new to group

I'm new to this group, but really glad I found you! For the past 3 years, I have had a terrible time with fluorescent lights. They make me feel weak, dizzy, disoriented and terribly anxious. It started when my health crashed with what seems to be endocrine (thyroid and adrenal problems), but as those labs have improved, my problems with fluorescent lights have not. The problem is worse in the morning than it is in the evening. Stores are virtually impossible to manage. I was a teacher and the last year I taught, I had to keep the lights off and just let the students work by natural light coming in the windows. I LOVE teaching, but have had to quit, not only because of the light problem, but the health mess in general. Before getting sick, I had no problems with the lights ever. Sometimes the sun bothers me, but not too badly because I spend a lot of time at the beach and can usually manage without sunglasses. I don't know anyone else with this
problem and am so tired of trying to explain it to people. : (

I would really appreciate any advice y'all can give. Thanks! Amy





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Amy
 
Welcome to the group - I'm glad you found us and hopefully from reading theposts here and making contacts with the other members in the group you might get some help in coping with what is a miserable and much misunderstood problem. What you describe is something that a lot of people on the forum have problems with. I too react badly to fluorescent lighting and shopping is extremely difficult - I find that being in large stores makes me feel extremely hot, with a flushed face broken out in an unsightly skin rash, and exhausted after only a short time, and exhausted and sickish the next day too. The best thing for me is avoidance - I don't shop unless I absolutely have to and try to shop in smaller stores which don't have so much of the fluoros and all the other associated paraphernalia which don't help - like thefreezers [in the supermarket] and the cash register system and the music etc and a lot of people's cell phones in an enclosed space and the
wifi in the cafe - they all add up!
 
The skin rash has improved somewhat for me since I started to detox in earnest, taking in more water, more fruit and veg, being more conscious that I avoid additives and try to cook my own food from scratch and drink less teaand coffee. If you go through the archives here you may find info about detoxing and problems with liver pathways [I'm no expert but others on the forum are very knowledgeable] which may be of help. I am sorry to hear you have had to give up a job which you loved because of your health. I can sympathise, since I too was forced to give up work in similar circumstances - I wouldn't say that I loved my job, but I would love to be able to go back towork and that isn't possible at the moment.
 
The beach is good - I try to go when I can and always feel better there - most of the time the sun helps me too - which is maybe odd, but maybe its because I feel  better outdoors than I do inside.
 
Hope this helps a bit Amy.
 
Best wishes
 
Steph
 
Have you tried any supplements or anything?
 
 

--- On Sun, 3/5/09, Amy Green <[hidden email]> wrote:


From: Amy Green <[hidden email]>
Subject: [eSens] new to group
To: [hidden email]
Date: Sunday, 3 May, 2009, 2:37 AM








I'm new to this group, but really glad I found you! For the past 3 years, Ihave had a terrible time with fluorescent lights. They make me feel weak, dizzy, disoriented and terribly anxious. It started when my health crashed with what seems to be endocrine (thyroid and adrenal problems), but as those labs have improved, my problems with fluorescent lights have not. The problem is worse in the morning than it is in the evening. Stores are virtually impossible to manage. I was a teacher and the last year I taught, I had to keep the lights off and just let the students work by natural light coming in the windows. I LOVE teaching, but have had to quit, not only because of the light problem, but the health mess in general. Before getting sick, Ihad no problems with the lights ever. Sometimes the sun bothers me, but not too badly because I spend a lot of time at the beach and can usually manage without sunglasses. I don't know anyone else with this
problem and am so tired of trying to explain it to people. : (

I would really appreciate any advice y'all can give. Thanks! Amy

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

















     

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Amy,

While we don't all suffer the same symptoms, a lot of people are sensitive
to fluorescents. I have done some detox, limiting my time on computer or
around electronics, especially in the stores. I also turn a lot off/unplug
switches while sleeping. That really helps me a lot! I sleep so much more
sounder when I unplug all the electronics from the ground floor, underneath
where I sleep. I also severely limit my time around wifi.
There is a ton of great info in the archives too. Welcome!
Amy


[hidden email] writes:






