| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alee |
Posted - May 25 2011 : 7:13:03 PM
Hi Ladies!
I know there are several people on here that are sensitive to chemicals. I used to be with a particular allergy and then have had it basically under control for years. Though I still definitly prefer natural and organic over chemicals.
But now after my surgery I have noticed a huge increase in how sensitive I am to chemicals in my foods. I can taste the chemicals in preservatives and food dyes. YUCK!
I am super lucky that I have a sizeable stash of MJF food so I am good- but I was thinking maybe it would be good to have a discussion about chemical sensitivity here on the forum.
I for one can not stand red food dye at all any more. It is bitter and the chemical taste feels like battery acid on my tongue. My husband brought me some ice cream as a treat but accidentally picked up the Splenda version and it made my whole mouth go numb like I had been given novacaine shots- until the battery acid burn and metalic taste started up. Yuck yuck yuck.
What foods do you avoid? What foods are okay? Do you find that certain organic brands still trip the "chemical" trigger or does the organic label pretty much protect you from that?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| sherrye |
Posted - Sep 01 2011 : 07:55:41 AM
well mari-lyn it is a truth. the smells are in layers. it goes by weight. heavy odors dominate. everything has an outgassing point. some things such as polyester never stop out gassing. temperature has a lot to do with it too. when folks bring back their egg cartons THEY STINK. the odors from their fridge house car and hands are on it. i have to keep them outside on porch. folks honestly do not realize the huge impact things in our environment have on our whole well being. i wish i could some how help folks to really know how hurt they become from little things. for every action there is a reaction. our God made us to handle the normal things in our environment. He did not plan for us to mutate his chemical table into some sort of chemical soup. cancer is mutated cells that can reproduce. i live with a lap top a phone, the many things that are plastic and odd chemicals. there is no escaping the world. there are however way too many bad combinations made with no regulations or chemical police. we are sick and the earth is sick. man is ruining the earth and himself. as you peel the chemicals back like layers of an onion you can have a clean safe home. its a lotta work. well worth i think. we are always sorting and moving stuff in and out. we have a front indoor porch and a back one. everything stops there. we then decide where to store. i am super sensitive. happy days and just my opinion sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| LucyLobo511 |
Posted - Aug 26 2011 : 09:31:06 AM
I noticed something today the more pure I have made our household the more sensitive I am to smells.
WoW our world really stinks.
Insane and Blissfully Happy
Mari-lyn
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| LucyLobo511 |
Posted - Jul 29 2011 : 7:33:02 PM
I found a really good website http://momsaware.org/mcs.html
Insane and Blissfully Happy
Mari-lyn
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| marjean |
Posted - Jun 16 2011 : 2:45:31 PM
Well, I'm so glad you are doing well after your surgery Alee, just sad to hear about your sensitivites.
After my tonsil surgery I didn't notice any changes in sensitivities. I already had Asthma for about 3 years and was doing well until my Lyme disease in 2005.
Now, if you've ever read any of my posts here about that I'm chemically sensitive, and to radiation, so the new light bulbs make me ill to the point of uncontrollable shaking, elecromagnetic sensitivity and to some foods.
If you can find a homeopathic doctor in your area, go see them and ask for the pre/post surgery remedy and they can test you for your allergies and give you a remedy to help you stop being reactive to so much.
I take them at different times not all the time. After having oral surgery in April I'm still taking the surgery remedy. It pulls out the anestetics.
I only eat organic foods, gluten-free and sugar-free. I only use organic body, hair care products. As long as I stay on that routine I do well. We only use the best non-toxic cleaning products.
I use a charcoal mask whenever I leave the house and it works well for me. I didn't know until Sherry posted that my body is still absorbing through my eyes. Yikes!
I just joined Chartreuse and they are the only company I"ve found that has everything you'd need to switch to organic and eco-friendly products at an affordable price.
If you'd like more info on them I'll have my website soon. I can also mail you a catalog. But, in the meantime go to their website and read about their mission and their products at www.chartreauseproducts.com
If you order just put my name in the box that asks how you heard about them so I'll get the credit.
