Asthma and Allergies

The triggers to the asthma I experience seems to be linked to high humidity and warm rooms/either or both together. Also before a rain and during and worse at night.

I am starting to use my rescue inhaler more the last couple of days so I really need to seek out medical help now before it gets out of control. The peak flow meter is helping me to see how I am doing and the rescue inhaler really does work.

This Naturopathic Doctor use to be treated for asthma with several medications. Her article is about the link between allergies and asthma.

So far I have cut out dairy of all types and gluten and sugar. I would probably be much worse. I also need to include 6-8 10 oz. glasses of water per day followed by a few grains of salt on the tongue. See Dr. Batmanghelidj's book, Your Body's Many Cries for Water.

Allergies and Thunderstorms

Great title and how do they go together you ask? Well, this past two weeks we have had very hot humid weather. The occasional day a cool air mass decides to cause some unstable weather and hence the thunderstorms. Unfortunately, it has not brought cool fresh air to enable me to open the windows.

This past week was the worst. I had to sleep on the main floor with my pillow elevated just to breathe. Needless to say, I ended up at the doctor's office the next day for an inhaler.

My poor husband has started suffering from his allergies this past week and now I really cannot open the windows or he'll feel worse. My son was complaining about being stuffy so I used the aqua purifier and added 3 drops of essential oil vanilla to the basin. Well it smelled great in the house finally but my lungs did not like it and started to tighten.

So I threw out the vanilla water and added some aqua blue that came with the Thermax kit to help with allergies. Well that helped my son but not me. I guess I am allergic to it. I only put two capfuls. It didn't stay long until I dumped the whole thing out. I read that it stays in the air for up to eight hours afterward though. Lucky me. Well last night it was difficult for me to sleep because of the bronchial pain. Today I am drinking ginger-chamomile tea and waiting for it to heal. It feels like a burn in my bronchial tube. How could it be burned, it wasn't even a toxic substance. I don't get these allergies but the weather is definitely not helping.

Thankfully the tornadoes that developed as a result of the storm did not come down my street. However, one did touch down a few kilometers from here and it took the roof off a stable. Click Here for more information on the damage.

The Health Food Store

Well, that's it. I really do have to watch what I buy from the health food store. So far I have returned three products on three different occasions while trying to find something that will help me feel better. Instead I end up feeling worse than before I went in there.

What have I learned besides the fact that I am allergic to most things that are powdered and concentrated? I have learned to stop trying anything that is not already working for me now. I found out yesterday that I am allergic to Maca powder. Now I bought that thinking it would help me with energy and managing stress since it's a type of ginseng. It is also related to the yam family. How bad could that be? It looks like a beet when its harvested and is freeze dried to make a raw powder form. It is grown in the Andes mountains and survives frigid temperatures in Peru. Most people swear by it, but it's way to strong for me, so I returned it.

One other time I tried Magnesium Citrate and even a whey protein powder. I had to return each of these due to major intolerance.

I really do like to go to the Health Food store and buy organic food but I really need to stay away from the other isles or not go in the store at all.

Health Canada wants all health products to be licenced for sale in Canada with an NPN number to insure testing for quality, efficacy and purity. Is what they say on the bottle really in the bottle? The health food stores are furious about this legislation, however I believe it's for our protection. I have been burned too many times because of the lack of regulation of these products.

I have nothing against health food stores but shopping wisely and cautiously is a must when going into these places.