I found a cookbook! Wow! This is Allergy Free and Sugarfree

First off---we've had a day or two of really warm weather and our lilac bushes have budding leaves!

 

My husband and I went to Lehman's General Store last weekend, as we are accustomed to doing about this time most years.

While I was there, I picked up a book that I had regretted not picking up last year: a spiral bound cookbook with the title Wow! This is Allergy Free and Sugarfree by Mary Yoder and Deborah Steiner.  From the looks of the family picture on the back of the book, I'd guess the authors are Mennonite or Amish. 

When I first picked this book up, I was skeptical. I've been eating Gluten-free (with a cheat here and there) for a couple years now, and truly did not expect to find anything non-wheaty as far as cookbooks go in an Amish store.  The fact that it was about allergies surprised me as well.  I may go into my lunch-and-dinner ventures in Amish country in a different post...

This book is based on the use of a "Four Day Rotation Diet", something that I have read about a lot in my allergy journey, but  have not embraced.  Part of the reason I have not taken to the four day rotation of foods was that, in the past, I did not have a wide enough variety of foods I could eat to break them up into eating once every four days.  Another reason was that I couldn't figure out how to do it; how to sub properly. I didn't have reliable recipes to use--it would have meant more hours scouring the internet for usable recipes.

I feel like I've been regressing a bit with my health/allergies lately.  I am sure part of it is stress with adding a paying job to my schedule and trying(and failing) to balance everything, part of it is that spring allergy season is gearing up, and part of it is because I have been eating more junk (read: Easter candy, chips, etc) and not so healthy meals due to a real lack of time to cook said meals when I am at work during the dinner-prep hour.  The family only wants so much roast and veggies or stew...

So....I am thinking about incorporating some of these recipes into my repertoire.  I'm not sure I want to do it completely, one reason being that I would have to give up my ritual of tea drinking in the morning.... I love my tea...I did pick up some different flours from the health food store and hopefully that will give me a good start.

I like the fact that the authors are at least aware of the corn allergy issue and the gluten issue, and I can adapt the days they have gluten-containing ingredients with the other alternative non-gluten ingredients.  I like that, when they use a "gum" in breads, it is guar gum and not (corn-derived) xanthan gum.  That, to me, is promising.  And I didn't see a whole lot of "gums", which I prefer as well.

So, we'll see how it goes, once I get a handle on it and try some of the recipes out!

REVIEW: Mary's Gone Crackers! Customer Service

I recently picked up a bag of Mary's Gone Crackers! Sticks&Twigs Pretzels in the Curry Flavor. This was my first time to pick up a product by this company. I was on the lookout for some easy gluten-free snack food for a camping trip and this seemed like a good product to add interest to my repertoire.

Two bites into the pretzels, I started having a niggling feeling at the back of my throat. My allergy reactions generally begin with an itchy feeling in the soft palate, so this was a little weird.  I was unsure as to whether it was an allergic reaction, but assumed it was, considering it was the only thing I was eating at the time.  I took an antihistamine just in case, and a few minutes later my ears started itching inside, so that pretty much told me it was most likely a reaction that presented itself a little differently. I'm glad I took the antihistamine. I've never had an anaphlactic reaction, so don't know what exactly it feels like, but this niggling feeling at the back of my throat did give me cause for concern.

I have been doing quite well with foods lately.

I checked out the list of ingredients and found that the ingredients listed were mostly things I have been eating and doing fine with.   The only thing that I had questions on was the curry powder, as I know it can be made up of any number of different ingredients.  In order to narrow down what it was I reacted to, I decided to contact the company via email.

On first contact, the representative at Mary's Gone Crackers! was hesitant to give me the ingredient listing to their curry powder, instead inquiring as to what my allergies are and then they would tell me if any of them were on their list.

As my readers with multiple allergy experience know, there is no allergy test that tests for every food or substance on the planet. There are false positives and false negatives in the testing in any case.    Additionally, allergy testing only tests for what your body is likely to react to at the time of the testing; people can develop new allergies, and they can have reactions to things that do not show up on the tests.

The most foolproof way to know you are allergic to something is whether or not you have been exposed to it and reacted.  It is far easier to narrow down the cause of an allergic response based on what you have actually been exposed to. Giving my list from my allergy testing a few years ago would have gotten me nowhere, as my body has changed since then.

I explained to the rep my situation and how I really wanted to get to the cause of my reaction to their product so that I can pinpoint the culprit ingredient and know what to watch out for in the future. They consulted with Mary, and responded with a listing of the curry powder ingredients. This was quite helpful to me, as two of the ingredients are things that I don't consume on any sort of a regular basis: fenugreek and cardamom.  With a simple email, my possible reaction ingredients were narrowed substantially; something I greatly appreciate!

