2.     Never store anything under the beds.

3.     Enclose any woolen clothes which are kept in the bedroom in a plastic zipper bag.

4.     Keep the bed away from a central air-heating outlet (if present).

5.     Paint or paper the walls of the room with washable materials (to be inspected at intervals for swellings that may denote a mold collection).

6.     Never admit pets with feathers or fur to the bedroom.

7.     Never allow smoking in the bedroom.

8.     Avoid rugs; instead, install a vinyl floor (to be wet-cleaned daily and damp-mopped once a week with a solution containing a disinfectant to prevent mold growth).

9.     Vacuum the room with a tank-type cleaner; attach a second hose to its outlet and place the end of that hose outside a window to prevent the redistributing of dust. Vacuum the cleaner itself before using it.

*21/99/5*

Unfortunately, a diagnosis of psychosomatic illness is often arrived at by a much shorter and less strenuous route than this, particularly with female patients, who tend to be perceived as more ‘nervy’. All too often, doctors use ‘psychosomatic’ as a diagnosis of convenience, to cover any illness with no obvious cause. What is more, little is offered in the way of treatment. This is paradoxical because physical illness is taken seriously and given adequate treatment, arid mental illness with mainly mental symptoms is taken seriously and treated (if not always very effectively or humanely). For some reason, mental illness that produces physical symptoms is relegated to the status of an ‘imaginary’ disease.

*196\180\8*