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that's because you call it "this stuff" and bundle everything from new cars to soap into the same category. So you're just sensitive to every industrial materi
by metalliqaz 6y ago
that's because you call it "this stuff" and bundle everything from new cars to soap into the same category. So you're just sensitive to every industrial material? it's hard to take seriously.
- 4eor0 6y agoIs it hard to take pollen allergies from dozens of different plants seriously? How about dust and smoke? How can someone be allergic to both! The temerity. It’s less about chemistry of the materials, more about the sensitivity of the squishy, arbitrary human body.
- forgotmypw17 6y agoPollen I don't avoid, because it's not a new substance. "Dust" allergies often have to do with the substances which are on the dust, which is covered above. Smoke is certainly not good for you. This squishy arbitrary human body is the only one I've got for today, so I avoid whatever I think may harm it, even if there is no dots on the i's and crosses on the t's with regards to scientific proof. If you look at the history of teflon, plastics, cigarettes, VOCs, synthetic food ingredients, you'll see that this strategy would have served a human well in the past, and it's the best one I can think of to follow for the foreseeable future.
- tptacek 6y agoOne problem with this kind of reasoning is that it's the same thing that the people with the 5G allergies say. It's tricky because VOCs probably are very bad for us, so there's a kernel of truth in it, but you don't want to balance your entire house on a single kernel, if that makes sense.
- danlugo92 6y agoJesus Christ comparing allergies to chemicals to 5G conspiracy theories, everyone's a paranoid conspiracy theorist now :shrug
- codr7 6y agoHow about judging each case on its merits rather than shoving them all in the conspiracy box to feel better?
- tptacek 6y agoI agree that's how we should do it, and think we are both making the same critique.
- forgotmypw17 6y agoWell, VOCs are in almost all new products on the market...
- e7fyeuuerg 6y agoReading between the lines they're that room mate who harasses you over their grievance every day while feining politeness. I'd rather move to a longer commute than live with someone like this.
- forgotmypw17 6y agoThink what you will, I've converted several households to only use Dr. Bronner's and be generally clean of VOC pollutants. Sure, it's fucking annoying when someone's making you change the ways you've been settling into for decades, and it's also the truth, and a fight worth fighting, in my opinion. It's also easier than you think to change these habits.
- e7fyeuuerg 6y agoThankyou for demonstrating my point.
- forgotmypw17 6y agoWhat is your point? That I shouldn't communicate to people I'm close with about about harm they're doing to themselves and myself and help them change their ways?
- LargoLasskhyfv 6y agoThink of the kitties! It's good for them too!
- NickBusey 6y agoYou mean the same Dr. Bronner's who's label is completely covered with religious insanity? Thanks, but I think I'll pass on supporting such a company. Edit: Link to the full text for those who feel the need to down vote my shopping preferences. http://dev.null.org/psychoceramics/collection/bronner.html http://dev.null.org/psychoceramics/collection/bronner.html
- forgotmypw17 6y ago
- LargoLasskhyfv 6y agoIt IS the same category when it makes you suffer. Be it sneezes, running nose, coughing, swelling throat, burning eyes, sometimes itching skin, feeling unwell in general after being in contact with or near that stuff. Maybe our bodies have different tresholds for exposure to that stuff, and after oversaturating them for some time, there is no buffer available anymore? Resulting in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_chemical_sensitivity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_chemical_sensitivity
- forgotmypw17 6y agoI call it the canary system. Some people are more sensitive than others, but we're all being harmed with it. For my part, I pay attention to what others are sensitive to and avoid it as well. If someone else has trouble coping with a substance but I'm "fine", that probably means that underneath my constituents are still struggling to deal with it and just not telling me.
- ramblerman 6y agoSsome people are allergic to peanuts, doesn't seem like a well grounded theory.
