Sillyme wrote:I cannot tolerate gluten or casein my diet. Not even the tiniest dusting of wheat flour or cream in my coffee. Doesn't mean you or anyone else should limit their diet if it doesn't bother you. We'd probably all be healthier without the toxic volitile compounds in our environment, but lavender flowers, roses, chamomile, cedar, pine needles, lemon zest and aromatic spices are some of the things that make life more pleasurable. I would definately avoid any of these that you may be sensitive to, but aromatherapy is a respected therapy. Sounds like you are super-sensitive. Must be difficult.
Of course I'm not going to limit my gluten in my diet because of other people's intolerance to gluten.
It doesn't affect them either way. Do you genuinely not see any difference between me eating gluten around you and you wearing fragrance around me? The gluten I eat has no chance of affecting you. The perfume you wear DOES affect me when I'm around you.
Here's a better example. There are people, usually children, for whom even a molecule of a peanut could cause a fatal reaction for them. Around THEM, I would completely avoid peanuts and other peanut products. In that case, my incomplete consumption of something could affect them in a drastic fashion.
I generally don't say anything to people about my problem, because I don't think my problem has to become their problem. I am not asking you not to wear or use fragrance products. What I AM saying is that when you do, it DOES affect me in a harmful way. Obviously, I cannot avoid that all the time. People who know about my problem may or may not avoid using fragrances in my presence. Some do, some don't. I think it is a reflection of uber-care when they discontinue using a fragrance product because of me. I think that is an extraordinarly kind thing to do. But I don't think people who don't refrain are being somehow "mean" to me.
The fact that you cannot tolerate even small amounts of gluten or casein is a reason you should understand exactly why I prefer not to be around fragrances. That you would have a similar problem with so little sympathy for others with a sensitivity to something is somewhat perplexing. Is there any possibility that financial matters are complicating your ability to acknowledge that fragrances may be harmful to some people?
