Re: Re: New to the group, intro and questions...

[Guest guest]

Hi and Norm,

I am new to the group also (just joined a few days ago) and can comiserate with

the sinus problems and intollerance to detergents. My 5 year old granddaughter

is at our house 3-4 days a week. She was constantly asking why I couldn't use

this, eat that, etc. Then I one day when she asked, she answered it herself..

" Oh yeah--allergy girl. " LOL : D

Have you ever tried a saline nasal irrigation? I think it is one of the best

kept secrets of the medical profession! I have multiple allergies and see an

allergist who recommends the use of a neti pot (pronounced netty). Dr. Oz

demonstrated it once on Oprah. They are widely available now. I got mine at

Walgreen's. You can buy little saline packets which are very handy, but it is

much cheaper to make your own solution. All it is is equal parts of table salt

and baking soda. I use my twice a day and it has helped more than any other

medication or therapy (I was diagnosed with allergies 40 years ago and went

through 10 years of allergy shots!). Here is a demonstration of one on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsZeILCedRw & feature=related

Many products tout themselves as being hypoallergenic, but if they have any

added fragrance they are far from it, including Baby Dreft. Below is a statement

from the FDA regarding hypoallergenic products:

" There are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term

" hypoallergenic. " The term means whatever a particular company wants it to mean.

Manufacturers of cosmetics labeled as hypoallergenic are not required to submit

substantiation of their hypoallergenicity claims to FDA.The term

" hypoallergenic " may have considerable market value in promoting products to

consumers on a retail basis, but dermatologists say it has very little meaning. "

The " baby version of 7th Generation also includes fragrance. I would steer

clear of any detergent that has any dyes or perfumes. I do okay with the " free

and clear " versions of regular detergents, but fare better with the

environmentally friendly ones like 7th Generation and Planet, again being

careful to get the fragrance free ones. Also, there is a differnce between

fragrance free (which truly is) and unscented (which means no particular

scent--very misleading).

I am also very careful about what soaps I use in the kitchen and the bath. I

usually use fragrance free Neutrogena in the shower. Also, Clearly Natural has a

fragrance free bar soap. You can buy it online directly from the manufacturer.

Also, other things that make a huge difference are covering your mattress and

box spring with an allergen proof encasing. A great resource for all kinds of

products that help with allergic reactions is National Allergy Supply.

http://www.natlallergy.com They have a monthly newsletter you can subscribe to

that promote specials for various products every month.

Most of these products cost considerably more than I was used to paying, and it

took me a while to get over that, but then I realized that I'd rather spend the

money on products that prevented my problems than on temporary solutions, many

of which didn't work.

Does anyone in your household smoke? That is a huge trigger for me.

Hope some of this helps or at the least gives youfood for thought! : )

Ginger

" Allergy girl "

Seattle, WA

-------------- Original message --------------

From: " Norm " <NormJC72@...>

Howdy. I'm Norm, USVet's brother and Stacey's husband. Also new to

the board. My brother just informed us of his condition, so

obviously we want to look into it, both to understand and support him

in hwat he's going through, but pursue all possibilities when it

comes to family member medical histories.

To add to Stacey's notes, her symptoms, all of them, have only come

about since our marriage, so I'm fairly confident that at least the

first apartment we lived in may have had something to do with her

medical issues. It seems that every new environment we've lived in

adds to the list, though not sure how much has to do with the

facilities we're in and how much is the environmental locations

(allergies, etc). I find it interesting that she grew up on a

farmaround all kinds of potential allergens with no reactions, then

after we get married and she moves in with me she begins developing

signs of asthma.

As for my 4 year old, I'm pretty confident in the Pediatric Bipolar

Disorder diagnosis (and believe me, we were all hesitant to diagnose

so young), but want to explore more about the possibilities of the 4-

3-53 strain my brother referred to. I haven't been able to find any

info on it yet through web searches. Since our mother has never been

tested for this or fully diagnosed as Bipolar (though I'm 100%

certain she is, with or without the strain), we don't fully know what

genetic traits, medical issues, or mental disorders have been passed

on to my brother and I, and therefore to our children. So again, I

want to explore these issues to see how they may or may not apply and

decide what areas we may want to test our children in.

My own allergies (been allergy tested about a million times) indicate

strong allergies to grasses, weeds, and molds. I'm constantly

stuffed up, no matter what medications I take, inclduing allergy

shots.

So any insight into the particular DNA strain and or

connections/previous confusions between the DNA strain and bipolar

disorder would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Norm

--- In , " Stacey " <staceycannon27@...>

wrote:

>

> Hello! My name is Stacey and I am United States Vet's SIL (thanks

for

> the referral). I am married and have 2 little boys, and we are

> currently in D.C.