Thinking about cardamom and fenugreek, those ingredients are also often in Chai teas, which I have an aversion to. Maybe it's because I am allergic to something in it and is best avoided.  Funny how the pieces come together when a little more light is shed on the subject!

The bummer of the deal is that I should probably avoid most Indian food, or at least have a heightened awareness, should I have it.

The good part of the deal is that I won't have to avoid all of those other gluten-free grains and every other ingredient on the label in order to avoid the weird niggling throat reaction.  I am willing to bet that I would probably be ok with their non-curry products.


All this to say, Thank you, Mary, from Mary's Gone Crackers!, for understanding where I am coming from and being forthcoming with the specifics on your ingredient listing! You've made my life (and the lives of others with similar food issues) much easier!

And on a larger scale, thank you for your whole foods, organic, non-GMO commitment! I plan to give Mary's Gone Crackers! products another try! (non-curry, the next time around) :)

It Wasn't Hiatal Hernia....My Health Cocktail

Well, I was wrong about the possible hiatal hernia. It was actually that I had ribs out of place on both sides of my sternum and that was what was causing such chest pain and inability to draw a full breath.

Plus, I have a virus, which I was beginning to suspect, because I ended up getting a fever one day last week, and I have a kid home today with a low grade fever.

And I do still have a little heartburn going on...

Add in my allergies this peak ragweed season and I have a "wonderful" health cocktail.

As you might guess, I went to the chiro this morning. I got all adjusted and now I can actually breathe! I do  have a little bit of residual soreness but hopefully that will go away in the next couple of days...much better though! I actually woke up this morning feeling almost as bad as last Monday when this all started. :(

I am going to keep up with my allergy regimen(Zyrtec+Homeopathic for pollen+avoidance), and add garlic in to help get rid of this virus.  I think I will add a TON of our homegrown garlic to our dinner tonite so that everyone will get a good dose!

August....aka "Hell Month" for this allergy sufferer

There, I said it. I have dubbed August "Hell Month" because it is by far the absolutely worst time of year for me as far as allergies go.

I began taking Zyrtec back in May or June, in an effort to get it good and set in my system to hopefully have no allergy symptoms this month. In addition, I have been using a homeopathic for weed pollen.

The Zyrtec/homeopathic have definitely helped as far as the sniffling, sneezing, itchy throat and ears problem. I've still had some of that here and there when I've gotten myself immersed in ragweed pollen...or eaten melons(hello Oral Allergy Syndrome...)..but it really does nothing to help my eyes. Oy, my eyes! Itching like mad for weeks now.  I've been staying inside for the most part, not enjoying the beautiful weather at all. :(

I actually double-dosed on Zyrtec one day last week in my desperation to feel better.

Sunday night, my digestive system started giving me fits...Monday morning, my chest hurt and I've got the acid thing going. At first I thought "oh no, I hope I'm not developing asthma!" because it hurt to breathe....but as I woke up and moved around, I remembered feeling this same way awhile back....

I think the hiatal hernia is back and/or I got into gluten this weekend and it's caught up with me...

...and I have itchy skin that tells me I've gotten into something I shouldn't have/my body is in react-to-everything, high-histamine mode.

Suspects:

• Oatmeal cookies I made for the kids this weekend, made with regular (non-GF) oats...I had a few...
• Non-GF oats I had in a meatloaf over the weekend (and I forgot to take my digestive enzyme)
• Some other source of gluten/other food ingredient I have an issue with?
• The double-dose of Zyrtec causing GERD
• Eating Mexican food too close to bedtime on Sunday(though I had it before w/o issues)
• My body has just been pushed to the limit with the allergies and decided to randomly go haywire?

Maybe oats should be cut out for awhile. And I need to pay better attention to my Zyrtec intake and not double it...no matter how desperate I am.

I do know that the bone broth chicken soup I made for myself yesterday did wonders in helping me to feel better.  Looking at the Mark's Daily Apple blog post, it looks like other people associate gluten/grains with acid issues. (it's not just me!) Looking at my past with my elimination diet...when I was off of all grains and trying to add in wheat, one of my warnings that this was a no-go was the sometimes rather intense acid reflux and chest/back pains, and when I took it back out, that would go away...

I find it interesting that, looking at my blog post history, the last two years I have blogged about having this issue around the Fall...August 2010 and October 2011...and one of them was definitely related to a gluten/wheat exposure.

My Plan:
1. I am going to resort back to GAPS-like eating for a bit, using bone broth at least once a day for myself and hope my gut/digestive system will heal up again. 

2. I plan to remember to take my probiotics and digestive enzymes!

3. I am going to avoid oats(and gluten) until this passes.

4. I am going to try this method of Hiatal Hernia Massage, and if this doesn't clear up within a week, I will go to the chiro and get it adjusted as I have in the past.  Usually, when I get into something that bothers me, it takes about 3 days to pass.  This is day 2.

