This subject really transcends

It's too bad we haven't heard back from Diane. I now think that there was a big leap to conclusions that her problem with tobacco smoke relates to wheezing or any other asthma symptom. Since she hasn't come back to say one way or the other, readers can only speculate. <BR> <BR>This thread has really resonated with me, for reasons I can't quite identify. Since it is actually outside my area of specialty expertise, I have done a lot more reading about it. I doubt that Diane does have a problem with exacerbation of asthma around tobacco smoke. To illustrate the point, I can find almost no literature describing tobacco-smoke-induced asthma attacks as a cause of ER visits in adults. Children, yes, but even in children, the incidence of ER visits for children whose parents somke is about 1/yr higher than for asthmatic children whose parents do not smoke. There is a substantial literature on whether localized air pollution correlates with increased visits, and it might, especially for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. The effect apparently shows up as much as a week after peak emissions days. This air pollution effect could be relevant to asthmatics visiting Budapest or other Eastern Europe, by the way. I understand that air quality in urban Eastern Europe is still fairly bad at times. <BR> <BR>Far more likely is that Diane and Merriem both have differing degrees of Multiple Chemical Sensitvity, sometimes also called Chemical Odor Intolerance. <BR>This is a highly controversial and poorly understood disorder, if it does really exist. What little research has been done on it has generally been done in departments of psychiatry. That doesn't mean it's "mental". It means that the brain is likely involved in the physiology, that's all. Psychiatry is also the domain of sleep disorders, and sleep disorders are generally not considered part of the field of mental health. <BR> <BR>Vertigo is a common symptom, and episodes seem to never be long-lasting. Nevertheless, they are often described as debilitating. In isolated communities, there has been a modest war dclared on the excessive use of fragrances. I understand that Halifax, Nova Scotia has rules about fragrances in public buildings that are quite similar to ordinances governing smoking. Fresh paint and automobile exhaust are also described by researchers in this field as equally potent as other odors and fragrances in causing attacks. I don't know what they are doing about those in Halifax. It's not clear how much these intolerances are really different than the intolerance experienced by a large segment of the general population. It's interesting that one of the most active research groups in the country for this is located in Arizona. Thirty years ago, Arizona was considered the mecca place to move to, for patients with pollen allergies and related respiratory problems. But that was before the greening of the desert that has come to Arizona as affluence moved in. Now pollen counts and diversity of kinds of pollen are as bad or worse in Arizona than in any other part of the United States. <BR> <BR>I guess I must be bored to drivel on like this here on this message board, but maybe somebody gets something out of it. And besides, it's been a slow week for me clinically. <BR>

merriem

To the "mysterious" previous MD????????I don't know what books are are reading, and the fact that you would pretend to be a physician, and that any common slob can read on most any heath website that smoke.......ESPECIALLY....cigarette smoke is one of the biggest "triggers" for those with asthma. I am also assuming that you know what "trigger" means, and while we are at it, whomever ever you are, why don't you have the courage to put your real e-mail address up. Most of us do. Oh, DR FAKE, my physician wouldn't have the time to be posting on this website because SHE is too busy treating patients. Diane had a very good question.......and the maybe she never came back because of comments like yours with fake e-mail addresses.

lola

I know this issue means a great deal to those who suffer from smoke, and you may not agree with a poster's opinion, but personal attacks are really not necessary when someone is trying to help. And once again, many people post sincerely and helpfully on this forum without giving their email address because of spam or privacy issues that have nothing to do with deviousness. I am one of them. I think many people offer help on this forum because they know they can maintain privacy and speak freely.

Gina

Um, Merrie, try toning it down a notch. The poster you're responding to seems thoughtful and reflective and to be honestly trying to offer some good medical insights. A lot of people choose not to post their e-mail addresses here due to spam harvesters; that someone chooses to do so is no reason to slam them personally and call them "DR. FAKE." The poster in question hasn't insulted you--why do you feel the need to attack?

Beryl

NON-SMOKERS OF THE WORLD: <BR> <BR>Come to sunny Western Australia where it is ILLEGAL to smoke in a restaurant, unless they have an outdoor section. Funny thing is, with our beautiful, beautiful weather we like to sit outside, so sometimes sit with the smokers!!! <BR>It is also illegal to smoke at sporting venues, offices, shopping centres, shops etc. <BR> <BR>So forget Europe and come to Australia. <BR> <BR>By the way I am leaving for Canada, US and EUROPE in June.

