Chapter Summaries & Excerpts

  1. Chapter 1: What Is MCS And Who Gets It?
    • Description and demographics
  2. Chapter 2: What Causes MCS? Physiological And Psychological Hypotheses
    • Basic theory about the causes of MCS
  3. Chapter 3: How Lives Are Affected By MCS
    • Life impacts of coping with MCS
  4. Chapter 4: Making Your Environment Safe
    • How to clean up your home
  5. Chapter 5: Facing Food
    • Eating a safe and high quality diet
  6. Chapter 6: The Dilemma Of Medical Help
    • How have people tried to treat their MCS?
  7. Chapter 7: Alternative Therapies
    • What holistic therapies may have to offer
  8. Chapter 8: Coming To Terms With Chronic Illness and Disability
    • Understanding chronic illness/disability in general
  9. Chapter 9: Share This Chapter With Your Therapist
    • Understanding the psychological overlay and response to MCS
  10. Chapter 10: Against The Odds: Identity, Loss And Possibilities For Growth
    • The possible effects of MCS on identity
  11. Chapter 11: Mobilizing Social Support
    • How to understand and manage you support system
  12. Chapter 12: Miscellaneous Pathways: You Are Never Really Stuck
    • What else to try when it seems hopeless
  13. Chapter 13: Disability Issues: Workplace Accommodations And Applying For Disability Benefits
    • Acquiring accommodations and applying for benefits
  14. Chapter 14: Final Comments: Understanding The Cultural Response
    • The industrial context of MCS
  15. Appendix A: Research Methodology
    • A summary of the work of the JMU MCS Research Team
  16. Appendix B: Product Sources
    • Where to find safer products
  17. Appendix C: Chapter Resources
    • Resources for extra reading, notes, and clarifications for each Chapter
  18. Appendix D: Organization Support
    • Organizations for information, support, advocacy
  19. Appendix E: Treatments Tried By 917 People With MCS
    • Reprint of our treatment article published in Environmental Health Perspectives