Yesterday I went to my AAT appointment with hopes that my Wheat/Grains have been holding. It is(yeah!) so we moved on to some other things.
The doc tested me for heavy metals, which I had done some reading on in the last week or so after having to be retreated for Wheat/Grains. Apparently, there may be a link there with hard cases and having to be retreated. I seemed to test fine for the heavy metals, though, so that was a relief. He pretty much held the vials of the metals to my abdomen and did strength testing. He also tested my liver points, yeast/fungus and it all is looking good.
Once we got that done, he asked how I was doing symptomatically. I told him I am on the end of a cold, but have noticed obvious allergy symptoms now that the trees and lilacs have really started blooming. It turns out lilacs fall under "Flowers" with AAT, so we let the computer prioritize between Trees and Flowers and Trees won without a doubt. So, I had trees treated.
It took some time to get through the many many different tree families. I think we ended up with 9 families to treat, and then after that we had to break down some of the families to the little components and then have those treated. Of the 9 families of trees, I remember the following: Cottonwood(no surprise there!), Black Walnut, Scrub Oak, Sycamore, Yew, Cherry and Arborvitae(or something like that). I pretty much held my breath on the way to the van and then on the way to the house.
From here on out, I get to pick and choose what I want treated and when! At the top of my list is Coconut, as that is the hardest thing for me to avoid now, followed by nightshades, garlic, mushrooms, nuts, legumes, and some veggies and fruits.
Oh, and my AAT doc is getting his Allergenix system in 3 weeks, so perhaps I will hold out until then to go back.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Allergies and Ear Infections in Children
Since this topic came up recently with a friend of mine, I thought I would give my experience here as well.
When my daughter, Ivy, was between the ages of one and two years old, she had chronic ear infections. Sometimes I would be oblivious of the fact, since she has a high pain tolerance, and the doc would diagnose her when we were at the office for another reason.
Mind you, this was occurring before I became aware of how many allergies I actually had.
Anyhow, they persisted even through FIVE rounds of antibiotics, starting with the usual Amoxicyllin and working up to the Augmentin. Once we got to the Augmentin(twice), the family doc finally gave up and referred us to an ENT.
The ENT had Ivy's hearing tested, and she was indeed having some difficulty hearing everything. Not enough to be overly worried about, but enough to keep a close eye on.
We then had the ENT actually look in Ivy's ears, and sure enough he could tell she had obviously been going through a LOT of trauma due to the infections. He recommended putting tubes in her ears ASAP but could tell that I wasn't too hip on that idea if there was another option. I asked him about food allergies and his opinion on them in relation to chronic, persistent ear infections. He responded that he had actually seen a case in which the child was allergic to milk and had chronic ear infections and when the milk was taken out of his diet the infections went away. He was a bit skeptical at that point, as the ear infections came back a few months later, but his skepticism vanished when the mother figured out that the child was getting cheese at daycare(the daycare provider had figured that "a little wouldn't hurt"). Once the dairy(cheese) was eliminated from the diet, the chronic ear infections again went away.
The ENT suggested I go off of dairy myself(I was still nursing her at that time) and take Ivy off of all dairy. We did this, and at the next month's checkup, her ears were healed and her hearing was back to normal! The ENT and I were both thrilled with these results, and we obviously didn't get the tubes put in. Ivy and I both continued to be dairy-free until around June of the following year(about 6-7 months).
Once Ivy's ears were healed, I did use xylitol for Ivy as was used in this study. I used the powdered form purchased from the health food store, and figured out the proper dosage. I fed it to her from a spoon. Even now I give her gum with xylitol if she is fighting a cold(as that is what usually precedes the infections). I also gave her Sambucol to help boost her immune system if she seemed to be fighting something. If I was fortunate to find it, I gave her the Sambucol with Echinacea for 3 weeks, then the regular for a week, then rotated back to the Sambucol with Echinacea. You don't want to take Echinacea continually, because it loses its immune boosting power if you do.
