Tips on Dealing with MCS
UPdate Fall 1996

     Researchers at DePaul University (Chicago) asked 305 patients with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity what treatment methods they found helpful.  The average length of illness in these MCS patients was 13 years.  Forty percent also reported suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  Treatments which the 305 MCS patients reported as “enormous help” or “major help” include:

· Avoiding chemical exposures (93%)
· Creating an environmentally safe living space (86%)
· Reading books & magazines about food and chemical sensitivity (81%)
· Avoiding allergenic foods (75%)
· Getting plenty of rest (60%)
· Joining an MCS support group (56%)
· Meditation/relaxation/prayer (54%)
· Use of air filters (50%)
· Vitamin/mineral supplements (48%)
· Sauna (49%)
· Antifungal treatment (40%)
· Counseling (36%)
· Magnesium shots (34%)
· Digestive enzymes (34%), and
· Acidophilus bacteris (30%)

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Jim LeRoy, Trina Davis, and Leonard Jason, “Treatment Efficacy – A Survey of 305 MCS Patients” The CFIDS Chronicle, Winter 1996: 52-53.  Reprinted with permission.