 5.I am going to look into getting some eye drops for my itchy twitchy eyeballs!

Pray for me--this is a hard time of year for me! I kind of hope it freezes soon, but that wouldn't be fair to all you who are enjoying this weather, would it? ;)

Pink Slime: My Take

Pink Slime has been on the news in the last few months, with some people falling on the side of avoidance and wanting to have it labeled, and others insisting it's fine to eat, because it's "just beef" (which is a lie, if I've ever heard one).

I am writing this post to give my take on the issue.

As my readers might guess, my preference is for all-natural foods. I like to know what's in my food, so that I can make an educated decision as to whether I want to take it into my body.

It hasn't always been this way. I used to just eat whatever I wanted and not think about consequences. After my allergies snowballed and I ended up with pretty extensive allergies (13+ diagnosed food allergies that came up with conventional allergy testing, most pollens, 2/3 of molds, and animal epithelials.....I won the prize that day as they hadn't seen anyone that bad for some time), I was forced to examine every bite that went into my mouth.

And I have come out the other end a person who wants to eat with eyes wide open.


As to the Pink Slime issue, I knew that I didn't want to be taking any more chemicals into my body than absolutely necessary. This was the main reason I was trying to avoid the stuff.

My reasons were not for avoiding direct allergies.....

...but then I read today that the method Cargill uses to make their Pink Slime uses citric acid. Given the business that Cargill does, (they are one of the major agricultural companies), I have to assume that the citric acid they are using is derived from (probably genetically modified-up to 85% of US corn is GMO) corn.

So, now I am back on my anti-GMO soapbox and have stronger reasons to avoid Pink Slime. Beef with Pink Slime is not *only* beef. It's had something added. Something that is part of production and doesn't legally have to be announced a label, but no less added.  As a person whose allergy diagnosis included Corn and Soy, I can't help but try to avoid them when I can, along with other GMO's(such as cottonseed). A hard feat when GMO foods are crammed into something like 70-85% of the US food supply.  I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle, but I'm not giving up!

When I look at a selection of conventional ground beef, it's not only likely that the cows have been fed GMO corn and soy, and that the packaging contains GMO corn, but the GMO corn is put directly into the meat (if it's from Cargill, but who knows that information in the meat section of the grocery store)!

Bad news for me and fellow Corn-Allergy people. I don't care that Big Government says it is safe.....I don't trust it.

And...I find it a bit ironic that, if they say it's safe to eat, ConAgra Foods and Kraft Foods claim that they pulled the Pink Slime out of their products. They're not standing behind their product with pride.  These companies all have ties in the GMO chain.....and I'm not sure they're not just blowing smoke and tickling our ears.

For the big companies, it's all about the money, folks. It's not about the health of the American people; it's about the money the American people are willing to put into their pockets.

The eyes of the American people are being opened as they become aware of what exactly goes into our food(or, at least, what's been divulged), and how our food in the US compares to other First World countries. I have seen a lot of change happening in the last couple years; I used to be one of a tiny minority, but more mainstream people are hopping on my boat (yeah!).

Educate Yourself. Vote with your Dollars.  I think that's one of the few ways that will be effective in positive change in the food industry in the coming years.


Updated to add links.

Allergy Update

I recently went in for what I call an "Allergy Tune-up".  I've been taking Zyrtec due to some allergy issues. My allergies are not nearly as bad as in previous years, and they're not as bad as some of my friends' allergies, but there are just enough flare-ups to let me know I'm ailing.

I have been keeping a food/environmental diary for the last month, and a great many of my issues seem to lie with chemicals, mold and fungus. (Placing moldy straw with mushrooms on the garden, anyone?) Not all of them, but most of them. I expressed my desire to get a general scan, because at this point I feel a bit like I am chasing rabbits in having little things treated when I feel there is one underlying thing, but I am not entirely certain what it is.

The first thing that was checked was that my polarity was not blocked, as has happened in the past when things were "off". It was fine.

The Bax system was then used to scan and see where my problems lie, and the results were mainly in the area of molds and fungus.No surprise to me. A homeopathic treatment was suggested to me rather than a full BaxAura scan (which would have required 3 hours of fasting prior) and homeopathic sprays, in the interest of my budget.

So, I am trying a homeopathic remedy from Dynamic Nutritional Associates, called Mold Mix 1 (A-21). I will use 3 drops, 3 times/day for a week, then up the dosage to 4 drops, 3 times a day. I will continue to up the dosage by 1 drop/dose per week until I get to 10 drops, 3 times a day.

If needed, I will still be able to take a Zyrtec w/o causing any cross-reactions. It may take a week or two of dosages for it to build up in my system and my stem to behave itself more normally.

Amish farm kids don't have the allergy problems we do? Makes me go Hmmm.

