Low-grade reactions...finding the cause

I have been having some very low-grade reactions(minor throat itching) the past week or two and decided to try and get to the bottom of it today at my BioAllergenix appointment.

We tested the last things I had treated last time(lavender EO, nutmeg, Tulsi Tea, Green tea w/Honey, and Chamomile) and came out fine with all of them. Yeah!


I then started with my toiletries, bringing in my prior "bare bones" baking soda and olive oil, along with some soaps, facial cleansers, two shampoos and some lotions.

For *my body*(your mileage may vary), this is how I came out:
Jason Fragrance Free Shampoo-ok
Gluten-Free Savonnerie Shampoo--NOT OK
Badger Balm-ok
Jergens Original lotion-ok
WAHM-made Lemongrass Ginger Castille Olive Oil bar soap-ok
Velocity facial cleanser-ok
Velocity facial moisturizer-NOT OK
Olive oil-ok
Baking soda-ok
Aquaphor-ok
Burt's Bees Milk and Honey Lotion-NOT OK

So, basically I can use the ok items and be pretty sure I'm not dragging myself down. I guess I will use scant olive oil or coconut oil on my face as a moisturizer, baking soda for teeth brushing until I test some toothpaste, and coconut oil for deodorant(yes, it does seem to be working!).

Having taken care of my showering ritual, I went to the next near-constant in my day-to-day life: Breakfast.

I have been having oatmeal with blueberries and either slivered almonds or sunflower seeds pretty consistently for breakfast. Sometimes I have fried eggs on toast, but don't want to have that every day.
Here's how I came out:

Oats-ok
Almonds-ok
Sunflower seeds-NOT OK, especially when tested paired with the oatmeal

When I was avoiding so many things, one of my main oils was sunflower oil. I wonder if using it during the peak allergy stuff is what triggered my body to react to it as well? Who knows?

Point to ponder: many dried fruits have sunflower oil in them. I know Craisins do(one of my snack staples), as do the dried blueberries from Aldi(which I use sometimes on oatmeal in lieu of frozen blueberries).

Interestingly, sunflower oil is one of the top ingredients in the Burt's Bees Milk and Honey Lotion. I'm bringing it next time to retest and see if it's ok after being treated for Sunflower oil.


Next was a bunch of supplements. As of now, all I am taking is a fish oil, since that's all I have that I know is safe. I would love to get on a multivitamin, but that will have to wait until I have the money for them...maybe in a few months. In the meantime, I shall eat the best I can.

Here's how I fared there:
Twinlabs Allergy Multi-caps--NOT OK! This was about the worst thing today.
Evening primrose oil-ok
NOW brand Quercetin-NOT OK
Twinlabs Quercetin + C -ok
Sambucol Syrup-ok
Sambucol Cold and Flu Tablets-ok

So, I can put the Sambucol, Quercetin + C and EPO in my arsenal. The others I guess I will toss. I used most of them up already, anyway.


I also decided to have weeds treated today, since nothing is pollinating right now and it'll be way easy to avoid.
Last fall, I did grab some ragweed and put in a bag for later. Tested it today and sure enough, I am *still* weak to it. So I *definitely* wanted to have weeds treated. The treatments helped immensely this past fall, but not completely. Hopefully with being able to completely avoid it, it will work all the way this time around.


So, in a nutshell, I got a good idea of what to use in my daily regimen, what to put in my medicine arsenal, and was treated for the ingredients in Astroglide, weeds, and sunflower seeds(and oil).

We'll see how things go next week when I retest!




TMI Ahead for those who might find it useful...

I have been having issues off and on with either the spermicide-free condoms we had been using, or else the paba-free Astroglide. So, , I brought some in to be tested, and --guess what-- the Astroglide is BAD BAD BAD! The doc entered all of the ingredients into the system and treated me for that as well.


Here's to better health!