon enough I got a nasty email. I replied by drawing their attention to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Scented Products Awareness Program, the Environmental Working Group’s 50- page report on perfume and toxicity , and a one hour lecture on childhood cancer:

In response, the daycare decided to adopt the TDSB’s Scented Products Awareness Program. This program promotes voluntary compliance with scent reduction, including avoiding scented products and scented laundry products. The board members told me very clearly, however, that this may not be the daycare for my family. I was also aggressively told at the same meeting that for this board, “green” means the adoption of the products I focused on in my presentation, and that they would not be doing anything more. I proposed they make use of an environmental health checklist put out by a reputable group based in Toronto and they said very quickly “no” without putting the matter to a vote.

The board also advised me they would not be spending any time on the matter, would not form a committee to look at environmental health issues (which I’ve been asking for since my first communication and offered to lead), and would not make the landslide of decisions that would be necessary on the “green” path, simply because it would involve a lot of work. They stated flat out that for the most part people don’t care (they said most certainly people don’t care about preventing cancer or learning problems). They said that this is not “that kind” of daycare, and that I am the only parent who has ever expressed any concern like this.

The daycare has elected a new board and I have now asked them to reduce the chemicals in the daycare menu:

Step one: eliminate food colouring.
Step two: eliminate other additives.
Step three: reduce pesticides by avoiding the Dirty Dozen and taking advantage of resources such as purchasing organic food in bulk from the Ontario Natural Food Coop and Foodshare.

This time I did as much research as possible in finding economical alternatives before raising the topic and I have received an enthusiastic response from the very person who seemed least supportive last time around. I am sure this wave of change will take several months, but I feel good about lessening my own child’s risk of developing disorders like Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and diseases like cancer and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

Click here to view a PDF of my presentation to the daycare board about cleaning products.

Nancy in Toronto

Photo by Kirsten Jennings.

Guest Blog: More camping tips: safe tents, potties, and showers

Posted by Guest Blogger

Sep 232011

Here are a few more tips about what I use and what I’ve learned about tents and camping.

By guest blogger Jen.

Wenzel tent

Susie posted my first blog about camping tips on The Canary Report a few weeks ago: Camping tips for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I got feedback and am here adding some further insight and tips.

A friend with mold illness and MCS has gone camping, and writes me the first week: “I love the meadow I am in… I feel so very good there… so happy… I literally wake up all through the night just to breathe in the magnificent air… it is clean, so very clean and pure. I can feel it in my lungs and body… I forgot how clean air is supposed to smell and feel.I could heal here…”

This is the point, isn’t it? We’ve forgotten the magnificence of beautiful, clean air, our birthright, air so good we want to wake up just to breathe it in deeply before going back to sleep. We are living in a very unnatural way, imo. And if a person with mold illness and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is in a tough situation, they will 1) feel very depressed, by virtue of the toxic chemicals they are being exposed to actually physiologically affecting their brain function and 2) feel very sick, and really not believe they could get so much better… fear and disbelief are two barriers.

Another friend with mold illness and MCS/Electromagnetic Frequency Sensitivity (EMF), who has been on the road in search of safe housing for about a year now (unable to find any yet, even so-called MCS-safe housing advertised as such to our community), and often as not sleeping in his car, writes, “Your Northface idea was spot on! I bought one… I can’t believe how I am tolerating the tent… it is really not too smelly! Thank you!!!! A visiting MCS friend was so impressed she went out and bought one too!” Until then he was convinced he could not tolerate a tent. I had recommended the Northface backpacking tent with all mesh uncoated walls (the Flint).

This is very encouraging—and yet, I also heard from EI’s saying they could not find a safe tent, that they had tents they had tried to offgas for years and could not tolerate a tent and that was that. They were either staying in unsafe housing and remaining very sick, or sleeping in their vehicles. This is not always such a good idea. The possibility of contamination or mold is higher, if you sleep in your vehicle. You are going to have to maintain complete purity of your clothes, make sure to keep windows open with mosquito netting or your moisture and body heat could possibly get high enough to create mold in the ventilation system. A tent can be cleaned with soap and water. A vehicle is not so easy to clean, it’s a big job, but if you’re living in your vehicle some folks recommend at least a monthly thorough cleaning. You can’t use a space heater in a car but a very low watt infrared heater can be used with care in a tent. There are all kinds of issues with sleeping in a vehicle, especially if it’s parked in the wilderness, including critters wanting to sleep in there too… and a vehicle also generally has more toxic chemicals than a good tent anyway.