If you go to my Etsy shop I have a Healthy eating program that also works for getting to your ideal weight that I can send anyone that is interested in getting off the junk and chemical foods and household/ personal care as well.
The eating program is taken from two books and my own doctor. She puts everyone on this program and if you need to loose you will, if you need to gain (like me) you will.
Farmgirl sister #308
handmade cards, vintage organizer bags and more at www.jeanpatchbymk.etsy.com
http://jeanpatch.blogspot.com
www.fullerdirect.com
id#0920150
www.watkinsonline.com/rjaramillo
www.sunshinefarmgirlcoop.com |
| Merry |
Posted - Jun 16 2011 : 10:16:31 AM
I avoid MSG and artificial sweeteners, its easier to just not ingest them when possible, than to eat them knowingly and feel terrible!
Merry
Farmgirl #536
http://afarminmyheart.blogspot.com/
Your life is an occasion, rise to it. Mr. Magorium |
| wooliespinner |
Posted - Jun 16 2011 : 08:59:28 AM
I too have become really sensative to lots of stuff. I have had allergies since I was a young girl and take medicine for it now.I had a disease in my sinuses and head for over 29 years and had to have a really aggresive surgery to stop it from going to my brain. Thank god it worked but am on meds and sinus rinsing for the rest of my life.I still have trouble but better than the past 20 years previous. I was in totally misery and the doctors were not addressing the problem unti I ended up in the emergency room with double vision from the infection.Back then I lived on anttbiotics and now not much works for me because I became immuned to them. Who knows what havoc they wrecked on my body. Now I go to a specialist and he keeps tabs me and I do better now. I only had to take antibiotics once in the past 18 months for a sinus infection...thats a big deal for me. Wish I could have gone longer.
When I was growing up my mom would spray raid bug killer in the camper everynight while we were in bed. She would tell us to cover our heads while she sprayed. I remember tasting that stuff in the air for hours. We camped at the river almost every weekend when I was growing up and it was pretty buggy. I am pickled in that stuff and she also sprayed deep woods off on us the bug repelent. She would use all kinds of chemicals that would make me sick. I thought it was normal and didn't think much of it till I got married. Thats when I started reading Countryside and Mother Earth news and started learning that these chemcials were bad. People made fun of me for trying to do things more natural. I am still learning and getting better. It is a journey but one worth pursuing. There is still so much to learn.
I cannot have any artifical sweetners. Its makes my intestines feel like some one has pulled them out and stuffed them back in. I also get migrains. One thing I have noticed over the years. Once I omit something bad from my diet, or chemicals and you try going back later your body rebels even worse. I am trying to stop drinking pop now and am down to one a day. I know its making me sick and am trying to kick the habit. Glad you started this thread Alee. I think it will help us all.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| Turtlemoon |
Posted - Jun 03 2011 : 2:33:50 PM
Hi, the older i have gotten the more sensitive i have become, to much! I cannot digest meat any longer, aside from seafood/fish. Artificial sweeteners leave my mouth horrible! I do not do well with processed foods nor white flour. But then again I also can no longer use most deodorants nor lotions, shampoo's etc. I do not mind really as it gives me a good excuse to spend a little extra for the better quality all natural goods or make/grow my own! :)
Raggedy Ann stuck in a Barbie Doll World
FarmGirl#1737
http://www.etsy.com/shop/moonhonu |
| LucyLobo511 |
Posted - Jun 02 2011 : 11:00:18 AM
Thanks Alee
Insane and Blissfully Happy
Mari-lyn
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| Alee |
Posted - Jun 01 2011 : 4:19:03 PM
Hi Mari-lyn-
So far it doesn't seem to be a sensitivity on my skin- just how I taste things. So I can use regular sunscreen but there are some sunscreens that are better than others.
Maybe try something like this?
http://www.lavera.com/catalog/organic_sunscreen-1000014-1.html
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| LucyLobo511 |
Posted - Jun 01 2011 : 4:11:20 PM
Alee you poor thing that is gross I do tend to get canker sores after eating hersheys chocolate I am thinking that is a sensitivity cause it burns my mouth and throat. Do you use sun screen if so what kind? they itch and burn when I put them on but I dont like to burn from the sun either.
