[Brokenfriend]

Boy,I can feel that pollen allergy irritation now. Pollen is everywhere,and I'm allergic to mixed trees,and grasses in my state. I'm also allergic to the mold that grows on mixed grasses in my state. Brokenfriend

[Sannah]

Hi BF, what really works for me and my children is to take a shower every night to remove the pollen from your hair. This really gives your body a break from the pollens and you can actually tolerate them during the day much, much better. Of course to do this you have to keep your windows closed in your house and car to keep the pollens out. If you are just starting to close the windows of your car give it a good vacuum to remove what is in there. We have a pollen screen that we use to get fresh air into the house. Are you on any meds for your allergies? Nasal irrigation with saline helps a lot too.

[Brokenfriend]

I take a old medication that's called Durahist D. It's the only allergy medicine that helps me. The new ones don't even phase me. I keep all the windows closed all year around. I stay away from milk. I use to take allergy shots for about four years. I had to stop taking them for financial reasons. I have 2 large,and one small Ionic Breezes. I have two Ionic pros. I have about 5 Radio Shack Air purifiers,and 3 Whirlpool Hepa filter air purifiers. I've heard the controversies on different Air Purifiers. I've also heard the Ionic Breeze'es slammed,but they help me. Of course I do my part in the cleaning of my house,and I clean the grides in the Ionic Breezes,and Ionic pro's. I have a few more small ones in the Bathroom,and here,and there. I keep the mold out of the bathroom. By the way,I don't recommend the Radio ShacK air purifiers because they don't last long. The fan stops working in them after awhile. Good Idea on the shower at night,and keeping the Windows in the car closed. Thank you. My skin doesn't ich very much in the Spring anymore,thank goodness. Brokenfriend

[Sannah]

Hi BF, do you have dust mite covers on your pillows and mattress? I know that allergies can be overcome! I have taken our family from being very sick to now having no allergy symptoms whatsoever (and we only take nasonex periodically with no other meds). It was through trial and error and learning. Do you think that you might have more food allergies than just milk? What are all of your allergy symptoms? After you start taking a shower every night it takes a few days for your symptoms to improve a lot so be patient!

[Brokenfriend]

Yes. I'm allergic to them too. I have the dust mite cover over my mattress. They are starting to wear out,and It's time for me to change them. I have a Tempur Pedic pillow,in both the den,and my bed room. Tempur Pedic pillows are closed cell,so they don't allow dust mites to enter.

Yes. Many times after I eat,I have a allergy attack. If I eat a whole meal,look out!lol It's a unusual thing. If I drink a Doctor Pepper,I cough,and cough,etc. I cannot eat to much cheese. Among those fast food hamburgers don't agree with me,and other things. I end up with heart burn,and diarrhea if I don't watch out. I think that's mostly from my anxiety. When I have a allergy attack,sometimes it turns into a anxiety attack. I think that there is a relationship to the both.

My allergy symptoms are a dripping in the back of my throat. I get stuffed up in my nose,and this dripping gets worse to the point where I cough,and gag. I itch sometimes on the surface of my skin. My eye's itch,and my intestinal track get painful. I end up taking Imodium. That seems to help.

Sometimes when I take a shower,in fact many times,starts a allergy attack. Over the years I have changed soaps, to the soap that does not have any sent to it. Then I've tried Coast. It does not matter. I still get allergy attacks in the shower. I have wondered,am I the only one. It might be the water. I've tried different shampoo's. Last,and certainly not least,I clean my shower walls weekly,and curtains so no mold will grow. I even clean the back basin that holds the water for the toilet. I flush it,and turn off the water,and clean that water tank. I have not heard of anyone else doing that,but I do. I may be allergic to something in the water,but there isn't anything I know of to do about that. I drink bottled water. I don't drink water from the faucet. I'm confused about the Shower situation. It also happens when I brush my teeth. It's a struggle. I'm sensitive to something in bathrooms. I have a double electric adaptor,and two small air purifiers side,to side in the bathroom.

I even vacuum my couch. I'm much better then I was 15 years ago. This Spring the blower in my heater,and air conditioner in my car filled up with Acorns. I'd turn on the heat,and Acorns would bang around in there, and be blown out of the car. Later I'd smell this bad smell from the acorns that where In there. I wonder how they get in there. I hope that it doesn't cause mold to grow in the vents. It's a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am. I wonder if it's a flaw in the car's design. Brokenfriend

[Sannah]

Hi BF, do you think that it is the steam from the shower that might be causing you some trouble? I cannot breath as well in a steamy room and neither can my daughter. The humidity makes the air thicker, and therefore, harder to move. Might you have a fluoride allergy? You mentioned that you stopped traditional allergy shots because of the cost. I got these shots called LDA (Low Dose Allergen). My chemical allergies are gone and my food allergies are much better. Still working on the food and pollens. I have had 6shots so far 2 months apart. You get a total of 12 to 18. My daughter who was 5 at the time only needed 3 shots and she is done. She was allergic to almost all food and now she is eating everything. Stomach problems were my main symptoms. You pay for these shots out of your pocket. Do you periodically wash your dust mite covers? We wash ours anywhere from every 2 to six months. We also wash our blankets in hot water. We have found that quilts work the best. Have you ever considered taking probiotics. These are very healthy for the gut. This is where your immune system is.

[Brokenfriend]

It's probably the steam in the shower. I wonder if the pipes on the inside are coated with mildew. I think that the tooth past opens my sinuses,and they react. I've never heard of Low Dose Allergen shots. Are they new? I've never heard of probiotics either. I can look the probiotics up. Thank you for the info.BF

[Sannah]

The steam alone is enough to make it hard to breathe. There doesn't have to be any allergens involved at all. The water vapor in the air just makes the air heavy and if your airways are already constricted most of the time it just makes it harder to breathe and move the air. We shower with the door ajar so that the steam doesn't build up.

LDA shots were brought to this country around 2000 I think. They started in England and are called EPD (Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization) there. The doc who brought LDA to this country got the EPD shots for himself in England in the early 1990's. (My doc also got these shots at that time). EPD has been in England since the 1970's I believe. The doc who brought them here (W. A. Shrader) tried to get FDA approval for the EPD. Financing was a problem. He is just one doc and could not do this by himself. I guess drug companies usually finance FDA approval and drug companies probably aren't interested in an allergy cure. They make a lot of money on allergy meds. Dr. Shrader stopped with the FDA approval with EPD and instead formulated an American formula (which is better for us because it has local allergens in it, not allergens for the British) which is made in a compounding pharmacy in Las Vegas. Compounding Pharmacies are not under the jurisdiction of the FDA. LDA has worked very well for us.

Did you find any info on probiotics?

[Brokenfriend]

I have not dug into information on probiotics yet. What are they? You are a well informed person. I'm learning many things from you. Thanks.

[Sannah]

Probiotics are the good bacteria that we find in our gut. One of them is well known, the acidophilus which is used to make yogurt. By taking probiotics you are ensuring that your gut has enough good bacteria. The belief is that not having enough good bacteria causes ill health. Many people are found to not have enough good bacteria and therefore get colonized with bad bacteria. My daughter and I have been tested and we were found to be in this position. Probiotics have been found to help those with allergies because they increase the health of your gut and this is where your immune system is.