How to deal with THIS?

[Bonhomme]

OK, for once I'm actually asking for advice :/.

I have some severe food allergies and chemical sensitivites that have serious mental health symptoms, and when I'm in the throes of a reaction, I'm way, way "off," to the point of being an unconfident, neurotic and insecure way below average chump. At that point, nothing can be done about it: just have to ride out the storm. Just breathing the wrong chemical (including some perfumes and colognes) or having the wrong food be an incidental ingredient or contaminant in something I eat can mess me up for a day or 2. Any sort of medications do nothing but "turn the volume down": including my best aspects, and simply make me dull.

The problem comes down to what is worse: being a trouper and making a bad impression as a dorky AFC or having to turn down invitations all too often? Usually I just stay home and do some work, saying "I'm not feeling well," "I have too much work to do," or some such, but this disappearing act has happened with such bad timing it's destroyed a lot of opportunities. I don't think the inconsistency goes unnoticed, either.

I used to think it was a "no brainer": definitely better to stay home than be seen at my worst, but now I wonder if cancelling so often makes the same kind of "chicken/chump" impression? Is it worse to be a flake or a dork? The fire or the frying pan?

This is a definite problem in the dating world, where people magnify negatives a millionfold. I defintely have to "strike while the iron is hot," if I can stay "together" long enough at a time to even manage that.

Or perhaps it's just best to be upfront about it all, and tell any dating prospect straightaway that sometimes I'm "off," on account of this condition. But again, people magnify negatives...

 

[legolas]

Do some research on Candida Albicans. You seem to have many symptoms that are generally related to Candida overgrowth like food sensitiveness, chemical sensitiveness, etc. Doctors don't really realize that Candida could wreak havoc in your system if overgrown, but if you've ever been on long courses of antibiotics, I would almost guarantee that you have it.

Check out these sites: http://customprobiotics.com/candida.htm
http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/candida/index.html
and here as well http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/candida.html

 

[Bonhomme]

Good advice, but I've already been there, done that, got rid of it. Yes, the onset of the severe symptoms followed a course of antibiotics when I had mono (if that ain't malpractice, I dunno what is -- but I discovered it too late to sue).

Even worse, I had a gut-damaging bacterium called hemolytic E. coli, which was much, much more difficult to get rid of than Candida. I think that caused a "leaky gut," which resulted in absorption of incompletely digested proteins, which my immune system developed antibodies against, which resulted in allergies to all the protein foods I was commonly eating at the time. In fact, the bacteria even got into my bloodstream. One med student I knew wondered how I was even functional. I suspect the chemical sensitivities in turn resulted from the "system overload" caused by all those problems going on at one time.

I think a lot more people have these sort of things going on than realize it. A lot more people.

Good of you to bring that up, Legolas, for the sake of the other guys who might be reading this.

 

[legolas]

Looks like leaky gut did you in man. I'd say go with some probiotics anyway, eventually the body will cleanse itself. I think you need an inside-out purging of these toxins. I was reading on the custom probiotcis page about leaky gut syndrome that probiotics do help, but I have no personal evidence to tell you of. I have simply become my own doctor recently given that the morons who pump us full of drugs have no clue as to what it going on. Many mental diseases are nutrition related than most people realize.

But to answer your original question, never show people weaknesses or they will exploit them somehow at some point.

 

[Bonhomme]

Yeah, did that too. And still take a good probiotic supplement (typically a multi-strain, high-potency one, such as Jarro-dophilus or Doctor-dohilus) before almost every meal.

The inital big implantation was quite an undertaking: imagine eating nothing but a mix of live sauerkraut (made with a whole bottle of probiotic powder), with pro-biotic friendly spirulina (for protein), jerusalem artichoke flour (for carbs), and essential fatty acids (for fats) for 2 days straight! Lots of anti-gas capsules, too, as you might imagine. But it worked, and at the end I had me a new gut.

Most everything's gotten way better with time, but the food allergies have improved the least of all. May just have to live with them for a long. long time ...

Point about showing weakness is well taken. But in a sense, it's taken a great deal of strength to deal with this. When people become aware of the diet (which is inevitable if I get to properly know them), they almost invariably wonder how I can manage to stick to it...