Insane and Blissfully Happy
Mari-lyn
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| Alee |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 10:43:25 PM
Oh and I forgot that anything with chemicals in it tastes like battery acid to me now and sometimes makes my mouth go numb.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| LucyLobo511 |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 5:15:14 PM
The first sign is I get hot all over it starts at the top of my head and goes all the way to my toes,Then dizzy,vision blurrs and the cramping starts and my body eliminates in a very harsh manner for hours. I am then crabby and uncomfortable for a couple days. My daughter is a tough one to deal with. The mood swings are crazy. If she eats something wrong it is days of ups and downs. Yelling,crying,sleepiness,pain everywhere. Then it takes a few days to get back to normal. Avoidence is the best.
Insane and Blissfully Happy
Mari-lyn
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| Alee |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 06:56:55 AM
Well I get migraine headaches and very tired when my system is overloaded. Also when my allergies are bad my cheeks flush and can cause irrational anger. When I was a child it could cause rage- it was horrible. Now if my allergies are bad it's more like I am super touchy and irritable but I do know when I am starting to feel that way so then I either take benedryl or self-isolate until the storm is over. Technically they are not an allergy but a "Sensitivity" because it doesn't produce histamine. But it's funny that a histamine blocker like Benedryl helps the reaction. Sometimes I think the doctors are so stuck in their ways they can't adapt to those of us that have reactions that are different than "normal".
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| sherrye |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 06:44:52 AM
well farmgirls, as i sit here feeling like i have been hit by a truck i thought of a question. are you willing to discuss physical symptoms. i mean really talk about what happens when you get a bad exposure. as it does its cycle of hurt. i am just curious how different folks are affected one way and another totally different. i know when i get into a serious chemical so much happens its scary. its rare now for me to get as sick as i did this week. its been over a yr. since i needed life saving measures. so when and how do you feel when you know your going to get sick. since symptoms overlap with fibro and epstein barr etc. please include those symptoms too. maybe we farmgirl brains could come together and figure out some of the ways to handle this better. i agree avoidance is key. BUT we do get exposed one way or another at times. if we share remedies it could help us all. so i think if your willing it would be how you feel when sick and what works to help you get through it till you clear. avoidance is best but not possible 100 percent of the time. just learning as i go. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| Alee |
Posted - May 29 2011 : 9:35:43 PM
Mari-lyn- That was great of the Chef to come out! I remember when I was growing up, anytime we ate out we had to grill the waitress about what type of oil the fries were cooked in- what type of pie crust etc etc. We had some people try to tell us "Oh it's okay- it's only fried in peanut oil- that shouldn't be a problem."
Oh man that got under my skin! I absolutely HATE when outsiders try to tell you what will or won't be a problem for your body. I know they are trying to be encouraging and helpful but they don't have to live with the fallout.
I definitly believe we vote with our dollars. Two years ago you wouldn't have thought that the "No High Fructose Corn Syrup" movement would have gained so much ground, but now you see many types of Soda without it, breads are being labeled advertising no high fructose corn syrup and same with ketchup just to name a few. Our family just recently kicked the soda habit so that junk is gone from our house *yay!!* and I try to make our own bread whenever I have a spare minute, but it is good that some of the other things that I don't make are returning to a more natural state! All of that was because people decided they did not want the high fructose corn syrup and started buying alternatives. So I really do believe we vote with our purchases.
One thing I am really happy to see is so many organic choices at Costco. That really helps our budget.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| LucyLobo511 |
Posted - May 29 2011 : 7:59:56 PM
Alee My sensitivities have come and gone the msg hit me about 21 years ago and knocked me on my butt for two days I thought I was gonna die. I ate Chinese food that I had eaten for years but they had changed suppliers and the sauce had changed. I never ate there again. I wound up with such a overload in my body that anything with even a small amount gave me the sweats and then I spent the night in the bathroom. I have always had allergies. My daughter was born this way she cant even have novocaine her face swells up and she gets hives,She reacted to the MMR shot when she was baby, if she got snow on her skin she swelled up. The big changer for her diet was the morning she woke up with her face swelled so much she didn't look like herself and then like Sherrye mentioned the joint pain My daughter cried for the entire day because of the pain her one knee was as big as a grapefruit after a lot of investigating we figured it was a dairy allergy. The thing that stinks is the Doctor who is very good just told us "some people are just sensitive and keep benedryl on hand. This is just our way of life so we are use to it. One good experience we had at a restaurant was we mentioned my daughter's allergy to tree nuts and the chef actually came to our table to tell us what not to eat and what was safe. For the most part If people are up front about these issues there are people that care and change will come. Ladies don't be shy keep talking about this issue. I heard something once when we buy products we are actually voting for that product so buy good safe products and leave the junk on the shelf.
