This time of the year, it is always difficult for clients to get a custom made anything delivered in time for the holidays.  For a special last minute fix, it is great to get a special accessory or two that give you that sense of newness to a room without the endless wait of custom.  A throw can be a quick pick me up for a room (and for you!) at the holidays.  I have to move over our cat to get to mine.  After all, even felines love  snuggling under a warm throw on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

Under $50

Cotton Fleece Throw from Garnet Hill

My sister-in-law gave us one of these warm soft fleece throws last Christmas and we keep it in our Family Room for when my toes get chilly.  It is one of my all time favorite gifts!  It is normally $60, but is 50% off until December 22nd.

Under $100

Cableknit Throw from Pottery Barn

I am allergic to wool but just love the look of chunky wooly sweaters.  This throw from Pottery Barn has just that great winter look but is made of cotton and acrylic.

Sky’s the Limit

Monogram Cashmere Throw from Gumps

One of my loyal readers, book-keeper and dear friend, Laima Abbas, informed me that through midnight tonight Gumps is having a 20% off sale if you spend more than $100 (use code FRIEND).  That saves you some of your hard earned money on this to die for cashmere throw monogrammed just for you or a loved one.

I know after a long day of work (or shopping) there’s nothing better than curling up in front of the fireplace with a good book, a cup of hot cocoa and a cozy throw.  Does anything sound more luxurious?

Allergic response or cold sore?
The other night, I made a shrimp salad. I eat seafood all the time and hold never had any sort of reaction to shrimp before. I also tried a turnip for the first time contained by my life around the same time. An hour later, I started to develop these two red sores on the right…

Allergic sensitivity on my frontage. How long will it give somebody a lift to dance away?
I got sunburn on my face on Saturday and I went out and bought aloe vera on Monday morning because my obverse was still really red and I had to work in the evening. I put the aloe vera on my facade like 4…

Allergic sensitivity or skin unthinking?
I just ate a cupcake at starbucks and now I am getting a rash adjectives over my neck, and its starting to go down. do I do? I took Benadryl already riiiight when it started. Like maybe 20 min ago. – I mull over you should make an appointment with the doc right…

Allergic sensitivity to latex?
I’m allergic to latex and I used a latex band-aid without realizing that it was latex right beforehand I left for my trip to Florida. I don’t know if this matters but my knee be pressed against a seat for like 14 hours before we stopped at a hotel and I realize my knee was swollen and…

Allergic sensitivity!!?
i had a gum infection about 2 weeks before christmas within 2007 and was given amoxicillin, i had an allergic reaction and have a rash all over my body. I now own another gum infection and was given Clarithromycin tablets today to help i looked at the ingredients and there’s only one different :S so im guessing the probability…

Allergic sensitivity. HELP!!?
I recently had hardware removal in my leg. The doctor prescribed ‘Clindamycin’ . I thought things be going fine but about a week and a half to two weeks I started to get really bleak stomach acid. Thinking that it was just from stress from other things going on contained by my life, I just got over the…

Allergic sneezes (hate them and the unharmed 20 qualities thing)?
so allergies kicked up and i sneeze alot and feel horrible after sneezing like i’m all germy. and ppl sneeze "in" how you do that how is it unhealthy – sneezing is good for you; just sneeze into your hand, after wash your hand thoroughly with lots of soap…

Allergic spontaneous effect to Estee Lauder eye makeup remover! How can I procure the swelling and itchiness to step down?
I used Estee Lauder eye makeup remover at a friend’s house last night and I woke up with my eyes almost swollen shut. The skin around my eyes is intensely swollen, itchy, and red. How can I get this to go…

Allergic spontaneous effect to pills ?
I caught a cold and I decided to take Robitussin Cold and Cough medicine. A few minutes after I took it I started coughing, my eyes started to itch/water, I started to itch everywhere, my throat feel tight, and I sneezed a lot. After 10-15 min everything started to calm down. I don’t know if…

Allergic to anesthesia or anti- nausea meds?
I always puke after anesthesia. Tonscillectomy, and 2 c- sections. Before my youngest daughter, I told the anesthesiologist. He gave me something for nausea. I infer it was a orange liquid. I still puked during the transfer. I then started coughing and itching on my face while the OB was closing me up. I…

Allergic to anything?food,animal,dust etc…?
Im allergic to hot sauce even though I like it, it swollens up my lips and if I eat to much my mouth breaks & I start to bleed… You? – Shrimp, Scallops, Lobster, Asparagus, Peanuts, Wheat, Dairy, Egg Yolk, Bananas, Oranges, string beans, peas, mushrooms. All Animals, Dust, Pollen, Mesquite. – Seasonal allergies, I…

Allergic to apples??
everytime I eat an apple, even a bite of one, I have a weird aversion to them..such as: scratching doesnt help. I just enjoy to wait… and, my throat closes up some. I cant breath well. and I have unexpected feelings in my chest, heartburn maybe? I grain sick, like im about to vomit, But I…