I have often come across the supposition that farm kids don't have as many allergies, and that it's our modern pristine environment that is causing kids to have all of these allergy problems.  I haven't subscribed to that train of thought, though; having spent much of my childhood on a farm with plenty of dirt and animals, I still ended up with my allergy problems. I shudder to think of how they could be any worse than they got.

The thought that farm life leads to fewer allergies is based on an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002(citation at the bottom) about children growing up on farms in Switzerland. These kids had fewer allergies, thus leading to the conclusion that a less-than-sterile environment was conducive to a better, more appropriate, immune response.

More recently, there was a study comparing Amish farm kids in the Indianapolis area, farm kids in Switzerland, and non-farm kids in Switzerland. Results showed that the Amish kids had far fewer issues with allergies and asthma than did the Swiss farm kids, who in turn had fewer than the non-farm Swiss kids.

The article I read online on Yahoo News touched on many possible reasons for the health differences between the three groups of kids. Some reasons mentioned include: limited gene pool in the Amish community, positive effects of drinking raw cow's milk, and more time spent outside and in barns due to the low-tech ways.

I would like to add to their speculation that the Amish may not be exposed to Genetically Modified crops, since they grow their own food and use the lower-tech ways. I could be wrong, but I highly doubt the Amish buy into the government-subsidized crops.  They probably don't have Roundup to deal with, either, in their surrounding air, or in their food, and thus their bodies don't have to deal with the repercussions from being around it. 

I would like to see further scientific research as to what exactly each of these population groups eat on a regular basis, and whether that might have some bearing on the health of the populations' immune systems.  My guess would be that the non-farm Swiss families may get some GMO's in their foods(yes, there are GMO's in Europe, but not as prevalent as in the US), the Swiss farms might eat less if they grow much of their food, and the Amish would have very little to none, and that may explain the results of this recent study.

What are your thoughts?

Allergy Update: March 21, 2012

It's been awhile since I've been in for an allergy appointment. I have been having little stuff flare up off and on, carrots being a constant(even organic), so I went in for allergy stuff and a chiro adjustment.

I brought in a bag of things to muscle test with, to help save time in finding vials, and I wanted to be sure on the exact foods I was eating.

First off, my Polarity was blocked (again!). We have no explanation as to why this happens to me so often. If anyone has any idea, please let me know! Had to work on getting it back working again before any muscle testing. I think it might  have to do with stress, and possibly with the change in seasons, but have no idea why...


Things of note that I brought in:

A Ziplocked board with what I was told was black mold on it (surprisingly tested ok with this!)

X A commercially grown potato (DID NOT test ok with this)
An organic potato (tested OK--so I think w/the commercial potato it might be a pesticide/herbicide issue)

X Carrot (tested ok w/the piece I brought in...but at insistence that these have persistently been causing lip burning and throat itching we pursued it further with the computer, breaking it down to plant phenolics and muscle testing, and Caffeic Acid is what DID NOT test out ok with me---on the Caffeic Acid list, other sources include corn pollen, apples, beans, cauliflower and lettuce, all of which I have issues with at times...)

X Local Eggs (may be an issue of something the chickens ate...might pursue and try to figure it out.)

X Turkey Pepperoni (muscle testing through the ingredients showed sodium nitrite to be the culprit...something I know isn't good for us anyway...)


I ended up having Caffeic Acid treated with the BioAllergenix system and need to avoid it until tomorrow morning.
Sources of Caffeic Acid include: Apple, Artichoke, These Beans (Lima, Navy, Pinto, Red, String), Carrot, Cauliflower, Olives(green and ripe), Corn Pollen, Grapes, Lettuce, Meadow Fescue Pollen,  and a bunch of grass pollens.

Allergy Update November 1, 2011

Since today marks the beginning of a new month, I decided to update my readers on how I am feeling allergy-wise since my last BaxAura appointment.

I feel very good lately! I am still doing the gluten-free and tomato-free thing, and I feel that it is paying off and helping my body to further heal.  I am trying to stay on top of taking a probiotic (preferably in the form of homemade kefir) fairly regularly, and have also been taking digestive enzymes when I feel the need, which do wonders.  I even ate out last weekend and did not have any repercussions!

So there you have it, my little positive update. :)

BaxAura Update

Today I went in for an allergy/BaxAura appointment. I told how I was feeling the last couple weeks. (rather yucky, if you've not been keeping up with my posts)

So she ran the computer test while I was holding the metal rod. Still fighting with Chenopods (not Ragweed or Nettle) and the ileocecal valve<--I suspect this might be related to my cycles/hormones, though I didn't ask.