Safe Sleeping

Northface tent with mesh walls, or Mystical on a Wenzel pad, or bake and air out the Wenzel tent.

I want to report that Kristin used Mystical (a product that many people with Environmental Illness like, but we have no idea what is in it in terms of MSDS, so I’ve never used it) and soaked her Wenzel tent and it was fume-free after that.

Northface

Here’s the NorthfaceI have. It sets up in about two minutes literally.

I should note the rainfly may bother some, and might need to be baked out, but it’s pretty good as rainflies go. Obviously if you’re just going to sleep in the mesh the weather needs to be decent—with a good sleeping bag you could probably go down to the 40’s at night comfortably. Otherwise you are going to have to use a rainfly so you can keep in warmth.

If a rainfly really bothers you until it’s well baked out, or you want to sleep with the mesh in good weather but it rains occasionally, set up an a-line version of the silnylon tarp I mentioned in the last post. These tarps cost about $80, made by Equinox. Once again, nylon in general is a pretty good material as it doesn’t fume much. To set up an a-line tarp, you will need to string a nylon line between two trees, hang the tarp over it, and fasten the tarp. Here is one typical Youtube tutorial:

For those who don’t want to spend the money on a silynylon tarp, which scrunches up small when traveling, a walmart tarp does just as well, you just need to air it out first for a while.

There are other northface mesh tents as well. Big Agnes makes several too but I found them much more smelly than Northface. Even REI’s quarter and half dome are smellier though they are very nice tents (these are mesh tents).

Safe Potty

Folding toilet

Some EI’s said, “Well I can’t go camping because I can’t use campground bathrooms. I would get sick and be incapacitated.”

You don’t have to use campground bathrooms.

When a bathroom is stinky, I use an inert, hard plastic folding loo that folds up small, unfolds easily, and carries up to a 300 pound person. Reliance Products Fold-To-Go Collapsible Portable Toilet. I use it because it folds up small. If you are just going to use it quickly in your tent (with the rainfly on, or if you are in a private area), then I find that two regular black hefty garbage bags work fine. I use two just in case. Then tie them and dump them in the dump or garbage.

If you are going to use it longer, for instance setting up a privacy shelter and using the loo over a few days, you can also buy Cleanwaste WAG BAG Waste Bags – Package of 12.

Each degradable kit contains a WAG BAG waste bag, zip-close storage bag, toilet paper and hand wipe Disposal bags contain Poo Powder™ which quickly turns waste into a stable gel for easy transport and safe disposal Uses odor neutralizers, not perfumes, to eliminate unpleasant odors; decay catalyst initiates decomposition Environmentally friendly, landfill-approved WAG BAG waste bags can be disposed of in trash with regular garbage. Permitted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for use.

There are other portable toilets as well, such as a bucket, or if you can’t tolerate plastic, Texspro makes a folding steel loo. Another option is Store-A-Potty 72-Hour Emergency Toilet which when not being used as a toilet can be used as a bucket to wash clothes, or to store stuff in.

Privacy Shelter

Privy

There are all kinds of privacy shelters for your portable toilet. I wanted one that folded up really small. There is a cheap one on Amazon. I got a more expensive one that has pockets in which you can put sandbags or bricks, to hold it down if it’s a windy day. This is what I got: Outback Porta Privy. It folds up very small into a flat round case. It doesn’t smell horrible, it isn’t perfect either, may need some baking and airing if you’re super sensitive, then again, you’re only going to be in it for a short time. On the other hand, it is just polyester or nylon, not vinyl, so it isn’t really smelly.

Showers and Safe Washing

So, now you have a place to sleep and a toilet. What about staying clean?