Allergic to Armour thyroid?
Hi there, ink I had an allergic spontaneous effect to armour thyroid… I started getting itchiness, localizes or radiating patches of it on my body and especially my scalp, neck, ears, nose, eyes. The edges of my ears and the stern of my neck were really itchy and my eyes felt itchy, liquid and puffy…it felt…

Allergic to bananas??Burning sensations and itching. . .?
I get a burning sensation in my throat like heart burn but ten times worse.and its itchy close to theres feathers in there.and the inside of my ears itch too.. . .its so painful and i studpidly only just ate a banana is there anything to help this? i also get it beside…

Allergic to Bio Oil?? 10 pnts?
Hi. I think I’m allergic to bio oil, but I really need to hang on to using it. See, I have these 3 white flat scars that make me look similar to a cutter. Unfortunately, whenever I use Bio Oil, I get an itchy red rash that’s bumpy. It doesn’t bother me, but…

Allergic to caffeine?
ive been drinking caffeine releated products for the past 4 years and just presently i have realized that i am super depressed all the time and i possibly am going through psycosis.. its pretty crazy.. even a sip of coffee make me unable to concentrate and nervous and it just last too long.. i feel better the minute…

Allergic To Cats and Dogs and I’m living near them?
My family owns one cat and two dogs…despite the fact that I am allergic and they are all deeply well aware of this. use this filter that is suppose to collect all the hair going around in the house. I still, nonetheless, get allergies. I’m kinda to young to live…

ALLERGIC TO CATS, my roommate have 9 cats! Moving out is not an route. is near some form of nouns cleaner that?
will help minimize my allergies? please help!? (sniff) – Holy crap I would seriously have a primary allergies/asthma attack if I had to live with 9 cats! LOL! p some zyrtec or benadryl, take nightly, initially,…

Allergic to Cats, What Do I Do?
I used to not be allergic to cats and now I am. lot of ppl say its b/c of their dandruff. How do i get rid of the dandruff? – You’re probably thinking of the dander, but it’s not only just limited to the hair. Their saliva, skin, and other fluids can…

Allergic to cats? What should I do?
I was extremely allergic to cat dander until I adopted two kittens (who are both 9-months-old now). Now that I have these two cats, my allergies don’t exploit up as much. I started volunteering at the local Humane Society in my town on Monday. I picked up this job because I love animals and…

Allergic to cheap metal but I still want to pierce my trunk!?! =’[?
I might be allergic to cheap metal, so I was thinking is there an alternative stud that ppl can wear (for ur nose)? I have be trying all kinds of earrings but they still make my ears hurt. Plz oblige! – use titanium – depending on…

Allergic to chocolate ? Am i ?
whenever i eat anything involving chocolate ( ice cream , chocolate itself , cake , ANYTHING ) i start like , choking approaching coughing and i can barely breathe . then i start getting really itchy and i break out all over my facade and get a real big stomach ache .. i really…

ALLERGIC TO CHOCOLATE!?
Please help. i am really anoyed. i am allergic to all types of chocolate but i love the stuff. every time i eat it i come up surrounded by red bloches, they dont hert but my docter told me not to eat anymore. t an actual allergy to cocoa itself? Or something in it? There are loads of…

Allergic to cold weather or cold hose?
Today, I was outside in the rain for ten to twenty minutes. It be raining pretty heavily. When I went inside, I notice that both of my arms were covered within hives and they were itchy. I looked it up and found an article about a women who breaks out when she swims in…

Albert went to see the Allergist at A.I. duPont/Nemours where he had his first “skin prick” test.   They tested 16 different  potential allergens (some foods and the top potential inside allergens).  The results suggested that Albert is allergic to dogs (poor Fletcher!) and milk.  Dr. Yousef allergist suggested that while the results are accurate for negative allergies, they are only approximately 50% accurate for positive allergy results, so retesting will occur in six months.  He will also incorporate outdoor and seasonal allergens at that time. This test only looked at immediate IGE reactions and did not take into account any IGG sensitivities. As a results, we will be continuing with the rotation diet at this time. With the exception of ghee (clarified butter), Albert has not had milk for eleven months.  We will no longer be able to give Albert ghee.  Fletcher is officially divorced from the family.  Poor puppy.   Anyone interested in an exuberant Portuguese Water Dog?

The date if the disco or dance is arriving when?

Have you informed the parents? The police?  The District Leader?  What about other leaders from the area.

Made invitations for a bring a friend night several weeks before the even?

That way the Guides have people coming anyway who in turn may also bring a friend on the night too.

Follow up for interested Girls / adults who would like to join Guides too.

What about invitations for the night?

Are the Guides registered?

Photos…what about a non -registered person having a form of release paper signed?

Whose catering?  What are the ingrediants?

Checked the first aid box and equipment.

Emergency response and action plan up?

Costs.

Prizes, – best what ever, door prize.

Sign in book,

Adult supervision.

Police Checks,

Working with Children Checks.

Spending time with some members of my family is like having  really gnarly allergies or a sinus infection. It’s little more than frustrations filled with a lot of mouth breathing, tea slurps, a sharp taste of sickness in  the back of the throat, and short moments of silence thwarted by sneezing attacks which sneak up like passive aggressive behavior.