 

[Bonhomme]

105 views, 1 response (good advice to do things it turns out I've already done), and 2 votes. Hardly a sample of any statistical significance. Guess everyone else finds this just as puzzling as I do.

Thanks, legolas, for possibly educating some of the folks here who may be traveling in the same circle of hell.

What do I plan to do? Any one of the choices, or even something different. Depends upon the situation ...

 

[penkitten]

i think you should go to the dr and have them find out what is wrong with you.

 

[Bonhomme]

Been there, done that too, penkitten.

That's the food allergies were diagnosed, though I sought out a doctor who does them after seeing a fellow who had a printout of his results. I was determined to heal, come hell or high water, and had done a lot of "homework."

(BTW, it was the Elisa blood test, which is the only good food allergy test I know of: skin tests can only sometimes pick up the most severe food allergies).

All I know is that it was like coming out of a bad acid trip when I pulled all those foods from my diet. It was a very, very strange thing to experience true clarity for the first time I could ever recall. Very strange.

When that cleared up I began to notice the chemical sensitivities, which I'd already read about. Exposure to those chemicals brought back the "brain fog" and neurological issues until I detoxified. Had to wear an air filtration mask in most public places. I suppose my former state of being constantly in the throes of allergic reactions was too consitently messed-up to discern the signal through the noise, so to speak, so it was only when I was improved that I was able to notice the chemical sensitivities.

Over time that has gotten much better. But beyond a certain point of exposure, it hits "overload," and the circuitry goes haywire.

Do searches on "food allergies" and "multiple chemical sensitivity," along with the "candida" mentioned above. There's tons of info online, which may even apply to your children if they have any issues.

Right now, as long as I avoid the allergic foods and keep the exposures below overload level, I'm just fine. Better than ever, in fact. But I'd rather heal than just mask symptoms while the body and mind break down.

 

[legolas]

Still my question is, did you fully get candida under control, and how did you make sure it was gone? As far as I've read, there aren't any fool-proof tests, although there are some antibody tests. I have also read about the brain fog you mention, as related to a severe candida infection with thrush (white coating) in the tongue etc.

I've suffered with chronic halitosis for a good period of my life too, and I know it precipitated several courses of antibiotics. Only recently have I seen it linked to possible candida infection, and a simple spit test (not 100% accurate though) tested postive. I keep it under wraps with a peroxide mouthwash I make myself, but am also trying several probiotics to fight it from the inside. I'd say keep on the probiotcs. It seems that custom probiotics has the highest concentration of CFUs (colony forming units) per capsule at 25 billion.

I have also read about Apple Cider Vinegar and all the benefits it has on the body, especially in balancing the pH from acidic to alcaline. It is been said that an acidic body (usually the blood) is a perfectbreeding ground for all kinds of horrible bugs. The earth clinic has tons of user comments about ACV and its benefits. Don't know if you've tried that. It aslso seems that heavy metals in the body like Mercury or Lead can cause these kinds of things. I read an article yesterday in the Boston Globe about how vaccination of kids with vaccines that contain high doses of Mercury can cause severe brain damage and autism. There has been an increase in rates of autism in kids recently due to these vaccinations which are kept in Mercury.

 

[MacAvoy]

But to answer your original question, never show people weaknesses or they will exploit them somehow at some point.

I agree with Legolas never to show your weakness. However what I would recommend is trying NLP. Now given the severity of your problems, it isn't going to be easy. But NLP can be a VERY powerful tool, your mind is the most powerful thing in your life. If you can learn to harness it properly, you can overcome just about anything.

However I can't stress enough that you have to have the right attitude. And that is what NLP is all about. Kinda similar to the book "Think and Grow Rich". Medicine will only help you control your problem so much, you have to use your mind to do the rest. NLP can be the medium to help you overcome this. However you have to really want it, believe in it and give it everything you got.

And of course, its not a get rich quick scheme, its something that takes alot of work and investment in terms of your time.

 

[Vulpine]

Don't trust me or my advice, I'm not your doctor.

I can't hold back any longer.... here's some food for thought.