Insane and Blissfully Happy
Mari-lyn
Insane and Blissfully Happy
Mari-lyn
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| sherrye |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 4:09:31 PM
i only have 2 plants inside my house. i have so many outside plants i dont like house ones. i even smell the mold in the soil when i water. so i have none. we have stainless steel self sealed air filters that use carbon media. same as used for clean rooms for computers in the olden days. plus we have NO products that come in that are toxic. it is a constant battle to keep things filtered out. we have a room all things are in first. they stay there till i know they dont bother me. i agree they can be a good thing. i think pothos is another that helps clean the air. for those with plants good idea alee. well time to nap. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| Alee |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 09:57:23 AM
Sherry- Do you have Peace Lilly plants in your house? They are supposed to be really good at detoxifying the air.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| Alee |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 09:54:40 AM
Hi Sherry-
Yes is it amazing the way our word is just soaked with chemicals. The good news is that awareness is growing and hopefully in another 20 years people will look back at the over processes chemical laden food and say "Yuck! That was a bad phase in our history! I am so glad that is past us!"
Another thing we should be really careful of is the plants that absorb chemicals really easily. Things like root vegetables and high water content like strawberries and celary are really bad about being toxin sponges.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| sherrye |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 07:20:27 AM
well i meant to check my post and pushed to post reply. so spelling etc. might be goofy. i am very sick today. when i was first sick. i was diagnosed depressed. i was not. then epstein barr, then fibro, then back to depression. well my cup runneth over. i am not depressed. i found a clinic in arroyo grande in ca. they helped me. i came to oregon. we had a lawyers assistant recommend porphria testing. i had it done. it came back with 2 types broken. the symptoms for all these disorders are similar and overlap. they are the same pathways being comprimised. it is a nerve disorder. we have nerves every where. when inherited like me it is called porphyria. when it is aquired through injury it is called porpyrinopathy. they are the same just different causes. those that have epv or fibro are sensitive to chemicals to some extent even if they do not realize it yet. when the environment is full of toxins you cant tell which are your problem. the only way to solve it is to get AGGRESIVE and question everything. i was so sad when i realized what this meant. i threw sh** out the door in anger. this was 20 yrs ago. i threw laundry soaps and deoderant etc out. i cried i was so angry to think the world could be so dirty with chemicals. now i have found alternatives. i have found MJF friends for support. i appreciate all you girls. still gotta milk yak at ya later happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| sherrye |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 07:11:47 AM
ok alee you now have tears in my eyes. i too saw some one when i was younger and thought. good grief she has a mask on???? well now i go no where i think will urt me. even one of my sons homes. its sad. they come here. she uses scents. so candle wicks have lead in them. that is why folks get sick. they also are treated for a slow clean burn. so yes you have to get special wicks. i still have issue with the smoke from it. it is still a carbon burn. some folks will not tolerate candles. i have them never light them. they sit here for looks and because they smell like beeswax honey. pure clean candle. there is a porphyria called cutanea tarda. it is a porphyria that causes sores and bleeding of skin. they usually have to be in dark. no sun exposure if they are very sick. the body has 9 enzymes related to hemaglobin. research suggest there may be more. when these emzymes are injure they cant regenerate fast enough. the lack causes the problem. i feel we are foryunate in that we have research and dna. even though pharmacuetical co. wont research small companies are. so new things learned.
