Imagine this. You invite a friendly couple that you just met to your home for dinner. The food and company are fine and everyone is having a good time. That is, until your 19 year old comes home from a night out. After he politely introduces himself to your company, one of the visitors gets an immediate migraine headache and must leave your home immediately.

What happened? Your son was wearing an aftershave. And your visitor has terrible reactions to fragrances. The brief encounter made your guest very, very ill, and she'll remain ill for many hours.

Does this sound improbable? It is not improbable. It is very common. Many people in this country suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). Previously unheard of, environmentally aware physicians throughout this country are now diagnosing their unfortunate patients with this illness.

These people suffer from exposure to various air-released chemicals, such as smoke, cleaners and perfumes. While the list of irritants can vary greatly, fragrances are often near the top of the list of offending chemicals. Just ask Connie Pitts, 47, of Aurora, Colorado.

Just recently Connie was diagnosed as suffering from MCS by her local MD. Her symptoms are instant left-sided migraines, cognitive problems, fatigue, burning eyes and sometimes alarming heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Her triggers, in other words what makes her feel ill, are perfumes and other artificially scented products. And if you haven't noticed, we live in a world filled with scented products.

Her symptoms can take 24 to 48 hours to clear. According to Connie, her "life has been tremendously altered, as I am primarily housebound now. MCS makes life frustrating and lonely."

Other than taking Tylenol for the pain and resting a lot, there is little relief available for her. "Sometimes I don a mask to shop, but getting stared at is also difficult to take, emotionally."

Fragrances are a real problem for Connie, who is not bothered by car exhaust fumes, pet dander, or even second-hand smoke. She said that since fragrances appear to be unavoidable, she is often forced to remain housebound. Can you imagine having to live that way?

Fortunately, Connie is not alone. And the internet, of all things, has helped to bring MCS sufferers together. " When my symptoms worsened, I went to my computer looking for answers and discovered that millions of people across the country suffer much the same as I do. We communicate via email. The internet has given me the chance to correspond with others who understand how I feel, and we offer each other support and hope."

MCS is a tremendous problem. Because so many sufferers are out of necessity homebound, no one knew these people and this problem existed. The internet is helping to solve these issues, but rules and laws are needed and attitudes must change.

One Canadian municipality has already taken measures to prevent people from wearing fragrances in public. Some American hospitals are doing the same. But so much more is needed.

Why does everything have to contain a fragrance, when fragrances make some people become very ill? Just because the majority of people feel no effect when they encounter fragrances does not mean that those who become ill should be subjected to fragrances. The public use of fragrances and perfumes is causing a problem for a real, albeit small percentage, of Americans. While perhaps small in percentage, numerically I suspect we are talking about a lot of people.

If we really care about our neighbor, care about those who become ill when they encounter fragrances in public places. And remember Connie Pitts, who told me, "MCS has robbed me of happiness, as I cannot make plans or dreams for my future."