I'm new to this group, but really glad I found you! For the past 3 years, I
have had a terrible time with fluorescent lights. They make me feel weak,
dizzy, disoriented and terribly anxious. It started when my health crashed
with what seems to be endocrine (thyroid and adrenal problems), but as
those labs have improved, my problems with fluorescent lights have not. The
problem is worse in the morning than it is in the evening. Stores are
virtually impossible to manage. I was a teacher and the last year I taught, I had
to keep the lights off and just let the students work by natural light
coming in the windows. I LOVE teaching, but have had to quit, not only because
of the light problem, but the health mess in general. Before getting sick, I
had no problems with the lights ever. Sometimes the sun bothers me, but
not too badly because I spend a lot of time at the beach and can usually
manage without sunglasses. I don't know anyone else with this
problem and am so tired of trying to explain it to people. : (

I would really appreciate any advice y'all can give. Thanks! Amy

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






**************The Average US Credit Score is 692. See Yours in Just 2 Easy
Steps!
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222376998x1201454298/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=M
ay5309AvgfooterNO62)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I was going to add that it's uncanny how similar our situations are. I too
have thyroid issues, and got sensitive around the same time, although it
took me around 11 years to figure out what was making me feel so bad. The
doctors just said "fibromyalgia", hashimoto's and fatigue. So not only do we
share a name but similar unfortunate circumstances. While I wasn't a teacher
(except a homeschool one and we have no fluorescents here!) I was teaching
Sunday School but had to stop that because of the lights, too.
Were you ever diagnosed w/fibro too?
Amy


No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the congress is in
session.

Mark Twain


In a message dated 5/3/2009 1:17:01 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
[hidden email] writes:






I'm new to this group, but really glad I found you! For the past 3 years, I
have had a terrible time with fluorescent lights. They make me feel weak,
dizzy, disoriented and terribly anxious. It started when my health crashed
with what seems to be endocrine (thyroid and adrenal problems), but as
those labs have improved, my problems with fluorescent lights have not. The
problem is worse in the morning than it is in the evening. Stores are
virtually impossible to manage. I was a teacher and the last year I taught, I had
to keep the lights off and just let the students work by natural light
coming in the windows. I LOVE teaching, but have had to quit, not only because
of the light problem, but the health mess in general. Before getting sick, I
had no problems with the lights ever. Sometimes the sun bothers me, but
not too badly because I spend a lot of time at the beach and can usually
manage without sunglasses. I don't know anyone else with this
problem and am so tired of trying to explain it to people. : (

I would really appreciate any advice y'all can give. Thanks! Amy

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






**************The Average US Credit Score is 692. See Yours in Just 2 Easy
Steps!
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222376998x1201454298/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=M
ay5309AvgfooterNO62)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Amy:

Welcome to the group. I'm a fairly new member as well. I am also very sensitive to fluorescent lights, feeling faint. There aren't any in my house. Fortunately, I am able to shop in stores without any negative health consequences. I get headaches from laptops and phones, both cell and land-line. I've made some adaptations and have no trouble working, at this point.

All the best,

Christine Hoch  

--- In [hidden email], Amy Green <amygreen53@...> wrote:

Steph -- What kind of detoxing do you do and how has it helped? I don't know much about that. I can see that you've thought this through a lot more than I have. Fluorescent lights were easy to figure out, but I never thought about things like cash registers -- although now that you mention it, checking out is the worst part of any store experience. I also never thought about cell phones and wifi etc. Hmmm.

I also get real hot! It's funny, because in the school where I taught, the students stayed in the same classroom and the teachers rotated in and out. When I would walk into the room, the students would automatically turn off the lights and open the windows. : ) Sometimes I think I froze the poor kids!

The beach is where I feel the best and thankfully I'm 30 minutes away, so I go every weekend. I also spend a lot of time outside, because like you, I feel better there. Is that just because we are away from lights and computer etc, or is there more to it?

Thanks for the welcome. I am going to spend tomorrow poking through all the posts and trying to figure things out!