Since that year(2007), Ivy has only had one ear infection(a year ago last April). She does get dairy now, but I cut way back if she is fighting a cold or other illness. I don't push the milk; she gets maybe a cup a day, if that. We do have kefir, yogurt and cheese, but not everyday.
I had suspected milk allergy in my second son, Hunter, as he also had a lot of ear infections as a toddler. I didn't have the knowledge of allergies behind me, though, to figure it out and help him better. I wish I had, and had been able to keep him from going through those painful times!
At the next visit to our family doctor, I reported our experience with the ENT and the success of avoiding the tubes simply through avoiding dairy in our diets. She replied, saying most people would rather just get the tubes than have to worry about what their kids are eating all the time. Wow. People would rather put their kids through (unneccessary, in the case of allergies) minor surgery(that carries risks) and antibiotics that further compromise the immune system just for their own convenience? Talk about treating the symptoms of the illness rather than dealing with the underlying problem! I am betting that those who ignore(or are ignorant of) the allergies will have it creep up later in life. An ignored problem doesn't always go away; it often has a habit of showing up somewhere later on...often more serious and harder to deal with.
As a sidenote--I think there is a correlation to my kids' ear infections and to the introduction of milk products at 1yo. I was still nursing when my kids were that age, so I didn't give them plain milk, but they were getting other milk products at that time, and that's when the ear infection problems started. So, that said, if you have allergy issues in your family, I'd recommend waiting way past the 1 year mark to introduce dairy products, as milk is the most common allergen in babies and children.
When my daughter, Ivy, was between the ages of one and two years old, she had chronic ear infections. Sometimes I would be oblivious of the fact, since she has a high pain tolerance, and the doc would diagnose her when we were at the office for another reason.
Mind you, this was occurring before I became aware of how many allergies I actually had.
Anyhow, they persisted even through FIVE rounds of antibiotics, starting with the usual Amoxicyllin and working up to the Augmentin. Once we got to the Augmentin(twice), the family doc finally gave up and referred us to an ENT.
The ENT had Ivy's hearing tested, and she was indeed having some difficulty hearing everything. Not enough to be overly worried about, but enough to keep a close eye on.
We then had the ENT actually look in Ivy's ears, and sure enough he could tell she had obviously been going through a LOT of trauma due to the infections. He recommended putting tubes in her ears ASAP but could tell that I wasn't too hip on that idea if there was another option. I asked him about food allergies and his opinion on them in relation to chronic, persistent ear infections. He responded that he had actually seen a case in which the child was allergic to milk and had chronic ear infections and when the milk was taken out of his diet the infections went away. He was a bit skeptical at that point, as the ear infections came back a few months later, but his skepticism vanished when the mother figured out that the child was getting cheese at daycare(the daycare provider had figured that "a little wouldn't hurt"). Once the dairy(cheese) was eliminated from the diet, the chronic ear infections again went away.
The ENT suggested I go off of dairy myself(I was still nursing her at that time) and take Ivy off of all dairy. We did this, and at the next month's checkup, her ears were healed and her hearing was back to normal! The ENT and I were both thrilled with these results, and we obviously didn't get the tubes put in. Ivy and I both continued to be dairy-free until around June of the following year(about 6-7 months).
Once Ivy's ears were healed, I did use xylitol for Ivy as was used in this study. I used the powdered form purchased from the health food store, and figured out the proper dosage. I fed it to her from a spoon. Even now I give her gum with xylitol if she is fighting a cold(as that is what usually precedes the infections). I also gave her Sambucol to help boost her immune system if she seemed to be fighting something. If I was fortunate to find it, I gave her the Sambucol with Echinacea for 3 weeks, then the regular for a week, then rotated back to the Sambucol with Echinacea. You don't want to take Echinacea continually, because it loses its immune boosting power if you do.