- pmoleri 6y agoPeanut, Egg, and Milk protein (CMPA) allergies are common in babies. My understanding is that the digestive system is not mature enough to process them, so it rejects them. Some of these allergies develop even while breast fed (baby colic). I take that some allergies stick once developed. But you should consider that something that creates an allergy response in a baby may be not harmful at all for an adult. And sometimes, once the allergy is triggered it sticks.
- lotsofpulp 6y agoI wonder why they weren't common 30 years ago. Not a single person in my entire family from my generation and before has a single allergy, nor was it ever a big thing in school I attended in various US states in the 90s and early 00s. It's like between the time I went to college and my own kids started school, they exploded and now all of the sudden a PB&J sandwich isn't allowed in school. That would have been unfathomable to me in my youth.
- cptskippy 6y ago> "this stuff" Is it less hard to take seriously when the proper term is utilized? Volatile Organic Compounds (a.k.a. VOCs) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound
- forgotmypw17 6y ago> So you're just sensitive to every industrial material? it's hard to take seriously. Our bodies are essentially "legacy code" that's been evolving not for a decade or two, but for millions of years. If you've ever maintained an old software system, you know that old-tried-and-true inputs are probably good, but trying anything previously untested may cause unpredictable issues. I look at any new substance which my ancestors haven't encountered (and been selected for tolerating) as basically alpha testing, which I'd rather avoid with my irreplaceable hardware-software installation.
- tptacek 6y agoIn this thread, you've managed to derive axiomatically a theory of toxicity in which peanuts are suspicious because they trigger allergies, which implies our immune systems see something wrong with them. I feel like a grain of salt (if our systems can tolerate it) would do us well on this thread.
- varelse 6y agoSo I have an allergy to Aloe. And it got blind tested one night when I slept on a friend's floor and woke up with a rash 100% unaware he used his Aloe plant right where I slept. I also have whatever the hell the MSG allergy is, though obviously it isn't to pure MSG because they can't reproduce it with pure MSG (from which they conclude it doesn't exist), but if someone wants to throw money at figuring out its root cause from some sort of breakdown product or adulterant that travels with commercially produced MSG, I'm happy to be the guinea pig. The last time it hit, at a Chinese restaurant in SF, the left side of my body was nearly paralyzed. It is bizarre whatever it actually is. And the number of you-know-whats I give about randos taking it seriously or not is precisely zero. A former co-worker would projectile vomit if exposed to avocado. I saw that get evaluated blind as well.
- SamoyedFurFluff 6y agoIf you’re curious about the MSG sensitivity I recommend trying other foods that are high in MSG and looking for similar sensitivities to foods like tomatoes, snack foods, and meat seasoning mixes, and condiments. If you don’t have sensitivities to those, it may be something else that’s causing the issue, like ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc.
- dialamac 6y ago> The last time it hit, at a Chinese restaurant in SF, Not to not take it seriously, but isn’t there a lot more stuff in American Chinese food other than MSG? Like of the 1000s of chemical substances that would be in a plate of Chinese food, why of all places would that be where you would isolate an MSG allergy? > or adulterant that travels with commercially produced MSG Then that wouldn’t be an MSG allergy. Oats are gluten free but celiacs have difficulty with them, not because of the oats but because of contamination.. we wouldn’t say they have an oat allergy though.
- code_duck 6y agoI have serious problems with many of the same chemicals as GP. Well I understand different ones are harmful or not in theory, I only know what I react to. It's almost uniformly products to which artificial fragrances are added intentionally, or exhaust that's known to be harmful such as diesel and gasoline. I only have issues with certain natural fragrances (essential oils) with extended exposure or large amounts. Most likely it's members of several large categories that I react to. Could be VOCs, phthalates, teflon relatives, and synthetic fragrance compounds. Like gluten intolerance, one of the difficult things about reacting negatively to common consumer products is the number of people who refuse to believe it's a real problem.
- briefcomment 6y agoFrom personal experience, once you become sensitized, you become sensitive to literally anything synthetic.