Thanks!! Amy




________________________________
From: Stephanie Smith <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Sunday, May 3, 2009 9:39:07 AM
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group





Hi Amy

Welcome to the group - I'm glad you found us and hopefully from reading the posts here and making contacts with the other members in the group you might get some help in coping with what is a miserable and much misunderstood problem. What you describe is something that a lot of people on the forum have problems with. I too react badly to fluorescent lighting and shopping is extremely difficult - I find that being in large stores makes me feel extremely hot, with a flushed face broken out in an unsightly skin rash, and exhausted after only a short time, and exhausted and sickish the next day too. The best thing for me is avoidance - I don't shop unless I absolutely have to and try to shop in smaller stores which don't have so much of the fluoros and all the other associated paraphernalia which don't help - like the freezers [in the supermarket] and the cash register system and the music etc and a lot of people's cell phones in an enclosed space and the
wifi in the cafe - they all add up!

The skin rash has improved somewhat for me since I started to detox in earnest, taking in more water, more fruit and veg, being more conscious that I avoid additives and try to cook my own food from scratch and drink less tea and coffee. If you go through the archives here you may find info about detoxing and problems with liver pathways [I'm no expert but others on the forum are very knowledgeable] which may be of help. I am sorry to hear you have had to give up a job which you loved because of your health. I can sympathise, since I too was forced to give up work in similar circumstances - I wouldn't say that I loved my job, but I would love to be able to go back to work and that isn't possible at the moment.

The beach is good - I try to go when I can and always feel better there - most of the time the sun helps me too - which is maybe odd, but maybe its because I feel better outdoors than I do inside.

Hope this helps a bit Amy.

Best wishes

Steph

Have you tried any supplements or anything?



--- On Sun, 3/5/09, Amy Green <amygreen53@yahoo. com> wrote:

From: Amy Green <amygreen53@yahoo. com>
Subject: [eSens] new to group
To: eSens@yahoogroups. com
Date: Sunday, 3 May, 2009, 2:37 AM

I'm new to this group, but really glad I found you! For the past 3 years, I have had a terrible time with fluorescent lights. They make me feel weak, dizzy, disoriented and terribly anxious. It started when my health crashed with what seems to be endocrine (thyroid and adrenal problems), but as those labs have improved, my problems with fluorescent lights have not. The problem is worse in the morning than it is in the evening. Stores are virtually impossible to manage. I was a teacher and the last year I taught, I had to keep the lights off and just let the students work by natural light coming in the windows. I LOVE teaching, but have had to quit, not only because of the light problem, but the health mess in general. Before getting sick, I had no problems with the lights ever. Sometimes the sun bothers me, but not too badly because I spend a lot of time at the beach and can usually manage without sunglasses. I don't know anyone else with this
problem and am so tired of trying to explain it to people. : (

I would really appreciate any advice y'all can give. Thanks! Amy

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Amy -- Yup, uncanny! I do have fibromyalgia (although I had it for years before the other problems hit), plus hashimoto's and adrenal fatigue. The light sensitivity started when the thyroid and adrenal stuff started. I'm sure it's connected, I just don't know how. I am much more sensitive to lights in the morning, a bit less in the afternoon and even less in the evening. That's an adrenal pattern, so I'm guessing the connection may be adrenal, but I don't know and doctor's seem to have no idea. Is there a general consensus on this forum for what causes fluorescent light problems??

BTW -- I also used to homeschool -- and I too had to quit teaching Sunday School as well because of the lights and my general health issues. Strange world isn't it??

Amy




________________________________
From: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Sunday, May 3, 2009 8:54:03 PM
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group





I was going to add that it's uncanny how similar our situations are. I too
have thyroid issues, and got sensitive around the same time, although it
took me around 11 years to figure out what was making me feel so bad. The
doctors just said "fibromyalgia" , hashimoto's and fatigue. So not only do we
share a name but similar unfortunate circumstances. While I wasn't a teacher
(except a homeschool one and we have no fluorescents here!) I was teaching
Sunday School but had to stop that because of the lights, too.
Were you ever diagnosed w/fibro too?
Amy


No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the congress is in
session.

