posted
What can you do about different smells making you so sick to your stomach?
I put a roast on in the slow cooker and I can hardly stand the smell of it. So many things make me sick to smell but I don't know how to avoid many of them.
posted
The first thing is to not avoid the smells. The more you avoid the smells, the stronger the flight/fight response and anxiety created within will be next time. I would suggest deep breathing techniques when you encounter a smell trigger. Also, verify your yeast situation as that can make olfactory problems worse.
Anytime its sense related, its likely lyme crud playing havoc.
Google smell disorders or anxiety triggers for more info...
Posts: 514 | From . | Registered: Apr 2008
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posted
This happens to my daughter too. She seems hyper-sensitive to all smells. If I am cooking a sauce she will start saying "I smell basil, garlic..etc"...It's very annoying for her. It makes her very nausea as well. The best I can do is give her some nausea meds and close the door.
Posts: 371 | From CT | Registered: Jun 2008
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
dorothy,
i'm allergic to many smells but NOT many food smells thankfully since i LOVE TO EAT !!
you might find suggestions here in my newbie link:
NOISE/SOUNDS, AND CHEMICAL SMELLS !!
Betty's ROLL CALL of MEMBERS WITH EXTREME SENSITIVITIVITIES TO LIGHTS, SOUNDS/NOISE, AND CHEMICAL SENSITIVITIES
posted
I'm very sensitvie to smells too. Cooking smells as well.
The only thing I have found to help is avoidance and diet. Now I can tolerate more than used too.
With me the more I'm exposed to the ones I react to the more sensitive I get.
When you live with other people it can be even more difficult to control your enviorment. Some people have found ways to help. A good air filter can help.
Fancy
Posts: 258 | From San Diego, CA USA | Registered: Sep 2002
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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If chemicals cause reactions, avoidance is best. As for cooking smells, I'd say cook other foods.
You are getting some sort of chemical reaction from either the particular foods, ingredients, or the cooking method.
With liver support, this can get better. It may be best to be sure your home is chemical and perfume free to help lessen the load on your liver. There are many good cleaning products by Seventh Generation or Bi-o-Kleen, etc.
I don't know so much about the food smells, but perfumes, diesel fumes, cleaning chemicals, dry cleaning, etc. can all point to MCS, or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - quite often this goes along with lyme disease.
You can google MCS for more detail.
MCS can also be a sign of porphyria - a liver that has trouble processing out Cytochrome P-450 chemicals and some foods.
Meat is hard for porphyria patients to process so, perhaps the smell of the meat making you ill is telling you not to eat it if you have trouble with your liver metabolizing it.
Some lyme patients might also have a secondary or chronic porphyria. That is why liver support is so important (milk thistle, NAC, glutathione, etc.)
Be sure to flush your kitchen and the upstairs of your house each day with fresh air. I know it's cold now in most of the country, but it can take just a minute.
Especially, if you have a gas stove, flush with fresh air daily AND use your exhaust fan at the stove before your turn on the burner and again just before you turn it off - to capture the rotten egg smell that can be toxic to anyone but, especially, for anyone who has a sluggish liver.
(Porphyria patients are advised against gas heat or stoves as they just can't tolerate that at all.)
posted
Just a side remark... there is a difference between a chemical sensitivity (allergic reaction), and an anxiety reaction to smells. Although they can certainly feel and react the same.
If its an allergic reaction, then yes, avoidance... however, if its an anxiety disorder, a learned response and fight/flight mechanism, then its not good to continually avoid..instead, overtime its better to accept the smell, link it to a positive response, breathe through it, etc. Otherwise overtime it becomes an engrained learned response (think Pavlovs dog with smell instead of that biscuit). You smell the smell, it triggers anxiety, you react. The more you avoid, the stronger it gets, and often then the array of smells that triggers anxiety grows wider.
A good thorough testing of allergens might be in order...but only you will know whether its a true chemical/physical reaction vs an anxiety disorder with olfactory triggers.
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savebabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9847
posted
Babs meds made it really hard for me to smell things, especially meat.
Thankfully it passed when the meds were discontinued.
Posts: 1603 | From ny | Registered: Aug 2006
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mojo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9309
posted
I find that the more "toxic" I am the more I am sensitive to smell.
When I am detoxing well my smell sensitivity is almost gone.
When I am strong enought to go to the mall I still run (run not walk) from those people with the perfume sprayers. Honestly, they should be outlawed!
Posts: 1761 | From USA | Registered: May 2006
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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I did not interpret this to be an anxiety about smells creating illness (which I interpret as nausea, etc.).
Interesting notes about how some meds can cause this reaction.
Avoidance can certainly help to lighten the load - and help whatever systems are on overdrive to settle down. What about trying out other kinds of foods?
There is the possibility that some sort of neurological event (a small seizure) is going on. It can happen from smells. If so, avoidance of the offending agents is a good idea to be able to sort things out.
If you experience any vertigo or weakness, be sure to talk to your LLMD about this.
Frequent infusions of fresh air into the kitchen is always a good idea, anyway. That alone may be a big help. We forget that during winter.
Although it's "just food" cooking creates a chemical reaction. In addition, hormone imbalance or Inner ear also can be part of this. Is any vertigo involved? If so, ginger tea may help.
Also, cutting a fresh lemon may offer some relief.
Do you cook with teflon or other non-stick pans? Those are best to avoid or use near an open window. If your crock pot has a plastic lid it is best to replace with glass. You can often find these at Goodwill Stores or on line at pyrex site.
If there is any anxiety involved, supporting adrenal function should be of help. Often, anxiety (about anything) can be sign of adrenal dysfunction and exhaustion and nerve weakness.
B-vitamins should also help if this is the case.
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[ 14. January 2009, 02:04 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Unfortunately, if this has to do with MCS, allergy tests will be of little use.
However, understanding how excess porphyrin load can trigger this may be of help in knowing what action steps to take (mostly liver support):
There are also times when problems with smells (in either direction) can indicate changes in the brain.
After considering some of the posts above, and making some changes, if the problem is still profound, be sure to ask your LLMD if a brain scan might be helpful to rule out pressure affecting the part of the brain that processes smell.
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[ 14. January 2009, 02:02 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
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