Category Archives: On my mind…

A fine balancing act

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plane_landing_logo

Finding a balance between jobs, school, rehabilitation from injuries and volunteering, all the while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle can prove challenging at times. Even with many things on my plate, I find time to go for a walk, sit on a bench in the inner harbor to watch the float planes take off and land, or do some art. It CAN be done. Even if you think you don’t have the time. Find the time. Often times the reason I am not posting is because I have too much on my plate, and I am taking some much needed down time.

Like many other chronic conditions, allergies and asthma can add a significant time commitment to your already filled schedule. Reading all the food labels at the grocery store; on cosmetics, beauty or cleaning products, can take a fair bit of time, depending on the allergies you have. When I am looking for new products to use, whether it be; shampoo, conditioner, make-up or other soaps, I need to plan for a good hour or two for label reading, going to different stores if needed, and often, calling manufacturers. My most recent challenge has been to find a new shampoo as I have been getting hives from the one I used for years. It is becoming quite the search… A week later I am still looking.

This can often add more anxiety to our lives. Too much anxiety is not good. What do you do to wind down, relax, take a break? Who helps you to let loose and take some time where you are not thinking about the million things you have to get done?

Cosmetics and perfumes… Quite the concoction

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Yesterday’s post was about shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Today I thought I would chime in on all the possible triggers one can find in cosmetics and perfumes…

Now I’m not that fond of cosmetics, nor am I one to use perfume much, because most are just filled with preservatives and other allergens one could not even imagine finding in cosmetics. Some cosmetics use refined tree nut and peanut oils!! Isn’t that a little worrisome?

The only perfume I ever use are the natural ones, by Pacifica Perfumes.

“Pacifica skin care is made without: Animal testing, phthalates, parabens, sulfates, propylene glycol, benzene, GMOs, mineral oil, peanut oil, and triclosan (and other ingredients you do not want!)” - http://www.pacificaperfume.com/our-products

When it comes to mascara, I have recently discovered Earthlab Cosmetics Raw Mascara which has no parabens or other preservatives and natural ingredients. http://www.earthlabcosmetics.com/StoreFront.bok

Raw Mascara     IMG_0579

The ingredients are things you will recognize or at least have heard of. Not some crazy long chemical names and other allergens!

What are your thoughts?

 

Cleaning Products and iQ

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iQ - all purpose cleaner    iQ - floor cleaner

What do you use as cleaning products? Do you use the strong ones filled with chemicals, or do you veer the natural route? The strongest cleaner I have in our place is vinegar. For years now, I’ve kept to the natural products, the ones you find at health food stores. The strong scents and chemicals always get me. Rarely will you see me walking down the aisle with all the laundry detergents, cleaners and air fresheners. The two aisles I will never walk down in their entirety are the ones with the bulk nuts and the one with all the cleaners!

Any cleaners containing chemicals, for clogs or tough stains, are kept outside. Those products only come in IF, and ONLY IF they are necessary. When I use them, I am always sure to have ventilation going and usually wear a mask.

Some may think I am a little crazy. I’m not. With my allergies and asthma, those products are triggers. Those cleaners never existed back in the day. Have a read through my post on The “Hygiene Hypothesis”, there are some good links in there for more information.

If you are all for the natural route, like I am, I’m curious to hear what products you use…

I LOVE the refill cartridges with iQ as they are not to pricey to buy and stock up on. I thought this concept was genius when I first found the line of products! What do you think?

iQ - refill cartridges

 

 

Wearing a mask on the bus

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Have any of you considered wearing a mask on public transit or on chartered buses? I have worn a mask when on larger chartered buses for longer trips, like 1 hr or more. I have never worn them on public transit. I will be taking a chartered bus at the end of the month and know, without any doubt that I will be wearing a mask. I have a stock at home and am ready to sit next to the window and strap my mask on. I’ve had reactions in buses before and wearing the mask makes me feel safe.