Mark Twain

In a message dated 5/3/2009 1:17:01 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
amygreen53@yahoo. com writes:

I'm new to this group, but really glad I found you! For the past 3 years, I
have had a terrible time with fluorescent lights. They make me feel weak,
dizzy, disoriented and terribly anxious. It started when my health crashed
with what seems to be endocrine (thyroid and adrenal problems), but as
those labs have improved, my problems with fluorescent lights have not. The
problem is worse in the morning than it is in the evening. Stores are
virtually impossible to manage. I was a teacher and the last year I taught, I had
to keep the lights off and just let the students work by natural light
coming in the windows. I LOVE teaching, but have had to quit, not only because
of the light problem, but the health mess in general. Before getting sick, I
had no problems with the lights ever. Sometimes the sun bothers me, but
not too badly because I spend a lot of time at the beach and can usually
manage without sunglasses. I don't know anyone else with this
problem and am so tired of trying to explain it to people. : (

I would really appreciate any advice y'all can give. Thanks! Amy

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

************ **The Average US Credit Score is 692. See Yours in Just 2 Easy
Steps!
(http://pr.atwola. com/promoclk/ 100126575x122237 6998x1201454298/ aol?redir= http://www. freecreditreport .com/pm/default. aspx?sc=668072& hmpgID=62& bcd=M
ay5309AvgfooterNO62 )

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> Is there a general consensus on this forum for what causes fluorescent
> light problems??

There is (somewhat) a consensus that EMF sensitivity has something to do
with heavy metal poisoning, typically mercury is thought to be a culprit
(with dental fillings and fish being the main sources). But I would
also consider adrenal/thyroid problems, possibly nutritional
deficiencies (perhaps iodine, or essential fatty acids, B vitamins, or
vitamin D), also a possibility is chronic low level infections (or
parasites) dragging down your immune system. These are all things that
can be checked by doctors, although I think alternative health doctors
(naturopaths, chiropracters) seem to better with this than regular
doctors, if for no other reason than they generally take their patients
more seriously, and not try to get them on anti-depressants. The
downside is that the treatments may not be covered by insurance.
The upside is that they can work, as evidenced by several people
here who have improved considerably (including myself).

Marc

> I also never thought about cell phones and wifi etc. Hmmm.

Yes, you should think of your sensitivities as the sum total of
your daily exposures. So even though you cannot do anything
about the grocery store, you do have some control over your
home environment, and you can unplug things, move things
away from you, and revert to older technology solutions (wired
telephones and internet instead of wireless).

Marc

Hi,
 
To answer your question about feeling better outdoors: I read in the book"Adrenal Fatigue" ( an excellent book, incidentally) that it is the higher oxygen level that makes us feel better outside. The book also recommendskeeping as many windows open as possible while inside. For myself, I know that makes a big difference in how well I feel. So much that I leave the windows open all night and sleep in several layers of clothes (sweatshirt etc.) and under lots of blankets when it gets cold at night. But overall, I am hot as you mentioned and very heat and light sensitive. Hope this infohelps you.
 
Cheryl
--- On Sun, 5/3/09, Amy Green <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: Amy Green <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group/Steph
To: [hidden email]
Date: Sunday, May 3, 2009, 9:23 PM








Steph -- What kind of detoxing do you do and how has it helped? I don't know much about that. I can see that you've thought this through a lot more than I have. Fluorescent lights were easy to figure out, but I never thought about things like cash registers -- although now that you mention it, checking out is the worst part of any store experience. I also never thought about cell phones and wifi etc. Hmmm.

I also get real hot! It's funny, because in the school where I taught, the students stayed in the same classroom and the teachers rotated in and out. When I would walk into the room, the students would automatically turn off the lights and open the windows. : ) Sometimes I think I froze the poor kids!

The beach is where I feel the best and thankfully I'm 30 minutes away, so Igo every weekend. I also spend a lot of time outside, because like you, I feel better there. Is that just because we are away from lights and computer etc, or is there more to it?

Thanks for the welcome. I am going to spend tomorrow poking through all theposts and trying to figure things out!

