I can wear some steel toe shoes I purchase from Walmart. I think I’m on my fifth pair! The brand is “Brahma” and the style is “Steve.” They cost about $30. (See http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brahma-Men-s-Steve-Work-Boot/21610088). I like these shoes because they have thick soles. If I walk on carpet or other flooring that has pesticides or solvents on it, I can feel the solvents come up through the shoes if the soles are thin. If you find it difficult to believe that solvents can travel through the soles of your shoes, just ask the people who design chemical resistant boots and shoes.
To remove chemicals from these shoes after I buy them, I have used two different procedures: (1) I run hot water into them in the tub for 20 to 30 minutes. Then I pack baking soda into them and let them sit in the sun for a week or two; (2) I just put them through the dishwasher once and they come out wearable. I recently discovered the second procedure and I like it because it is much faster and easier. Once I tried to boil the shoes (to remove the chemicals) and they fell apart because the glue holding them together melted! Boiling them really removed the chemicals, but also destroyed the shoes.
My dad (who is also chemically sensitive) bought some Vans slip-on shoes recently and was able to wear them after putting them through the wash about seven times.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Chemical Sensitivity and Prayer
“A 2003 survey of 917 MCS patients revealed the two most effective treatments for MCS, in order of self-perceived harm/benefit ratio, were a chemical-free living space and chemical avoidance. Next came prayer and meditation . . . .”[1] I do not consider myself an expert on meditation, but I have benefited immensely from prayer, so I decided to do a post on this topic.
I prayed regularly before I became chemically sensitive, but my isolation has given me much more time to devote to pondering and prayer. Those with chemical sensitivity are often forced to live in relative isolation. Schools, churches, stores, theaters, businesses, and even the homes of friends and family members harbor chemicals that often cause symptoms in individuals with chemical sensitivity. Consequently and unfortunately, many chemically sensitive individuals do not have much interaction with other people and cannot participate in many social activities and events.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and much of what I have learned about prayer has come from the Bible, and especially the teachings of Jesus. Prayer has brought a lot of peace, hope, and comfort into my life. Through prayer I have felt the love my Heavenly Father has for me. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers. In fact, I believe that many of the ideas I have had for how to deal with chemical sensitivity (including some of the ideas on this blog) have come as inspiration from God.
How to Pray
A prayer might include the following:
1) Address Heavenly Father
2) Express gratitude for blessings
3) Ask for things you desire
4) Close in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. ("If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14:14.))
Other subjects appropriate for prayer include praising God, repenting of sins, and seeking forgiveness. Jesus was often engaged in prayer and gave an example of how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer:
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[1] Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 22, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_chemical_sensitivity (citing Gibson, P. R.; Elms, A. N.; Ruding, L. A. (2003). "Perceived treatment efficacy for conventional and alternative therapies reported by persons with multiple chemical sensitivity". Environmental health perspectives 111 (12): 1498–1504).
[2] Matthew 6:9-13.
[3] LDS Bible Dictionary, Prayer (available at http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/prayer?lang=eng&letter=p.)
I prayed regularly before I became chemically sensitive, but my isolation has given me much more time to devote to pondering and prayer. Those with chemical sensitivity are often forced to live in relative isolation. Schools, churches, stores, theaters, businesses, and even the homes of friends and family members harbor chemicals that often cause symptoms in individuals with chemical sensitivity. Consequently and unfortunately, many chemically sensitive individuals do not have much interaction with other people and cannot participate in many social activities and events.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and much of what I have learned about prayer has come from the Bible, and especially the teachings of Jesus. Prayer has brought a lot of peace, hope, and comfort into my life. Through prayer I have felt the love my Heavenly Father has for me. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers. In fact, I believe that many of the ideas I have had for how to deal with chemical sensitivity (including some of the ideas on this blog) have come as inspiration from God.
How to Pray
A prayer might include the following:
1) Address Heavenly Father
2) Express gratitude for blessings
3) Ask for things you desire
4) Close in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. ("If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14:14.))
Other subjects appropriate for prayer include praising God, repenting of sins, and seeking forgiveness. Jesus was often engaged in prayer and gave an example of how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer:
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.I also thought that the following quote on prayer was instructive:
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.[2]
As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other.[3]The following site gives a fabulous overview of prayer: http://www.lds.org/topics/prayer?lang=eng. Chemical sensitivity can be an extremely difficult illness and I feel compassion for those who must deal with it. I often pray for those who are struggling with chemical sensitivity. If you are chemically sensitive, I'll keep praying for you.
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[1] Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 22, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_chemical_sensitivity (citing Gibson, P. R.; Elms, A. N.; Ruding, L. A. (2003). "Perceived treatment efficacy for conventional and alternative therapies reported by persons with multiple chemical sensitivity". Environmental health perspectives 111 (12): 1498–1504).
[2] Matthew 6:9-13.
[3] LDS Bible Dictionary, Prayer (available at http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/prayer?lang=eng&letter=p.)
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