From the article: Are Scents Making You Sick?
Share Post: Are you sensitive to certain smells? How do you manage living in a world full of perfumes and toxic chemical smells? Please help other scent-sensitives by sharing your strategies for living amidst an aroma-filled world. How Do You Cope?
Litter Boxes, Man Children and More
- My husband says I have a dog-like nose. I think my nose is a curse. I have cats. Yes, those sweet fur balls who defecate in boxes in the house. There are days that I have to hide in my bedroom because I cannot stand the smell to clean them. Then there is my roommate. He lacks hygiene and his room smells so bad that I vomited just this morning as I passed it. This is not the first time. So now I am a prisoner in my own home. I don't want to give the cats away, and I need my roommates rent. This whole situations causes me great distress and depression. To no end. This is just my own house, I have not even touched the topic of being in public. I cannot go into public restrooms as a rule because if it's not the smell of excrement, it's the smell of chemicals that do me in. I cannot walk close to a Bed Bath and Beyond or I will have a severe migraine. I can smell when someone's breath is bad because of allergies or if it's bad because they haven't eaten. It is a curse.
- —Guest Sarrah
Neurologic issue fragrances
- I agree that the past two to three years have been much worse. I became dizzy suddenly falling, one side of face and head including one ear were very inflamed and neurologist told me these fragrances are neurotoxins and some have chemical that restrict your brsin from smelling odors. I got letter from this Dr for my workplace and they accommodated me by giving me isolated office. Yes dryer sheets contain numerous carcinogens and invrdients in fragrances are not shared due to consideration as intellectual property (secret recipe), which allows them to escape evaluation for safety. The word must get out that these are dangerous - to everyone. I was not sensitive before. This is a huge problem in functioning daily. Keep talking about it. Good luck in feeling and being safe and well. Sending you love. LR from SF
- —Guest Laurie R
Be natural
- I cannot handle most chemical products, perfumes, candles and cleaning products. If people choose to use them and it affects me I just can't be around. I am very concerned about the chemicals that young children are exposed to these days. A parent does not have time to mop a floor with soap and water so they buy the throw away pop in solution without know the chemicals that are in the mixture. They worry about not having the house clean enough so they light a candle that is toxic, to make it all smell better. Scents in our everyday life have become fragrances, which are chemicals and they are harmful. We need to open windows and use simple cleaning solutions, i.e. baking soda, vinegar, alcohol, etc., add water to those and many other natural items and everything will be super clean and safe to breath. Just my opinion. I have found that the best smell from a person is their natural smell. I am not talking no shower, just no scent added. Be natural, breathe pure things, especially love.
- —mj1655
Can't handle it
- I have found out that living in a smoke environment for most of my life has made me super sensitive to smoke, perfume, cologne, some foods. and it has gotten worse as I have gotten older. So glad I am not alone. I have also told people to not wear it and they don't care. Gonna try the Vicks and see if that helps. My own parents don't understand. Need my own place.
- —Guest anti smoke
How to cope
- I have found an essential oil combo called Thieves Oil. A few drops on a Kleenex kept in a plastic bag in my pocket allows me to stop coughing after an exposure to certain fragrances. Breathing the fumes helps me cope. The formula was used in the Middle Ages in Europe to allow doctors to enter plague infested houses. It is available at health food stores.
- —Guest lamleyt
There is a constitional law in Canada
- The law states that you are entitled to have a scent free environment in your work place.
- —Guest Ala
How do I cope?
- I don't go out. It's simple. Chemicals and fragrances in any indoor setting are just too much for me to tolerate. This illness brings so much misunderstanding and isolation. I only wish I was making this up. Thank you for your article encouraging folks to consider others' sensitivities.