Thanks!! Amy

____________ _________ _________ __
From: Stephanie Smith <reader41@ymail. com>
To: eSens@yahoogroups. com
Sent: Sunday, May 3, 2009 9:39:07 AM
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group

Hi Amy

Welcome to the group - I'm glad you found us and hopefully from reading theposts here and making contacts with the other members in the group you might get some help in coping with what is a miserable and much misunderstood problem. What you describe is something that a lot of people on the forum have problems with. I too react badly to fluorescent lighting and shopping is extremely difficult - I find that being in large stores makes me feel extremely hot, with a flushed face broken out in an unsightly skin rash, and exhausted after only a short time, and exhausted and sickish the next day too. The best thing for me is avoidance - I don't shop unless I absolutely have to and try to shop in smaller stores which don't have so much of the fluoros and all the other associated paraphernalia which don't help - like thefreezers [in the supermarket] and the cash register system and the music etc and a lot of people's cell phones in an enclosed space and the
wifi in the cafe - they all add up!

The skin rash has improved somewhat for me since I started to detox in earnest, taking in more water, more fruit and veg, being more conscious that I avoid additives and try to cook my own food from scratch and drink less teaand coffee. If you go through the archives here you may find info about detoxing and problems with liver pathways [I'm no expert but others on the forum are very knowledgeable] which may be of help. I am sorry to hear you have had to give up a job which you loved because of your health. I can sympathise, since I too was forced to give up work in similar circumstances - I wouldn't say that I loved my job, but I would love to be able to go back towork and that isn't possible at the moment.

The beach is good - I try to go when I can and always feel better there - most of the time the sun helps me too - which is maybe odd, but maybe its because I feel better outdoors than I do inside.

Hope this helps a bit Amy.

Best wishes

Steph

Have you tried any supplements or anything?



--- On Sun, 3/5/09, Amy Green <amygreen53@ yahoo. com> wrote:

From: Amy Green <amygreen53@ yahoo. com>
Subject: [eSens] new to group
To: eSens@yahoogroups. com
Date: Sunday, 3 May, 2009, 2:37 AM

I'm new to this group, but really glad I found you! For the past 3 years, Ihave had a terrible time with fluorescent lights. They make me feel weak, dizzy, disoriented and terribly anxious. It started when my health crashed with what seems to be endocrine (thyroid and adrenal problems), but as those labs have improved, my problems with fluorescent lights have not. The problem is worse in the morning than it is in the evening. Stores are virtually impossible to manage. I was a teacher and the last year I taught, I had to keep the lights off and just let the students work by natural light coming in the windows. I LOVE teaching, but have had to quit, not only because of the light problem, but the health mess in general. Before getting sick, Ihad no problems with the lights ever. Sometimes the sun bothers me, but not too badly because I spend a lot of time at the beach and can usually manage without sunglasses. I don't know anyone else with this
problem and am so tired of trying to explain it to people. : (

I would really appreciate any advice y'all can give. Thanks! Amy

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

















     

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi,
 
This could be the possible explanation between emf sensitivity and metal poisoning, as I have understood it, having experienced both quite severely. In my case, living only 30 yards from a power tower for an extended period of time caused my body to become negatively polorized. A normal body is towards the positive end of this spectrum. As a result of the negative polorization I rapidly absorbed any metal that I touched, as metal is composed of positive ions. So my body became a metal magnet, so to speak. Hence I had metal poisoning so severe that by the age of 35 I was often so weak that I was in bed all day. Of course at that time I had no clue why I was so sick. Fortunatly a very knowledgeable health food store owner told me what was wrong and sold me chelation. I believe that she saved my life as no doctor would have ever diagnosed me with metal poisoning in all likelihood. I noticed that whenever I toched metal my skin broke out in terrible red
rashes and I had to give up using silverware due to this. Has anyone else experienced this?  Hope this info helps.
 
Cheryl

--- On Sun, 5/3/09, Marc Martin <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: Marc Martin <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group
To: [hidden email]
Date: Sunday, May 3, 2009, 10:14 PM








> Is there a general consensus on this forum for what causes fluorescent
> light problems??

