I can't help but comment about the roll call. This Listserv has a group of
people who suffer from a wide range of ills personally or someone close to
them. It would be depressing except everyone is trying to help each other,
and I believe we do help each other find solutions where possible. The
information I have learned here has made my life better. However, like a
lot of people here, I have more than one ailment (dairy allergy, ragweed
allergy & moderate to severe sleep apnea). Strangely enough, there has to
be a link between those ailments. Sleep apnea wasn't a big problem since
first semi-diagnosed 15 years ago. However, the pollution and/or pollen
this fall seems to have seriously aggravated my condition. The only good
news is that I now have a definitive diagnosis and treatment. But I'm
convinced there is a relationship because I have been fine for years and it
only resurfaced this fall in a big way. I suspect the trigger is pollution
(ground level ozone) and pollen. There is no other explanation as to why
the problem did not exist during the summer while I was out of town, but
started up when I returned to Toronto. Toronto has a growing, nasty
pollution problem (local industry and coal-fired electrical generators in
the Ohio Valley - we import 50% or our pollution). There has been a
tremendous increase in ground level ozone and there is a correlation
between my wellness and ozone. I can deal fairly directly with the dairy
allergy and sleep apnea but not the pollution. So, 6 months from now, I'm
moving to Western Canada where the air is fresh (and damn cold in the
winter time -- but fresh <g>).

I guess what I'm saying is, look for possible interactions and deal with
them in a wholistic way.

I do believe many members here have similar experiences with the
interaction between different maladies. Here's hoping we can enlighten each
other to the extent that we can take better control of lives. Knowledge is
power, they say. I agree.

Don