Last winter I was feeling horrible. I have from early childhood had asthmatic eczema, from time to time provoked outbreak though the doctors never really knew what it was from. Back then it was (and still is) very common to get 'prick' tests, where they prick you on the body and put in some of the things you might be allergic too. If you get a little red spot, you're allergic. I was allergic towards all pollen, cats, dogs (fury animals), grass etc. When you are allergic with asthma towards these things, the doctors have a list with cross things, you then possible also are allergic towards. In my case back then it was milk products, chocolate, citrus fruits, bananas, carrots and all kinds of nuts! I kept away from this from time to time but it never really helped. In my teens I got so ill with my eczema I was one open wound and I had a fever and all warmth left my body. I was hospitalized for 3 weeks first, put in tard baths, red baths and creamed from morning to evening. It helped, but a month after I got home, it was back. I was hospitalized one more time when I was 18. When I got my first girl, in the age of 22-23, it kind of disappeared and I actually fell really well. I thought that it was gone for good until I got my second child in the age of 33 - and hell was back. I have tried all kind of medicine, lotions, natural products, pills, all kind of treatments etc. but everytime I was kind of let by myself - and everytime I went to my doctor because I could hardly be anywere, I was told they could not help me, but I could try and leave out things in my food myself and see if I could figure out what exactly it is that triggers my body this way. Before I met Peter I stopped eating bread. I didnt eat any bread for 3-4 months, and I never fell better. My skin changed totally and I lost weight too. Then I met Peter :) Peter and I really love to enjoy the good things in life. Good food, wine, italian food etc. We also love a nice dessert - especially from our favorite Italian restaurant Divino (it's an italian lemon cake .. hmmmm). Often we bought a good italian bread and a couple of cheeses for diner - and often we went to Divino for Pasta - as I also very often made pasta with mushrooms and lots of parmesan in the oven .. hmmm .. I'm not trying to make you hungry, just telling you like it is ;) In my world, good food was with nice meat, good sidedish, cheese, cremesauce, and wine. But I was wrong. The last 3-4 years it went back again. Not at once, but slowly. Last winter it was horrible. Also the cold weather makes it really bad - and I could hardly live. I had a warm tub bath every or every secon day instead of a shower, because my skin hurt and I was freezing so much. I went to a specialist who told me I had a bad skin infection which was why it hurt even to wear clothes. In the Summer it became better, but not as good as usually. And this winter it came back just double up :( Monday I went to another specialist, a nurse who specialized in food allergy and she made an hour long vega test on me. It was clear that I hardly had any B vitamines in my body. B Vitamines are good for your skin (among other things) - and the reason is because my intestines are ruined from a life long 'food' abuse. I also miss D vitamines, but that one I know, because my own doctor told me that and I earlier got some heavy shots with D vitamines because of the lack. I also need Zink and folin and need to eat tablets for that. On top of this I'm highly allergic towards gluten and lactose. That includes milk and ALL kind of cheese :( No more pasta and parmesan cheese for me! But it explains the heavy tummy pains I've been dealing with over the years. I have to stay away from sugar too, because of my allergy (im allergic towards some kind of a natural skin fungus we all have. It feeds on Sugar ... ) - so sugar alone is like poison to me. Both white and brown sugar, honey and sirup. Last, but not least, I am not able to keep the 'good' oils in my body because of - again - my ruined intestines - and therefor I have to eat/drink 3 spoonfull of cold pressed fine oil, 3 times a day ... for the rest of my life. Monday afternoon I fell quite down. I was told to start right away, because of my illness and I have been feeling more and more tired and exhausted and down lately. For 5 days today I have been living without the above and it is actually going extremely well. My skin is falling apart because of all the toxin leaving my body, and I've been extremely thirsty too. Yesterday we went for an easter