Anonymous
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New apartment in 2014. Freshly renovated. Synthetic floors, new cabinets, fresh paint. Within a week I had constant headaches. The doctor said ‘sick house syndrome’ and told me to ventilate. I ventilated for months. The headaches stayed. Then I started reacting to other new spaces — shopping centers, new cars, renovated offices. In Japan this is called ‘kagakubusshitsu kabinshou.’ It’s slightly more recognized here than in other countries but there’s still no treatment.
Moved to an older apartment with natural materials. Tatami floors, wood walls. Traditional Japanese construction is actually better for chemical sensitivity than modern construction.
Japanese healthcare recognizes sick building syndrome. My doctor was matter-of-fact about it. No stigma. But also no treatment beyond ‘avoid the cause.’ At least he didn’t call me crazy.
This is a personal experience, not medical advice. ImACanary.com makes no causation claims.
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