One person also said they couldn’t use regular campground water because of chlorine (some are chlorinated, some are not, depending.) I prefer a filtered shower, but can handle regular water. Again your level of sensitivity will predict your needs.

Another person said spot bathing with a gallon of water in a bucket was her preferred method but she found it so exhausting she could not do it very often.

So here is my recommendation for the water sensitive—buy some filtered water (if you refill a gallon jug at Walmart or at other supermarkets, it’s about 35-37 cents a gallon. If you’re super sensitive to plastic and can’t possibly have water that was in plastic at all, then get yourself some glass jugs), and take a shower every few days, or filter water from your campsite if you have water and or water and electric. Two gallons is enough to take a nice shower the way I am going to explain it. A shower every few days, and a sponge bath the other days should be enough to keep you clean. Especially if you are sleeping in a tent, not your vehicle.

MSR Miniworks

For backup, or if you can’t get to Walmart or the supermarket to get the refill machine super purified, ozonated, reverse osmosis water (it’s good quality water), then get an MSR Filter, made by Cascade Designs, praised by campers everywhere. “MiniWorks EX microfilter is the worldwide best-selling microfilter, delivering long-lasting, field-maintainable water filtration in demanding environments. Engineered for frequent and heavy use, it utilizes our workhorse Marathon™ EX carbon/ceramic element to ensure clean, reliable and taste-free water.”

Okay, now you’ve got water. How do you take a shower?

Dromedary

Get a 10 liter MSR Dromedary bag. That’s 2 ½ gallons, and it’s black nylon with a food grade coating inside. You might not want to store water for days, but you will probably be able to tolerate a shower after the water has been in there a few hours. That is, if you want a hot shower. Because you just set it out in the sun, and since it’s black, the water will warm up quickly. In fact, water can get so hot as to burn you if you leave it out too long, so test the water before your shower. This bag is very tolerable right out of the box. It is so resilient it will last decades, supposedly. It also folds up small when not in use.

You will get the shower attachment as well. Any online place (campor, REI and other outlets) sells this dromedary bag in various sizes and the shower attachment as well. It can also be used to pour water in to do your dishes, other washing, or you can also get a smaller one as a hot water bottle. You’ll need to hang the bag from a tree, or a hook, or hold it up in your privacy shelter while sitting on your portable loo bucket inside, or a chair or stool.

So. You have a safe tent, safe shower, safe toilet, and safe water.

A final note: Safe Laundry

I do have a portable wonder washer and a portable countertop spin dryer. But over time I’ve just taken to simmering clothes in a large enamel Le Creuset pot (I don’t like stainless steel at all. It just isn’t high quality enough not to leach the metals into the water, and I can’t stand it). The pot is also useful for boiling new clothes that need to be detoxxed. A five minute simmer to clean clothes, then dump the water, and put in fresh clean water, with fresh lemon juice. That’s all I use.

If stuff is really dirty, then I will handwash with some Biokleen detergent (unscented). Generally, though, detergents tend to stay in clothes so I only do that every few weeks. If clothes get really grotty (one person said, her clothes got grotty living outside and made her look like a disenfranchised homeless person) I detox new clothes. I have a bunch of Maggie’s Organics tops, shorts, and cotton pants, and American Apparel sweats and hoodies as these detox pretty easily. If something gets really gross, I take a few sunny days when I have time, and detox a few new outfits. It does take time, but not that much “effort”—and then I just use a nylon laundry line that costs $2.99 at walmart, hang between trees, and sun dry. Nothing smells as good as clothes simmered in good water, with a lemon juice rinse, and sun dried. Once you have clothes that smell so good you like to bury your nose in them, you won’t really want to use detergents and washers.

Safe Energy

I will do another post later on energy. If you are off grid, you need solar. I have been advised about a folding solar panel and a nontoxic marine battery, but haven’t bought or tried them yet, so will advise later on. Generators are generally too smelly (gasoline) for people with Environmental Illness. And going off grid will allow you to get to really good, healing wilderness with very low EMF. Even those of us who do not consciously think we are EMF, will find it amazing how kinks melt out of the body and how deeply relaxed you may feel in low EMF wilderness. Then you will realize there is a low-level EMF reaction going on constantly, stimulating and overstimulating you in ways you had never suspected. What happens is the body gets used to it, and filters it out as “noise”—not useful information. But it affects us all nonetheless.

