Chemical Sensitivities Affect a Quarter of Americans, Study Suggests

AHA Publisher — Fri, 20 May 2022 07:00:20 +0000

Patrick Tims via NaturalHealth365 – It was recently revealed that one-quarter of the population of the United States is vulnerable to chemical sensitivities. The average person’s exposure to chemicals continues to increase with each passing day as more additives are implemented into food, beverages, consumer products, and other materials. The fact that such a large percentage of the population is susceptible to chemical sensitivities means there is clearly a growing problem that needs to be addressed. So, let’s talk about some solutions here. You May Be Wondering: Are Chemical Sensitivities Becoming a Major Public Health Issue? The short answer is yes! Multiple chemical sensitivity (also known as MCS) is a chronic physical illness that affects individuals of all ages. The increase in MCS prevalence can cause significant allergic reactions in response to exposure to minimal amounts of chemicals. However, if such chemicals are used in everyday consumer products and the number of people who have allergic reactions to those products continues to increase, there is the potential for a sizable and meaningful public health issue to develop in the years ahead. MCS is best described as a disease that causes the body’s pathways for detoxification to be compromised due to the environment or genetics. MCS patients have a negative reaction after exposure to chemicals in paints, household items, plastics, perfume, car exhaust, clothing, and all sorts of different items. Those saddled by MCS struggle with their energy level, neurology, respiratory system functionality, etc. Many MCS sufferers complain of vertigo, dizziness, and brain fog. By the way, wearing a mask – for extended periods of time, each day – is only making it worse for people dealing with brain fog. Chemicals Are Now Severe Triggers The National Resources Defense Council states in excess of 80,000 chemicals have been interwoven with our environment dating back to the mid-1940s. The introduction of such chemicals is problematic as few were sufficiently tested to determine if they harm human health, animal health, or the planet itself. The problem is that those chemicals are clearly making it more challenging for the body to detoxify, ultimately making it difficult to function without setbacks after chemical exposure. As an example, some of the most common MCS triggers include solvents, fragrances, pesticides, and certain VOCs. VOC is an acronym short for volatile organic compounds. Chemical Sensitivity Reduces Quality of Life It is awfully concerning to learn that a single fragrance alone can contain 600 petroleum-based chemicals. Sadly, the manufacturers of fragrances and certain other products have gone to the extent of concealing the chemicals used in their products with “trade secrets,” meaning the public will not know which chemicals are introduced into the environment by specific products and companies. However, an initial lab analysis of some of the most common fragrances reveals they contain highly toxic chemicals, including some substances on the Hazardous Waste list as posted on the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website. Part of the problem with living with chemical sensitivities is the fact that it causes an extraordinarily high level of sensitivity to certain substances. For example, individuals dealing with MCS are between 100 and 1,000 times as sensitive to chemical-laden fragrances than those who are considered healthy. MCS sufferers who are sounding the alarm about the seeming ubiquity of chemicals may be a preview of a future in which an excess of chemicals causes heightened and widespread sensitivity. What Can You Do to Reduce Your Risks? Here are a few tips to minimize your risks and lower your toxic burden: Pay attention: If your favorite personal care products have unwanted chemicals … stop buying them and find alternatives. Read the labels carefully: If you can’t understand the ingredients … it’s probably bad for you. Avoid products with “fragrance” as an ingredient … look for essential oils instead. Educate yourself: Many of today’s most common chemicals are put inside food and personal care products. Eat organic, locally sourced food, as much as possible. Try to locate a farmers market or get to know your local organic farmer. If you are highly sensitive: Invest in a home/work air purification system and be sure to drink pure (clean) water. Clean up your bedroom: Investing in a non-toxic mattress and organic sheets can really help you to minimize toxic exposure. Sadly, unless we take action to prevent even more chemicals from being used in consumer products, chemical sensitivity will likely become much more common. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below. Sources for this article include: NIH.org ChildrensHealthDefense.org Mold-help.org To read the original article click here.

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Fragrances Can Enhance Learning During Sleep

AHA Publisher — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 08:00:32 +0000

University of Freiburg via News-Medical Net – Effortless learning during sleep is the dream of many people. The supportive effect of smells on learning success when presented both during learning and sleep was first proven in an extensive sleep laboratory study. Researchers at the University of Freiburg – Medical Center, the Freiburg Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health (IGPP) and the Faculty of Biology at the University of Freiburg have now shown that this effect can be also achieved very easily outside the lab. For the study, pupils in two school classes learned English vocabulary – with and without scent sticks during the learning period and also at night. The students remembered the vocabulary much better with a scent. The study was published in the Nature Group’s Open Access journal Scientific Reports on 27 January 2020. “We showed that the supportive effect of fragrances works very reliably in everyday life and can be used in a targeted way,” said study leader PD Dr. Jürgen Kornmeier, head of the Perception and Cognition Research Group at the Freiburg-based IGPP and scientist at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Freiburg – Medical Center in Germany. The Smell of Roses When Learning and Sleeping For the study, first author and student teacher Franziska Neumann conducted several experiments with 54 students from two 6th grade classes of a school in southern Germany. The young participants from the test group were asked to place rose-scented incense sticks on their desks at home while learning English vocabulary and on the bedside table next to the bed at night. In another experiment, they also placed the incense sticks on the table next to them during a vocabulary test at school during an English test. The results were compared with test results in which no incense sticks were used during one or more phases. “The students showed a significant increase in learning success by about 30 percent if the incense sticks were used during both the learning and sleeping phases,” says Neumann. The results also suggest that the additional use of the incense sticks during the vocabulary test promotes memory. Findings Are Suitable for Everyday Use “One particular finding beyond the seminal initial study was, that the fragrance also works when it is present all night. This makes the findings suitable for everyday use.” Dr. Jürgen Kornmeier, head of the Perception and Cognition Research Group, Freiburg-based IGPP Previous studies had assumed that the fragrance needs to be only present during a particularly sensitive sleeping phase. However, since this sleep phase needs to be determined by an effortful measurement of brain activity by means of an electroencephalogram (EEG) in the sleep laboratory, this finding was not suitable for everyday use. “Our study shows that we can make learning during sleep easier. And who would have thought that our nose could help considerably in this,” says Kornmeier. To read the original article click here.

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Chemical Sensitivities Affect a Quarter of Americans, Study Suggests

Fragrances Can Enhance Learning During Sleep