Health Advice for Women

There is no cure for asthma but after years of trial and error, I finally came up with a solution that worked miracles for me.

After suffering from asthma for most of my life, and switching from one medicine to another, I decided to research the root cause of my asthma. Instead of constantly treating my asthma, I looked for ways to prevent it in the first place. Some of the obvious things I changed in my life included removing wall-to-wall carpeting in my home and replacing it with hardwood floors, living pet free after my aging dogs passed away, and keeping my bedroom as clean as possible.

The most profound results came when I started changing my diet. After reading about the possible benefits of removing dairy from the diet, I decided to try giving up milk. Having been a very hearty milk drinker for years, this was a huge change and one that did not come easily. I decided to give up milk for a month just to see if I felt better. The change was almost immediate. My allergies and asthma all but disappeared within the first month after I gave up milk. I also cut out yogurt and cut back on ice cream. I now substitute plain soy milk for cow milk and eat soy ice cream in place of regular ice cream. I couldn’t give up cheese completely, but so far, continuing to eat cheese has not adversely affected my progress at eliminating my asthma.

Another change of note included eliminating processed foods, fast food and basically anything with ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce! Whole foods, fresh foods and natural foods make up the bulk of my diet now. After five years on a milk free and mostly chemical free diet, I now breeze through the seasons with only mild seasonal symptoms. I am completely off asthma drugs and only take allergy medicine in the spring and summer as needed.

I love living free of asthma drugs and feel much better now that I don’t have to pump myself with medicine just to get through my day. I keep an inhaler handy just in case I have symptoms, which is rare these days. If you or your child suffers from asthma and allergies, here are a few things you can try to see if diet is a trigger for your symptoms.

Good luck and good health!

Must read books:
Fed Up With Asthma by Sue Dengate

Natural Relief for Your Child’s Asthma: A Guide to Controlling Symptoms & Reducing Your Child’s Dependence on Drugs

Strong Woman Eat Well by Miriam E Nelson, Ph.D.

Once I realized I had multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) I was relieved, but not for long because finding treatment for multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is really difficult. The best treatment you will find is to improve your environment, I’ve benefited strongly from lifestyle changes I’ve continued to make for the past 7 years. Unfortunately, there is no immediate cure. Removing the toxins from your environment will allow your body to heal and this is what I started working on immediately. There was a lot of trial and error in my process. I hope in this website I will be able to give you my insight to my process, and that you can benefit from what I learned along the way.

I’m not a doctor, but luckily I have a mind that loves problem solving. Not to sound ultra dramatic, but I was problem solving to save my life, at least a life worth living. My major symptoms were chronic fatigue, headaches, sinus congestion, joint pain, allergies, stomach indigestion and depression. I had about 2 good hours in the day when I felt decent. I had dealt with allergies and stomach indigestion most of my life, but the list of symptoms started getting longer and chronic fatigue was the final straw. I didn’t have the energy for normal functions, much less to exercise and I’ve always loved exercise. Stay tuned for my next article on “How to treat MCS”.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as described in wikipedia.org:

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is described as a chronic condition characterized by adverse effects from exposure to low levels of chemicals or other substances in modern human environments. Suspected substances include smoke, pesticides, plastics, synthetic fabrics, scented products, petroleum products, and paints.

Biochemist Martin L. Pall says that that MCS sufferers “report being exquisitely sensitive to a wide range of organic chemicals,” and from 100 to 1000 times more sensitive to hydrophobic organic solvents than normal people.

MCS has also been termed toxic injury (TI), chemical sensitivity (CS), chemical injury syndrome (CI),^[3] 20th Century Syndrome, environmental illness (EI), sick building syndrome, idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI), and toxicant-induced loss of tolerance (TILT).

Could low levels of the substances above be damaging your health? Most people don’t believe it until they are so sick they will try anything. The first time I read this description of multiple chemical sensitivity it was an OMG moment. Below are the symptoms of MCS.