Letter: Fundraising campaign launched for documentary film about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and housing

Posted by Guest Blogger

Sep 122011

The film Homesick, now in post-production, is the first documentation of the long-term impact of healthier housing on people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

Letter to the Editor by Susan Abod, filmmaker.

Susan Abod

I’m excited to report that I’ve launched a campaign on Indegogo to fund the post production for my documentary film on MCS and housing “Homesick”– many years in the making.

Please visit my campaign at:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Homesick-2

Susan Abod

~~~

Info from Susan Abod’s website:

To film Homesick, Susan hit the road with her camerawoman, learning how people around the country who live with MCS find safe housing. She interviewed people from all walks of life; their living quarters ranged from a house on stilts to tents and a teepee. Filmed over a period of ten years, the film now includes follow-up interviews with the original subjects. The trailer has been screened at the Santa Fe Film Center and at the Santa Fe Center For Contemporary Art’s Megabytes 4 Festival, and has been viewed over 200,000 times on the Homesick website. Homesick is currently in post-production, with a 64-minute rough cut. We’re almost there, but we need $6,000 to record the soundtrack and complete the post-production for the film. We need your help for Susan to complete her epic journey!

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
Homesick gives a human face to a growing environmental peril, and it is the first documentation of the long-term impact of healthier housing on people with MCS. Safe, healthy housing is the primary health-care need of people living with MCS. It’s almost inevitable that anyone with significant chemical sensitivities will be either homeless or live in substandard housing at some point. Many people become homeless while searching for safe housing, and more than a few commit suicide as a direct result of not having access to safe housing. Finding or creating a safe home environment is extremely challenging, since most people with MCS have had to stop working and have limited financial resources. The impact of this film is not limited to those who suffer from MCS, because unhealthy housing affects us all. Lives may be lost if we do not finish this film.

Letter: Announcing a 10-week telephone workshop for people with environmental illness

Posted by Guest Blogger

Aug 182011

The 10 week group sessions will be led by Trish Callahan, MSSW, based on the principles described by Greg Baer in his book, Real Love – The Truth About Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships.

Letter to the Editor by Ciel Carter.

Workshop will be based on the principles described by Greg Baer in his book, Real Love - The Truth About Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships.

Hi Susie!

A friend of mine is about to conduct a professional, 10-week telephone workshop for people with environmental illness.

This is a unique opportunity for people living with environmental illness to come together to form a committed group for 10 weeks to support each other with the challenges we face each day.

The 10 week group sessions will be led by Trish Callahan, MSSW, based on the principles described by Greg Baer in his book, Real Love – The Truth About Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships. This book can be found in book stores, on amazon.com and on the website: reallove.com.

We will study a chapter of the book each week and practice telling the truth about ourselves so that we can learn to see, accept and unconditionally love ourselves and the people in our lives.

Trish: “I have been doing this work for 3 years, and while no program is a magic bullet, it is the most powerful tool I have found for dealing with the fear and isolation of environmental illness. Learning to find unconditional love for ourselves the way we are increases feelings of happiness, and feeling more connectedness to others reduces stress. This has allowed me to better handle life’s challenges and even helps to reduce my symptoms and sensitivities.”

Group dates and times: Mondays 9/5/11 – 11/7/11 @ 11 a.m. CST
Group fee: $125 if arranged by 8/20/11; $150 if received between 8/22/11 – 9/5/11

Please contact Trish with questions or to request alternative payment arrangements:

972-287-2224

Thanks. I really, really appreciate your help! Great web site you have, BTW. I’m on your mailing list and I look forward to those daily bits of info, advice and so on.

Ciel Carter

Guest Blog: Camping tips for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Posted by Guest Blogger

Aug 172011

Here’s what I use and what I’ve learned about tents and camping.

By Guest Blogger Jenn.

Side view of Wenzel tent.

