[KO]

AAAAAARG so the wacko wacko allergy season has started as of today with 1 swollen eye and sunglasses at work then I ate Tzaziki sauce Dill is a ragweed so I was itchy and swollen all afternoon.
So basically my usual fun/creative food is going to get really boring and bland in case of allergies
Tomorrow I'm goign to finish up some quiche and have some cottage cheese. . .I'm going to skip the nuts and have flax with my cottage cheese I may or may not do tomatoes.
at least in the NOrtheast we were warned the allergy season was going to be super crazy so if you're sensitive even if you don't usually have food allergies be careful!

[stellarwbz]

I live in Dallas, and I don't know what it is but all summer I have been fine until yesterday. I have been sneezing like crazy and my eyes are so dry and itchy.

[Schmoodle]

I used to have terrible sinus issues but they got so much better once I went on the beach. All this week though I have had a sinus headache.

[zeffryn]

DS and DH were really bad yesterday....poor things....

[beachgal]

Wow, I really feel for you guys! I wish, wish, wish I'd torn out the article, but First had a great little blurb about an herb or homeopathic remedy that works really well for allergy symptoms...said in studies it works better than the allergy meds. Might be worth looking up.

That's awful about dill, KO! I didn't know it was usually in Tzatziki sauce (which I looooove and would easily eat with a spoon...). I make mine with mint. I didn't realize it was a ragweed relative. Someone in the Splenda thread mentioned that stevia is a ragweed relative as well. If that's true, you might want to read labels for SF stuff in the future; it's close to being approved and is going to start showing up in foods in the near future.

I don't have any regular allergies, usually, but I am wildly allergic to mosquito bites. I get these welts that are so painful! My doc prescribed tons of different creams, but nothing ever worked; the only thing that gave me relief was rubbing them with ice cubes...but that's not something you can do all day! Anyways, he mentioned once that I might try taking Claritin, and it does the trick in a pinch! Do allergy meds work at all for any of you?

Schmoo, I have terrible sinus issues, but I find that Tylenol Allergy Sinus works really well. Have you ever tried it? I also love saline sprays (Simply Saline is AWESOME!!!) and think using a Neti pot (more on sinus irrigation here) is fantastic--it helps everytime. In fact, it's supposed to help nasal allergy sufferers too, since it washes away the pollens and stuff that make the problem.

Hope you all feel much, much better very soon!

[Schmoodle]

Laurie, thanks for the suggestions, I have tried them all over the last 30 years. I've had these problems since I was a kid. I had an MRI done once and was told I have very tiny and convoluted nasal passages and a deviated septum. So anything that causes swelling and backup and bingo! headache. My particular favorite of the moment is Excedrin extra strength. I used to use Zicam Sinus a lot and that was pretty good.
BUT it has been SO much better since SBD, which leads me to believe that either insufficient hydration or a food allergy was a huge contributing factor. Even when it does bother me now, like this week, it is not so bad, whereas before I could be out of commission for several days.
And I LOVE my neti pot, although the kids run when they see me pull it out, they think it's totally disgusting. Hey, when you need it, who cares? I have used it a couple times this week.

[beachgal]

Originally Posted by Schmoodle

And I LOVE my neti pot, although the kids run when they see me pull it out, they think it's totally disgusting. Hey, when you need it, who cares? I have used it a couple times this week.

Yeah, DH has a similar reaction. We had some leftover money in a medical account thingy DH uses at work (tax free, but you have to spend the money or you lose it), so we bought an irrigation machine. It's basically like a water pik for your teeth, but it's made for your nose. It's hilarious, but it works like a charm.

Sorry you've gone through all this, hon. My sinuses are similar...but I've had surgery to straighten my septum and to widen the passages (I also had a huge polyp blocking my sinus, so they took that, too). It helped immensely. Hydration is a huge key--the more I drink, the better I feel ( That sounds bad, doesn't it?)

Gross-out alert:
I've found that hot beverages are really helpful...I make them as hot as I can stand to hold in my mouth, then hold each sip up to the roof of my mouth with my tongue and it seems to "melt" the stuff that's stuck in my sinuses. It works.

Hope you feel better soon!

[Schmoodle]

Sounds like our issues are very similar!
Your machine sounds awesome! I would love a high-powered sinus wash. I just have the regular pot. I'll have to look into that.
I opted out on the surgery at least for now, since I am a big chicken, and as I said, things are much better.
I do the hot tea thing too, have spent a fair amount of time hanging over pots of boiling eucalyptus water with a towel over my head, and standing in the shower with the hottest spray blasting onto my face. Oh, and I don't think I'd still be alive without my heating pad!

[cottagebythesea]

My remedy for allergies is totally NOT SBD-friendly, but it's the only thing that works for me, and believe me, I've tried everything! I take a spoonful of local, raw, unfiltered honey every day. It hasn't seemed to effect me as far as setting off cravings, and it has totally relieved my seasonal allergies, so I'm going to continue to use it every day. If you try it, though, you have to make sure it's local honey. It really works!