Steroids are very powerful and potentially dangerous drugs which are used to prevent the inflammatory reactions that accompany allergic reactions. They are used particularly in more serious cases and are very effective.
For serious conditions, steroids may need to be taken for long periods at higher dosages, with the risk of inducing side effects which may not be readily reversible. If you have an alternative, such as avoiding the substances or foods which are triggering the disease, this is clearly better. If there is no alternative, then it is necessary to weigh up the advantages of the steroids against their risks. Ask your doctor to discuss it with you openly, so that you can make an informed decision. If you have serious disease or disability, do not refuse steroids without understanding the consequences.
Steroids should not be stopped suddenly if they have been taken for more than a few days, because they depress the natural production of steroids by the body, which must be given a chance to recover.
The worst side effects of steroids are mostly associated with prolonged oral treatments, or repeated injections, though if you use steroid creams or ointments too lavishly (particularly the stronger ones) you can absorb enough to have general effects. Side effects include facial swelling, obesity, brittle bones, high blood pressure, cataracts, diabetes, peptic ulceration, changes in mental state, and slowing the growth of children. Local effects include thinning of the skin and mucus membrane, nosebleeds, and reduced resistance to infections.
Very few people experience side effects from short courses of steroids or from the regular use of steroid inhalers, and this is the treatment of choice for moderate or severe asthma which cannot be controlled by avoiding allergens or other triggers.
Steroid inhalers (e.g. Becotide, Becloforte, Pulmicort) have less side effects than using tablets. (Sodium cromoglycate inhalers, see above, are usually tried before steroids because they can be effective, particularly with allergic asthma.) As a side effect, steroid inhalers can cause candidiasis (thrush) in the throat. This can be reduced by using a spacer, or by gargling with water after each use.
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If the above is not sufficient to relieve symptoms, then you may have to take greater precautions and limit your exposure to water generally as in the detection programme above. Try any or all of those avoidance measures and see how far you need to go.
If you are exceptionally sensitive, it may be worthwhile installing a plumbed-in filtering system of some kind (see below). Some people also find it helps to use a bottled water for cooking, washing vegetables and brushing teeth, although this is costly and inconvenient. Filtered or purified water is cheaper in the long run.
Some people are very sensitive to the fumes of water when it first emerges from the tap or cistern. If this applies to you, try the following measures. Start the bath or basin filling, then leave the room while they fill, with the window open to ventilate. Return and turn off the taps. Leave the room again and leave the water to stand for a few minutes more if you need to. Avoid taking showers. The fumes are more concentrated in newly emerging water. Get someone to flush the lavatory for you, if you can. Keep the lid shut as it flushes.
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If you are very chemically sensitive, you are best advised not to buy, use or travel in a brand new car. These usually give off high levels of chemical fumes and vapours from new foam, plastics and materials, particularly for the first six months. Many chemically sensitive people will be fine in a new car after six months. Some who are much more sensitive find they can only travel comfortably in a car which is at least two or three years old.
If you are thinking of buying a car, test-drive models and makes of different ages, or travel in friends’ or family’s cars, to see which age of car suits you best. If you ever have to hire a car, ask for one which is of an age that you tolerate well.
Some models and makes of car have fascia, seats and fittings made of materials which are better-tolerated by some people. The Volvo 340 range and the Volkswagen Polo, for instance, seem to be made of different materials; some people feel better in these, although others notice no difference. The Citroen 2CV and Dyane range have very little plastic fascia, and also cause fewer problems. Some people tolerate leather seats better than those of synthetic materials. Again, test-drive or try out different models or makes to see if one suits you better.
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Hard lenses do not absorb fluid in the way that soft lenses do. Even in gas-permeable lenses, only a tiny amount of fluid is taken up by the lens. Preservative-based systems can therefore be used on hard lenses without trouble by the chemically sensitive, since the agent can be thoroughly rinsed off before wearing.
The rinsing solution used is a sterile saline solution sold in ozone-friendly aerosol cans. Some brands of saline are buffered with chemicals that maintain the pH of the solution; these can cause problems. Make sure you are using an unbuffered saline solution – there are half a dozen brands readily available. Ask your optician or pharmacist to check for you if you are not sure which to use.
If you use a surfactant cleaner for your hard lenses, these will be thoroughly removed by overnight soaking and rinsing in saline.
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Burns and Scalds
Cool the area of the burn or scald to relieve pain. Keep the burned area in cold water or hold it under a cold running tap until the pain stops, or for at least 10 minutes. Do not prick or burst any blisters, or apply any ointment or lotion.
If the burn or scald is serious, seek emergency medical help. If the bum or scald is superficial, but rubs against clothing, cover it with a dressing of pure cotton lint and secure it with a cotton bandage. Do not use fluffy cotton wool.
Cystitis
Drinking alkali salts can ease the symptoms of cystitis. Dissolve a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in a glass of water and drink it. Consult your doctor if you are on a low-salt diet.
Diarrhoea
Taking arrowroot will stop diarrhoea very effectively. You can buy this as a powder at a pharmacy and make a paste by adding water. Consult your pharmacist to get the right dosage.
If you need rehydration salts after severe diarrhoea, do not take any of the proprietary ready-mixed products which can cause reactions. Rehydration salts are a mixture of sodium and potassium salts, and glucose in the right ratio; ask a pharmacist to mix these for you.
Earache
If you tolerate olive oil, warm a teaspoonful of it. Drop it into the ear, then close the earhole with pure cotton wool.
An alternative to this is sodium bicarbonate BPC, which is available in an eardrop solution.
Eyewash
For sore and itchy eyes, use a sterile saline solution to ease the itchiness. Either make a solution yourself, buy Normasol or Steripod in sachets from a pharmacist. Bathe the eyes with the solution in an eyebath, or put a few drops into the eye with a dropper.
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