Here’s what I use and what I’ve learned about tents and camping. The sources for the products I use are generally: amazon, rei.com, or campmor.com

Wenzel. This is a cheap tent. For longer term buy better.

Wenzel brand tent. This is a cheap tent. For longer term buy better.

I go light. I recommend the Wenzel black and yellow tent on campmor.com for $44.95 to start because you may not like camping so why spend more. It offgasses fairly quickly as there’s so much mesh. The rainfly takes longer.

I just bought an even smaller Northface 2 person backpacking tent, all mesh. Has a very good rainfly. It really doesn’t fume much at all. Haven’t used it yet though, just sunning it from time to time. It takes about 3 minutes to set up. It’s so easy. You aren’t going to put much in it. If you want a tent you can have a chair, table, etc, that’s a whole different thing. To me, setting up easily is key.

Get 02cool plastic fans (assuming you tolerate normal plastic which I do), battery operated, small, at Walmart. Two D batteries. Get a few. It’s not that you won’t have electric at some sites but it’s nice to have those to carry around anywhere like a picnic shelter if you want to get on your laptop.

Alps mountaineering inflatable seat rolls up small.

Get Alps mountaineering inflatable “seats.” They roll up very small. You can put them on anything–a picnic table bench, a rock, the back of a hard chair. Very comfy. I use them as “tables” at night in my tent. Carry a few with you. They seem nontoxic to me but everybody is an individual with their own sensitivities.

Get a few blue/silver tarps from Walmart, sun them for a while (for me its only a few hours) to get the fumes off. These can be useful for lots of things. For tarping a tent against rain. For placing over stuff to protect it from rain. For using under your tent if you don’t have a footprint.

Equinox silnylon tarp airing out.

Get an Equinox silynylon tarp. Needs some sunning/airing but not too fumey. They squinch up very very small into a sack. These have grommets ties and everything and have multiple uses from shelters of all kinds to anything even a picnic talbe cover. They are expensive.

Get a really good insulated cooler with a drainspout for draining water so everything doesn’t get waterloged with melting ice. We have a Coleman extreme marine cooler from amazon. If you are going to be away from ice for a few days, buy some dry ice, put it on the bottom, then put the ice on top, then put plastic on top of the ice, and then your food. The dry ice will freeze the ice. Less air in your cooler, better refrigeration also.

Osceola national forest Florida

If you decide you really are going to camp for a while or use it frequently for detox, and have the money, get an Engel freezer. They run around $700. They seem very nontoxic, I think I got a 24 quart or something like that. Fits on a seat in your car/truck. Works off the cigarette lighter for as long as 36 hours. Also works on electric. Very low amp doesn’t seem to have much EMF. Being able to shop at a good health food store for all you need and freeze it is great. I still have pastured grassfed beef frozen in there from a store that was unusual in carrying that locally. Best tasting meat I’d had in a long while.

You might also get a Vitamix. I don’t regret it. I make green smoothies and freeze them and put them into the Engel. So I get a bunch of dandelion, parsley, romaine, spinach, all organic, put in some fruit too, and make some green smoothie and freeze a couple small glass containers. It’s really healthy and very appreciated on the road when you don’t have time or energy.

Evening sky seen from inside tent.

I use Thermarest mats and find them nontoxic. To roll them up you kneel on them folded one way then the other then you can even suck the air out. You can roll them up very small, or if not do the best you can they come in a good sack. I used to use two now I use one.

For pillow, I actually use an alpaca/wool pillow.

I bought a sleeping bag that was hanging in Dick’s sporting goods and already toxed off. I also use wool blankets. I use Sierra Trading Post wool “throws” that are from Johnston’s of Elgin on sale now, about $50 each.

I didn’t have a sheet, now at REI I bought a silk “sleeping bag” liner sheet that seems pretty nontoxic but will need a boil, haven’t had time.

I have a 400 watt quartz infrared space heater I have used, though in the northface it’s so small I don’t know if that will be safe. Have used in the winter. Really made a big difference. Could sleep comfortably in 25 degree weather.