Since that year(2007), Ivy has only had one ear infection(a year ago last April). She does get dairy now, but I cut way back if she is fighting a cold or other illness. I don't push the milk; she gets maybe a cup a day, if that. We do have kefir, yogurt and cheese, but not everyday.
I had suspected milk allergy in my second son, Hunter, as he also had a lot of ear infections as a toddler. I didn't have the knowledge of allergies behind me, though, to figure it out and help him better. I wish I had, and had been able to keep him from going through those painful times!
At the next visit to our family doctor, I reported our experience with the ENT and the success of avoiding the tubes simply through avoiding dairy in our diets. She replied, saying most people would rather just get the tubes than have to worry about what their kids are eating all the time. Wow. People would rather put their kids through (unneccessary, in the case of allergies) minor surgery(that carries risks) and antibiotics that further compromise the immune system just for their own convenience? Talk about treating the symptoms of the illness rather than dealing with the underlying problem! I am betting that those who ignore(or are ignorant of) the allergies will have it creep up later in life. An ignored problem doesn't always go away; it often has a habit of showing up somewhere later on...often more serious and harder to deal with.
As a sidenote--I think there is a correlation to my kids' ear infections and to the introduction of milk products at 1yo. I was still nursing when my kids were that age, so I didn't give them plain milk, but they were getting other milk products at that time, and that's when the ear infection problems started. So, that said, if you have allergy issues in your family, I'd recommend waiting way past the 1 year mark to introduce dairy products, as milk is the most common allergen in babies and children.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Homestead Musings-Chickens
We are toying with the idea of getting a new flock or two of chickens for this year. One that will perpetuate itself over the coming years so we will not have the need to buy chicks every few years.
The breed we are considering getting is Delaware. Depending on where you get your info, this is one of the breeds that is in need of a little help in keeping it around.
The breed we are considering getting is Delaware. Depending on where you get your info, this is one of the breeds that is in need of a little help in keeping it around.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
My Low-Allergen Personal Care Products
Corn allergy, Coconut allergy, and Soy allergy make it extremely difficult to find personal care products that you can use without having some sort of reaction. I have had all three of these allergies and struggled for a long time to find something that would work for me.
I began with cutting out everything that had Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocoamidapropyl Betain, anything PEG-, as these are pretty much always derived from coconut. There are lots of other derivatives, I'm sure, but these were the hardest for me to avoid. Every single storebought shampoo and body wash I checked contained these ingredients! Health-food store products were also big offenders for me; even though they didn't have the petroleum products and long words I could hardly pronounce, they usually contained coconut, soy and corn derivatives.
After much trial and error, these are the things that worked for me. At least, I could live with them. Depending on your allergies, your mileage may vary. Obviously, if you have allergies, do your homework and make sure you are not allergic to these things before you try them.
From Head to Toe:
I gave up on conventional shampoo and conditioner a year ago. I still put conditioner on my 3yo curly-haired daughter, but it eats my hands and they are raw and cracking for a few days after I do it. I've tried wearing gloves while doing her hair, but it's nearly impossible to work it through her hair wearing the gloves. I'm looking into alternatives for her, as I'm not real comfortable using something on her that eats my hands...although it doesn't seem to bother her in the least.
That covers the basics. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! :)
I began with cutting out everything that had Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocoamidapropyl Betain, anything PEG-, as these are pretty much always derived from coconut. There are lots of other derivatives, I'm sure, but these were the hardest for me to avoid. Every single storebought shampoo and body wash I checked contained these ingredients! Health-food store products were also big offenders for me; even though they didn't have the petroleum products and long words I could hardly pronounce, they usually contained coconut, soy and corn derivatives.
After much trial and error, these are the things that worked for me. At least, I could live with them. Depending on your allergies, your mileage may vary. Obviously, if you have allergies, do your homework and make sure you are not allergic to these things before you try them.
