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Less searchable M0rd4nt
21:01 / 04.03.02
"Got a cold?" they ask me.
"Nope," I reply. "It's just an allergy."
"Oh? What are you allergic to?"
"Everything!"

And if it's not the sneezing, it's the rash. Dust. Feathers. Pollen. Soap. Certain deoderants and perfumes. You name it, I'm allergic to it. Sure, I can stick to roll-ons and use soap-free cleanser, but if someone sits next to me on the tube wearing the wrong kind of aftershave I'll be sneezing all day.

Does anyone here know of a remedy for this kind of thing, besides antihistamines? I'm thinking herbal and whatnot. An anti-sneezing spell, maybe?
 
 
Eloi Tsabaoth
21:05 / 04.03.02
A big plastic bubble. Only solution.
 
 
sleazenation
21:08 / 04.03.02
Speaking entirely out the side of my head, have you talked to your doctor about your diet? A fair few of my friends have found that altering their diet (at first to find out what it is that is causing the symptoms andf then to cut it out of their diet entirely) works well for them.
 
 
We're The Great Old Ones Now
21:12 / 04.03.02
It's not really a solution, but I have an industrial-strength ioniser, for when the air gets really bad in midsummer. Sucks the goo right out of the air. Washing the filter is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
10:13 / 05.03.02
I completely sympathise. Cats, dogs, rabbits, gerbils (furry animals in general), pollen, dust, you name it, I sneeze because of it.

I'm taking a herbal remedy for my rhinitis, Mord@nt. Can't remember what it's called, but I'll check when I get home and post it up later. Doesn't seem to be doing me much good, though, so I suspect I'll be going back to the Zirtec come hayfever season.
 
 
odd jest on horn
12:53 / 05.03.02
i second sleazenation's idea.

first things first:

get rid of milk and sugar!! these things have disaccharides in them (kinds of sugars). no matter what the doctors tell you, disaccharides *are* evil for some people. they're not "just another carbohydrate".

here's why: if you're allergic to something in your food, you gastrointestinal (GI hence forth) tract is liable to get swollen, which leads to it not being able to secrete some disaccharidases (enzymes that let disaccharides be digested). these undigested sugars can build up in your GI tract, feeding bacteria. these bacteria are supposed to be there, but not in the abundance that the built up sugar allows them to be. these bacteria release all sorts of chemicals as part of *their* digestive process, some of which are poisonous in large amounts. these chemicals cause you to get lots of other allergies. i don't know how, maybe an overload to your immune system or something.

if getting rid of milk and sugar does work, the underlying cause is very likely a specific food allergy, causing your GI tract to get swollen. in which case you need to use an elimination diet to figure out what you're allergic too. search for "food allergy" or "food allergy elimination" and see what you come up with. i'm not sure if there are any online elimination diets. if not just try the same search at amazon. when you've found the cause, it's usually ok to start eating milk and sugar again. (in the case of milk though, it might be the prime allergen)
 
 
Ethan Hawke
13:08 / 05.03.02
Can they do "scratch tests" for food allergies, like they do for environmental ones? The reason I ask is, I was recently tested for environmental allergies due to my chronic rhinitis (chronic meaning every second of every day), and I only came up with a grass/tree allergy, which is odd because I live in NYC (well, to be fair, I'm pretty close to the brooklyn botanical gardens).

What other signs would you have if you were allergic to say, milk? I always had a dislike of drinking milk as a child, but I also have frequent cravings for cheese.
 
 
odd jest on horn
13:14 / 05.03.02
no.
 
 
odd jest on horn
13:22 / 05.03.02
as for other signs to milk allergy. some people actually count aversion and cravings as a sign that you're allergic to the thing. your mileage may vary.

but the actual signs of food allergies can vary greatly, unfortunately. it makes the whole field very unscientific. esp. because of the delay between coming in contact with an allergen and getting a reaction. grrrr.
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
15:45 / 05.03.02
I just wish you could re-train your immune system somehow- y'know stop it overreacting to allergens and have it go after bugs instead. Christ, it's like having a guard-dog that bites passers-by, but rolls over and wags its tail for a burglar.
 
 
grant
23:18 / 05.03.02
My sister claims to be pretty good at treating allergies with acupuncture.
You could check out the page, drop her a line - she may be able to refer someone (or some organization) locally.
 
 
grant
23:20 / 05.03.02
Oh, and milk thistle, red clover, alfalfa and... ummm... I can't remember what else are supposed to be good liver tonics, which means they help your body filter out bad stuff without getting toxic.
(Maybe I'm thinking of goldenseal, which is an overall purifier thing... which is why it's now tested for in drug tests, along with actual drugs.)
 
