Nightwriter
New member
Hi Skye,
Your question is probably more important that you even realize. And the discovery that you made is one my own doctor made in her own life and the life of her family. Starting with doing what you did. By taking notice of what it is that makes you react and then withdrawing it. The results can be startling (like what happened to you) or they can be subtle at first and slowly people start to get better.
You know I have been writing about this since I joined this site. It is hard to refer people to anything, because my doctor tells me chemical sensitivities are not seen in the textbooks. There are no tests for them. She is the kind of doctor that whose patients have weird debilitating symptoms who have been to a million doctors. And other than the ususal case histories and tests my doctor performs allergy skin testing, Ige levels, and then the biggest thing is questioning people about their lifestyles, food, work, and home environments.
My doctor recognizes that allergies (and substances that act as triggers even if not a "true allergy") and chemical exposures cause inflammation that lead to all kinds of symptoms: lung issues, digestive, headaches, dermatological, extreme lethargy, joint pain, ADD, mood swings... the list is endless. You would be shocked if you knew the amount of people and children whose symptoms lessen or disappear.
Start reading labels. Eliminate foods with chemicals and preservatives. Diet sodas that have sodium benzoate must go (google it, you will be surprised), no sulfites which means look for wine (preferably white - bottled late in the season -Spring) which are organic and if possible sulfite free. I found a purely sulfite-free wine at Trader Joe's. Eat organic if possible. Eat chocolate and sugary foods only when you are in a stable phase and then sparingly. Only eat organic strawberries and apples - they use the worst pesticides on these. My doctor thinks that dairy is fine (unless you are allergic) because there are absolutely no credible studies proving a link between dairy and mucus production. At the advice of an alternative doctor I went off dairy -- I still had mucus. So I eat dairy products and still because of my doctor's program have much less mucus than I ever had.
Your home: Carpet holds residue chemicals. You MUST get rid of carpet if you want to improve. Get a great air purifier and vacuum. Get furniture with tight threading or leather. Get rid of drapes, use allergy protectors on mattress and pillows, get rid of furniture that has formaldehyde if possible - they gas off harmful chemicals, do not use a fireplace, get rid of all products with fragrances and harsh chemicals whether it is personal products or cleaning products, no drycleaning except the natural kind with no chemicals, no down pillows or blankets. An extra nasal rinse on days with high exposure.
I stay out of stores with strong odors or I wear a mask and have people give me weird looks. Who cares? I carry a charcoal mask with me and wear it on windy or smoggy days. I cover my nose and mouth if I am outside in traffic, cold weather, and keep my car windows up and the recycle button on. I air out my newspaper a few hours before reading - there is credible documentation that fresh newspaper ink contributes to asthma. I keep my windows closed and the airconditioner running in the summer.
There are people who read this who will say that they don't want to live in a bubble. I always say for me being sick is living in a prison. And my lifestyle was clearly shortening my life as I was just sick ALL the time and having IV meds more and more often with drug resistance practically to everything. All this with a rapidly declining FEV1.
But since you asked what YOU can do, I am happy to share what it is that I do to try to stay well.
Your question is probably more important that you even realize. And the discovery that you made is one my own doctor made in her own life and the life of her family. Starting with doing what you did. By taking notice of what it is that makes you react and then withdrawing it. The results can be startling (like what happened to you) or they can be subtle at first and slowly people start to get better.
You know I have been writing about this since I joined this site. It is hard to refer people to anything, because my doctor tells me chemical sensitivities are not seen in the textbooks. There are no tests for them. She is the kind of doctor that whose patients have weird debilitating symptoms who have been to a million doctors. And other than the ususal case histories and tests my doctor performs allergy skin testing, Ige levels, and then the biggest thing is questioning people about their lifestyles, food, work, and home environments.
My doctor recognizes that allergies (and substances that act as triggers even if not a "true allergy") and chemical exposures cause inflammation that lead to all kinds of symptoms: lung issues, digestive, headaches, dermatological, extreme lethargy, joint pain, ADD, mood swings... the list is endless. You would be shocked if you knew the amount of people and children whose symptoms lessen or disappear.
Start reading labels. Eliminate foods with chemicals and preservatives. Diet sodas that have sodium benzoate must go (google it, you will be surprised), no sulfites which means look for wine (preferably white - bottled late in the season -Spring) which are organic and if possible sulfite free. I found a purely sulfite-free wine at Trader Joe's. Eat organic if possible. Eat chocolate and sugary foods only when you are in a stable phase and then sparingly. Only eat organic strawberries and apples - they use the worst pesticides on these. My doctor thinks that dairy is fine (unless you are allergic) because there are absolutely no credible studies proving a link between dairy and mucus production. At the advice of an alternative doctor I went off dairy -- I still had mucus. So I eat dairy products and still because of my doctor's program have much less mucus than I ever had.
Your home: Carpet holds residue chemicals. You MUST get rid of carpet if you want to improve. Get a great air purifier and vacuum. Get furniture with tight threading or leather. Get rid of drapes, use allergy protectors on mattress and pillows, get rid of furniture that has formaldehyde if possible - they gas off harmful chemicals, do not use a fireplace, get rid of all products with fragrances and harsh chemicals whether it is personal products or cleaning products, no drycleaning except the natural kind with no chemicals, no down pillows or blankets. An extra nasal rinse on days with high exposure.
I stay out of stores with strong odors or I wear a mask and have people give me weird looks. Who cares? I carry a charcoal mask with me and wear it on windy or smoggy days. I cover my nose and mouth if I am outside in traffic, cold weather, and keep my car windows up and the recycle button on. I air out my newspaper a few hours before reading - there is credible documentation that fresh newspaper ink contributes to asthma. I keep my windows closed and the airconditioner running in the summer.
There are people who read this who will say that they don't want to live in a bubble. I always say for me being sick is living in a prison. And my lifestyle was clearly shortening my life as I was just sick ALL the time and having IV meds more and more often with drug resistance practically to everything. All this with a rapidly declining FEV1.
But since you asked what YOU can do, I am happy to share what it is that I do to try to stay well.