Allergic to the Twentieth Century: The Explosion in Environmental Allergies--From Sick Buildings to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity [Hardcover]

Peter Radetsky (Author), Bill Phillips (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1997

The author of The Invisible Invaders discusses the causes and controversies surrounding Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), some form of which affects more than 2.5 million Americans, examining the history and spread of this new disease. 35,000 first printing. Tour."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Here's how physician Gerald Ross of the Environmental Health Center in Dallas describes multiple chemical sensitivity, or MCS: "Think of a patient as a rain barrel. The water in the barrel is the total load of environmental pollutants that the body must cope with. Then along comes some other source of stress. But the barrel can't hold it, and it pours out. The overflow represents a health problem ... and you get sick." The consequences of the sickness are severe; lives are radically and sometimes permanently disrupted. And the solutions to 20th-century allergies are painstaking and expensive. Worse, some physicians and psychiatrists say that MCS is all in people's heads, and that these people are being abetted by overzealous scientists who ignore basic scientific principles. You don't have to agree with one side or the other to find the assertions in Allergic to the Twentieth Century compelling, though; in fact, it may go down better if you start it without any preconceived notions.

From Library Journal

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), or EI (environmental illness), is a poorly understood phenomenon that has no scientifically accepted definition or treatment. However, one commonality among MCS sufferers is development of physical symptoms after exposure to chemical substances. As symptoms appear, sufferers can become hypersensitive to many everyday chemicals, such as perfume, household cleansers, and exhausts. Many self-help books address this medical mystery, including classics like Bonnye Matthews's Chemical Sensitivity (McFarland, 1992), Janice Stubbe Wittenberg's The Rebellious Body (LJ 11/1/96), and Sherry Rogers's Tired or Toxic? Of the two new additions to the field, Radetsky's book is the more comprehensive in terms of MCS case histories, the relationship of MCS to Gulf War syndrome, medicolegal difficulties in establishing MCS as a "real" disease entity, and the possible cause(s) of MCS. By contrast, Breaking Out of Environmental Illness is an account by two MCS sufferers who on their journey to find a cure find solace from a "great spiritual teacher and healer who has a deep connection to Earth and humanity." This book is interesting if not essential reading for people with MCS/EI, but Radetsky's book belongs on the shelf with established MCS works.?Susan Maret, Auraria Lib., Univ. of Colorado, Denver
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316732214
• ISBN-13: 978-0316732215
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #690,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wake-up Call on the Dangers of Environmental Poisoning, December 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Allergic to the Twentieth Century: The Explosion in Environmental Allergies--From Sick Buildings to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (Hardcover)

The author presents well-documented material on a very current controversial subject which is affecting l5% of the population severely, and many more in lesser degrees; creating debillitating illness in productive members of society, causing them to become disabled and unemployed. The tragedy of the message is poignantly spelled out by the author, revealing the AMA's denial of the diagnosis of MCS, which contributes to the distress of patients who must suffer through contempt and lack of care by medical doctors who are influenced by economic dictates and refuse to treat the complex patient. This book is a blessing for MCS sufferers, since it offers hope that it will alert proper politicians and governmental officials to address this issue properly, offer medical care to the Veterans of the Gulf War Syndrome, and implement legislation to prevent further chemical poisoning in our public indoor environment. I highly recommend this book for everyone, to instill awareness of the dangers of chemicals in our environment. This is a very thorough documentation on the subject of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for These Times, April 5, 2003

By 

Heidi M. Hawkins "heidimo" (Bellingham, WA: City of Subdued Excitement) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Allergic to the Twentieth Century: The Explosion in Environmental Allergies--From Sick Buildings to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (Hardcover)

It's a shame this indispensable book has gone out of print because it is one of the best I have read on the subject. Environmental allergies, Sick Building Syndrome, Gulf War Syndrome, or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is the subject at hand, and I think it one of the most important subjects of our time. MCS, despite some doctor's insistence that it does not exist, affects every living thing on Earth. An estimated 40 million Americans already show clear and obvious signs of this illness. The rest of us are undoubtedly affected in less obvious ways. We cannot afford to ignore this problem.

One of the most fascinating parts of this book, which has stuck in my memory for a number of years, is descriptions and interviews with the sickest people alive with MCS. The descriptions of their symptoms and the great lengths they must go to just to try to live their lives is tragic and fascinating and a warning to us all.

Even though you may not know how chemical poisoning is affecting you, it almost certainly is. Sticking our collective heads in the sand will not help us, and will almost certainly allow things to get much worse before they get better. Inform yourself and read this book.

Peter Radetsky has experience writing popular science books, and this one is very readable. He interviews a variety of sick people, scientists, doctors, and psychiatrists with a wide range of opinions on the subject. Though the role of infectious pathogens is fairly well understood these days, the role of toxicity has been almost completely ignored by modern science and allopathic medicine. This topic must blow open, sooner or later. In the meantime, we can inform ourselves and take a tip from the sickest among us. We do not need to wait for mainstream science and medicine to acknowledge or solve problems before we act to protect our own health.

It is too bad this book has apparently not gone to paperback because the subject is so important, and this is such a well-done job on the topic. For little more than the price of postage, you can inform yourself on a topic of great importance that we have only begun to scratch the surface of.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, highly readable!, July 23, 2000

By 

Thomas L. Ogren (San Luis Obispo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Allergic to the Twentieth Century: The Explosion in Environmental Allergies--From Sick Buildings to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (Hardcover)

I'm an allergy researcher and when I came on this excellent book, I sat down and read it cover to cover. Couldn't put it down. The writer is very good, the information new and interesting, and thought provoking. "Sick Building Syndrome" is quite real and affects many people on a daily basis. I am sad to see that this fine piece of work is out of print. If you can find a copy, I highly recommend it. Tom Ogren, author of Allergy-Free Gardening :::: from Ten Speed Press