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| Alee |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 06:45:06 AM
My husband and I were talking about this last night. He used to work at a grocery store where he sometimes was a cashier. At the store all the cashiers were trained that for this one customer she had to be allowed to scan her own items and everything. They were not allowed to touch her items, only take her money. She had to do everything else. Doug thought that this was going WAY overboard and kindof thought the lady was a bit crazy until one day he accidentally touched one of her items and then immediatly put it back down. Within minutes he said she was covered with this horrible bleeding rash! She was so sensitive that the chemical detergents that the store used on the work uniforms and even detergents from people around here were too much for her body to handle.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| sherrye |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 06:29:46 AM
i am always surprised some as to how many folks are sensitive. i know foods are a huge trigger for most. our food system is uncontrolled. Corps. can do anything they want and call it a trade secret. even on chemical labels the law protects them. they can promote a certain safe chemical organic natural pure safe clean. they then mix it with their chemical soup they call inert ing. they do not have to tell us what is in it. inert ing. can be 97 percent of product. it is still promoted as organic and safe. that is why calif. took them on for a fight. to be organic in calif. the inerts have to be safe and disclosed on container also. most labels say the primary ing. and call the rest inert. it really can be anything they choose. so they promote the organic but really the working stuff is in the inert as back up. i must say even some organic compounds can be a problem for super sensitives like me. it is because the body still has to cope with the product. it can be as simple as chrysanthemum plant chemicals used for killing gardens pests. this works is fairly safe but bothers me. i use some but am very careful or have some one else apply to plants. absoluttley everything in ones diet must be looked at and everything in ones home and life style. if there are still triggers in the home sickness continues. only after eliminating triggers will the body begin to truly calm. simple things like alee mentioned, such as new furniture have formaldehyde in them. when we bought our leather sofa it sat on the deck for a good 6 or 7 months. it stunk like new stuff. when done gassing off it came in. www.ciin.org is an excellent education site for this. they are respected by there doctors and research scientist on this. small changes make a big difference. i must say the chemical or exposure is the trigger to a mechanism in us. it is the bodies action to the trigger that causes us to feel sick. its like lighting a fire. the match starts it but is not the fire itself. the system in us is broken. at some point in time we were chemically injured. our body could not cope with the exposure at that certain time. in trying to cope it creates chemicals to handle the assault. these chemicals are made by our own systems (mechanisms). since it cant handle the assault we become broken. with missing pieces now the system can not heal itself. the result is muscle pain joint pain headaches soreness nausea muscle fatigue breathlessness. stomach aches constipation followed by loose poop. mant times glucose can help. carbs are recommended. so this is very appropriate this am for me. i had to go to the chemo room yesterday and get a glucose iv. it is not for food but to coat the bodies chemical action with glucose. it helps put the fire out. there are times i can do this at home. yesterday was not one of them. so i received D-5 in an iv with demerol and a anti nausea med to last 5 days. i hope so i lost 3 more pounds. gads. so anyway for me it is another chemical exposure just getting all the drugs for this. i was in trouble yesterday for sure. it was better to get the glucose iv than to risk getting really sick. my ambulance rides are not fun. so yesterday was easier. i am still sick and hurt. i can tell the storm in me is better. in a few days i will be good as new. now all chemicals have an adverse reaction. many folks can feel that right away. the metabolic part usually takes hours to days to show. so what you are exposed to could be from a few days back even. so difficult to track the cause sometimes. iurge you all to go through your home. as alee said bottles and containers outgas in your cupboards just like the laundry isle at the store. shampoo perfume lotion soap cleaners wood polish disinfectants are absolutley terrible. disinfectants are dangerous. sorry this is getting to long. i just so want to help those i can. i know the suffering. i am as we speak suffering today. it will pass. learning is power. thanks alee for this thread of knowledge. if i can help or learn something new here then that would be wonderful. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 12:19:55 AM
bees wax candles are awesome! They were harder to find where I was living, but I know people here make bees wax candles and I love the sent of them! (they make them from their own bees wax from their own hives!) I can't think of the name of the wick, but I think it may be a fabric kind versus some of the newer man made product kind.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| Alee |
Posted - May 27 2011 : 10:57:45 PM
If anyone can remember the type of wick I would be greatly appreciative! I am going to start making beeswax candles again soon and would like to use the best kind of wick that I can.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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