Symptoms of MCS may be mild to disabling. The symptoms are essentially any symptom which the patient finds distressing and attributes to this cause. A partial list of common symptoms include anaphylactic shock, difficulty breathing, chest pains and asthma, skin irritation, contact dermatitis, and hives or other forms of skin rash, headaches, “brain fog” (short term memory loss, attention deficit), neurological symptoms (nerve pain, paralysis, weakness, trembling, restless leg syndrome, etc.), tendinitis, seizures, visual disturbances (blurring, halo effect, inability to focus), extreme anxiety, panic and/or anger, suppression of immune system, digestive difficulties, nausea, indigestion/heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea, food intolerances, which may or may not be clinically identifiable (e.g., lactose intolerance, celiac disease): commonly wheat and dairy, joint and muscle pains, extreme fatigue, lethargy and lassitude, vertigo/dizziness, abnormally acute sense of smell, sensitivity to natural plant fragrance, natural pine turpines, insomnia, dry mouth, dry eyes, and an overactive bladder.

It’s daunting reading through this list, but realizing I had MCS and taking action has enable me to live a sorta normal life. Check out this list below, if you have any of these in your enviroment, get rid of them!

Food

• Tartrazine (a.k.a Yellow #5 or FD&C E102), and other Azo dyes (True allergy must first be excluded)
• Caffeine (may cause migraine headaches apart from MCS)

Environmental

• Petrol or gasoline, diesel and exhaust fumes
• Petroleum-based products, including petroleum jelly, tar, asphalt
• Tobacco or any form of smoke
• Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other agricultural chemicals
• Industrial cleaning chemicals, such as dry cleaning fluid
• Formaldehyde and aldehyde
• Glues, varnishes, polishes, paints, solvents, paint-thinners, and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s)
• Bleach, fabric softeners, wool-wash, and laundry detergents
• Perfumes, lotion, after-shave lotion, nail polish, or skin care products
• Air-fresheners, deodorizers and scented candles
• Shampoos, hairsprays and hair care products
• Household cleaning chemicals
• Dishwashing liquid and dishwasher detergent (may cause migraine headaches for those without MCS)
• Marking pens, such as highlighters (significant exposure will cause headaches for anyone)

In the last article on home remedies for allergies we addressed how to remove allergens from your bedroom. Considering you spend at least 1/3 of your life in your bedroom, it makes sense to make this the most allergy free room in the house. Before I move on, there are a few more tips I’d like to add on removing allergens and toxins from the bedroom. Most people are unaware of all the chemicals in new products. Formaldehyde and petrochemicals are off gassing from new furniture, new clothes, new bedding, new carpets, new construction and most new products. I always wash new clothes, bedding, towels and anything that can go in the washer after I purchase it. If you buy solid wood furniture, glass, porcelain or stainless steel you have minimal or no off gassing of chemicals. Anything that’s made from plastics or has a polyester filling like sofa’s, stuffed chairs, mattresses and pillows will off gas chemicals. Furniture made is Europe has much higher standard for VOC’s, but anything you purchase made in China is going to need time to off gas. I try to avoid bringing new products into my house during the winter when everything is closed up, if you can open the windows, your house will have much cleaner air (unless you live in a super polluted area).

The newest findings with allergies and chemical sensitivities is that air door air is the major culprit to most allergies. When I was 21 I took a semester off college and went to Keystone Colorado to work and ski for the winter. I had no allergies that winter! It was a miracle, since I had suffered from allergies my whole life. Looking back, it’s easy to see why I was so healthy. The air is super clean, and I skied for hours everyday. Why did I ever leave!

I always loved reading the 5 things people can’t live without, i.e. their favorite painting, late model Lexus, house on the beach, etc. For people that have chronic health issues the five things I can’t live without list usually looks a lot different! I’m allergic to just about everything. So being in an environment that doesn’t make we cough, sneeze, itch, and have headaches is something I treasure! You can take away everything I own, just give me a place to sleep and work that is allergy free. Here’s my list of 5 things I can’t live without, I’d love to hear about your list, so leave a comment!

1. No one touches my hepa filter, good air quality is what I live for. Real Goods has my favorite brand of air purifier, Austin Air’s Health Mate Plus. They are around $550 and I have two.

2. Next would be my hikes in the mountains!

3. All the wonderful organic food I’m able to get in Boulder County. Here’s a few places on-line to find organic foods -Kalyx.com Natural Foods Marketplace and MotherNature.com has a great selection of natural products and they offer free shipping! I’ll let you know as I find more great on-line shops.

4. The dry climate here in Colorado.

5. My three colorful kids. Wake me up when they are out of their teens!

If you followed all the best allergies home remedies would you be cured of your allergies? Not immediately, but over time if you follow the allergy remedies suggested in this website, you will improve step by step!