From Head to Toe:
I gave up on conventional shampoo and conditioner a year ago. I still put conditioner on my 3yo curly-haired daughter, but it eats my hands and they are raw and cracking for a few days after I do it. I've tried wearing gloves while doing her hair, but it's nearly impossible to work it through her hair wearing the gloves. I'm looking into alternatives for her, as I'm not real comfortable using something on her that eats my hands...although it doesn't seem to bother her in the least.
If you are looking for something you can buy in a bottle that smells nice...
Blue House Soaps offers a product called Crunchy Mama Shampoo. It is made from sunflower and olive oil, and contains no coconut oil or corn. (So far, the bar soaps DO contain coconut, so be alert when shopping there.) I have ordered from her a few times, requesting the Crunchy Mama Shampoo without the glycerine(which may be soy or corn derived) and ONLY ordering scents made with safe Essential Oils, not the fragrance oils. My personal favorite is the Lavender.
I began using the Crunchy Mama Shampoo, and immediately noticed that my head did not itch like it had for years! I think it was my coconut allergy(and the hair products I was using that were based on coconut) that was causing the itching all along! If you are going to use the Crunchy Mama Shampoo as your only shampoo on a regular basis, I recommend an occasional apple cider vinegar rinse after shampooing.
Some other products that I have tried with no reactions from Blue House Soaps are the Sweet Cheeks Facial Wash and the Skin Saver Facial Wash. If you're not into the smell of neem oil, I would recommend the Sweet Cheeks Facial Wash before the Skin Saver. Again, I requested them without the glycerine.
The thing that impressed me with Blue House Soaps' Crunchy Mama Shampoo was not only the fact that I had found a product that I could actually use, but that it was a product that I could use for many purposes. I use the Crunchy Mama Shampoo for:
Shampoo
Face Wash
Body Wash
Toothpaste-just wet your toothbrush and put a drop on your toothbrush and brush away-my teeth actually felt cleaner with this than with toothpaste!
Hand Soap
Dish Soap(add a bit of borax to the sink)
It is nice to have one bottle in the bathroom that I can use on my hair, face, body and also be able to use it for my teeth! Talk about a multi-use product(and not having all those bottles/containers all over the place!).
If you are looking for something alternative:
Hair: Although I still use the Crunchy Mama Shampoo when I want something nice smelling, I have experimented with baking soda and apple cider vinegar hair washing. Sounds a bit crazy, right? But it works!
I had tried the "No-poo method" involving only using conditioner to wash and condition hair, but have been unable to find a conditioner that did not contain any offending ingredients.
I have two approximately pint-sized plastic cups I keep in my shower. About two times a week, I wash my hair with this method. I put a few tablespoons of baking soda in one cup, and about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar(not Heinz-it's corntaminated) in the other cup and hop in the shower with them. I wet my hair, then fill the baking soda cup with water and shake it until it's mixed up. I pour this over my head, concentrating on the roots/scalp. Massage it in. Rinse. Then I take the vinegar cup and fill it with water and shake and pour it over my hair, concentrating on the length and let it sit for however long and then rinse with cool water. Sometimes I add a bit of honey to the vinegar, as I recently read that it helps condition the hair(and I do notice a good difference when I do this).
Some people with oily hair have a problem adjusting--their hair gets uber-oily for a week or two, but if they stick with the program the body re-regulates oil production. Shampoo products on the market tend to overstrip the natural oils and cause the body to then overcorrect and actually produce too much oil. Once you do the baking soda/apple cider vineger regimen for awhile, the body figures out it doesn't have to produce so much and things get better.
To tame frizzies, I have been using Lily of the Desert Aloe Gel. It does contain corn deritavives, but did/does not smell or effect me as far as I could tell. Use it at your own risk if you are allergic to corn. I used it like a gel.
Face: I have in the last month or two been using honey and baking soda. I have a little glass jar of honey that I mixed a bit of baking soda into. All I do is wet my face and dip some out and massage it over my face and rinse. Whether using the honey/baking soda mixture, or just baking soda, my technique is pretty much the same.