- —Guest Brooke Collins
Wave Length Laser Treatment
- I work in a huge hair salon and out of nowhere I because sick from chemicals and smells. I need a bubble to live in in order to not feel sick. It's really sad and it's ruining a career I Love so much. I wish someone had a solution. I use my scarf to help block smells when I go to the mall or are around a lot of smells. I can't even handle cinnamon. so sad. Please help!! I'm doing treatments to supposedly help with my level of sensitivity, it's a wave length laser treatment through a natural Doctor who is an MD as well. Praying that helps. Adrenal Concentrate and a product called Cellgevity and loads of fruits and veggies everyday do help with my energy level and making my life somewhat liveable. I was exhausted before figuring out what was going on with me. Naps help too. xoxo Best wishes to you all, this issue really STINKS! I hope I can find a group that fights for our rights, and stops the overuse of perfume's in the mall. They spray so much it makes everyone sick!
- —Guest cj
Why is it getting worse?
- I have always been sensitive to colognes, etc. for triggers to migraines. However, over the past year or so, it seems that the sensitivity is getting worse. Could it be repeated exposure to colognes? The sensitivity is not even just to colognes any more. It's increased to candles, body odors, chemicals, air fresheners, chemical cleaners. Any suggestions on how I can stop its progression?
- —Guest Eastex
Vicks Vapor Rub
- I wear a turtle neck shirt, chew spearmint gum, Vicks Vapor Rub in nostrils. It just amazes me how many people get offended by my explanation of chemical sensitivity. It could be a hair product, lotion, laundry products, carpet fresheners, etc. I wish the people would stop being offended and possibly learn something.
- —Guest tbirdgirlsandra
Going crazy
- I too suffer from smell sensitivity. It has steadily gotten worse over the years, and right before my menstral cycle seems to be the worst. I cannot tolerate perfume, cologne, candles, leather, building materials...even the toner and paper used at work can be difficult some days. At best I smell carpet and wallboard all day. One smell I can tolerate is Vicks Vapor Rub. After reading Vicks is used at crime scenes where dead bodies are found I tried it. It blocks all smells for a couple hours at best, but it is better than nothing. Good luck to all of you!
- —Guest Tami
Co-worker refuses to stop wearing scents
- I am at my wits end, I have a co-worker who sits 5 feet from me who refuses to stop wearing cologne. It affects me so drastically that I have trouble breathing. I have asked on numerous occasions to please refrain from wearing cologne but it doesn't do any good. His response to me was "Well, I don't just know how you function in society"! My response was "many times I can't function"!! I have complained to management and they won't do anything. I work for a very small company and now feel my only option is to quit my job but there is no work to be found in my area. So each and every day I go to work to suffer. How can people be so arrogant??? This is so unfair!!!!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
- —Guest Karen
Stay at Home and Don't Have Company
- I have COPD and can't tolerate scents. It always gives me breathing attacks. Even my doctor's office just repainted and did not use low odor paints and the ER department at the hospital lets their staff wear perfumes. They look at me like I'm a difficult patient if I tell them it makes it worse. It is horrible and my live is miserable.
- —rebeccaleonard
Those Who Can't Understand
- The name for this 'Enviromental Illness" and includes man-made fragrances which are bound to a plastic to make the smell last.They are carciogensin in these fragranced products as welll. They are also endocrine distrupters. Enviromental Illness is becoming more and more common! The wearer is getting and breathing the toxins but their immune system is handling the load. For us who are becoming ill by the smell our immune system is not able to cope with the ever increasing load of toxins. Look up the toxcitity of dryer fabric sheets on Dr.Mercola's web site (info free of charge) and you will see why those who are sensitive are made sick by the smell. Those that are sensitive can do nothing to avoid what seems to be everywhere but the user of these products has a choice ! It's called being humane, after all the user may be the next in line to become ill by these fragrances. How do you want to be treated!
- —Guest Margie
Cope not carp
- You have no idea how it feels to have an elephant sitting on your chest when someone decides to douse themselves with poison and that is what most of the perfumes and colognes and air fresheners are - look up the Material Safety Data sheets, there are known toxins in these smells and you are putting them in my nose and on your skin (which causes cancer by the way). Smokers were told no smoking indoors why do other polluters get to have that stinky stuff on killing the rest of us?
- —redauburn
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