When the doc went to do some preliminary muscle testing, she found that I couldn't be muscle tested at first, due to my polarity being blocked. We are not sure why this happened, but it has happened once in the past with the other chiro, when I first started AAT.  The first attempt at resetting my polarity didn't work (rubbing lymph area of the upper left chest), testing with a couple of different vials didn't bring anything up (I'm sorry, I didn't read what they were), but once she rubbed the point between my eyebrows, that seemed to fix the problem enough to be able to muscle test. (I really need to learn/remember the names of these acupuncture points, lol!)

Weird. Apparently, people who have problems wearing watches because they run the battery down so quickly have problems with their polarity as well. "Normal" polarity has one side of the arm with a positive charge, and the other with a negative charge, but the people with polarity issues will have the same charge on both sides of the arm.  The phenomena of the full moon causing lots of people to end up in emergency rooms is also related to this polarity thing.

It sounds sort of "out there" to my ears, but knowing that our bodies operate using electric charges, I suppose it's not a wholly "supernatural" thing. 

Just out of curiosity, the doc is going to look back and see if anything significant occurred around August 17 as far as the earth's polarity, the time this year and last year that my allergies really started acting up (and quite close to the same time the years before). 

I believe she is also going to contact the BaxAura people to see, if I am having problems with polarity, whether my body will know what to do with the homeopathics, which operate with polarity/specific charges.

Bax Update: After My Struggle

After my last (sad) update, I wanted to update again.

Interestingly, looking back at previous years' blog posts, August 17 or so is the day that I really started complaining about fall allergies, both this year and last year. Something to take note of.

I re-evaluated my hayfever problem and have made some changes around the house to hopefully help me out this season.

1. I am continuing the Gluten- and Tomato- free thing, especially through the end of this allergy season.  I am also avoiding cucumbers and melon (and zucchini), as they are associated with Ragweed allergy and can cause problems similar to hayfever when consumed during Ragweed season (Oral Allergy Syndrome). Just because I've had that problem in the past and know I am still struggling with hayfever....trying to give my body the best chance to NOT increase the "bad" things it has to deal with.

2. I have closed nearly all windows in the house.  I'd prefer to let the cool night air in to cool the house off, rather than torture us with hot rooms to sleep in....but for now, the (clean) fans are working 'good enough'.

3. I have made our bedroom an Allergy Safe Zone.
This means:

• Closing the windows
• I have gotten a not-doused-in-pollen-fan to help circulate air
• I swept the floors with my vacuum that has a HEPA filter
• I got rid of the laundry pile on hubby's side of the bed
• I took off ALL of the covers and pillows from the bed and washed them on HOT and dried them thoroughly in the dryer.  As I was taking the pillow cases off of the pillows, I had a sneezing fit. A couple of our pillows' allergy covers are worn out/holey and I need to replace them. 
• I have also mandated that we each need to take a shower before going to bed---no bringing pollen from being outside into the bedroom!

After my sneezing fit when handling the pillows, I really think my "Allergy Tank" was overflowing when I was trying to sleep in my pollen-doused room/bed.  Even I wasn't showering every night (tsk-tsk)...the pollen built up over a couple days on our pillows and bedding---pollen that was stuck to our hair after walking around outside in the garden/fields.  I wasn't getting the rest I needed to recuperate at all, and it was having a snowball effect.

At my last post, I mentioned that I thought about taking Claritin on top of my homeopathics. I did so, and drank a TON of water to hopefully prevent the sinus-clogged-effect I got the last time I took a 24 hour allergy med.  Still, once the Claritin wore off, I found that I actually felt better OFF the Claritin!  (makes me wonder whether there is something in the allergy meds that doesn't agree with me...corn? I hope not.)

Weird. Especially since today's allergy level on Pollen.com is even higher--a 10.6 on a 12 point scale. Maybe finally taking these precautions is actually helping.



So anyway, yesterday and today so far I have only taken my homeopathic and used my Neti Pot once or twice.  It's supposed to get HOT today...we'll see how it goes from here on out.

Bax Update: I am Struggling

I am at 6 weeks after my treatment with the BaxAura. I am really struggling with the environmental allergies lately, even taking the homeopathics. Pollen counts have been in the 9.8 area (on a 12 point scale), HIGH. According to Pollen.com, the culprits are Ragweed, Chenopods, and Nettles.  What is bothering me the most is my eyes, which is a new thing in the last week once the pollen counts got to the High point.  I haven't had this severe of eye allergies for a long time. :(

There has been a few nights that I have resorted to Tylenol PM so that I can sleep ....and Benadryl or Zyrtec some days when I *have* to function, albeit through a medicated fog. The last time I took Zyrtec, it only made my congestion worse so I don't know that I will be doing THAT again anytime soon.   Besides that, Zyrtec makes me feel weird...

