Researchers at UT Health San Antonio have developed a three-step protocol to help doctors understand the origin of symptoms that individuals with chemical intolerance may present with. The three tools are now freely available to the public as a printable download from the website, or they can be completed online.

Part I is the Brief Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory, known as the BREESI for short. The BREESI is a scientifically published validated tool consisting of three ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ questions. It is used as a fast screening tool for chemical intolerance. It can be used in large research studies, in clinical practice, or by anyone else interested in understanding if they have chemical intolerances. An answer of yes to any one question should be followed by completing a more comprehensive survey, the QESSI!

Part II The Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory, the QESSI, is considered the reference standard for assessing chemical intolerance and has been used worldwide by physicians and researchers. This scientifically validated published tool consists of 50 questions to identify specific chemical, food, and drug intolerances. It helps identify various health problems an individual may be having and to understand their responses to various exposures.

The QEESI has five sections designed to assess various chemical exposures, how they affect your health, and the impact that these exposures and symptoms may have on the quality of your life. The response options for items on the QEESI range from 0 (not at all a problem) to 5 (moderate symptoms) to 10 (disabling symptoms). A Masking Index takes into account behavioural and lifestyle activities which may interfere with your recognising a connection between your exposures and symptoms. It is important to complete all items in each section of the QEESI for an accurate assessment.

Your responses to the QEESIs symptom items should then be graphed on the Symptom Star for an easily interpretable visual representation of the most problematic health concerns.

Another option is to complete the QEESI Symptom Star twice, once in response to your symptoms before an exposure event, and one after an exposure that led to current health problems. This helps illustrate a ‘before’ and ‘after’ score relating to each symptom item.

Part III of the self-assessment is dedicated to completing an Exposure History. There are seven questions that will help you to document specific exposures which may have contributed to your symptoms and/or intolerances. It is helpful to reflect on these exposures and share this with your health care professionals.

The three-part Self-assessment tool is available at https://TILTresearch.org/. If you download the printable form, complete each part, print the results and take the information to your doctor or health care worker for further discussion. If you complete the online version, there will be an option to send it to your own or your doctor’s email address.