I’ve been staying back in Nashville with my family for four weeks now, alternating between my mother and fathers. There’s not enough Roald Dahl in the world that can help me escape the madness.

The last couple of days has been consumed by locating a dog for the family.  The new pet has to meet certain criteria and it is proving to be harder than we thought to find our perfect pet.  First, it needs to be a very old puppy, or a young adult.  Next, it has to be appropriate for allergy sufferers, and next, it needs to be fully trained.  I am not sure if this dog exists in the real world, but we have managed to find two potential candidates:  Sophie and George.  Personally, I am rooting for Sophie even though she will require a far trip to the north, but the kids are already dreaming of George.  I hope our family is able to adopt one of them, though; I’ll be grateful for either really.

In the meantime, we sit and wait for somebody to get back to us–we’re all kind of like dogs waiting for the “master” to decide what happens next, our tails tentatively wagging each time a car drives by.  It took me a long time to decide to bring a dog into the family, and now that I have made the “yes” decision, I want everyone else to be just as quick in their response!  LOL!  What I do know is that I wanted to wait until an adult (or two) were home more often to play and interact with a dog.  I don’t think it’s fair for dogs to be alone all day.  Right now, we’re all home more than ever, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, so now is a great time to bring home a new member.  We have time, we have the space, and we have the love.  All the kids will want to help with the dog initially, and then I know it will become my responsibility.  I had to be sure that I could handle walking a dog a couple times per day.  Now that I am healthy, I can.

What I do know is that I will be buying a book about dogs.  Do you have any suggestions?  We are considering a Cockapoo.  I’ll let you know when/if we hear anything.  I am so excited and so is everyone else!  Who needs Black Friday sales when you can feel the same anticipation wondering if you’re going to be getting a new family member or not!  Or, that’s what I have been telling myself as I specifically avoid the sales.

It has occurred to me what Thanksgiving really needs to be the perfect holiday. While the holiday is a fantastic time for being thankful, the one thing I would be very thankful for is a morning after pill. Not just any morning after pill, but one that automatically makes you lose all the pounds you pack on during the holiday feasting. A bonus feature would be giving you the ability to clean the kitchen in two seconds flat after all that cooking. That would be my morning after Thanksgiving pill. While I did not go over board with the feast I prepared for my family and neighbors, I feel like I will have to do a week of hard running to keep my petite frame in check. We had a 10 pound goose, deviled eggs with tomatoes, cornbread stuffing with apples and pecans, goose gravy, white wine, and apple crumble that my neighbors were so nice to bring. The four kids ate, watched Peter Pan a million times, and went upstairs to have a plastic ball war (with all the plastic balls we have we should make a giant ball pit in the yard). Markus (my husband) and Markus (Angie’s husband) talked about airports while Angie and I talked about cooking and Christmas decorations. Luckily my dishwasher was empty so all plates and such got washed immediately and all I had to do was put away leftovers.

At the end of the night I decided I was very thankful that Angie loaned me her meat thermometer and brought dessert. Markus was thankful that I actually decided I like goose, because it is hard on him that I hate duck. Mary was thankful that Alex did not destroy the house and she did not have to chase him screaming “No!” Alex was thankful that Mary was not screaming and that he had more people to climb on. He also appreciated having a plate containing only meat and no veggies to contaminate it. Little sweet Analena was thankful that Mary had horses to play with, while Cedrick was just thankful that we had Peter Pan in German so he could understand it. It was my first Thanksgiving with my husband and children, and also my first Thanksgiving since I moved to Germany. Despite the four hours constantly on my feet cooking in a very hot kitchen I really enjoyed it. It was an experience that I hope to repeat next year.

Needless to say, it was not as stressful as I envisioned it to be. The kids behaved rather well, the food was great, and we all went to bed with full stomachs and no allergic reactions in sight. That is something to be really thankful for which brings me to my next point. When cooking for others, Thanksgiving or not, it is always best to call the person and ask if they or anyone in their family has any food allergies. This will save you a trip to the hospital and a lot of guilt over poisoning the guests. I hope that you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and that you all have a safe Black Friday. Please try to avoid being trampled in the stores today. One final note, Happy Birthday Grace! My little sister’s birthday is today and while I can’t be with her to celebrate I shall drink some rum (her favorite) tonight in celebration. I hope that you and Win have fun today going out and that no one steps on either of you if she ends up taking you to Wal-Mart. Happy Birthday and I miss and love you very much Grace!

It is true folks.  My doctor and I laughed at various different things.  We spent my appointment hashing some stuff out, and laughing about other things.  It was almost kind of fun (for a doctor’s appointment, anyways).  Okay, seriously, this lady deals with old people all day long pretty much, so I must be kind of fun . . . Even though my lungs frustrate her.  Oh well, can’t win ‘em all.

