Tag Archives: fibromyalgia
We win some and we lose some, but we’re winning the fight!
Since the 1980s, doctors have been fighting over the legitimacy of environmentally linked conditions – Environmental Sensitivities/Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (ES/MCS), Fibromyalgia (FM) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). After years of paddling upstream, the tides are now turning strongly in our … Continue reading
One of many barriers for canaries.
This an example of how difficult it is for people with invisible disabilities to receive accommodations that are rightfully theirs. Last week in Mclean’s Magazine It took months of mediation between a student with invisible disabilities, York University and the … Continue reading
2015 – A Retrospective
It’s the end of 2015, a time to celebrate the promise of the coming year but also a time to reflect on the 12 months that have just passed. It was an incredibly exciting year for me professionally. As a physician who advocated for my patients for so many years, I no longer feel that I am paddling upstream against the hardline, medically conservative current that has discredited environmental medicine for decades. The patient groups that I work with have realistic hope for improved care in the near future. Continue reading
Why do employees with MCS struggle for accommodation and benefits?
I recently testified as an expert witness on behalf of a patient with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) who was being denied accommodation in the workplace. The lawyer for the insurance company began the proceedings by trying to discredit me as an expert but my CV convinced the Judge to accept my testimony. These companies employ lawyers and physicians who support the insurance company’s stance and continue to discredit doctors who treat patients with environmentally related conditions. So it’s no wonder that these patients still struggle to obtain benefits and accommodation. Continue reading
Suprises in the Pantry
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight – to feel and look better, and also to be healthier. In 2014, experts in weight loss were talking about sugar as the enemy, contributing to the obesity problem and the related health concerns, such as diabetes and heart disease. While diet is certainly the main cause of weight gain, the environment plays a significant role too. It’s now the third week of that resolution to lose weight. Perhaps making some changes in your environment can help you achieve a more successful outcome. Continue reading
You are what you breathe!
Summer in the city, lunchtime on a weekday. I walked through a park on my way to a meeting on a main street. It was a lovely day; clear blue sky and warm sunshine. The park benches were all occupied with people eating their lunch. I don’t usually peer into the lunches of strangers but I had been mulling over the obesity epidemic as a blog post topic – call it my research. I stopped and took a panoramic view of what people were eating. Here’s what I saw… Continue reading
The Pain of Fibromyalgia
When I ask my patients to describe their pain, they often tell me that they feel like they have been run over by a Mack truck. I tell them that I can’t understand this – that those people are all dead. So, how do we assess the level of someone else’s pain that we’ve never experienced? Continue reading
Allergy vs Sensitivity
On May 12th, I was interviewed on CJAD radio in Montreal on the Tommy Schnurmacher show. The topic was the effect of the polluted environment on health and why women are more afflicted with environmentally related illnesses than men. There was a phone in segment for people to call in questions. The last caller was scornful. He told me that he had allergies during childhood, had received allergy shots, was no longer allergic, and insisted that he would continue to use deodorant. I could only respond to the latter point, that it was his personal choice to apply chemicals to his body, because we had run out of program time. Continue reading
John Molot 