I’ve been noticing a lot of Christmas tree allergy questions coming up on social media in the last few weeks. For people with chemical allergies, the winter holidays aren’t just a time of celebration – they’re also a time of avoiding cinnamon-scented products, scented candles, holiday shopping crowds, and even Christmas trees. I found myself […]
I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this. I don’t want to upset or offend anyone, but I myself was upset and offended, so it’s hard to explain without some of that coming through. My trip to western Canada was enjoyable, but it also had some ugly sides, particularly when it came to […]
I’ve encountered a certain subset of people over the years – people who have allergies or who might have allergies and don’t care. I’ve seen family members, friends, acquaintances, and strangers who seem almost apathetic of their allergies or possible allergies. As someone who suffers from rather severe but atypical allergies, it’s a bit disconcerting. […]
Since my body first forced me to realize the extent of my glycol allergies, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about food. Not only have I replaced nearly every staple in my house, but I keep looking for convenience foods that I can have around in case of needing a quick snack, […]
One thing that the development of my propylene glycol allergy has done is to make me a human detector of certain chemicals in food. I haven’t figured out all the quirks of my condition yet, but a closing throat is a pretty clear symptom. I have read recently about the conditions of Chinese-grown organic foods […]
My grandfather is ill and dying, and I sit here, at home, writing. I sit because I’ve been searching in despair for three days for some kind of vehicle that might help me travel 10,000 km, across mountains and plains, forests and straits, and not have my skin peel off or my throat close up. […]
In my original post about safer feminine hygiene products, I said that I was having problems with my Diva Cup. Although I loved the function of the cup, despite my less common difficulties with its effectiveness, it was causing problems.
Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday. It’s been a very stressful week. Back before Christmas, my husband received a very casual offer of job seven hours’ drive from our current location. It was an area that we wanted to move to, but the offer was for an entry-level position and my husband is […]
Homeopathy is medication by extremely dilute quantities of toxic substances. The idea is that an ailment can be effectively treated by a substance that causes that symptom to occur in a healthy individual. In homeopathic theory, the more dilute the substance, the more potent the effect. Some homeopathic remedies (ones considered the most potent) are […]
Today almost exactly marks the anniversary of a very low point in my life. It was two years ago yesterday that I visited a hospital emergency room in a plea for some medical assistance. I had been suffering with the symptoms of my allergies steadily growing worse for two years, not having a clue what […]
As you may remember, I was feeling rather ill early in the week. I’ve had a nasty cold since last Friday, in which my throat was on fire and coughing was a killer. One day I drank apple cider vinegar and raw honey all day [Homemade Cough Syrup and Other Remedies], the next I decided […]
It’s an interesting conundrum: When you’ve started to remove allergens and experience relief from symptoms, how do you know when your body is functioning normally again? How do you know when your body is experiencing no more allergy symptoms? If you’re anything like me or the people whose stories I’ve read, you suffered from allergy […]
Just over a year ago, an allergist gave me a patch test that changed my life. Those chemical-filled patches taped all over my back helped him to identify five contact allergens that answered a lot of questions about why I had been feeling so awful, inside and out. A year later I am still learning […]
This is a concept that has been zig-zagging through my head for the past while. Honestly, it was more a group of concepts, but one key trigger seems to be bringing the situation into clearer focus. I’m not a doctor, but I think this theory bears investigation. About Allergies Allergy symptoms I have experienced: Runny […]
See last week’s post here This time last week, I was coming from the most horrible night itching and holding my sheets off my skin with my hands and teeth, for the short time that I actually stayed in bed. I was debating whether to go to the doctor and fighting my unfounded concerns about […]
My body seems to have gotten stuck in a cycle of inflammation after that house-wide contamination a few weeks ago. I tried to use topical steroids a little less because my skin was getting inflamed, but my switch to tacrolimus (Protopic) on my body was doing nothing for my rash. The inflammation feeds the development […]
It was with disgust one day that we found our cat had been peeing on a specific area of carpet. Carpets are hard to clean, and even harder if the urine gets into the padding underneath. Luckily, I had made a pet stain remover already, but we felt it was time to clean the whole […]
We know that the developed world runs on consumerism. Companies employ people by providing a product or service. They make themselves relevant by continuing to update or improve that product or service to sell more. They employ people and pay these people wages, and these people again in turn buy more “stuff” and keep the […]
I have been spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to adjust my clothing use and my wardrobe to reduce my allergic reactions. My daughter and husband can still wear polyester, even though my propylene glycol allergy means that polyester and possibly spandex are off the table for me. More than half […]
We’ve all seen the antibacterial designation on hand and dish soaps. You may even have seen the same on packages of shower curtain liners or athletic wear. But what does this mean? To the company who produced the product, it means that antimicrobial agents have been impregnated into the fibres or substance of the product […]
The concept of depression and anxiety disorders in modern society has been bothering me for a long time. I have so many friends who suffer from anxiety and depression issues, and I myself went through a horrible time when I was so anxious about going to work that I didn’t want to go to sleep […]
Last week, with my revelations that I was likely reacting to polyester and spandex, my short-term sewing list expanded. I went from having a week and a half to sew a coat, tunic, and veil to also having to sew pants and shirts to replace the polyester- and spandex-laden Under Armor shirts and yoga pants […]
I’m sure I’m not the only one whose breath has been caught up short by walking through a cloud of cigarette smoke, or having smoke waft over to me on a breeze. Aside from the throat-crushing breath of smoke, we all know that cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, many of them hazardous. These include […]
Neighbours can convince you to do a lot of things without actually saying a word. I live in a c.1980s suburban neighbourhood. The subdivision is old enough to have tall trees and individualized house designs, not sub-neighbourhood labels (ex. “The Oaks”) and minuscule yards. Our demographic ranges from middle-class retiree to new family. We moved […]