lunch and i had to bring my own advocado and oil lol ... luckily my mom had some shrimps and egg. I was feeling so bad, sitting there, and mostly I just wanted to go home in bed and sleep while my body was working detoxinating me. Today I feel a little better. I have been lieing outside in the sun nearly all day, because that's really good for me - while Peter has been working around in the garden (if he didnt lie next to me ;) ). It is a slow process and hard but I feel happy and lucky. Im happy that I know what to do to finaly be well - and I'm lucky I know it in the age of 41 and not 81. The whole thing opened my world towards real good food. Unrefined good food from nature. I enjoy much more a salad and vegetables and meat, which I know doesn't contain a lot of weird things than before. I already, in 5 days, got picky about what to fill myself with and I don't miss candy or sugar at all. I miss the bread - but I bought a baking mashine and a lot of different kinds of flour without gluten - and will make my own bread. I also bought pasta without gluten - so only thing I really need to miss is the cheese. Tonight we had an awesome barbeque with lots of onions, mushrooms in garlic oil, pepers, corns, aubergine, aspargues with bacon around, and a special sauage we found without milk and gluten - and of course a good salad and olives :) Oh and the wine. I can't drink red wine anymore - and even though I was told I could drink white wine, a glass I got 3 days ago made me feel real sickish, that I just gave up drinking it. I just didn't feel like it. I can't drink whisky because of the barley and sugar and I cant have Beer ... BUT no dispair. I already found a gluten free Beer and I can still have Snaps :D I can look forward to feel better, loose weight, get more energy and feel more happy. So in the end it's all worth it. And I'm also quite proud of what I did so far and that I am strong enough to change my life. I could not have done it without Peter though. He supports me all the way and even join me in some of my new weird food. I love him so much! Happy Easter all - and always remember to treasure what you have got and what you can :) Enjoy life
My mum has very very similar allergies Lykke and she didn't find them until she was a very similar age too. As soon as she cut barley sugar, honey etc from her diet she felt a lot better too. She now eats more natural food and makes an effort not to have anything with too many preservatives and flavourings in. She's so much healthier for it and finds she can occasionally indulge in the odd thing or two if she wants because she's avoiding it all so much of the time. It really made a difference in her life and although it was hard for her at the start she is really glad she stuck at it. So stick at it too. I'm sure you'll feel better than you could have imagined.
thanks Chrome :) And Marie, It is so nice to hear about people who have done the same with success. That gives extra strenght at times when you feel like giving up. Gratz to your mom and thanks for telling :)
It sounds like you`ve taken a great step toward wellness! It`s true a lot of the food available now days is not as healthy and nutritious as it appears or certainly not as much as they make it out to be. In our house we really watch what we buy. Going organic when possible and certainly limiting any processed foods. I also try to avoid any additives since my son has reactions to food dyes. Mostly red dye. The industry denies it but they are lying flat out. In the US it`s very hard since these big companies substitute anything they can in foods to save a few extra pennies. We are the filler capital of the world. Whole natural foods are what we were made to run on. Top grade fuel in top performance out. One of my favorite things as a cleanser and for nutrition are the green superfoods. In fact I`m about to make my smoothie for the day now. 1 banana, a few strawberries, some crushed ice, frozen yogurt and Amazing Grass Green Superfood drink powder. The amazing part is how good and energetic you can feel after fueling up on the right stuff. It absorbs better, is more nutritious and burns better. I`ll give you the link here if you care to take a look. It`s gluten free, additive free with no fillers and is as natural as it gets. Amazing Grass - Green SuperFood You`ll run circles around anyone who fuels up on fast food or other adulterated products any day!
I almost forgot I put apple juice in mine too. But you can mix with any juice or combination you like. Enjoy!