Susan

Dear Diane: <BR> I wish I could say all these people are wrong about France but they're right on. We did find a large no-smoking section at the Carrousel in the Louvre, where we frequently ate. And our Best Western hotel room was smoke free, but we generally had a heck of a time avoiding cigarette smoke. When we asked a waiter to seat us in a no smoking section, he'd just look for a spot where no one was smoking at the moment (but almost always someone soon lit up). <BR> It does help to eat earlier (when you're the only ones there). We had a tiny favorite restaurant but one night we showed up later, when all eight tables (pushed inches apart) were filled - and ALL the people were smoking (great with a low ceiling)! We had to cancel our order and leave. <BR> Sorry. <BR>Susan

Diane

Hi, everyone, and thanks for your advice, counsel, and concern. Even you smokers! (though I wish you'd quit). <BR>Technically, our physician poster is correct, I have an asthmatic reaction, not allergic, and his description of symptons & treatment are close to the mark. I am getting very good, comprehensive treatment from my doctor, a specialist whom I trust and respect. He advised me not to go to Europe. My husband wanted to post my message because it will be our 25th anniversary this summer, and for years we had talked about spending it in France. We like to bicycle, and had looked into bicycling tours through Provence, along with several days in Paris. Looks like I'm out of luck. Anyway, it has been great seeing all the responses and hearing everyone's concern. This issue obviously touched a nerve ... makes you wonder whether an entrepreneurial French tour operator could set up a non-smoking tour by making arragnements with a group of hotels and restaurants that would TRULY agree to restrict smoking in some areas or floors or sections.

Joel

Diane, I see you've made your decision. Good decision! My wife and I lived in France for a few years. Not only is there a great deal of smoking, but the cigarettes they smoke have a much stronger odor and burn the eyes much more readily. <BR>In working there and having casual relationships with dozens of co-workers, we noticed that the gap between French smokers and French non-smokers was widening. The big difference between the US and Fr was that this gap was not manifested by hostility. Both parties have a let-and-let-live attitude. <BR>This may be a stretch, but I often noted that the French idea of liberty has more to do with recognition that everyone needs to have their space and it is no one's business to critique the other guy. The nonsmokers are not holier than thou, and the smokers seem conscious of others' preferences. In public places though, such as the Metro in Paris, these common areas are going to be smoke-filled. Everyone puts up with it. <BR>As a non-smoker it puzzles the hell out of me how people could want to go around sucking smoke into their lungs. I don't much buy the idea that cigarettes "taste" good. And the notion that they have the right to make my clothes smell filthy is truly bizarre. It is just a compliment to French tolerance that they maintain their equanimity in the smoke-filled world that the previous 46 respondents to this thread have described well.

Possibly my last post on

First, I'm glad that Diane came back here and posted again. I hope the (tentative?) decision about not being able to go to Europe is not final. France is such a great place, and I believe that a trip can be successfully planned for her. I hope that her entrpreneurial white knight comes forward. <BR> <BR>I also want to express my appreciation to Ginadc and to LolaInsight. My thoughts are not for their choosing to "defend" me, but for speaking out in the name of decorum on this forum. I might easily have been drawn into the flaming started by Merriem, but I am glad that these kinder, gentler postings reminded me not to do so. <BR> <BR>And to Merriem, I actually apologize. I carelessly made remarks about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity referring to the perfume sensitivity which was mentioned by Maureen, not Merriem. I should have paid more attention to who posted which message. But I meant no offense to no one, and I thought I made it clear that such sensitivities do not suggest a psychiatric disorder or an unreal problem or a character defect or anything of the sort. Merriem, and I guess Diane too, described trigger sensitivities of their asthma to cigarette smoke. Of course, I understand triggers, and I said so, in my very first post. <BR> <BR>I'll close with the hope that anonymous posting does not detract too much from anyone's enjoyment of the content of this or any other thread. It's a time-honored tradition for a few posters on this board, and adds an element of candid freshness to some hot topics.

robert pociask

bonjour Diane, My first trip to Europe was 2 summers ago. I avoided the large cities by immediately driving from the airport toward the countryside. Beryl was correct about Australia, even in the pubs with alot of young people, very few people smoked. Maybe because the price of a pack of smokes was around 7 aus dollars. I will be going to France in June to do the Canalboat self sail cruise and I am planning on avoiding any large city except for the airport and run for the courntysides with the fresh air and occasional smell of cows. Bon Voyage