I use Rose Water or Lavender Water after washing. I purchase the Rose Water from the Health Food Store, but make my own Lavender Water using distilled water and a few drops of Lavender Essential Oil in a spray bottle.
Teeth: Baking Soda/Sea Salt mixture mixed about half and half. I sometimes add a drop or two of peppermint oil in as well. I keep the mixture in a small tub in the bathroom. Wet the toothbrush, dip it in and brush away.
Unflavored Dental Floss.
Body Wash: Sitting next to my Crunchy Mama Shampoo in the shower is a bar of Castille Olive Oil Soap from an online friend that sells them on Etsy: Blue Savannah. I love these soaps! They lather beautifully in my shower pouf, and smell wonderful! If you order, make sure you are ordering the Castille Olive Oil Soaps from her, as I believe she offers other soaps as well that may contain allergens. The scents that I have tried(and love!) are Rose Geranium, Lavender, and Lemongrass Ginger. I have even used the Lavender soap as a light shampoo when I was in a pinch and didn't have my other stuff available.
Moisturizer: Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I use about a 1 ounce bottle in the course of just over a week. It doesn't take much! I get out of the shower and pat dry and then use about a dime-size amount of EVOO in my hand and apply it on my body and then use the residual amount left on my hands on the dry spots of my face.
Deodorant: If I was staying at home, I would use the salt crystal type deodorant. But I wasn't happy with that in the midst of hot humid summertime, and found that Mitchum Unscented did the trick. According to Skin Deep, it's one of the safest ones out there.
That covers the basics. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! :)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
An AAT Setback
During this week's AAT appointment, I experienced a bit of a setback in my treatment. Late last week I started reacting at random times. I would try to figure out what was causing the reactions, with tree pollen being one of the top suspects, but most of the reactions occurred when I was indoors. I began suspecting something was up, since it was seemingly random reactions that I haven't lived with regularly since being treated for corn and the wheat/grains.
Easter was particularly a challenge. For breakfast I had New York Crumb Cake made by me, and tea with milk and then we went to church. On the way to church I was having the itchy throat/sinus drainage stuff going on.
Church went fairly well with no reactions that I can remember.
We went to my sister-in-law's house for lunch and spend the afternoon/early evening there. I did eat ham that as far as I knew only had corny ingredients so was probably ok. I also had asparagus(which I've done fine with eating occassionally), a few ripe and green olives, carrots, and a roll that I had made with safe ingredients for me. I ended dinner with angel-food cake (purchased variety with no palm oil) with strawberries and my real whipped cream on top.
I didn't have any immediate oral reactions as far as itchy throat or ears, but I could tell something was up as the afternoon progressed. I nearly fell asleep on the couch (which is unusual for me) and I was just feeling really sluggish and thirsty.
I must have had at least 3 large glasses of water while there.
Oh, and the carpets had been cleaned recently and the smell was starting to bother me.
By the end of the afternoon, I was experiencing the brain fog/inability to concentrate/irritability/headache symptoms. We finally decided to head home.
Once home, I took a Benadryl (on top of the Loratadine I take every day) and sat down to take it easy for a bit. The fog actually started to lift within 10-15 minutes and the headache left me.
Then I got dinner for the kids and ran the dishwasher. That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.
The kids' dinner consisted of Garlic Spaghetti(Garlic is a known allergen for me) and the dishwashing detergent is suspected by me to have an allergen(coconut?).
The itching throat/ears/runny nose/sneezing and irritability came back in a rush. I was so ready to put the kids to bed. Once they were down, I went to bed by 8:30 and was dead to the world by 9pm. I didn't even hear the phone ring when a friend called!
The next days, I was feeling 'not right'. The seemingly random oral itching/ears itching/runny nose/slight headache/brain fog/sinus problems were just bugging me!
