Customer Reviews

Chemical Sensitivity: The Truth About Environmental Illness (Consumer Health Library)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Mainstream medical science has already identified numerous chemicals as Sensitizers, while ones it has identified as Irritants. Case-specific & medically accepted forms of Chemical Sensitivity include Chemical Worker's Lung (a subset of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis), Irritant-induced Asthma, Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome, Irritant Rhinitis, Irritant-associated Vocal Cord Dysfunction, and Airborne Irritant Contact Dermatitis.

Chemical-specific forms include Formaldehyde Sensitivity, Glutaraldehyde Sensitivity, Cinnamic Aldehyde Sensitivity, Oil of Turpentine Allergy, Methyltetrahydrophthalic Anhydride Allergy, IgE-mediated Triethanolamine Sensitivity, Ammonium Persulfate Sensitivity, Methacrylate Sensitivity, Plicatic Acid (Red Cedar) Sensitivity, Sulfite Hypersensitivity, and numerous other ones.

Nontoxic/ambient benzene exposure has resulted in cases of hematotoxicity, while a number of chemicals, at nontoxic levels, have triggered anaphylaxis.

Objective medical findings in the chemically sensitive have included turbinate hypertrophy, nasal & laryngeal erythema, objective skin whealing resulting from skin testing, glandular hyperplasia, paradoxical adduction of the true vocal cords, urticaria, bronchial hyperresponsiveness in inhalation challenge testing, and other ones.

The AMA, in Report 4 of the Council on Scientific Affairs (A-98), has acknowledged as asthma triggers, "volatile organic compounds from carpeting, cabinetry, plywood, particle board, and fumes from household cleaning products", among other ones. The AAAAI has acknowledged "chemicals in the air", "household cleansers", and "paints or varnishes" as asthma triggers, among other ones. And the American Lung Association included in its list of asthma triggers "room deodorizers, cleaning chemicals, paints," and "hair spray".

Any literature on chemical sensitivity that does not include mention of these facts is, at the very least, an irresponsibly produced piece of literature. Such literautre can have an extremely deceptive effect.

Furthermore, the reading public has the right to know that Stephen Barrett, M.D. was never board certified at anything at any time in his life, being that he failed his board exams. He has no experience as a biochemist, no experience as a medical technologist, and no experience as a practitioner in any form of internal, dental, or dermatological medicine. In addition, Ronald Gots' association with the terms "insurance," "misrepresentation," and even "completely bogus operation" resulted from a now-defunct paper review company that he founded, in its services for the State Farm Insurance Company, along with an Oregon court case. The NBC television network was the entity which placed that matter in the public forum. And it did so years ago.

I find it very interesting that those who read the book and gave it a positive review could ignore the outright arrogance of the authors given that Gots isn't even in the field (see the reviews below). It reads like a child having a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. Speaking from a scientific background, I feel that it is necessary to look at both sides of the argument provided they are presented in a factual manner. The emotions conveyed in this book have without a doubt elicited the emotional responses from the readers.
I find it very disturbing that nowhere in this book does it mention that people are not designed to withstand chemical exposure. Chemicals are not a part of the natural environment! When unnatural elements are introduced into our environment, they cause problems. We've all seen it before. Remember when DDT was supposed to be "good for us"?
In short, I'll just say that if you are looking for a book to present information on MCS to you in a direct, un-tampered way, this book is not for you.

Many large chemical companies such as DowElanco, Monsanto, Procter and Gamble, the Cosmetic Toiletries and Fragrances Association, and other companies and trade associations involved in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other chemicals, each pay $10,000 per year to keep the Environmental Sensitivities Research Institute(ESRI) going. The head of ESRI is Dr. Ronald Gots, who also runs something called the National Medical Advisory Group, which provides expert witnesses to defend the chemical corporations in tort lawsuits. Dr. Gots is a pharmacologist, not a toxicologist, with no formal training or certification in toxicology. Dr. Gots has not treated or seen patients of his own for 20 years and has never been the physician for a chemically sensitive person. He practiced medicine for only a few years before becoming a full time expert witness and consultant for the chemical industry and other corporations, and many times has testified against MCS patients. It is my understanding that Ronald Gots has also been charged with insurance fraud. I wouldn't be surprised if these large giant chemical companies are paying Dr. Gots for writing this book so they can keep on polluting the planet and causing diseases. More than 2 billion people have cancer alone not to mention the 50 plus autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, MS, Lupus etc. that are being linked to chemicals in the environment. What does that tell us about what the chemical industry is doing??

