Scented really is the new cigarette. Same chemicals, same harm. Same corporate defensiveness from giant companies profiting from their chemicals, at the cost of human health.

Secondhand scent is as toxic as secondhand smoke. As for me, I'm grateful to this firm for standing up for clean air rights.

Speaking as a person with disabilities, anyone (like the companies in the article) who says the ADA has been "weaponized" doesn't understand disability at all and has no empathy for the strength a person with disabilities needs just to get through the day. To me, saying the ADA is nothing more than a "weapon against companies" is extremely ableist.

Excerpts from the article:

The conflict highlights an emerging debate about synthetic scents: Many hotels use them, but some sensitive guests consider those aromas as welcome as secondhand smoke.

In general, the lawsuits allege that artificial fragrances used in many hotel public rooms violate the federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, because those fragrances make it dangerous or impossible for some people to share the space.

In court filings, Cole’s firm asserts that 26.8% of adults suffer from asthma or asthma-like conditions and 27.5% suffer from chemical sensitivity. He contends that when hotels circulate synthetic fragrances through scent dispersion machines, they may be spreading toxic chemicals, potentially causing respiratory problems, headaches, skin irritation and gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and cognitive problems among vulnerable guests.

Many of the companies that supply hotel fragrances belong to the Switzerland-based International Fragrance Assn. (IFRA), which sets voluntary guidelines for ingredients. But the U.S. government frequently doesn’t require disclosure of fragrance ingredients because blends are often trade secrets.

“It’s outside of the [Food and Drug Administration’s] domain and so the regulatory framework becomes much less stringent,” said Alexander M. Spokoyny, professor and chair of UCLA’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Yet among skeptics, questions and doubts remain on the safety of chemical entities, fragrances included.

“Even if something might be natural, if you aerosolize it and spread it across buildings, it’s not necessarily great,” UCLA’s Spokoyny said. “I do think it requires more thorough public scrutiny. ... You just don’t know what you don’t know.”

And this nasty bit:
Representatives for Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Loews hotel chains, all targeted in the first volley of lawsuits, did not respond to requests for comment. Nor did the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., the industry’s leading trade group.

But the association’s website asserts that the Americans With Disabilities Act “has been used as a weapon by scheming lawyers seeking to extort easy settlements ... after alleging ambiguous violations of the law.”

USA! Patagonia is now adding essential oils to their clothing, with plans to have all Patagonia clothing made with essential oils going forward. Please call Patagonia to tell them that customers do not want essential oils or other scent products in any clothing!

CALL 1-800-638-6464. You will be put on hold for a few minutes, and can then ask to have them call you back. I was called back in 5 minutes even though there was a long wait on hold before I left my call back number.

Quotes below from patagonia website

https://www.patagonia.com/our-footprint/odor-control-additives.html

HeiQ Mint was the clear standout. This plant-based odor-control finish uses pure food-grade mint oil, steam-extracted directly from the plant with no other solvents or additives. This isn’t to be confused with perfume-grade essential oils, which are known for their strong aromas. HeiQ Mint is very strongly bonded to the fabric, so there’s no oily appearance or chance you’ll smell like peppermint. The finish works on a deeper chemical level to help prevent odors.

Because of our long-standing relationship with HeiQ, we worked with them to co-develop, refine and commercialize HeiQ Mint so it could be more widely available to the clothing industry. Our Capilene® Cool Daily and Capilene® Cool Lightweight tech tees, among others, are some of the first products to use this plant-based odor-control technology.

What’s Next

We are always evaluating and testing new anti-odor finishes to find the best performance with the lowest environmental impact—and of course finding ways to keep your shirt smelling fresher for longer. Our goal is to convert all our products with odor-control technology to HeiQ® Mint by 2026.

E chord, why you gotta be like that? So beautiful, so distant, so cruel.

Since finally starting lamotrigine after many years of misdiagnosis, a pattern for my worst seizure clusters is finally clear… It’s my period. I throw up, I don’t sleep much or well, and I have worse seizures and a lot more of them.

So, sisters, If love to know…

1. For those of you with epilepsy who have worse symptoms around your period, what is that time like for you?

2. Do you get worse seizures before, during, after you period?

3. How do you manage the breakthrough seizures and worse symptoms?

My Background and Situation

I am on progestin only birth control daily; I cannot take estrogen for another health reason. I didn’t have periods for about six years when the epilepsy was getting worse and worse but constantly misdiagnosed. I had years of severe focal epilepsy, that escalated to multiple tonic clonic per week for over a year.

After treating another underlying condition, my periods are coming back around once a month (always light though). My epilepsy is not at all under control yet because I’ve only been on lamotrigine for two months; I’m still only at 75 mg because I’m having to take it slow due to side effects, though luckily even the 75mg doses are making a small difference in seizures already. even the small reduction and seizures helped me finally see the pattern of everything going to hell during my period week.

Before the lamotrigine, there were so many seizures all the time it was hard to see a pattern, though it was clear that I would have weeks where I would just cluster nonstop. I wasn’t writing my periods down all the time at that point because they were so late I didn’t always think to log when they happened.

It tastes nothing like it did thirty years ago, much less two years ago. Ben & Jerry's really isn't Ben & Jerry's anymore. Same logo, but the quality and ingredients aren't there. Sad.

