BREATHING EASIER

Treatments currently being tested follow from these theories. Dr Uhde and Dr Cortese found in a small study that a brief stint of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) reduced overall sensitivity to smells in those with high anxiety. Dr Miller advocates medicines that target mast cells. Blocking histamine receptors with allergy or gastrointestinal intolerance (GI) drugs can sometimes also help, she says. And Dr Van den Bergh created a treatment in which patients are coached on how to disrupt nocebo reactions.

But, until a treatment is proven to work in large clinical trials, people with MCS are left to figure it out for themselves. The majority aim to eliminate chemicals from their life, something that’s very hard because chemicals are everywhere. Still, the effort is worth it: One study from the University of Melbourne found that when air fresheners were taken out of office bathrooms, chemical concentrations in the air dropped by up to 96 per cent within two weeks.

Corinne, for her part, grew into such an expert on minimising chemicals in her home that she became a consultant, educating others with MCS and other respiratory illnesses about the ideal materials to use in their spaces. (Hint: Vinyl and laminate flooring aren’t among them.) “Most people who are sensitive lead strict lives in order to survive and function, but that can’t be the answer,” Dr Cortese says. “We need to find ways to treat them by better understanding the biological basis and studying which interventions are helpful.”

Until then, Dr Steinemann believes that everyone can help by reducing the mix of scented products that surround us. “People with chemical sensitivities are like human canaries,” she says. “They react earlier and more severely to chemical pollutants, even at low levels.”