My AAT doc went through the things I have been treated for, and come to find out, I needed more treatment for Wheat/Mixed Grains! Apparently, I am one of the 15% minority who needs to have something re-treated. So we spent the appointment time working through all of the little components of the grains. A few of the things I remember that came up were phytic acid and rice bran.
Hopefully this time it will stick!
One interesting thing the AAT doc said was that somehow he knew that I was "reversed". I don't recall the exact term he used, but he said that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body. But, part (20%?) of the nerves of each side of the brain cross over somehow. He said that my body was using the 20% to function, not the 80%. So he had to do a reversal technique before the testing and treatment. I don't understand how it all works, but based on how I was feeling, I believe I was working on 20%!
Looking back, I can see why Easter gave me so much trouble--I had grains so many times that day, and THEN I assaulted my body with known allergens! My bucket was just too full and couldn't take it any longer.
Normal protocol for AAT is to avoid what you were treated for for 2 hours after treatment. I did have some whole wheat breading on a veggie last night, but I think I will be staying away from regular servings of the grains for a bit...just because.
Easter was particularly a challenge. For breakfast I had New York Crumb Cake made by me, and tea with milk and then we went to church. On the way to church I was having the itchy throat/sinus drainage stuff going on.
Church went fairly well with no reactions that I can remember.
We went to my sister-in-law's house for lunch and spend the afternoon/early evening there. I did eat ham that as far as I knew only had corny ingredients so was probably ok. I also had asparagus(which I've done fine with eating occassionally), a few ripe and green olives, carrots, and a roll that I had made with safe ingredients for me. I ended dinner with angel-food cake (purchased variety with no palm oil) with strawberries and my real whipped cream on top.
I didn't have any immediate oral reactions as far as itchy throat or ears, but I could tell something was up as the afternoon progressed. I nearly fell asleep on the couch (which is unusual for me) and I was just feeling really sluggish and thirsty.
I must have had at least 3 large glasses of water while there.
Oh, and the carpets had been cleaned recently and the smell was starting to bother me.
By the end of the afternoon, I was experiencing the brain fog/inability to concentrate/irritability/headache symptoms. We finally decided to head home.
Once home, I took a Benadryl (on top of the Loratadine I take every day) and sat down to take it easy for a bit. The fog actually started to lift within 10-15 minutes and the headache left me.
Then I got dinner for the kids and ran the dishwasher. That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.
The kids' dinner consisted of Garlic Spaghetti(Garlic is a known allergen for me) and the dishwashing detergent is suspected by me to have an allergen(coconut?).
The itching throat/ears/runny nose/sneezing and irritability came back in a rush. I was so ready to put the kids to bed. Once they were down, I went to bed by 8:30 and was dead to the world by 9pm. I didn't even hear the phone ring when a friend called!
The next days, I was feeling 'not right'. The seemingly random oral itching/ears itching/runny nose/slight headache/brain fog/sinus problems were just bugging me!
My AAT doc went through the things I have been treated for, and come to find out, I needed more treatment for Wheat/Mixed Grains! Apparently, I am one of the 15% minority who needs to have something re-treated. So we spent the appointment time working through all of the little components of the grains. A few of the things I remember that came up were phytic acid and rice bran.
Hopefully this time it will stick!
One interesting thing the AAT doc said was that somehow he knew that I was "reversed". I don't recall the exact term he used, but he said that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body. But, part (20%?) of the nerves of each side of the brain cross over somehow. He said that my body was using the 20% to function, not the 80%. So he had to do a reversal technique before the testing and treatment. I don't understand how it all works, but based on how I was feeling, I believe I was working on 20%!
Looking back, I can see why Easter gave me so much trouble--I had grains so many times that day, and THEN I assaulted my body with known allergens! My bucket was just too full and couldn't take it any longer.
Normal protocol for AAT is to avoid what you were treated for for 2 hours after treatment. I did have some whole wheat breading on a veggie last night, but I think I will be staying away from regular servings of the grains for a bit...just because.
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