I have always used microwavable rice filled “bed buddies” (I empty out the store rice and put in my own rice as the bed buddy comes with chemically soaked rice) as I like heat to relax me to go to sleep. Instead of that, I use Thermacare for back pain. They are in Walgreens, Walmart etc. About $6 for two. That means $3 a night. But it’s just an indulgence. They heat up on their own–metal rounds that are in some kind of gauze. It seems totally nontoxic to me. I will lay it on me at night to give me warmth and relaxation. That would also help keep you warmer in your sleeping bag. If you are camping in high altitude cold weather you will also want layers–wool and silk not cotton.

I tolerate plastic pretty well–plastic bags etc. I’ve made liberal use of plastic bags to wrap smelly things, seal things, etc. Something contaminated or cross contaminated is no fun. I also buy Uhaul 45 gallon bags. They are great for wrapping up important stuff.

$19 gizmo at walmart plays my iPod music on speakers.

AirCard.

Marpac sound machine to drown out other campers, noise, traffic, birds etc. Buy the battery pak in case you’re not around electric.

Clean water is an issue. I’ve given up worrying about bisphenol A at this time, and often buy spring water in gallon bottles to cook with. I also wash my clothes with that. I won’t use campground water–it can have chlorine or be too hard with minerals. I’ll use that to wash my dishes. I have also decided to drink aqua panna which I get at publix. Its expensive but its my concession to not having a water filter.

I have a Wonder Washer and a portable spin dryer. I did use these a lot at first, but I found it’s easier to just simmer my clothes in bottled water in a Le Creuset enamel pot. They range from $60-$100 depending on the size. A large one handles most stuff. Once it has boiled/simmmered for a few minutes I dump the water, put in fresh water which immediately heats up on its own from the hot pot, but doesn’t get boiling hot, and put in fresh lemon. I use fresh lemon for everything. On the very rare occasion I need to use detergent I still use Biokleen free and clear. I hate vinegar (the smell, I don’t think its necessarily toxic just hate the smell) and I don’t want to use baking soda on my clothes. If you don’t want to do what I do which is simplest the wonder washer is on Amazon and the spin dryer is from Laundry Alternatives. That gets out 95% of the water and then hanging clothes on the line will dry in about 30 minutes.

Get a laundry line–these yellow twine things with two plastic catches at either end, to make a laundry line around trees.

Get extra ties, bungee cords, and stuff just in case.

Buy a nylon hammock from Campmor–it seems really nontoxic, its parachute material. A bug net, and a hammock tarp so you can camp anywhere even uneven ground.

If ants are a problem get an Engel cooler it is so watertight–mine fell over in my truck yesterday upside down and not one drop of water came out and all the ice had melted. I got a small one for carrying around, Paul my partner carries our big Coleman.

Get numerous long extension cords, the heavy duty kind, and connectors.

Ozark trails chair folds up, back is adustable and clips to picnic bench seat.

For sitting comfortably at picnic tables either the Alps seat I mentioned, or you can get Ozark trail seats at Walmart–red or blue–seems nontoxic to me–it’s a kind of chair. It affixed to the bench–it’s a seat and a back, and you can adjust the back. Im sitting on one now. Ten times more comfortable than a bench.

I bought a mesh chair at Campmor that folds up small and has no arms. I couldn’t sand the fumey Walmart chairs and were cumbersome. I wanted something light and simple. Its great so I just ordered a second (spares are important in my life, if something breaks, I don’t have to worry). I also just bought two foldup stools, cloth seat, to use as tables, haven’t got them yet.

Birds in the shallows. Nature is inspiring!

Hammock ties are specially made and easier to use than rope which you have to knot correctly.

Water again–if you’re in the desert, be SURE you have water at all times.

Re: bears, we never really saw one, but one sniffed around our campground snorting away. We left . They want food. They are usually shy. Never run from a bear. I don’t think a whistle will help. Never look a wild animal in the eye either. If you see a bear, just stand for a moment, then calmly and slowly walk in the other direction. Generally bears do not kill unless something goes really wrong (starving?) or very scared.

Join this discussion on Our Canary Report network to read comments and contribute your thoughts!

Letter: I credit the Ashok Gupta Programme with my 80-90% recovery from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Posted by Guest Blogger

Aug 152011

Once I got past the light airy music, flowery introduction, and Ashok talking like he was addressing a dull 5-year-old, I saw some early positive results that led me to redouble my efforts.

Letter to the Editor by Erik Schimek.

Erik Schimek

I’ve had chemical sensitivities (also called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS) of increasing severity for 20 years. About four years ago, my symptoms became so bad that I isolated myself in the north woods.

