Hazel is one of those unfortunate patients who not only have food intolerance, but also seem to be sensitive to various everyday chemicals as well. A few of these people react to a great variety of chemicals and foods, and are quite severely ill. They are sometimes called ‘universal reactors’ by doctors working in this field. A few cases have attracted public attention – such as that of Sheila Rossall, a pop singer, who was flown to America for treatment in the 1970s, before such problems could be treated in Britain. The newspapers invented the misleading name ‘total allergy syndrome’ for her problem, as well as the melodramatic headline ‘Allergic to the Twentieth Century’.
Patients of this sort were first discovered in the late 1940s by Dr Theron G. Randolph, one of the founders of clinical ecology in America, and they have been reported by many other doctors since. People with a milder form of chemical sensitivity’ have also been found – they may become dizzy and nauseated if they breathe too many car exhaust fumes, have headaches when there is a strong smell of paint, or develop a sore throat and catarrh when they use particular cleaning fluids. In children, hyperactivity is among the symptoms, and food colourings appear to be common culprits.
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