The first thing you need to do to improve your allergies with our home remedies is remove as many of the allergens out of your environment as possible. Where do you spend the most time? For most people it’s their home and specifically the bedroom.

Let’s focus on the bedroom first. The mattress, sheets, blankets, comforters and pillow you sleep on or under can be big culprits. I use 100% cotton bedding for sheets, blankets, mattress pad and comforters, and I wash them with hot water often, at least once a week.This helps with getting rid of dust mites, mold spores, and chemicals that can be in the fabric. I also use a cotton mattress cover and not a synthetic cover, polyester or anything that’s not natural is going to off-gas chemical into your air. One problem was with pillows, my cotton pillows got hard as a rock when I washed them, so I used a poly-filled pillow and I wash it monthly. I also have an organic 100% cotton mattress, but they are expensive and hard to find, but worth it if you want to improve your allergies. Some people use a combination of cotton and wool or rubber, which are all natural.

Next look around your room, get rid of piles of book, they are loaded with dust mites and can be musty or moldy. Take down heavy drapes or have drapes you can wash often. Rip out those carpets, I know you have ‘em, and they keep your bare feet warm, but carpets are the worst thing on the planet for allergies. Stay tuned for Allergies Home Remedies - part 2. Did you think you were done

Acupuncture in Boulder is omnipresent, which makes sense because there is an acupuncture college in Boulder called Southwest Acupuncture College, and Boulder is a very progressive area in medicine. Southwest Acupuncture College has a great program and many of the students will intern with local Boulder acupuncture doctor’s. I’ve had a few acupuncture interns sit in on office visits I had with Chip Chace. Southwest Acupuncture College also has a program where their senior students have a very reduced price clinic where they treat people. I you have a minor ailment, this could work, but for chronic issues you want someone that has years of experience. I’ve had great success with acupuncture helping my chronic allergies. Chip Chace has an office Boulder and he’s a pro with allergies, tell him Lee said hello!

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was suggested to me almost 16 years ago in San Francisco for my chronic allergies. At the time, I thought this women was out of her mind. “No thank you, I’m really not interested in a strange Chinese man sticking needles in my body”. Little did I know that Chinese herbs and acupuncture would he the best thing I ever did in my life to get healthy! It just took a number of other people I respected telling me about their chronic health issues that were healed by acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.

I was so lucky to find good doctors, Lloyd Wright was my first doctor until he moved to Arizona and then I started working with Lloyd’s mentor in San Francisco, Dr. Lam Kong. Dr. Kong is a ninth generation Acupuncturist, and he is truly amazing.

I wasn’t as lucky when I moved to Boulder, CO. I went through 6 Acupuncturists to find someone at the level of Lloyd or Dr. Kong. I was almost ready to give up on finding someone, but I had two really good referrals to Chip Chace and my health sucked. Now I know why Chip is touted as the best person for acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in Boulder, Colorado. He’s fabulous and a wonderful person that is truly interested in healing people. If you live in San Francisco, Boulder or Arizona you have a great person to work with. Tell them I said “Hello”!

Allergies and Asthma, If only I had known what I know now about allergies and asthma today! Well, that’s the main reason www.healthadviceforwomen.com exists. We hope you learn how to get healthy, stay healthy and pass on this information to others.

Below are 3 “killer” tips and you want to avoid these things at all costs if you have allergies and asthma.

1. New paint and new construction has many many chemicals off-gassing, and it takes many months for them to fully off-gas. I avoid new paint and new construction like the plague!! Have you ever walked into a new house or a room that was just painted, I get an immediate heahache. But if you need to paint the inside of your house or office use no VOC paint. There are low VOC paints, but they still have too many chemicals. If you have to do construction, move out until it’s over and chose products that are eco friendly and have very little or no off-gassing. I would use a contractor that specializes in “green construction”. You can find good contractors at National Contractors.com, but inquire about their previous “green projects” and talk to their references. Your health is important!

2. Never get new carpets. New carpets are loaded with chemicals and they also take months and years to off-gas. Carpets and carpet pads trap mold, mildew and lots of other allergens as well. If you really want to help yourself or a loved one, throw out your carpets and get tile or hardwood floors. Ripping out every square foot of carpet in my house was the best thing I ever did for my health. Fastfloors.com has beautiful porcelain, marble and travertine tiles and hardwood floors. Their prices are great and they offer free shipping. I did most of my house in porcelain tiles because they are non porous and the best thing for allergies, but I also put in hardwood stairs, some travertine which is beautiful, and I get complements from everyone who sees it.