I’ve studied MCS extensively for two decades, have seen dozens of doctors, and have tried just about every method of healing MCS available. None of these methods were as effective as the Gupta Programme, which I credit with my 80-90% recovery from MCS.

I learned about this program on Planet Thrive, and was very skeptical about it going in. Through discussions with others considering implementation of the program, I decided that there was little harm in spending $200 on a set of DVDs and trying the program out.

It took me 6 months to get past the light airy music, flowery introduction, and Ashok talking like he was addressing a dull 5-year-old (I found the program to be very off-putting). Once I got past that and began implementing the program, I saw some early positive results that led me to redouble my efforts. All told, beyond the initial 6 months of trying to talk myself into doing this silly new-age-looking program, it took me 14 months (2-3 hours per day).

This program is not easy. The best analogy I’ve come up with is that it’s like recovering from a stroke and learning to walk again, by watching a how-to DVD, and then doing all of the physical therapy on your own. (If you’re lucky, you get to talk to a nurse once a week for advice!) However, the program is effective when implemented even halfways or 1/4 of the way, it does not have to be implemented perfectly to derive benefit.

If you’re on the fence about the DVDs, I suggest you pick them up. Also, be sure to ask for a copy of the recent 90-minute session Ashok offered specifically on how his program relates to MCS. I found this to be very, very helpful.

Erik Schimek
Founder and President of Erik Organic

Letter: I wanted to thank you for your help and advice

Posted by Guest Blogger

Aug 082011

My friend Mary says she could not have won her hearing without your help, advice and website.

Letter to the Editor by Joyce Jallo.

Dear Susie,

I wanted to thank you for your help and advice for my friend Mary. She also wanted me to thank you. She just won the [social security disability insurance] hearing and now just has to wait for 4-6 months. Mary printed info off of your website and educated her doctor so her wonderful doctor wrote that she has Environmental Illness/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in her chart and with all of her records over the past 8-9 years, she won. She took your advice and quit work and had several meetings to make sure she would get enough money to keep her home and started the paperwork. She feels a lot better now that she is not working and is slowly getting her house safe.

Mary says she could not have done it without your help, advice and website. Bless you for all of your hard work and helping my good friend. Mary’s whole world changed after reading the Washington State Proclamation. That just goes to show that they really do help educate people.

Blessings,
Joyce Jallo

Letter: Realtors contribute to environmental illness

Posted by Guest Blogger

Jul 282011

Realtors who encourage sellers to do cheap renovations are contributing to a multitude of illnesses and unhealthy living conditions inside a “home.”

Letter to the Editor by Molly Brown.

As someone who suffers from chemical sensitivities, I am enraged at what is happening here in Vancouver, BC, Canada, in the overpriced housing market. It’s what I call “the cheap plastic condo.” This is the only affordable housing here as house prices start at $700,000 in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. (Otherwise you are looking at a 2-hour plus commute in traffic).

Unfortunately, before condos even go on the market, realtors advise sellers to put in cheap flooring, cheap bathrooms, and cheap kitchens. Then, they douse the condo in cheap air freshener prior to any open house.

The asking price per typical condo? $350,000 plus. And not even real wood floors. Vinyl siding, laminate flooring, pressboard kitchens, cheap smelly appliances, vinyl tiles, open gas fireplace. I think that if I were to test some of these new apartments, the formaldehyde content would probably be as high as FEMA trailers! Sadly, I think that realtors are especially responsible, since they are the ones telling sellers to do these cheap renovations.

The Canadian Real Estate Association has yet to respond to my emails sent to them regarding this. Realtors need to be aware that what they are doing is contributing to what causes a multitude of illnesses and unhealthy living conditions inside a “home.”

Please, realtors, stop the “cheap plastic condo” – I just need a place to live!

Molly Brown
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Letter: Update on meeting with WHO officials about including Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

Posted by Guest Blogger

Jun 042011