This is the worst time of year and is horrible for most allergy people. I do have to say that it's better in comparison to other years, but still, I could really do without any allergies at all.  I've had hayfever my whole life as far as I can remember, so maybe there are just some things that the Bax systems (the Bax3000 and the BaxAura) can't treat and have results right away (or ever).  Maybe I am just still working through it/healing.....  Alternative medicine has done wonders for me as far as foods go, as well as the molds around my house, and most of the summer I have done well without any antihistamines (until August).

I just can't seem to kick these fall allergies.  I want to go outside and enjoy the cooler fall days and the beautiful weather and sunshine....work in the garden, mow the lawn, haul wood...walk, even, but I still pay for it to some extent if I do so.

Ugh.

Maybe I should move to Antarctica.

BaxAura Update, 4 weeks 3 days after treatment

Today I had my BaxAura consultation, 4 weeks and 3 days after the initial treatment.

As you may have read in my previous posts, I went back a few weeks ago and was told to continue using my homeopathic sprays because my body was "still working on healing". Which I have been doing.

The last 3 days and nights, (especially the last 24 hours), I have been having  more and more flareups. Last night I woke several times with an itchy throat and with insanely itchy ears.  We have a fan in our bedroom window(blowing out-a compromise with hubby b/c if we turn it off altogether and close the windows it's too hot to sleep). I realize the fan is sucking air(and pollen) from outside from other windows of the house, but it's the best we can do at this time.

I explained all this to my chiro, and we started up with the BaxAura computer system. I held the metal cylinder thing while  she used the program.  Then she did some muscle testing with and without my homeopathic bottles and I got new bottles since mine held mere drops.

I was also given a different bottle to replace my previous Gall Bladder bottle. This new bottle is labeled as BioPhasic 4 Lung and Large Intestine Support.

I can take my homeopathic drops more often than three times a day. They will do more good, taking 3 sprays more times a day than, say, simply upping my dosage to 16 sprays 3 times a day.  Since I am struggling, I am going to take it on a day-to-day basis, maybe doing 3 sprays 6 times a day or so. That way, I will hopefully have enough to last me until my next appointment. That's my plan, anyway.

My issues are with stuff that I was treated for before but have risen to the top and am dealing with more currently: Cut Weeds being the one we made note of as being pretty prominent. Cut Weeds as in mowing the grass.  So if I am going to be cutting weeds or mowing or otherwise harming vegetation (So sorry, Mother Nature...), I may need to take my homeopathic sprays more often.


We'll see how the next few weeks goes until my next consultation.

BaxAura Update, 4 weeks after treatment

I am still taking my homeopathic sprays. I still have some intermittent allergy symptoms, so I suspect I am still in the healing stages.  I'm doing surprisingly well, considering I am not taking any allergy medication other than the homeopathic and it's peak allergy season. I do wish, though, that I didn't have these "spells" and have to rely on the sprays 3 times a day (or more--there's been a few times I have taken an extra dose rather than resort to antihistamines)...


I do have to say that I am doing better than 4 weeks ago, before I did the BaxAura treatment (having had AAT a few years ago, and BioAllergenix through the last year +). The treatment seems to have reached more than the other two systems for me (or the not having to avoid all the pollens is a big positive compared to the other systems).  Previous to the BaxAura treatment, I found myself reaching for the Claritin or Zyrtec as I approached (my) peak allergy month, but I haven't done that since the BaxAura treatment.

Editing to add: We had our annual Awana Carnival last night.  3 and 4 years ago, before treatments, it was horrible. Constant itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, feeling hot/flushed, tired, itchy skin, etc. And this was while taking daily Claritin.   Last year (after BioAllergenix treatments) was better, though not perfect by any means. I was newly pregnant and it was hotter this time of year last year. This year, I went inside a few times for a tissue and had one small flareup of itchy throat, but it was nothing near the years previous. I was worried, the whole time (and have been this whole season) that it wasn't going to work at all. But it seems to have worked/be working fairly well, especially considering I'm not taking anything other than my vitamins and the homeopathics.

One of the worst times of day for me is first thing in the morning. For some reason, that time of day usually includes itchy throat for me, but is usually remedied once I get something to eat or drink. I sometimes wonder if it's a conditioned response, after living so long with allergies and having this happen....I do find that if I can control to urge to "give in" to the itching, that it passes much more quickly. Probably because I'm not rubbing the roof of my mouth with my tongue and triggering more histamine production in my body.  I do find that this itchy throat phenomenon is more noticeable if I have eaten something "questionable" the day/night before. (By questionable, I mean something with gluten, the dreaded GMO corn-->soda, or lots of junk food/food with lots of additives.)

My next appointment is on Saturday, so I will see where we are from there. I would be willing to bet that I am "still working on it" and will need a refill of the spray(which should take me through the rest of the allergy season)...hopefully I won't be asked to spend more on it, as I simply can't afford to do so.