3. I know changing habits is really hard, but this next tip is really a big one. Stop using perfume or scented body and bath products, and replace all your cleaning products and detergents with eco alternatives. I’ve had people tell me “I’ve been wearing perfume for 20 years, that’s not hurting my allergies”. That’s what people that smoked cigarettes said for years until they got cancer. Perfume is made from man-made chemicals and believe me they are bad for you and everyone else on the planet. MotherNature.com has a great selection of natural unscented bath and body products, as well as eco cleaning products and they offer free shipping! Click on the banner below for free shipping, save money, gas and time!

Do you want the real answers on how to improve your allergies? When I was gobbling down decongestants and taking allergy shots in the 1970’s my allergist told me he cure my allergies. Wrong! Thirty five years later I have learned more about “improving my allergies” than you want to hear, so I’ll impart my wisdom in the “Reader’s Digest” version.

Allergy symptoms. Allergies can cause everything from a runny nose, congested head, itchy eyes, nose and throat, headaches, joint pain, fatigue, vomiting, stomach aches, coughs and a variety of other things. Our bodies all react differently, but the allergy symptoms are your body saying “help”!

Avoid. If we could live a glass bubble with filtered air, those of us with air-born allergies would be a lot better off, but we can’t! It’s really hard to avoid all the things we are allergic to and knowing what one is allergic to is a science in itself. If allergies are wreaking havoc in your life, take charge of your life and clean up your environment, start with my list of 10 things to improve your allergies.

1. Kill your carpets, rip them out and install tile or hardwood- this is the #1 thing I recommend! Buy your hardwood or tile online at Fastfloors.com FREE Shipping, their prices are great and they offer free shipping.

2. Install Air Filters, they are a life saver! I’ve tried dozens of brands and varieties. I recommend the HealthMate Air Filters and you can find them online at Real Goods, they will clean your air and leave you feeling so much better. They are expensive, but worth every cent.

3. Remove as many allergens or toxins from your home and work environment. Mold and dust mites are usually the biggest problems, but below are some other big problems and you need them out!

4. Perfume or scented products- read the label, if it says “fragrance” throw it out. You may have trouble finding unscented shampoo, lotion, soap and cosmetics. MotherNature.com has a great selection of natural products and they offer free shipping! You can now buy CLINIQUE make-up online, it’s fragrance free too

, click on the pink box and you get a free gift with purchase!

5. House-hold cleaning products, only buy the natural kind and unscented. Fantastic, Comet, Windex and their close relatives are all made with harsh chemicals, not good! Here’s a link to my favorite products MotherNature.com. You will also want to avoid fertilizers in your grass, flowers and plants, it’s pure poison to you and the environment.

6. Laundry soap- you need to toss your Tide, Cheer, etc. It’s made with petrochemicals and not good for you. Go buy the natural kind that’s not made with chemicals, here’s a link to buy them online and the shipping is free! Chemicals are bad for you, and over periods of time they weaken your system.

7. People with allergies do best with leather furniture vs. cloth, try to take the minimalist approach. No drapes, feather pillows and avoid synthetic materials. Install blinds instead of drapes that hold dust, JustBlinds.com has the best prices I’ve found on the web for all varieties of blinds. I prefer organic cotton for bed spreads, sheets and comforters that I can wash a million times. I love to shop at Gaiam, they have a great selection of organic bedding, pillows, and towels. Free Shipping on $25 or more at Gaiam.com. Use code AFSUM.

8. Exercise every day! ~ It’s just that easy, start walking and move up to more cardiovascular exercises that get your heart pumping. You want to strengthen your body, lungs and heart. The stronger your body is the better it will handle those nasty allergies.

9. Eat real food! I’m talking fresh veggies and fruits, lean meats, nuts, legumes. Stay away from frozen or processed foods, that’s right no fast food and restaurant food only on occasion. Go organic if you can.

10. Last, but not least. Your body needs to get stronger and desensitize. I’ve tried everything from allergy testing, allergy shots, homeopath, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, yoga, elimination diets, vitamin’s and the list goes on. I will spend more time on this in another article, but until then feel free to leave me comments. I found some great doctors that helped me heal along the way, but I also found some doctors that were of no help. This will be frustrating, but we are here to help!