Today I had a standard “how’s-it-goin’-here’s-some-more-medicine” appointment, except it was kind of fun.  I left Academic Writing a little bit early, met my mom [who was going for her first appointment with Dr. S today, as her doc recently retired] and walked over to the clinic with her.  I was her first afternoon appointment, and my mom was the second [Kathy knows how to rock the schedule, although my mom phoned for her appointment hours after I did].

So, Kathy put me in one office, my mom in the one beside me [the one that I’m USUALLY in!  I was in a different one this time!].  Also, apparently my mom could hear Dr. S and I laughing . . ?

The doctor walked in at 1:09 [my appointment was at 1].  I was sitting in one of the chairs hunched over my bio textbook.  “Studying?”

“Yep . . . Two weeks till exams!” I said, closing my book as she walked across the room.  Then I totally beat her to it.  “How are you?”

She laughed.  “I am good, how are you, Kerri?”

“Pretty good.”

So, then we got at it.

“I switched back to Symbicort after the last time I saw you,” I said “I had some on file at the pharmacy.”

“I like Symbicort better,” (Oh, do you now?  This statement causes me to secretly wonder if she, too, is one of us.  Or, she is just wary of Advair’s black-box warning)

“Me too.  It makes me breathe properly.”

This, too, causes her to laugh.  Then, she remembers one of my gripes with Symbicort—the loudness.  “It’s not that loud, just the click”.

I laugh “Actually, it’s the suck of air that is loud.”

“Well, you shouldn’t really have to take it while you’re out.  But you can always take it in the washroom,”

This causes me to remember my hiding in the bathroom at school with the turbuhaler shenanigans, and I kind of just look at her.  And switch the subject.

“I did a course of prednisone last week . . .”  Hesitant, because I am not sure how she will react to this.  “I had a cold, I was flaring, and my peak flows were stuck in the yellow zone.  It helped”.  Then she gives me some pred/Symbicort-increasing related lecture, blah, blah, only for emergencies, yadda.  I really was listening, but it’s not worth reposting.  I was pretty much like “Look, I had increased my Symbicort to 4 puffs twice a day, and after a few days, that wasn’t cutting it.  I had to do SOMETHING.”

“ *side effects blah blah blah* ”  Sheesh.  Okay, okay, I understand her concern.  It’s a nasty drug, nasty side effects. But . . .

“Um, I didn’t WANT to take it.” [I don’t actually WANT to be taking ANY of this stuff, but it is proving to be necessary.] “I just did because I wanted to get back into the green zone and I wanted to feel better again.”

However, there are all the things pertaining to last week’s cold/flare that I forgot to mention.  Like how much I was using my rescue inhaler, and that I had been yellow zoning with 4 puffs of Symbicort and lots of Ventolin with a vast amount of PFs in the 70s for four days before I even started the prednisone.  Like, I tried to get it under control without it, but that just wasn’t cutting it anymore.  A 30 mg/5 day prednisone burst is NOT going to hurt me in any really serious ways if I do it infrequently.  Which, is kind of the point, to get my breathing on track again.  And, I know I was right in doing it and should not feel guilty about it.  We talked tapers, and she said that typically if the burst is less than two weeks, it isn’t necessary to taper.  I do plan to ask my resp doc about this when I see him in January, though.

I’m also now supposed to call and let her know if I start prednisone.  Fair enough, I knew I should have done this when I did the burst last week, I just didn’t.  I got her to prescribe me more to have on hand (this one’s 40 mg/5 days, but if I am better I can stop after 3 or 4).  As I said to Dr. S “I don’t intend on using it.  But, I would like some to have on hand so if I am taking a downward turn or get stuck again, I don’t have to spend time coming here to get it if I get to that point.”  (I hope the stuff expires!)

Then she asked me about my respirology appointment.  “We haven’t made any changes yet,” I said “But, my spirometry was normal,”

“That’s good!”

“Yeah.  And, I had allergy tests on Tuesday.  They came back negative.”

Which led her to, once again, questioning if I had any pets (no), and the carpeted-ness of my house, and specifically, room.

“Unfortunately, my room is carpeted,” I said. “I’m trying to get my parents on board to get the carpet out, but that’s proving to be difficult,”

So, once again, she gave me the “vacuum-every-second-day” refresher [I try.  I just forget.  Oops.], and asked me about what kind of drapes I had in my room [nothing heavy; Venetian blinds], and stuffed toys [that made me laugh] and potentially trigger-y stuff of the like.

And then she printed my prescriptions out and set me free off into the world of the waiting room where I read about the world of cells until my mom was done her consultation with Dr. S.

It gets better.  THEN we went to THE PAINT STORE.

(Low-odour paint is a lie.  Just to warn y’all.)

So, the walls that were blue? They are now lime green.

(Krystal Meyers’ song Shine was playing on my iPod dock as I was painting that.  Old blue, new green!)

(this is what happens when my mom expects me to use a paintbrush, not a roller).

I’ll post pics when all is done, in natural light, when my stuff is in my room, and not all over the house.  Ex. my dining room?