Hey Thorn, thanks for a great link :) Unfortunately I can't have yougurt either - but I know that smoothies are power energy for your body. In fact, I just bought a book about smoothies. They are not as 'sweet and fruity' as yours, because they all contain different kinds of vegetables next to the fruit, and lots of them natural vanilla or liquorice pulver. Fx, there are smoothies with spinash or Broccoli and some sounds better than others, I have to admit. I just need to feel well enough to concentrate on them and buy what I need :) About food dyes, yes we have a lot of that too. And a lot of E-numbers in our foods. Last year I went to a lecture about food, and the woman having it said something pretty correct, and I used the wordings ever since: The more E-numbers and indistrual added substances, the longer away it is from the cow. Meaning, the less junk you find in a product, the more 'real' and healthy it is. All the light products fx are really really unhealthy. If you want to live light, either skip sugar all together and then use natural sugar like fruit/raisins etc. to sweetening your things with OR eat a little bit of unrefined REAL sugar. Indistrual made sweet stuff can never be heatlhy. Your son will grow up and be aware of all these thigns because you are aware of it - and that's such a good thing. We see more and more special food shops popping up here and we have a large amount of things without gluten and lactose too - so if you're just a little bit creative, you won't miss out much. And perhaps you will in the beginning, but I swear to you - already after 6 days now - I can nearly FEEL how things I decide to eat give my body joy, even if I can hardly move from pain. I suddenly feel how eating is suppose to be - and even if I miss cheese, I can keep away from it because I know how it will poison my body (not meaning that cheese is not healthy - because it can be - just not to me). On top of this I'm the luckiest in the world. I have such a lovely husband who made us a HUGE vegetable garden. We have our own potatoes, tomatoes, leak, onions, garlic, peas, carrots, salad etc. We know what we grow in it and we know it's not added any inorganic fertilizer or manipulated in any ways. Today I filled up the bath tub with 38-39degree water and Himalayan Krystal salt. It was like diving into a sweet ocean (i only used half of the doze not to shock my body and skin). If anyone out there has problems with their skin - if it's too dry or like mine, nearly falling apart - try this. You feel like a new person afterwards, even if you're not cured right away. You can have a 'soft' salt bath with only 500 g of salt - and put oil in the water too. OR you can take a full clean ocean bath with 1kg salt, and no oil. Remember to rinse after with water and creme yourself from top to toe right after the bath. It is VERY important that you have clean salt and himalayan krystal salt is one of the best salts. Do not used refined salt (kitchen salt) and salt with iodine. That is very very important. Thanks for all the support :)
Hope it works out fine now :) And I think there are some alternatives to cheese too.. Tofu, for example, is actually a cheese made out of soy. It's not the same, I know.. Oh, I just read that cheese is almost lactose free - 98% is drained out with the whey, and the rest is almost completely consumed in the fermentation process. Also, read this: Lactose intolerance, Eat to beat illness, Indiadiets : Your guide to Health, Nutrition, Diets, Fitness, Weight loss, Diet counselling, customized diets It says that your favorite, the Parmesan cheese, should be tolerated by almost all lactose-intolerant persons. EDIT: You still have to be careful though, if you can't take ANY lactose, it might sill be dangerous. Here's another interesting page: Lactose Free Cheeses: Do They Exist? - General Chowhounding Topics - Chowhound
Hey Khaos and thanks :) unfortunately I forgot to add soya to the list - but nope, can't eat that either. All cheese is forbidden, i've been told - at least for me. And it's weird you say that about Parmesan, because i was told, that parmesan is one of the worse kind of cheeses I can have. BUT the good thing is, that when I feel better and my body has stabilized after the 8 week time, I don't have to be fanatic NEVER to have cheese again. I just can't have it (as i do now) every day or every week. So that's something to look forward to :) I did already found pasta without gluten ^^ so lots of mushrooms and I'm good!
As long as none of ya'all tell her it's fine to drink my Beers, whisky or red wine, I'm game :D But yeah, it's amazing how much her skin already improved over a few days. She's feeling horrible now (lack of Beer, I bet), but we do hope it'll all turn better within a few days.
It sounds like you have found some very helpful information. I hope it continues to work well and that you stick to it. I know what it is like having a long term condition and it's no fun at all. As has been discussed, the quality of foods is as important as the types of foods. It's great that you have a garden where you can provide yourself with high quality foods. My best wishes for you in this endeavor!! It sucks when good people are stuck with crappy situations.