There is (somewhat) a consensus that EMF sensitivity has something to do
with heavy metal poisoning, typically mercury is thought to be a culprit
(with dental fillings and fish being the main sources). But I would
also consider adrenal/thyroid problems, possibly nutritional
deficiencies (perhaps iodine, or essential fatty acids, B vitamins, or
vitamin D), also a possibility is chronic low level infections (or
parasites) dragging down your immune system. These are all things that
can be checked by doctors, although I think alternative health doctors
(naturopaths, chiropracters) seem to better with this than regular
doctors, if for no other reason than they generally take their patients
more seriously, and not try to get them on anti-depressants. The
downside is that the treatments may not be covered by insurance.
The upside is that they can work, as evidenced by several people
here who have improved considerably (including myself).

Marc
















     

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Amy (x2 :-)

One thing I think there is a fair consensus about is that these "chronic"
illnesses are very complex, unlike typical "acute" illnesses which are
sudden, have an obvious root cause and can often be treated by popping a
pill. Different people report different combinations of symptoms including
chemical sensitivity, electrical sensitivity, thyroid, adrenals,
fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, light and sound sensitivity, food and other
allergies, mercury and heavy metal problems, etc. but it's not clear what is
the chicken and what is the egg. There does seem to be a vicious circle and
a downhill spiral - often some of the more extreme symptoms like ES only
appear after a couple of years of gradually increasing problems. As Marc
mentions, the spiral can be reversed, and both he and several other regular
correspondents to this site have experienced this or seen it happen to
others, but it takes some time. In the meantime, EMF protection and
avoidance are obviously vital.

A number of people have been beavering away trying to find a complete
explanation for the underlying causes. These usually centre round immune
system problems where something has gradually weakened the body. Some of
the most interesting recent work has been done by Prof Martin Pall (a
biochemist not a doctor), who has tried to take a holistic approach and
suggested an underlying mechanism which could also relate to similar
diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Gulf War syndrome,
tinnitus and asthma. Pretty heavyweight, but interesting. He has also
suggested a supplementation regime - many of the items are suggested in
other protocols. It's based heavily on alpha-lipoic acid (and he warns that
for people with known high levels of heavy metals in an easily mobilised
form, these need to be reduced first). Would be interested to know if
anyone in this group has tried Pall's methods and how they worked for them.
More details at this site:

http://www.prohealth.com/fibromyalgia/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=14467
<http://www.prohealth.com/fibromyalgia/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=14467&B
1=EM041509F> &B1=EM041509F

Even if Pall's particular theory turns out not to be correct, I'm sure there
is some similar underlying link.

Ultimately one wants to get to the root cause of what started the downward
spiral originally. This seems to be different for different people, often a
missing metabolic pathway that means one's body can't process certain types
of food and drugs. It's now possible to test for missing genes which can
flag up problems, but this science (pharmacogenetics) is fairly new and
doctors are still on a learning curve. The tests are usually expensive and
not always accepted by the US FDA or UK NHS. If they were developed
further, then it would be possible to screen patients before prescribing
drugs like SSRI's (Paxil, Zoloft etc) which cause problems for people who
can't metabolise them.

Ian

_____

From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Amy
Green
Sent: 04 May 2009 05:32
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group






Amy -- Yup, uncanny! I do have fibromyalgia (although I had it for years
before the other problems hit), plus hashimoto's and adrenal fatigue. The
light sensitivity started when the thyroid and adrenal stuff started. I'm
sure it's connected, I just don't know how. I am much more sensitive to
lights in the morning, a bit less in the afternoon and even less in the
evening. That's an adrenal pattern, so I'm guessing the connection may be
adrenal, but I don't know and doctor's seem to have no idea. Is there a
general consensus on this forum for what causes fluorescent light problems??


BTW -- I also used to homeschool -- and I too had to quit teaching Sunday
School as well because of the lights and my general health issues. Strange
world isn't it??

Amy

________________________________
From: "javamdnss@aol. <mailto:javamdnss%40aol.com> com" <javamdnss@aol.
<mailto:javamdnss%40aol.com> com>
To: eSens@yahoogroups. <mailto:eSens%40yahoogroups.com> com
Sent: Sunday, May 3, 2009 8:54:03 PM
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group

I was going to add that it's uncanny how similar our situations are. I too
have thyroid issues, and got sensitive around the same time, although it
took me around 11 years to figure out what was making me feel so bad. The
doctors just said "fibromyalgia" , hashimoto's and fatigue. So not only do
we
share a name but similar unfortunate circumstances. While I wasn't a teacher

(except a homeschool one and we have no fluorescents here!) I was teaching
Sunday School but had to stop that because of the lights, too.
Were you ever diagnosed w/fibro too?
Amy

No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the congress is in
session.

