Access to treatment

Once a diagnosis of environmental sensitivities has been established, the patient’s priority is the avoidance of agents that trigger symptoms. In Quebec, there is no consensus among physicians regarding treatment.

In the rest of Canada, there are a few environmental health clinics. Patients are advised to eat organic foods, drink purified water, ensure that their living space is exempt of all contaminants and to avoid places that could trigger reactions as much as possible. Under the supervision of a physician, the following treatments may also be proposed: inducing sweating, a rotation diet to identify triggering foods, chelation therapy (to help excrete heavy metals from the body), immune system stimulation, vitamins and minerals, food and inhalant desensitization, etc. The supervision of a health care practitioner is especially important for sufferers of environmental sensitivities because they also react to low doses of medication.