As many reviewers have already said, this book is extremely unhelpful to those who suffer from chemical injuries or EI. I am personally familiar with several of these, and know from personal experience the frustration and suffering this can cause. To argue that this is a psychogenic illness just makes it more frustrating to those who need real research and medical solutions. This book attempts to stand in the way of progress, and hopefully most people will not buy its bogus arguments. Please see, for example, Pamela Gibson's Multiple Chemical Sensititives: A Survivor's Guide, for summaries of some of the reserach. The Baylor College of Medicine also has a nice discussion of the illness on its website, with suggestions for support workers. I can't believe the Barrett-Gots book is even still in print.

Based on what I now know about MCS, I have probably had MCS for 20 years. I have known I have MCS for about a year and a half. When I first realized what my problem was, I did some research on the internet, and adjusted what I was doing. The changes helped, but not a lot. I got by . . .

But, it wasn't until recently that I got REALLY sick from it. That is when I started buying books about MCS, and have been like a sponge, trying to learn what I can do, to again have any quality of life. When I saw this book, I read the editorial review, but didn't go on to look at reader reviews. Maybe on that particular day, I was suffering from fatigue and brain fog.

When the book arrived, I was anxious to dive right in, to learn more about MCS. WOW, was I disappointed, when I realized that the authors, spent the entire book doing their best to prove that MCS was more psychosomatic, than it was a physical ailment.

After skimming through the book, I decided that my limited energy needs to be devoted to learning about how to get well, not into learning that my illness is all in my head.

Before writing this, I did take a look at the reader reviews, especially the ones that gave the book five stars. It is obvious that these five people do not know what it is to suffer from this debilitating illness, and have bought into the propaganda, of these two authors.

If you suffer from MCS and are looking for information, to help you recover, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! It would be a waste of your money and time! There are other books out there, that would serve you better, in your quest for knowledge, about how to conquer MCS.

Dr. Gots is a Fraud!! He was exposed on dateline. He works for insurance companies and the chemical industry he will say and write anything for money!!!!! He has no formal training or experience in toxicology nor has he seen or treated a patient in 30 years. This man has done a lot of damage all for his personal gain.

A most unfortunate defence of the chemical-agro conglomerate. The post WWII boom of the "chemical age" is not without it's victims. In increasing numbers, people are becoming sensitized or allergic to common chemical additives such as formaldehyde, plastics, synthetic latex, gasoline additives, perfumes and hundreds more. The authors of this folly do their utmost to present the people affected by these allergies as nothing more than mental health cases. The fact that neither of these authors are researchers, and seem grossly out of step with contemporary medical knowledge is glaringly evident, even with the short duration of time passed since this publication. Anyone can look up information on "chemical allergy" on the Johns Hopkins Medical University website. A rather striking contrast to this unscientific effort from authors who either knowingly, or unknowingly put out the strongest defense for the continued use of "business as usual" in the chemical sectors. The "Truth About MCS and Environmental Illness" will not be found between the cover here. Try one of the other books, such as Miller and Ashford's "Chemical Exposures...Low Levels, High Stakes" for a better understanding of how to protect your health, and your familiy's health in the "chemical age"

If you want to read chemical industry propaganda, this is the book for you. If you want to read the REAL Truth about Environmental Illness, I recommend "Chemical Exposures : Low Levels and High Stakes", by Miller and Ashford. The facts show that Gots and Barrett are nothing but chemical industry shills.

As a professor, I would classify this book as unscientific, politically-motivated, and downright harmful to public welfare. I would recommend, instead, the book by Nicholas Ashford and Claudia Miller: "Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes."

This book, written from the perspective of the chemical industry, misinforms readers about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. The authors, with well-known connections to industry, are understandably inclined to perpetuate the major polluters' myth that the MCS pandemic (including Gulf War Syndrome) is purely psychiatric in origin. No surprise that all of the recent medical studies showing multiple physical abnormalities in MCS patients is downplayed. I recommend the reader instead buy Bonnye Matthew's new book "Defining Multiple Chemical Sensitivity" to find out exactly why these industry doctors are so opposed to people finding out the truth.