Mark Twain

In a message dated 5/3/2009 1:17:01 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
amygreen53@yahoo. com writes:

I'm new to this group, but really glad I found you! For the past 3 years, I
have had a terrible time with fluorescent lights. They make me feel weak,
dizzy, disoriented and terribly anxious. It started when my health crashed
with what seems to be endocrine (thyroid and adrenal problems), but as
those labs have improved, my problems with fluorescent lights have not. The
problem is worse in the morning than it is in the evening. Stores are
virtually impossible to manage. I was a teacher and the last year I taught,
I had
to keep the lights off and just let the students work by natural light
coming in the windows. I LOVE teaching, but have had to quit, not only
because
of the light problem, but the health mess in general. Before getting sick, I

had no problems with the lights ever. Sometimes the sun bothers me, but
not too badly because I spend a lot of time at the beach and can usually
manage without sunglasses. I don't know anyone else with this
problem and am so tired of trying to explain it to people. : (

I would really appreciate any advice y'all can give. Thanks! Amy

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> That's an adrenal pattern, so I'm guessing the connection may be
> adrenal, but I don't know and doctor's seem to have no idea.

You can have your cortisol levels checked -- it's a saliva test which is
done 4 times in a day to see if you are in adrenal fatigue, and at what
stage. I've had this done a couple times. When I was more sensitive,
my cortisol levels were too high throughout the day (which means the
body was constantly in "fight or flight" mode). When I became less
sensitive, my cortisol levels were normal. To become normal, I was
taking various herbs and glandular pills/capsules for adrenal support.
The test and the pills were provided by a local chiropractor who focuses
on nutrition.

Marc

> The beach is where I feel the best and thankfully I'm 30 minutes away,
> so I go every weekend. I also spend a lot of time outside, because
> like you, I feel better there. Is that just because we are away from
> lights and computer etc, or is there more to it?

The beach is good for many of us because it has various elements of good
health that we don't get indoors. At the beach, we get fresh air (good
for oxygenating the body which helps the immune system), sunshine (good
for Vitamin D), a high amount of negative ions (which are good for
health), plus I suspect being exposed to the natural salt on the ocean
beach also helps a bit with mineral deficiencies.

Marc

Marc -- Could that include candida??

Thanks, Amy




________________________________






also a possibility is chronic low level infections (or
parasites) dragging down your immune system.

Marc






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Cheryl -- Wow, you've really been through it! What kind of chelation stuff did the health food store owner give you? I just bought an intestinal cleanse kit and I do have some milk thistle (that I've never used). I can't wear watches that have any kind of metal in them or I get a real itchy rash where the metal touches -- same for earrings etc. Would that be at all connected?

I have also read the Adrenal Fatigue book. It's wonderful. His program and supplements brought me from low cortisol levels up to pretty much normal levels -- but it didn't solve all my health issues, so I'm trying to dig deeper than just adrenals.

Thanks! Amy




________________________________

Hence I had metal poisoning so severe that by the age of 35 I was often so weak that I was in bed all day. Of course at that time I had no clue why I was so sick. Fortunatly a very knowledgeable health food store owner told me what was wrong and sold me chelation. I believe that she saved my life as no doctor would have ever diagnosed me with metal poisoning in all likelihood. I noticed that whenever I toched metal my skin broke out in terrible red
rashes and I had to give up using silverware due to this. Has anyone else experienced this? Hope this info helps.

Cheryl


..






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Marc -- I've done the saliva tests several times. Interestingly, when my light sensitivity was at it's worst (WalMart would make me so dizzy and disoriented that I could barely manage to get myself out of there), my cortisol levels were low. I guess low cortisol messes with you as badly as high cortisol. Even though my cortisol tests out as being in the normal range, I still feel like I'm in constant fight or flight mode -- I felt that way too when it was low. The beach (and outside in general) is the only time when I really can feel relaxed. Your explanations about the beach made a lot of sense to me. Should we be using negative ion generators in our homes?

