Allergy Update July 1, 2011

I think it's about time to give a little update on how I am doing with my allergies.

Overall, I feel like I am doing well. I still have (what I think are) issues from tomatoes off and on (presenting in a "there's something in my throat" feeling, heartburn, and gut pain/burning), but I find I can have a tomato-containing meal and not suffer many repercussions as long as I don't repeatedly eat them the next few days.

I am doing a Gluten-light sort of avoidance diet as well. I don't have immediate responses to gluten, like those with Celiac disease might have.  However, it tends to back me up over time if I eat it every day(or multiple times a day) and my guts tend to ache for a week until I quit eating it regularly.

I am taking my multivitamin, an acidophilus supplement (and eating yogurt or drinking kefir most days) and trying to eat a diet as close to whole foods as possible with minimal additives.  I also take fish oil. I have read that it is supposed to be helpful for reducing inflammation, and it's generally good for me since I don't eat much fish.  Interestingly, as a side note, I find I don't get those gross "fishy burps" when I take it with a meal including a leafy salad. Go figure, but it works.



As far as environmental allergies/hayfever, I find that I am no longer the guinea pig to determine when things start pollinating. Other people complain of their allergies long before it bothers me. I do take a Claritin or a Zyrtec ever so often (and may start doing to more regularly leading up to August, my worst allergy month in the past), but---get this---the meds actually *do* something now, where before they would  hardly touch the allergy stuff! Woo-hoo!

I can't say I am 100% cured, but then the Advanced Allergy Therapeutics and the BioAllergenix systems used to treat me are man-made and have their limitations. They can't catch every single thing out there I am allergic to, isolate it, treat me for it AND me successfully avoid it for the allotted time (those pollens and molds are a trick to avoid!). Or maybe they could over time, but there comes a point when one is weary of trying to figure it out and finds contentment where they are.

I am still happy with the outcome of my treatments.  I may go in for a chiro visit in the near future, but at the moment I can't think of anything to get myself tested treated for in the allergy realm...which is a good thing.