Eating Journal

Ever tried to figure out what foods or drinks are triggering an allergic reaction?  I have spent the past several years of my life trying to figure the cause of my skin condition.  This year I decided to look to the inside for clues.  I have seen a nutritionist GP that got me started and have read and read and even had some food allergy testing done of which I showed allergies to so many things.  It is hard to change my way of eating and take out certain elements that I have been used to my whole life.

When I was in my twenties I kept getting mouths sores inside my mouth like ulcers.  They hurt and bothered me whenever I ate anything.  I decided I needed to cut some things out to figure out what was causing them.  I changed my toothpaste, stopped drinking coffee and orange juice, cut out berries and all sorts of things.  I decided to cut out all soft drinks completely and to my surprise my sores went away.  I gradually added the other things back over a few weeks and didn't get another sore.  One day I drank a Coke... nothing.  I started feeling silly until another day I had a Pepsi to drink.  Within just a few minutes I could feel a tingling in my mouth and knew that a sore was coming on.  I haven't drank a Pepsi since and luckily haven't had a mouth ulcer since either.  Something in the chemical make up of that soft drink triggered the allergic reaction.

So why not my skin?  Something is bound to be causing my breakouts.  And I know they say that psoriasis is an auto immune disorder and people who suffer from it know it will never go away.  But!  Since my diet changes and herbal detox from my doctor, I do feel better.  My skin isn't as aggravated and mean feeling as it has been and patches on my arms and torso have gone away, just leaving white "scars".  My main problem is patience and sticking with my diet changes.  I assume it is like any diet you go on.  But my cravings are still there for junk food.  Junk food meaning simply things that are or contain items that I have "cut out" and showed allergies to.

I made myself a little journal the other day, tailored to my needs, thinking that if I made myself write down it might be easier to stick to.  Also, I have an area where I log how my skin looked and felt that day and how I felt that day.  This part stemmed from making a casserole Sunday night that included beef and lots of dairy and my skin feeling like it was on fire the next day.  I'm just a few days in and already I feel better and a little proud of myself for taking action and forcing discipline on myself which isn't easy to do.  I am the first one to say "awe... that delicious casserole isn't going to hurt you that bad!" but it did.

It's a work in progress.  My skin problems didn't come up over night therefore will not go away over night!

Seriously... if you like the way my journal looks and thought to yourself "now that's what I need"... message me and we will create one for you.  It's simple really and I was able to print four days on one sheet of paper and simply fold and string them together with a piece of card stock as the cover.  Mine has enough room for 28 days.

I modeled my journal pages after the one I found HERE.

If you really want to read more about my skin you may do so HERE , and a little bit on my diet changes HERE.

bee ready for allergy season

I am happy to report, as if you didn't know, that spring is on it's way!  The official first day of spring is March 20th and after the long cold winter we've had I think a party is in order!  On a different note, allergy season is also coming!  Spring... YAY... allergies... BOO.  I have already begun gearing up my system so I can be ready when the pollen starts a floatin'!  For a week now I have eaten a teaspoon of local wildflower honey a day and have even been adding straight local bee pollen to my smoothies.  I was so happy last year when I resorted to using local honey instead of Claritin D and other allergy medicines and actually haven't bought or touched any of them since!  And it makes me feel so much better than taking the over the counter stuff that left me sleepy or cranky or still stopped up  and sneezing.  I am lucky to have a bee lady right next door but local honey around here is not hard to find.  The best, in my opinion, is from Ed Johnson in Goodlettsville.  You can find it in lots of health food stores in our area from Nashville to White House.  I found both honey and bee pollen in the health food store by the post office just last week.  If you live more to the north of here, there is some out of Crossplains that I have seen too.  They say that if your honey comes from a source within a thirty mile range from your house then you are good because the bees have pollinated from the same types of plants and trees in your area.  Also until summer comes, it is best to use wildflower honey instead of clover honey then move into the clover once it starts blooming later on.  Wildflower honey is a mix of it all.

I use local honey in my hot tea, my granola, cinnamon toast, by the teaspoon-full and many other recipes.  I plan on "bee-ing" ready for allergy season this year!  

By the way, if you have honey in a glass jar that isn't so runny anymore or has turned a bit to sugar, remove the lid and stick it in the microwave for thirty seconds at a time until it is stir-able again.  Be careful ... the jar will get hot.  I haven't tried it in the plastic jars... they may melt in the micro.

Have you ever tried honey for seasonal allergies?  

Here's my post from last year when I started using honey to combat allergy symptoms.

Here's my homemade granola recipe and another for Jiffy granola bars.

And here's a post to some good teas to use honey in.

Oh and also tips on how to make your bedroom an allergy-free zone.

Honey bee picture c/o www.thegraphicsfairy.com

Hello Honey

As we all know, allergy season is all over us!  I have heard of more people with allergy problems this Spring than ever before.  I, unfortunately, am one of those sufferers.  It seems like my nose has been stopped up since March first and over the last month I have had the addition of sneezing (which leads to more stopping up), eyes itching and burning, puffy feeling face, jaw pain... the list goes on.  Pitiful and awful.  I found myself taking Claritin D or 24 hour allergy meds over the counter along with using nose spray at night just to be able to breathe somewhat and get some sleep.  I absolutely hate breathing through my mouth when I sleep so that's when I would use the spray.  UGH!  I felt I needed a different approach and at this point will try anything... except a NetiPot... I'm not too sure about that one yet although I have heard great results from several people. 

 

I had heard about the positive affects of local honey for sinus problems and allergies and decided to call my neighbor who raises bees to get a jar because you just can't get more local than two doors down.  The honey she brought me was actually gathered from hives in Goodlettsville.  I read online that the honey can come from within 30 miles of home and still work.  So last Tuesday I got my honey delivery and immediately ate a teaspoon... ok a tablespoon.  I have to admit that to me this honey is quite addictive.  I feel like I dang near overdosed the first couple of days using it in hot teas, granola, on bananas and by spoonfuls.  I calmed down by Friday.. kind of. 

 

My confession in experimenting with honey to combat my allergies is this... my allergies have cleared up about 95 percent.  And we are still in the middle of spring meaning everything is still blooming.  I am amazed.  I haven't used any medicine or nose spray since last Tuesday when I began using it.  It works like getting a flu vaccine.  It puts the pollen sweetly into your system so your body can fight it off internally and your sinuses won't react like wild fire when it hits your nose.  I am so happy about it, it's insane.  I also got a jar for my Mom who has also had horrible allergies this year.  She is experiencing similar results although still having some reactions to airborne pollens.  But.. I have been eating the honey longer than she has too. 

 

The honey we are using is Wildflower Honey, which would be a mix of all kinds of pollen.  The other kind that she had was Clover Honey which is not used for these types of allergies.  I did get a jar of that too... just in case I wanted to drizzle it over cut up raw hot dogs on Townhouse crackers like I did when I was a kid.... unwanted confession... I know.  If you are in my area and can't find local honey, give me a holler and I will call my neighbor to locate a jar for you.  Her prices are good... $16.00 for a quart jar, $10.00 per pint. 

 

If you are suffering anywhere near like I was I urge you to give it a try.  Honey is not recommended for children under two years old.

 

 

 

QUEENIE UPDATE: We still have not found our rescue dog although she is still within a mile or two of our house, as the crow flies.  She was spotted late Monday night on New Hall Road behind a house hanging out with other dogs.  We tried to find her with flashlights and went back Tuesday afternoon.  Thanks for your prayers and thoughts on finding Miss Queenie.  We're trying to find you sweet thing!