Thanks for all your help! Amy




________________________________
From: Marc Martin <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Monday, May 4, 2009 9:10:47 AM
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group





> That's an adrenal pattern, so I'm guessing the connection may be
> adrenal, but I don't know and doctor's seem to have no idea.

You can have your cortisol levels checked -- it's a saliva test which is
done 4 times in a day to see if you are in adrenal fatigue, and at what
stage. I've had this done a couple times. When I was more sensitive,
my cortisol levels were too high throughout the day (which means the
body was constantly in "fight or flight" mode). When I became less
sensitive, my cortisol levels were normal. To become normal, I was
taking various herbs and glandular pills/capsules for adrenal support.
The test and the pills were provided by a local chiropractor who focuses
on nutrition.

Marc






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> I guess low cortisol messes with you as badly as high cortisol.

Yes, low cortisol readings can be even worse than when they are high, as
that can indicate a more advanced case of adrenal exhaustion.

> Should we be using negative ion generators in our homes?

You would think so, but I have personally found negative ion generators
to be more trouble than they are worth. I never found any real benefit
from them, but I did find plenty of drawbacks, including a "pins &
needles" reaction on my skin (an ES reaction?), plus they blacken all
furniture and walls in their immediate vicinity, which indicates to me
that there are way too many ions next to the device, but probably none
further away from the device. I know that there is a really expensive
ionizer that I have not tried that claims to be better than all other
ionizers (made by Elanra), but it costs more than I'm willing to pay.

However, I have found benefits from using low-powered ozone air
purifiers. Now, you may have read that ozone is a harmful component of
pollution, but I think the media has it wrong in this case. Ozone is
also found in high amounts in the most freshest of airs -- in the
mountains, by the beach and waterfalls, and after thunderstorms
(negative ions are also high in these environments). Ozone is simply an
unstable configuration of 3 oxygen molecules, and as soon as it runs
into a pollutant, it destroys (oxidizes) it. So I have found ozone good
for reducing odors in the house from chemicals, pets, etc. and it also
can make the air smell cleaner/fresher indoors. And without destroying
the walls of furniture! Many of the ozone devices sold today actually
put out way too much ozone (as in more than a natural amount found
outdoors), which can be irritating, but with some experimentation I've
found appropriately sized models or added on/off recycle timers to limit
the amount of ozone added to a room. If you want to experiment, a cheap
good one is the Fresh Air Focus from EcoQuest, which I've seen for only
$30 - $40 online and on eBay. I also have used more expensive models
from BioZone Scientific and the Aranizers (although the Aranizers seems
to always self-destruct after about a year or two). I don't consider
any of these to be the "perfect" solution for indoor air, but they
are certainly better than all of the ionizers I've tried.

Marc

> Marc -- Could that include candida??

Yes, Candida would be one of those things that would be classified as a
chronic low level infection or parasite. Candida gets a lot of
attention, but really there are many things that could be doing
similarly bad things to your body. (Just like mercury gets a lot of
attention, but there are many heavy metals which could be causing
troubles)

Marc

Yes, candida can be a factor. It is one of the numerous items that falls
into the category of things that put a strain on your body and immune
system. I forgot to mention that Sue's original problem (10 years back) was
candida resulting from heavy antibiotic doses after a wisdom teeth
infection. This gave her chronic fatigue type ME, i.e. unable to walk for
than 100 yards. A severe anti-candida diet apparently cured it, but also
left behind some residual damage to the gut (which much later mainfested
itself as leaky gut syndrome and food allergies). She still gets periodic
recurrences of candida, though pretty moderate (usually if she has eaten
sugar or chocolate ...)

Most people cope with candida naturally (it is part of our normal gut flora)
but for people with a weakened immune system, the gut seems to lose some of
its normal ability to self-heal after a candida overgrowth.

Ian

_____

From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Amy
Green
Sent: 04 May 2009 16:24
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [eSens] new to group





Marc -- Could that include candida??

Thanks, Amy

________________________________

also a possibility is chronic low level infections (or
parasites) dragging down your immune system.

Marc

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