The irony?  I totally painted, in a carpeted room, right after the doc gave me the trigger lecture.  Probably a stupid idea (and stupider that I didn’t pre-Ventolin AND ignored it when I started getting tight) but I like painting, so too bad for you, lungs .  I’ll just try not to be dumb about it next time, but things are fine.

Really good dog food that Spooky has tested in our test kitchen!

Spooky is my tester.  He is so sensitive that most kibble will upset him so I trust in his kitchen-laboratory
testing results.
Here are some good hypoallergenic dog foods that you probably will NOT find at Wal Mart.

Innova Red Meat Kibble

Innova Red Meat

Innova Red Meat is all meat. Spooky loves this food. He will eat it dry. Which is amazing by itself! But I would not advise using it if your dog has any problems with his organs. Spooky has Pancreatitis and although he loves this food, I do not give him much or it just make s the Pancreatitis worse.
Innova Low Fat Adult Dog Food

Innova Low Fat Adult Dog Food. This is Spooky’s main food. It doesn’t taste too good because it’s low fat so I put some homemade gravy (not out of a package – too much salt).  I use organic chicken stock and thicken it up a bit with a little flour and mix it in with the food. Or sometimes I take some of the red meat Innova and mix it in so he has to work at eating it.  Little brat.
California Natural Dog Food

California Natural is also a good dog food.  Spooky didn’t seem to have any problems with it.
EVO The Ancestral Diet

This is what Spooky has tested. EVO The Ancestral Diet.  He gives it 4 paws.
This is Royal Canin diet

This is Royal Canin diet I have heard from many sources that this is a good food also. Spooky hasn’t tried this one yet because if it ain’t broke……..
Canidae dog food

Canidae dog food is excellent. Spooky likes this one too. Innova was chosen because it was low fat.

Furl: wait… Age: wait… I: wait… G trends: wait… G trends: wait… G trends: wait…

I’ve always believed that being exposed to the element’s and getting muddy is good for you and your bodily systems, it’s what our immune system has been designed to cope with over the the course of our evolution and a recent BBC article here also agrees with this.

I also believe that the reason there are so many allergy sufferer’s and a general immune system over reaction to much of the environment around us is a direct result of not being exposed to these at a young age when our body is developing it’s immune system. We know clearly for example that when we inject a small amount of a virus into the body, the immune system will respond with antibodies in sufficient amount that we can become much better at attacking the virus the next time. For this same reason I believe it is a good idea to be exposed to the environment at a young age and throughout life in order to build a good immune system and perhaps prevent the onset of allergy conditions.

Of course some of the rise in allergy’s seen across the world, especially in developed countries can be attributed to the rise in pollution, but the general more ‘pampered’ way in which people live in modern times looks like it could be a major reason for these rises.

The article goes on to say “By studying mice and human cells, they found the harmless bacteria did this by making a molecule called lipoteichoic acid or LTA, which acted on keratinocytes – the main cell types found in the outer layer of the skin.

The LTA keeps the keratinocytes in check, stopping them from mounting an aggressive inflammatory response. “

So get out in the cold, rain and dirt unless you didn’t have enough reasons to already, have a shower when you get back though because smelling of BO hasn’t yet been linked with a healthy immune system, nor helping your chances with the opposite sex!

by J.D.

Parenting is a trip.  From our point of view, it doesn’t get any better than having 3 children, ages 5 and under (when Eli was born, we had 3 kids under 3 years old for three whole weeks…before Madi turned 3).  They’re a source of immeasureable joy.  They’re also a profound test of our sanctification.

But, just when we reach a moment of thinking, “Why do they act like this towards us?!  Why are they so difficult?!”, we’re sobered by how inadequate and, well, stupid we ourselves are as parents.  This year will stand as a frequent reminder of just how difficult we sometimes are on them.

oh yes … this is for all you whole egg mayo people – would you believe it is possible to buy a no-egg mayo? Wonders will never cease …

Praise have a 97% fat free Mayo that is completely ellable … and they do a coleslaw dressing that is ellable too – I couldn’t help adding a bit of pepper and lemon juice but that’s just the ‘nothing can have too much flavour’ coming out again …

here they are:

When Sam had his open heart surgery he got vancomyocin for his peri-operative antibiotic.  When you have surgery you always get an antibiotic ward off any surgical infection. There are 2 they usually pick from. One is ancef which is in a family that is closely related to penicillins (which Sam is highly allergic to) and can lead to cross reactions. For this reason the surgeon picked to use vancomyocin. No chance of reaction….or so he thought!Sam got the first dose during surgery. The second dose was given 8 hours later in the PICU and about 1/2 way thru he looked like this:

Sam’s vanco reaction

They called it not an allergic reaction but an adverse reaction called Red Man Syndrome (RMS) which can happen with vanco. But I had a patient with that once and Sam looked nothing like that patient. If you look at the pic his eyes and lips are swollen. He got better with benadryl. If it is RMS then they can give it again just with benadryl before the dose and then run it slower. So, they did 8 hours later and he this time just got 6-8 hives on his face.