If it's suggested that I get another BaxAura treatment, I will probably:
1. Opt for staying inside more (hard to do out in the country, trying to pick and prepare our own food);
2. Taking antihistamines when I plan on going out a lot, and
3. Being even more picky about what I eat, especially in regards to gluten and GMO's.
 
Much as I would love to pursue further treatment with the BaxAura, sometimes the almighty dollar wins. Unfortunately.

How does the BaxAura work?

I asked the chiro for a layman's explanation of how the BaxAura does its job.

I didn't bring my handy dandy notebook to my appointment, so I hope she will forgive me (and chime in, perhaps, if she reads this) if I mess up the explanation. :)

So, here goes.

When the cuff is on the arm and the scan is running on the computer, the computer sends a digital signal to the nervous system  of many, many different items and measures the body's response. This is not only for allergens, but for anything to which one's body could be having an abnormal response.  As the computer runs through the test, it tags each item that the body responds abnormally strong to, and puts it on a list.

When the laser light is used for the treatment, your own personal list of allergens is loaded into the machine, and the full signal is sent to the nervous system. At the same time, there is a signal the body associates with euphoria that is sent through the laser light. 

So, the full signal of the treatment is being sent along with a euphoric ("this is good") signal to encourage the body to associate the things on your list with good, not with the prior "this is bad", negative response.  This alleviates undue stress on the body and overall health.

The homeopathic bottles given for use after the BaxAura treatment are given a homeopathic digital dose of your allergens/items that came up in the testing. So, for instance, if your full dosage of item X with the laser light was 888, your homeopathic dose would be 8. The homeopathic dosage is a "baby dose" of the full laser light treatment dosage. This homeopathic is what you use during the weeks after treatment to aid the body's healing after your initial laser treatment with the BaxAura.

I hope this helps you to understand somewhat how the BaxAura system works.

Here's to better health!

Allergies: Presenting Differently After Alternative Treatments?

Have you had allergy treatments with AAT, BioAllergenix, or Bax Aura? If so, have you noticed that your allergies seem to be presenting differently?

I asked my chiro whether other patients have had this experience.  I have noticed this in myself and have seen it mentioned on various online boards, and finally had the presence of mind to ask this the other day, since I had no other pressing issues at the time.

Her answer was that often the noticeable symptoms of the allergy that bring people to seek out treatment are addressed with the treatments, but that as the cause of those symptoms are addressed, there are often other underlying issues that are brought to light. Things that you may not have noticed when you were dealing with the other allergy issues.  As treatment progresses, you address the cause of those "new?" symptoms, and so on, until you get to the bottom of things.

What this translates to for me is that the hayfever I remember having since I was a very young child, that progressed to multiple food allergies, year-round indoor allergies, chronic sinus problems and gut problems is what brought me to the point of seeking out more than a mere pill for treatment. (A pill that didn't work by that time, anyway.)

When I began seeking treatment with AAT, then BioAllergenix, these treatments took care of many of the food and environmental allergies (ie. most of my hayfever symptoms and sinus problems).  Once these symptoms had been gone for the most part, I started to notice a "something's in my throat" feeling here and there.  My family doctor ordered a thyroid test (which came out perfectly fine) and chalked it up to GERD/reflux/heartburn and told me to take Pepcid. 

I wasn't happy with the "take a pill" solution to my throat problem; I wanted to get to the source of the problem rather than slap a band-aid on it...a band-aid that could bring some long-term health problems if used regularly.  Having had the experience of keeping a food journal and keeping track of symptoms, I noticed a correlation between tomatoes grains and the throat feeling in my throat.  When I stayed away from those things, the throat issue would go away. With internet research on WebMd and online medical journals, I learned about Eosinophilic Esophagitis.  While I don't have the means to pursue an actual diagnosis, the end result would be the same for me were I given that diagnosis: avoidance of known allergens/triggers. (The other alternative would be swallowing, rather than inhaling, the contents of a steroid inhaler. Something I would consider only as a last resort.)

So that is what I am doing: avoiding gluten and tomatoes.And trying to eat healthily and maintain a healthy gut.

My body is apparently working deeper on this allergy issue. According to the chiro, there is a good chance that I had problems even as a child. They were just not recognized at that time (EE is a relatively newly-discovered and named disorder; one that is alarmingly rising in our young children).  With food and environmental allergies on both sides of my family, I would not be surprised if that were the case.

So, there's that.  I wanted to just set that out there in case anyone was wondering. :)

Here's to better health! 

BaxAura, Take 2

I went in today for a followup appointment with the BaxAura. 

As per instructions the last time I went in, I fasted an hour before my appointment.

The doc and I discussed how I was feeling since the treatment 10 days ago.  The first 2 nights I still struggled with nighttime throat itching due to our window fan dragging in the pollen with the cool night air.  The nights after that I have generally been able to get a good night's sleep without allergy problems.  A couple times during the last week or so, I have had very minor allergy itchy throat/eye/sneeze episodes and some arm itchiness after picking beans and cucumbers in the garden (which I think any non-allergy person might experience).  When I was mowing part of our grass weed/plantain acreage, I did have a little-more-than-minor episode but it passed quickly and I was able to go out and mow w/o it happening again.

