Randolph, Theron

Randolph, Theron. Both Allergy and Clinical Ecology Are Needed. Annals of Allergy (1977) 215 16. 

I was mad as hell, but quite determined that I was going to get out of it. I really felt that I could get better. I did a lot of reading. Theron Randolph s book, An Alternative Approach to Allergies, was very helpful, of course, in the beginning stages. 

Reports of heightened sensitivity to chemicals have been documented since the 1800s. Since World War II, there has been a dramatic rise in the manufacture and use of synthesized chemicals like pesticides, plastics, and artificial fragrances, and the incidence of MCS has steadily grown. One of the first doctors to identify the relationship between low-level chemical exposures and chronic illness was Theron Randolph in the 1950s. 

An Alternative Approach to Allergies The New Field of Clinical Ecology Unravels the Environmental Causes of Mental and Physical Ills. Theron G. Randolph and Ralph W. Moss. New York HarperCollins, 1990. Written by the first modern physician to diagnose and treat environmental illness. 

Back in 1972, when I first experienced clear symptoms of chemical sensitivity, there was virtually no information available on the subject. At last I found out about the work of Theron Randolph, M.D., whose book Human Ecology I found to be very helpful. It was a great relief to find someone at last who understood the unusual condition I had developed. In the early 1970s, far fewer therapies were available than the wide variety today. My only option was to... 

The first definition of MCS was created by Theron Randolph in 1962. Randolph described MCS as a condition that (1) is acquired (2) includes physical and mental symptoms that can be triggered by chemical exposure (3) has a specific adaptation syndrome (i.e., adaptation to chemicals is followed by chronic illness, withdrawal symptoms upon removal, and shock upon re-exposure) (4) is characterized by a spreading phenomena (i.e., an intolerance to an increasing number of environmental chemicals) and (5) may be resolved by avoidance of chemicals. 

There is also much talk about glucose, serotonin levels, and other chemical imbalances that may occur within the body. In many instances, specific food allergies are the prime suspect, including the use of food additives. There are problems with hormones and steroids (natural and injected or ingested) and with diethylstilbestrol (DES). And there are the environmental factors, weighed by Theron G. Randolph and Ralph W. Moss in An Alternative Approach to Allergies The New Field of Clinical Ecology Unravels the Environmental Causes of Mental and Physical Ills. 

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