I showed the pic yesterday to Sam’s GI and she agreed with me that it was an allergic reaction! I told her I was considering taking him to a pediatric allergist (appt on Dec 17) and talking it all over with him. She agreed that was a great idea! So, I guess that’s the next step for my little antibiotic allergic one. Uggh! Does it ever end!!!!!

Posting’s been much slower than events warrant, lately.  Difficulties at work, and a six-week bout with allergies of unknown origins haven’t helped.

A visit with the allergist yesterday offers some hope — I’ve been symptom free now for almost 24 hours, for the first time since early October.

Before next Monday I hope to catch up a bit on the follies at the Texas State Board of Education, and other educational events around Texas.  While I’ve been itchy and swelling, the denialists haven’t gotten any smarter or nicer.

One horrible thought:  I may be allergic to stupidity in public policy.  The timing of the main attacks coincides with several rounds of recent raving excrement from government officers.  Avoiding contact with the offending stuff is not possible, then, in a moral world.

Clinton wrote this …

First it was H1N1 virus itself, then the vaccine became the shot heard ‘round the

CDC

world. Everywhere. All the time. Practically. Is the virus real? Is it as bad as people say? The government should to more, faster! The government should stay out of health care!

The most recent news has been about the drugs that affect the virus – the bug recently mutated into a resistant strain in a very limited population of people who were ill before they had the flu. On Monday, GSK stopped a clinical trial in Canada of an anti-flu drug because too many people in the study had anaphylactic shock.

Which brings me to Maya Jerath, one of our allergy and immunology experts in the Thurston Arthritis Research Center.

Here’s what she told ABC News yesterday about the drug allergy cases, trying to assure people not to worry.

On Monday the doc told me that she’s seen a lot more people come into her clinic concerned that they’re allergic to eggs, and they couldn’t get the flu shot.

Most people, the doc says, got a goose egg on the egg allergy test. She says they likely were never allergic to eggs at all (they may have carried the diagnosis over from childhood), had hives unrelated to food allergies, or they were allergic to eggs, but the reaction was such that the flu shot was still advised – by an allergist.

In fact, not to get too far from the flu, but she said 20% of adults think they have a food allergy, only 2% – 3% actually do. The others have a food intolerance. The difference is that an allergic reaction can be deadly; an intolerance is intolerable for many hours, but it’s not life threatening. (We’re not talking about environmental allergies – allergic rhinitis.)

This is a big deal to people who restrict their diets thinking they have no choice. People who are truly allergic have to be constantly vigilant for the trigger. Some limit their diets to just a few foods – one patient thought she could only eat organic chicken and a couple of starches. Parents can do this to the extreme, unwittingly pushing their kids into a failure to thrive.

Bottom line: If you think you might be allergic to eggs, or meds or cats, see an allergist.

There’s no sense in scrambling your life if you don’t have to. And get a flu shot.

Over the past, oh, 20 months or so, J and I have gotten downright LENIENT about the sick.

Because, it seems, that O is ALWAYS ill. Always has a runny nose. Always has a bit of a cough.

We’ve chalked it up to him being a daycare kid. And though we often get depressed at our inability to keep him healthy, it is what it is. The sick, when it’s not a BAD sick, doesn’t slow O down. It doesn’t keep him – or us – up at night.

However.

Since he was diagnosed with such a bad case of pneumonia a month ago we’ve kept an eye on his symptoms. He had what we thought might be a relapse before we left for the wedding, so I took him to the pediatrician. Though she couldn’t find anything WRONG per se, just a low grade fever and still with the cough, she gave us more antibiotics, which she had warned me we might need.

And O was GREAT in DC. No snot. No cough.

As soon as we got home, he immediately got a runny nose and a phlegmy cough. It hasn’t gone away since.

J suggested that maybe he’s allergic to the cat. Or mold, since we had water in our basement a few times this summer when the gutters were down before they were replaced.

(Not that this will incent him to, you know, actually DO something about the basement. I think I’ve asked him a THOUSAND times to clean it up so we can bleach the floors. Because if there IS an allergy to mold, why not, you know, CLEAN IT so that things get better?)

But I digress.

I took O to the allergist for his flu shot – the H1N1 today. And there was some question as to whether or not he could even GET it at first, since he had his usual cough. And the allergist came in, and I told him that it’s been a cough now for a while, but it’s productive, and we’re getting a follow up x-ray TODAY for the pneumonia after the shots, so whatever he wanted to do was fine.

He decided to go ahead with the shots. And O did fine.

I was expecting him to just have us leave when we were done.

But instead, he came in and gave us a prescription for a nebulizer. And told me that since O has had two bouts of pneumonia in the past year, if he has another he wants to do some blood tests for immunodiseases.
(He used some other word that immunodiseases, but I can’t remember it now. All I know is that it has something to do with his immune system.)

And he told me that he wouldn’t worry about it too much, but that his sick sounds chronic now.

And when I told him I was wondering if there was maybe an allergen to something in our house, he just looked at me. So I asked him point blank if chronic sick could be allergies instead, and he said yes. And then he tossed me the bone – if we wanted to have him tested for more allergens (like cat hair and mold), we could.