Officials planned to do a generic first draft in May 2011, and say they may have a more detailed draft prepared in May 2012. In 2015, during the World Health Assembly, they will announce the results.

Letter to the Editor by Francisca Gutiérrez Claverho.

Dear colleagues and collaborators of the WHO CAMPAIGN 2011:

Please find attached the link of the summary in Spanish, French and English of the meeting held on May 13, 2011, at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, at which our group argued for global recognition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and Electrohypersensitivity (EHS) in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Documento pdf en castellano
English document pdf
Document pdf en français

In the words of Dr. T. Bedirhan Üstün, [Coordinator of Classifications, Terminology and Standards, Department of Health Statistics and Information], on May 16th 2011, a very generic first draft of this review would take place, and in May 2012 they may have a much more detailed draft prepared. In 2015, during the World Health Assembly, they will announce the results.

In the course of the work, there will be a scientific debate about where to place these kind of diseases. This is a complex issue, because often there are no agreements regarding the medical specialty as to where to classify a concrete pathology, especially in the case of MCS and EHS, because they are multisystemic diseases.

The draft classification will be open and transparent, and information will be available on the WHO website.

We regret that our update to you is delayed, but we have been doing revisions and suggestions re the final text, which reflects what was said by each of the participants at the WHO meeting, some of which have extremely busy agendas. On the other hand, this campaign has been run by sick people who have had to adapt the tasks at the pace that allowed their state of health.

Among the positive things we can learn from this Campaign, we would like to highlight the contact between associations, organizations and professionals worldwide, which allowed us to know each other and, hopefully, to begin working side by side.

We again apologize for this delay and we hope throughout this summer to begin organizing ourselves into groups as to work internationally to achieve our goals, our rights as patients, and solutions to our problems. Perhaps, the ideal time for these groups to start working would be September-October 2011.

We look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, we thank you for your cooperation and support throughout the “WHO CAMPAIGN 2011.

With warm and solidarity greetings,

Francisca Gutiérrez Claverho
Presidenta Asquifyde
www.asquifyde.es
info@asquifyde.es
Telf. 652669084

PROPOSED ACTIONS TO FOLLOW SOON:

TO BE AGREED WITH THOSE ASSOCIATIONS WILLING TO PARTICIPATE

I. – In accordance with the principle of sovereignty to which to Dr. Üstün referred, it is desirable that the associations of each country do elaborate a joint petition to their respective governments asking for the inclusion of MCS and EHS in the country ICD. If considered appropriate for this purpose, we could perhaps make use of the documents presented on this occasion to WHO. The documents will be available in pdf format, so all the associations will be able to use them.

In the case of Spain, to transfer the information to the Working Group that is developing the MCS Consensus Document on the Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality, so they can recommend its inclusion in the ICD.

II .- To contact Dr. Üstün asking:

1) To let us know the geographical location, etc. of the various working groups of WHO that are currently developing ICD 11.

2) To inform us regarding how to present the scientific literature to fit the methodology of work of WHO and so it can be correctly valued.

3) To inform us about the criteria for the selection of external consultants who review the documentation submitted at the request of WHO.

4) To inform us about the criteria for accepting the participation of stakeholders in the development of the new ICD through the virtual platform.

III .- Once we have the above-mentioned information, to establish working groups among associations of EHS and MCS internationally, in order to act coordinately through the virtual platform.

IV .- To contact scientists to create an international group to participate in the virtual platform that is developing the ICD 11, as well as in the adaptation of scientific evidence to WHO methodology.

V. – To contact the working group REACH, as well as any other institution related to health, toxicity and environment, so they take charge or take into account the existence of emerging diseases such as MCS and EHS, and in order that they adapt their decisions to the new health paradigm posed.

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Learn more about the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)