 
Spatula Clarke
16:12 / 08.03.02
Forgot about this. Sorry.

The stuff I'm taking is called, and I swear I'm not making this up, 'New Era - for hayfever & allergic rhinitis'. Got it from Holland & Barrett.

Going back on what I said before, I think I'll stick with it over the summer, to see if it works better after a protracted period of use than the admittedly short time that I've been taking it.

As for cutting down on dairy products: yes. Do it. I've seen my excema become far, far less aggravating over the last year or so, presumably as a result of changing my diet.
 
 
Margin Walker
16:35 / 08.03.02
"Got a cold?" they ask me.
"Nope," I reply. "It's just an allergy."


Ladies and gentlemen, the famous last words of Jim Henson.

Horrendously bad joking aside, has anyone had any luck dealing with allergies via homeopathy? I've heard a couple of minor sucess stories, but never heard it helping someone with major allergies.
 
 
bio k9
16:46 / 08.03.02
quote:Originally posted by Mordant C@rnival:
I just wish you could re-train your immune system somehow

Perhaps if you started by exposing yourself to small doses of kryptonite...
 
 
Reason
16:55 / 08.03.02
Used to work in a Health food store- might want to try higher doses of Vitamin B3 (50-75 mg- also a great stress buster)(niacin, not niacinamide the synthetic form) it reacts with the histimines in your body and, sometimes, give you a niacin flush which makes you very red in the face, tingly and hot all over, regardless, it is said to help with the natural antihistimines in your body. Grant's suggestions on purifiers are also solid choices. If you want to go that way and are willing to put the effort in, try a fast to get the toxins out and start fresh. (Acidophilous is good for helping out the intestinal tract get back on...track )Even a three day fast will make a noticable difference. For grass and pollen stuff- bee pollen is by far the best. Local is even better. It's great for energy, has loads of healthy type things in it and tastes sweet and nutty. In a time when one gets sick to death of the taste of pills and drops- pollen is a great break. Start slow though so you don't break out everywhere, and it will build you immunity to your pollen filled environment. Hope it helps.

Reason
 
 
grant
18:10 / 08.03.02
I should also note that "acupuncture" extends beyond just sticking pins into people, including things like Chinese herbs and tonics, and various energy-based therapies.
 
 
—| x |—
19:50 / 08.03.02
Hey, I too can sympathize: I am allergic to many sorts of animals (cats, horses, etc.). Now this might sound really stupid, but I tried this little trick once and, well, it worked. Here's the story:

I was hangin' with a buddy of mine and we decided to go over to his friend's house to watch Crouching Tiger..., the problem was that his house (one quarter of a four-plex) had three cats living there as well. So, needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to sitting there for a couple of hours! Well, when I got there, and got myself settled in this is what I did: I pictured two small fields of energy sealing off my nostrils. Then I imagined that all the air that was moving through this field was being treated to remove the dander of the cats from the incoming air. My imaginary fields worked! I did not sneeze even once the whole time I was there and I didn't get the usual symptoms that I'd normally get either (runny nose, itchy face and eyes, etc.). Of course, I did my best to stay away from the animals as well, but even when I usually do that, I still end up displaying some sort of reaction, but that time notta'!

So I dunno' maybe try that next time you are sitting on the tube; either it will work for you or it won't, but I can't see any harm in giving it a go! Good luck.

m3
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
12:20 / 09.03.02
Just for the sake of facetiousness-
Remember all those people who used to get described as being allergic to the twentieth century? Are they all better now?
 
  
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