But he didn’t sound all that worried about it. He didn’t RECOMMEND that we do more testing.

I came out of there more confused than I went in.

And I’m sitting here now, listening to O cough over the monitor. And I want him to NOT be sick anymore. But I don’t know if doing more tests is overreacting, or if we should, because allergies are serious.

I don’t know if he’s just a sickly kid, or these colds are boosting his immune system so that he’ll be healthy later on.

I don’t know if the “sick” as we call it really is extra saliva and congestion because he DOES have a tooth coming in right now.

I don’t know.

All I know is that I want my kid to be healthy. And I have no idea how to get there from here.

I didn’t like Subway’s response, so the issue has been passed along to the allergy people. I forwarded the entire conversation along with this explanatory note…

From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Date: Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Subject: Allergy Concerns & Subway Restaurants
To: Info@aafa.org, info@worldallergy.org, info@aaaai.org, t.wirth@sfaft.org, webmaster@foodallergy.org, help@allergysupport.org, help@foodallergyadvocate.com, niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov, jlieu@aanma.org, mszegedy@aanma.org, info@faiusa.org, lmitchell@kidswithfoodallergies.org, nicole@allergicchild.com

 

Aloha Allergy Afflicted Amigos,

Please see my experience with Subway’s lack of concern for allergens and cross-contamination highlighted below, surrounded by their ensuing lack of customer service/respect. Their final unapologetic apology can be viewed on my blog.

I find their lack of concern quite disturbing. What can be done to make companies like this more aware of these issues that can be deadly for a certain percent of the population?

While shellfish is surely simple to sidestep, what about my peeps that are petrified by peanuts, terrans that are terrified by tree-nuts, friends that are fearful of fish, my mates that are mired by milk, my sidekicks that are scared of soy, or my well-wishers that are weary of wheat?

Thank you in advance for your time, and I hope you have a safe & happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Always Anti-Anaphylaxis,
-ERiC AiXeLsyD

As I was spreading this honey from a local farm on this delicious cranberry orange bread for lunch, I remembered that my Mom wondered out loud this weekend if I have quit blogging. I’ll share more about why I’ve been on blogger’s sabbatical later. Today, let’s talk honey.

Local honey, actually. Local honey and curing seasonal allergies.

Since I was pretty young, I’ve suffered from all kinds of no-fun symptoms from allergies every spring and fall. I’ve tried dozens of different medications, with varying results. Then, a couple years ago, I heard somewhere about honey as the cure-all. Eating honey that was made (by the bees) near your home can all but cure your seasonal allergies, or so the story goes. The story came from a guy selling honey raised close to my home, so I was a bit skeptical. But somehow it made some sense–after all, bees make that stuff from pollen, and pollen (for me) equals sneezes and watery eyes and chronic sinus infections. So, if I can immunize myself from colds and chicken pox by being exposed to it a little bit over time, then maybe this honey thing could actually work. Besides, I really like honey.

Bottom line: I think it might work. I still have some symptoms, but significantly less often and less harsh. I haven’t change much else I can think of, besides spreading or drizzling that thick sweet stuff on toast and tea and pancakes and all sorts of other corn syrup replacements. Come to think of it, I also started rinsing my sinuses at around the same time–a pretty gross trick my Mom taught me. So, I guess it’s a bad experiment. Bottom line is, as far as seasonal allergies go, I’m feeling pretty great compared to most of my life.

The honey in the picture above is from Grandma Wick’s nephew. I usually get my local honey from my sweet sister, but she must not love me anymore. I’ve also bought it from a nice quiet dude at the Falls Park Farmers Market–he brings some bees with him, and the girls really dig that. His honey is raw, which he tells me makes it super-powered for fighting allergies and a whole list of other ailments. Most recently, I bought a double-quart of local honey from the nearby Mayrose Farm on the silent auction at the St. Pat’s Church Soup and Pie lunch on Sunday.This whole story began there, at said Soup and Pie extravaganza, where Anne and Grandma and I talked a little honey and allergies over a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Want more allergy-fighting honey news? Here are a few links–some supporting my theory, others not really buying it (and one warning from Mayo Clinic not to give your baby any honey):

http://health.howstuffworks.com/local-honey-for-allergies2.htm

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/to_honey2009.html

http://www.fitsugar.com/258237

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/honey-homeopathic-treatment-for-seasonal-allergies.html

http://www.localhoneyblog.com/local-honey/how-to-relieve-seasonal-allergies-with-raw-local-honey

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-botulism/HQ00854

There is No Money in Fasting!

By Janet Marsh Demeter, Staff Writer

Fasting is an ancient techanique for healing and detoxification of the body from a variety of ills, and for maintenance of optimum health. Studies show that we are designed to fast and fasting is in part an evolutionary development of times of food scarcity.