So what’s the difference with wearing a mask on local public transit over a chartered bus? Well, triggers are definitely the exact same, so the benefit would be the same. Well worth it! The difference is that I would get a whole lot more stares and feel much less comfortable on public transit. The crazy thing is that other countries wear masks all the time. But here it would get quite a bit of attention. People wear them for colds and illnesses, however wearing them for allergies might not actually be all that common, if in fact it happens at all.

How do you deal with triggers on the bus. Would you wear a mask?

Things you don’t think about when you sign up for a gym membership…

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Having sensitivities and allergies to scents; perfumes, chemicals etc. can be challenging. If you deal with these, have you ever noticed how trips to the gym usually trigger allergies or asthma? My trip to the gym on monday night had to have been the worst yet in terms of triggers. The smell of deodorants and perfume was overwhelming! And I found myself taking antihistamines to make it through the session, chaperoning my athletes. What are your experiences? Have you noticed the same?

I am also very cautious using the cleaners at the gym, as I haven’t the slightest clue what they use. I wash my hands immediately after using the spray and cloth to clean off the machines. Anyone else do the same?

Back up and running with Immunotherapy for dust mites

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Dust-Mite-Allergens

About a month ago I decided to take a break from the Immunotherapy. Both the new cat and dog sublingual treatment and the dust mites that are subcutaneous (by injection). I had been reacting more than ever before to the dust mites and thought perhaps my body needed a break for the injections. I had been on the sublingual treatment for cats and dogs for a month and the oral itching seemed to be getting worse. Benadryl seemed to be the only solution, which made me EXTREMELY drowsy. In the last week, I have been reacting to dust quite a bit more than usual, and I decided to resume the subcutaneous injections for dust mites.

The sublingual immunotherapy was new for me. I like the idea of being able to take it at home, as I would have less allergist/doctor appointments than the subcutaneous injections. It seemed more convenient and I wanted to give it a try. I know that this treatment has been successful for many, though I seem to react a little differently than most people to these types of things…

Is anyone else out there using the sublingual immunotherapy? If so, is it working out for you? I’ve been informed that the oral itching usually decreases with time. Is anyone past the oral itching stage? I’d like to start it up again however I’m not quite ready for all that oral itching and antihistamine drowsiness yet…

Allergies are not fair…

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Let’s be honest. Sometimes when we have to miss out on something we really want to do, or perhaps our plate looks less appetizing than the person next to us, we start to think “allergies are not fair, why me?”. It’s what happens when we have allergies. Whether it be food allergies or environmental allergies. I’d be lying if I said that I’ve never missed out on something or felt a little angry and even sad because I could not attend an event. And there have been numerous times when I went to a party and ended up eating veggies while others ate things that looked a million times more appealing… however I’ve always tried to spin my thinking.

It’s easy to start telling ourselves that life would be so much better without allergies, especially the food allergies… It is often easier to focus on what we’re NOT able to do, and NOT able to eat than it is to tell ourselves all the great things that are going on in our lives. Society nowadays leads one to want to compare what they have with what others have. If I have allergies and not one of my friends do, it is easy for me to feel frustrated and think life’s unfair or unjust. Is it always easy for me to embrace life? No, it’s not. It takes a little more energy, more confidence and a lot of honesty.

Whenever I start to feel down about not going to a party because my friends have a dog or a cat or not being able to attend an event because it is in an old, dusty building I just have smile and tell myself “it’s not the end of the world” and plan something else. It is what it is. There are a lot of people out there that would much rather have allergies than the disease they are fighting, or the injuries they have sustained from an accident. Allergies do suck sometimes, however allergies can be managed. We can control our environment. We can control the food we eat. And not everything involves food. We can still go to the movies with friends, go for a hike or a camping trip. To some people, these are all things they wish they could one day do…

Embrace life. Next time you think to yourself that you wish you didn’t have allergies and that life is unfair, think of those that have even more allergies… There are a few people that instead of being allergic to 4 things, can only eat 4 things.  I can’t even imagine.

At the end of the day, what matters the most is not the food you can or cannot eat. There is sooo much more to life. Allergies do feel unfair. Sometimes I’ve wished they’d just disappear on me. Reality is that my life-threatening allergies to peanuts, nuts, lentils and soy are likely here to stay. And I’m ok with that. Are you?