Perfumes can cause illnesses

HEALTH

The other day I took a cab from Najeera, a city suburb, to Zzana, another city suburb along Entebbe road.

If you know both places, you know how far apart they are. My driver wore a strong scented perfume.

I could smell this man's perfume even before I opened the car door, however, I did not think it would affect me, so I went on and we started our trip.

Shortly into the trip, I started feeling headache and by the time the journey ended, my nose was blocked and I felt dizzy. I got into the house looking ill.

My sister noticed my uneasiness. I am not asthmatic, but I probably got close to it. A day later and I am still indisposed, which has prompted me to read something about perfumes.

Perfumes and deodorants are popular today because we use them to fight body odour and to set a certain mood.

I have found that wearing a perfume can help you cure a headache, although this is not true for perfumes that contain essential oils that compound headache and other sicknesses.

It has been proven that some of the chemicals in perfumes cause irritability, mental vagueness, muscle pain, asthma, bloating, joint aches, sinus pain, fatigue, sore throat, eye irritation, gastrointestinal problems, laryngitis, headaches, dizziness, swollen lymph nodes, spikes in blood pressure, coughing and burning or itching.

Research further confirms that many of the ingredients in fragrances are neurotoxins, meaning that they have poisonous effects on the brain and nervous system.

Some fragrance ingredients disrupt our natural hormonal balance, causing a number of possible emotional concerns, such as anxiety and mood swings. Let us be cautious with our lives and be selective with the cosmetics we choose.


Elizabeth Kabibi