>

> Basically after getting some info from my BIL, my husband and I

have

> become concerned about several issues we have been dealing with.

> This is the rundown...

>

> Husband - has sinus issues, but that is pretty much the extent...

>

> Me - I have asthma, sinus issues (and even had surgery to try to

> help " fix " the problem, am allergic to ALL kinds of degergents. My

> last resort is a mixture of vinegar and water - do any of you have

> any suggestions as to what I can use, because even baby Dreft is

> irritating to me.

>

> My oldest son, Eli, is 4 and due to behavioral issues, anxiety and

> frustration problems, was disgnosed (after lengthy observations and

> hospital stays and visits)as having Pediatric Bipolar Disorder. He

> also suffers from frequent sinus infections.

>

> Chase, my youngest dealt with several health issues as an infant,

but

> now at 17 months seems to only deal with sinus infections as we all

> do.

>

> My main questions are...

>

> 1.How do you " reverse " the sinus damage that has been done, and is

> that even possible?

>

> 2. What do you do to know the difference in a 4 year old if it is

> truly a result of your environment being unhealthy, or if it is

truly

> a mental disorder passed down thru family?

>

> 3. And what the heck can I use to clean my clothing that won't

> irritate me so much?

>

> Thanks! I've already learned a lot from the short time I've been

here

> and the info passed along, and know this will be a helpful place

for

> me in the future!!!

>

[Guest guest]

The fabric balls you are talking about are terrific! I use them all the

time and never use anything else.

Sue

On the fabric softner thing I have found somthing at Sears that has

eliminated this problem for me. They are spiked balls that not only help fluff

up

your cloths but keep out static electricity and have NO odor. They are GREAT..

**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

fuel-efficient used cars.

(http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

[Guest guest]

On the fabric softner thing I have found somthing at Sears that has eliminated

this problem for me. They are spiked balls that not only help fluff up your

cloths but keep out static electricity and have NO odor. They are GREAT..

[Guest guest]

I dont know anything about this sight but this is the first sight brought up by

google and there were many others bt searching " dryer balls " But this will give

you an idea about them and what they look like.

 

http://www.gaiam.com/product/id/1007056.do?gcid=S18376x028 & keyword=dryer%20balls

 

[Guest guest]

Pediatric bipolar disorder?  As a licensed mental health therapist, I am just

cringing.  Please, please use caution with this diagnosis and gain a second

opinion.  As a cognitive behavioralist by choice, I prefer always to look at

relatively " simple " causes for behaviors in children that are problematic.  Diet

and reactions to fabrics or products may sound time-consuming and simplistic,

especially if psychiatric personnel are diagnosing this serious problem, but I

implore you!  Please attempt to find a psych professional who isn't in a hurry

to diagnose and/or prescribe psychotropic medications for a young person.   We

do not fully understand the developing brain--even now--but we do know that

medications often used to mask or dull symptoms can create lifelong challenges. 

Mental health care therapists are always told to rule out any organic causes or

reasons for behavior before even attempting to diagnose a person, even an adult,

with a mental health disorder.  My protocol when I was in private practice was

to conduct a thorough history with the family prior to even seeing the

child/adolescent.  For example, whenever I first was contacted by a worried

parent, I would first fully explore any familial sensitivities/allergies and to

ask the parents to carefully monitor reactions/food/products/times of the day

that symptoms flared.  When I met with families who were struggling with very

young children, I often asked them to videotape the child, as I wanted the full

scope of the day and the events leading to explosive or problematic behavior. 

Seeing a child within the confines of the office or hospital doesn't give a full

picture of the behavior and the cause/effect of actions.  I always

first examinedsensitivities to food/detergents/cleansers/lighting.  Small

children have very sensitive systems.  (One of the caveats in the DSM-IV, our

psychological diagnostic reference tool, warns that due to the lack of

longitudinal studies and adequate research, all providers should exercise

extreme when attempting to diagnose anyone under 18 with certain disorders!)

Good luck to you and please, please always get a second opinion!

Sally

________________________________

From: jill1313 <jenbooks13@...>

Sent: Tue, July 1, 2008 5:59:34 AM

Subject: [] Re: New to the group, intro and questions...

I'm glad if I could help. Use both baking soda and vinegar in

alternate washes and do it a few times. Air dry your clothes. It could

be fabric softeners used by the other people though I don't know why

that would affect the shower. I can tell you some of my stuff has been

ruined by stupidly putting it in a washer that had fabric softener

gook. I wash and wash it but I can't get it out. It can't be gotten

out frankly. It doesn't soften, it coats and sticks. If you look at

the MSDS on fabric softener its frightening.