As with other areas of the Natural Healing arena, general consciousness of its benefits are not well-known; in fact, people tend to be fearful of fasting. This fear of fasting is really the fear of feeling “hunger”, or what people think is hunger. More often than not, the sensations of withdrawal from irritating substances are confused with hunger and do not come from the absence of real, natural foods. What constitutes “real food” is well researched here with our Liberation Fitness staff and at westonaprice.org, but basically, sudden restriction from anything that is not natural and/or is super-refined with preservatives and other toxins, can create the lightheadedness, headache, cravings, stomach pains, and other symptoms that people mistake for real hunger. Actually, the willingness to “sit through” these feelings of withdrawal can eventually free a person, through fasting, from a bad eating habit, among other things.

Considering again the benefits and very basic physiology of the fast, the first 3 days are the most dramatic whether it’s a 4, 7, 10, 30 day water fast, because during the first 72 hours the body switches feul sources. During the first day, the body generally consumes all of its stores of glycogen in the liver(normal source of glucose), so then it must find another source. It begins to break-up fatty acids(ketosis) as feul, and also (catabolizes)breaks down amino-acids from the muscles to make glucose, about 2-3 oz of muscle on the second day. By the third day, the ketosis or breaking down of fatty acids becomes very efficient so that the body can begin conserving protein, thereafter catabolizing only 1/2-1oz of muscle per day. The conservation of protein was important for the protection of the organs and muscles when no food was available; over 30 days a person will go through 1-2 lbs. of muscle tissue.

Much like sleep, the body during a fast uses its energy to break down and expel toxins, and to heal itself. As the fast continues, the body will use-up everything it can that is not necessary for its functioning, such as microbes, fibroid tumors, wastes, inflammation, and stored fat of course. Generally, the body switches its fuel source in the first 3 days, when the most dramatic effects, if any, are felt. So fear not; the body is actually designed to do this–and can manage very well for quite some time. Some of the diseases and conditions that clinical studies have shown fasting helps either partially, or permanently, are: hypertension, chronic cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, obesity, epilepsy, acute pancreatitis, osteo- and rhumatoid arthritis, auto-immune diseases including lupus, severe toxic contamination(7-10day fast), poor immune function, psycho-somatic diseases, gout, bronchial athsma, allergies, MS, insomnia, and more.

There have been enough animal studies that suggest life-span enhancement through fasting, and also individual case studies, not to mention common sense. Cancer research is, of course, controversial with fasting(as with most natural approaches), however there is data to suggest it may help prevent cancer. Most people can safely fast, but there are special cases when one should not fast. Always consult your health professional for when considering fasting as to your goals, the length and type of the fast, etc… Starving people obviously should not, pregnant diabetic women, nursing mothers, those with anemia, those with porphyria should not fast. There is also a rare genetic fatty-acid deficiency which prevents the body’s switching to ketosis.

Knowledge of fasting should be available to everyone as a natural and safe (with some exceptions) healing and health maintenance technique. The more you know about health and wellness, what good things with which to fuel your body, the more sense it makes to take advantage of fasting to cleanse and heal. Often the fear of it is no more than a bad habit not wanting to lose his position of authority in the mind. Fast and be healthy; fast and be free, too!

Janet has had over 20 years experience as a distance runner; an exercise enthusiast, she has studied Martial Arts, Pilates, and dance. She has also studied nutrition and nutritional healing, most intensely following a biking incident with a car breaking both legs to ensure a complete and rapid recovery. Also a 17 year survivor of a very serious eating disorder, she has spent much time re-establishing a healthy relationship with food and reconnecting with natural instinct. She is a Wellesley College graduate and dedicated to the demystifying nutrition and the healing powers of Nature, which are available to all. Currently she lives in Kagel Canyon, CA with her husband Barry and daughter Sophie-Marie.

Houston . . . I’m not sure we have a problem or not, but I’m sure as heck confused!  Today was my allergist appointment, where I got the long-awaited skin testing done.

I got there about ten minutes early, and ended up going in SIX minutes BEFORE my appointment time!  How’s that for awesome?

So, I go into this room thing with this nurse, who checks my BP and does spiro again.

Check out my 143 over 84 blood pressure.  Why the heck is it high?!  That’s freaking weird.

Then I got to go sit in another office and stare at crap:

Then the allergist came and talked to me for awhile, and even, surprisingly, dug into my early medical history (Doc quote: “Too much oxygen, eh?”.  Apparently!)  And, you know, once again told me that my spiro was pretty much normal (however, she was aware of last week’s pred course, and took that into account).

Then, she left and let the fun begin

And, the results? Negative.  Every.  Single.  One.

Each jabby dot looked just like the one that they had jabbed with just saline.  AND I didn’t react to the histamine control solution either [they did it twice!!].

Seriously, if all my tests are coming back fine, WHY are my lungs such nuts sometimes?  Seriously, if they are going to be hyperactive, they could at least, you know, do it when I’m getting tested, or allow someone to hear them once in awhile!

The mysteries of life.  Now I get back to the lung doc in January who is, once again going to say “So, what are we going to do with you?” like he did last time.

sharing with you ella’s chocolate mud … ella loves her chocolate paste and sprinkles sandwiches

oh thankyou again, sweet william …