I am definitely not going through the tissues like I have in years past. A definite blessing!

The doc had me hold what looked like a small aluminum(brushed steel?) cylinder hooked up to the computer and ran a Mini-scan. My body is still working through the grasses, ragweed and something else(can't remember) from the last treatment. And Gluten is still a no-go. (tsk-tsk)  Apparently, with the BaxAura, the treatment takes more time to fully take effect.  My homeopathic spray was run through the machine again, but I didn't need to get another treatment(and thus no fasting afterwards). I just need to continue taking the homeopathic until my next visit.

I was not charged for the followup appointment.

My BaxAura Experience - The Day After

So far the environmental allergies haven't been horrible after getting the treatment with the BaxAura.  Last night, it was quite difficult to sleep, but that could very well be due to the high temps/humidity and we live in an old farmhouse with only fans for cooling. It's stinky hot these days, folks!

I did have a few episodes of itchy throat last night. It sort of came in waves, though. I found that if I concentrated enough and did NOT rub the inside of my throat w/my tongue (fellow allergy sufferers know what I'm talking about, I'll bet), then I wouldn't get near the histamine response/pileup that I would get if I gave in.  And then the feeling left and I could sleep a little bit.

I have had my jaw tension come back, again, in waves.  It comes and goes.

Interestingly enough, my head itchiness has gone away for the most part. I mention this because one of the things that came up on the scan had to do with this issue I've  had off and on for some time. (I have had such a hard time finding commercial shampoo/conditioner that doesn't cause this!)

I am taking my homeopathic sprays as recommended and waiting to see what happens next.

My BaxAura Experience

With August (historically my worst allergy month) approaching and the need to take a Zyrtec ever so often increasing, I decided to give the BaxAura a try.  I am told it would take 1 visit to do the scan/treatment, and then 1 visit to follow up. I am not sure if they charge for the follow-up, but I figure Zyrtec isn't cheap either.  My visit today cost me $85. The price may vary from location to location.

The BaxAura operates in a similar way to the BioAllergenix system(which uses the Bax3000). Apparently, though, it tests for even more things than BioAllergenix, and it makes a homeopathic remedy for you to take home with you. I went today in hopes of the BaxAura being able to treat the little things that have fallen through the cracks with the BioAllergenix system. 

I am MUCH better than I EVER was pre-AAT/BioAllergenix with the environmentals. But I still feel the need to take a Claritin/Zyrtec ever so often. Especially because I don't want to operate on the "tough it out" mindset that may have had some role in getting me to the point of having so many allergies in the first place.  Trying to ignore the allergies and making my body fight and fight and fight just wore my immune system/adrenals out.  "Get tough or die" might have some truth to it....when you can only get so tough...

But I digress.


The first step of the BaxAura testing/scan was to have a cuff strapped onto my forearm. The cuff is similar to something you would use for a sprained wrist, only without the padding, and with little metal pieces on it much the size of the rivets on a pair of bluejeans. The cuff is hooked up to the system and the computer runs through the scan. This lasted under 10 minutes for me. (You can't have magnets or batteries on your person during the scan.)

After the scan, the machine pulls up how your body responded to each item scanned for, and the practitioner selects the items over 10,000 (I am not sure what the units are here).

Once the items are selected, then the laser is used the same as with the BioAllergenix/Bax3000 system. Forehead over the head and down the back with eyes open, forehead over the head and down the back with eyes closed, same with a full breath in, then the same with a full breath out, then at the points on the feet, arms and hands.

A homeopathic remedy was also made using the machine, specific to my needs after this treatment.  I got two, one for the regular treatment, plus one for my gall bladder issues.

I was to fast for 3 hours after the treatment, only taking in pure water(no flavorings or sweeteners). Then, starting tonite I use the homeopathics 3 times a day until my followup appointment.

One nice thing about this is, with the environmentals, it is not necessary to completely avoid them for the treatment to work. I think this is a definite plus compared to the Bax3000/BioAllergenix and AAT, because who can really avoid all that stuff in the air....anywhere, much less in a 100 year old farmhouse? Not being able to completely avoid things may be my handicap with the other systems....time will tell.

So far, I have gotten extremely tired, my jaw(self-diagnosed TMJ type issues) has acted up, and I had a little bit of heartburn for just a few minutes that quickly left (all at different times).

It will be interesting to see how well this works on my August allergies.



Oh, and as an aside--you know that Gluten-free pizza crust I posted about a few days ago and got a headache afterwards? Coconut came up on the list that needed treated. Listen to your body.

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.