From the Standing Up to POTS Podcast, an interview with landmark disability rights attorney Scott Cole! This is exciting, because it is as important as the anti-cigarette lawsuits.

https://www.standinguptopots.org/potscast/attorney-scott-coles-campaign-against-synthetic-fragrances/

Website Summary of the Podcast:

In this episode, we explore the legal and civil rights issues surrounding chemical and fragrance intolerance, including what happens when people are unable to safely access hotels, businesses, and other public spaces that use synthetic fragrances in their air systems and cleaning (or other) products.

Our guest is Scott Cole, founder of Cole & Van Note, a law firm with more than 30 years of experience in civil rights, consumer, and class action litigation. Scott and his firm are leading a legal effort challenging the widespread practice of pumping synthetic fragrance into public buildings—an issue that can make these spaces difficult or impossible to access for people with chemical or fragrance sensitivities, including many patients living with conditions such as POTS and MCAS.

In this conversation, Scott explains his firm’s current investigation and litigation against major hotel chains and other businesses using synthetic fragrances, why fragrance accessibility may be a civil rights issue, and what patients and advocates need to know as this area of law develops.

Dr. Tania Dempsey shares how synthetic fragrances can be toxic even to those who don't feel symptoms from them, and how MCAS flares initiated by fragrance exposures may last for weeks or months. She also shares statistics showing that fragrance intolerance is not rare.

Anyone interested in participating in the law firm's campaign against fragrances can learn more or submit their information here.

I wish they would store mint chocolate chips separately because all the regular (non mint) chocolate bits taste like mint and it's off putting, especially given the price of the product. This has happened several times and nobody at ben & jerry's picks up the phone, ever.

when I saw the footage of the iPhone fold and everyone going insane over the three screens and massive size, I felt disgusted. Our society needs less technology addiction, not more.

The iPhone fold feels like a new level of designer drug introduced to an already addicted population. I hate it.

I’m so over everyone being stuck on a screen all the time and the fold is the next bad evolution of screen hypnosis.

It’s lighter. It’s simpler. The price is better. The camera is fine.

And I’m not supporting screen addiction. I’m opting for the lowest screen appeal with the 17e. The fold can go jump in a lake, I’m so over everyone being stuck on a screen all the time and the fold is the next bad evolution of screen hypnosis.

I am fine to play around on my 21" uke (beginner, but coming along) for ages. No trouble. But I got a 23" Enya NOVA, and it is hurting my hands and joints like crazy, and my finger pads are shredded. I filed about a millimeter or more off the saddle to lower the action, but it still hurts. Is this a size thing? Did I buy the wrong 23"? The Enya Nova is very cute, but ouch my hands can't take the pain.

Can anyone help me understand why the one uke hurts so bad? The only other difference is the Everjoys Soprano 21" has colored strings and the 23" Enya Nova has clear strings.

I used to play guitar so don't know why this little 23" uke is causing me so much pain.

Thanks for any help, uke friends!

I'm thrilled to finally be diagnosed, and thrilled that lamotrigine is starting to help a little bit already. But I am nauseous a lot, eating even less than usual (which isn't much) and a bit constipated and crampy! I am drinking water and working hard to eat, and I know it will pass probably, but... Ow.

Anyone else cheek chew? Like chew your cheeks. I have scars from years of doing it. I recently realized it could be a focal thing, I thought it was just stress before. And weird follow up, do your gums kind of itch or tingle when you want to cheek chew? I also curl my tongue real tight inside my mouth and kind of lock my jaw.

perplexity can be really bitchy. every single time I say I am even remotely--even a little--unhappy with anything at all, or describe being stuck on a tough problem (like research), it tells me to call the suicide hotline.

it tells me to call the suicide hotline about three times a week at this point.

I’m doing regular research that anyone would do.

like, yikes.

like, geeze.

Scented products--even ones claiming to be "natural"--can legally contain thousands of different chemicals. The exact same chemicals in cigarettes! Examples are Acetone, Formaldehyde, Benzene, Acetaldehyde, Terpenoids, and Phenols. If you're buying scented products, you may as well buy a pack of cigarettes, because it's the same chemicals. Companies don't even have to share the ingredient lists. Going fragrance free automatically cuts those chemicals out!

Below is a great article link from the American Chemical Society (ACS) talking about the dangers of scented home products.

Scented cleaning products create invisible air pollution

Excerpts:

Activities such as mopping, spraying countertops, and wiping surfaces with scented products formed billions or trillions of particles, depending on the product used. Most of the particles, called nanoparticles or ultrafine particles, were 1–30 nanometers wide, a size range often missed by at-home air quality monitors. By tracking them, the researchers observed that routine cleaning can generate ultrafine particle pollution at levels above those found outdoors. This poses potential health risks because ultrafine particles are small enough to deposit throughout the airways and deep into the lungs. There, they can contribute to respiratory system irritation and inflammation, or they can potentially enter the bloodstream.

Most surprising to the researchers was how fast the particles formed and grew — it took a matter of minutes. “By the time you finish cleaning up an indoor space, you’ve already formed a lot of nanoparticles and inhaled them,” says Boor.

An older relative (over 70) said they received a cognitive screening (like a dementia test) at the primary care doctor that lasted over an hour and was very thorough. They were bragging, as if they got the test because this doctor is "the best." Does this relative receiving the long dementia screening actually mean they failed or semi-failed an initial shorter screening? Should I be concerned?

I am not in town, it is an uncle. I am concerned though, as I have noticed some possible issues, but it's hard to tell what is personality based and what is just getting older, or what is more serious.