You don`t need yogurt in those smoothies at all. The powder I use actually has a lot of vegetable product in them and pro biotics that are good for the digestive system such as the ones in the yogurt. Good gut bacteria plays such a larger role in overall health than most people are aware of. But my main point was the superfoods such as spinach, broccoli etc and the lesser known spirulina, chlorella and the like. Loaded with goodness and for the latter easily digested and absorbed. Now a garden really helps! Nothing like fresh picked home grown goodies!
Hope things get better for you. Been fighting a very similar battle lately irl. Was diagnosed with diabetes in January (tested in December), and have lost a heck of a lot of weight mainly in diet changes since then, but still have a long ways to go before I get to my ultimate goal -- goal is really ultimately to get the probably highly unrealistic BMI weight that the doctors like to throw around all the time. I did an 8 hour class on carb counting and found that to be the most helpful info I've had. It's stuff everyone should know and be taught but usually are not until it's too late. I've also got severe allergies and am told this year is worse then most since winter did what it did when it did, at least around here with the snow and how that impacted the trees and things. My allergies make life miserable and dealing with the new diet and various other life improvements I'm trying to make is not easy... so I feel for you, but am happy to hear that some changes are helping you. Just remember, take baby steps. We can adapt to big changes a lot easier if we just break them up in to small steps and focus on one small part at a time. Journaling might help to so you get documentation of what is working and what is not working. Be open to trying some new ideas. A few years ago when I heard about sinus washes I thought it was one of the grossest things I'd ever heard of, but after a few friends and family that was doing them explained how much they helped them I gave it a try and find that that sort of stuff helps enormously, at least with the allergies. Still not perfect since the saltwater makes the skin and eyes a bit dry and has massive headache factr in the form of estachion tube pressure changes that physically hurt sometimes, but it does help me breathe better which in turn makes me able to get more sleep, etc., at least on days when the laundry room next to our apartment is not being run at midnight like it is tonight when the sign on the door clearly states the hours are 8-10... Hope you get to feeling better.
Dear Mastermesh, Thank you for the lenghtly reply. I can tell that you have been through what I'm through and still struggling. I too get it worse in the cold dry winter times, and in Denmark the winter has been lasting for half a year this time. It has been horrible. Luckily now it changed and spring is here. I am sorry to hear you are diagnosed Diabetes. That alone is a serious illness, which requires a strick diet too. I believe your diet is very similar to mine though - except you might be able to eat things I can't. Do you remember your body's reaction right after you started staying away from sugar for example? I am feeling so incredibly bad. My body is trying to kick out all the things I'm allergic to because it's like toxin to my body and today I have to stay home from work even. I'm extremely dizzy (I drink a LOT of water), and I have a headache and feel like throwing up. My face skin is red and swollen and yeah, I'm not a pretty sight at this moment lol - and feel sorry for myself. I have been feeling worse and worse this week from starting till now - and I just hope it will soon turn and go in the right direction. Heck, I'm staying away from what should be poison to me... shouldn't I then feel better? Hope you feel better too, Mastermesh, and I wish you all the best and a healthier life.
Hope you will get well soon Lykke. I can imagine having 1 allergy is bad, but having all of them suck big time. No Beer or wine, mmmm, what about Vodka ?
Ahhh Gluten free and a near-Atkins / South Beach diet. You think it's murder before you start, but thankful you had to after a couple weeks. Amazing all the refined, processed things we put into our bodes and the havoc they can wreak. Lykke, I hope your body adjusts well to the new food program. And I commend your strength of mind while starting it. :) Hope you never suffer another itch or tummy ache from that stuff again! (wife doing same as you)
Hey Lykke, Since I'm such a health nut, I simply had to read this! I'm lucky not to have ever met my doctor in my life. Never had a single health issue and never intend to. That said, I felt a bit disappointed that I hadn't talked to you about this before in one of our out-of-control life-chats. Seeing this after all that's happened is quite the shock really. I would honestly love to hear more about this, what you're going through, what you're doing etc... So next time, let's talk health :) Oh and I wanted to share with you a useful and fun (so-dubbed "edutainment") show I watch almost every night called The Renegade Health Show. [media] Enjoy, and talk soon! PS. It's "Detoxifying" :)