This is why I don't go to the doctor. The brain is a powerful thing. Consider the matrix... if you die in the matrix, you die in real life.

If you imagine you are sick, you become sick. If someone tells you that you are sick, you (if you weren't actually) become sick, if you believe them. It's the power of suggestion. You go to the doctor, he says that he thinks you are depressed, prescribes a bunch of drugs for you, and now what? You're shelling out hundreds of dollars for meds, become broke, and now you ACTUALLY have depression because you're broke and it sucks. Then he tells you about some side effects, you start paying attention, and lo and behold "I feel upset stomach!". So you go back to the doctor (the one who gave you meds that upset your stomach), he switches your meds to more expensive ones, now you're even more depressed, so he ups the dosage and adds even more.... All the women in my family were diagnosed with "chronic depression". One was diagnosed, convinced the others to get checked, they got diagnosed, and now they all sit around during holidays and boo-hoo about which meds they are on and the costs. Depression....psssf. Never mind that all of them had sh!tty lives with sh!tty husbands, were broke, kids were leaving home, parents were dead/dying... never mind depressing elements of their lives. No, no. They have a chemical imbalance is what the doctor told them. Duh, they were depressed, you didn't need to measure chemicals to figure it out. Let's add some other chemicals to the mix!

People and their perceived illnesses drive me bonkers. Listen, if you believe whole-heartedly and honestly that something will cure you, it will. For example, dumbo and the feather. I've seen this crap work many, many times. How do you think faith healers work? People BELIEVE. Just as people thought they were sick, they think the faith healer will cure them. PRESTO! Magic? No, mind over body.

Before I offer a magic solution to all your problems, let me offer a scenario. I've been on the Atkin's Diet for a little over two years now. Yes, it gets a bad rep because it takes a certain restraint that people just don't have. So, the people fail, stay fat, and bad-mouth the diet because "it didn't work". Where, in reality, the people failed the diet, the diet didn't fail them. That being said, the diet is basically reducing your food options to near caveman levels. Meat, cheese, eggs, nuts, leafy vegetables. That's about it. No MSG, no french fries, no hydrolzyed soy protein, no high fructose corn syrup, etc. My body has become so ultra-proficient at digesting animal proteins it's freaky. I can sit down for dinner, eat a half-pound of cheese, 10 eggs, and wash it all down with a half gallon of milk. I won't fart once and I'll have a completely regular movement the next day. (TMI, sorry, but it's relevant.) Now, I went out the other day and someone treated me to some fast-food. My body doesn't have ANY tolerance for food bourne bacteria from unsanitary conditions anymore because I don't subject myself to processed foods. Within the hour, hot, frothy jets of liquid fire blasting like Mt. St. Helens through a screen door. (Graphic TMI, but it's relevant) My body didn't care for that garbage and purged it. Shame on me for inviting that crap into my temple, that's what I get. FYI, I've lost close to 70lbs and nearly have a washboard stomach for the first time in my life. I'm 5'8", and 30.

As for you guys, I'm extremely interested to find out just what your eating habits are. A bag of Dorito's, a six-piece McNuggets, and wash it down with 3 or 4 Mt. Dew's for dinner? Don't forget to take your snake oil ice cream for desert. Consider the crap that you put in your body that wasn't meant to be there! Syphillus to boost microbe counts? You are so far beyond fixing with the chemical ****tails you consume - prescribed by your docktors no less - that it's no small wonder that your bodies can't stabilize/equalize/normalize.

So before you get all defensive, I'll offer my magic cure. And consider it HEAVILY before you reply.

Your bodies need to detoxify. What's the best way to do it? Fasting.
Nothing but water, water, water for seven days. I've read about the garlic variation where you have one fresh clove of garlic for breakfast, one for lunch, and one for dinner. After reading more about the miraclulous powers of garlic and ginseng, I'd suggest picking one or both as "magic feathers" to use with your fasts. Blow that crap out of your bodies and don't ask the doctor if it's okay, he'll tell you that your kidneys will fail and your eyes will bleed and offer you some meds for having such crazy thoughts.

Don't bother replying with "but I'm sick, the doctor said so!" and "the tests proved..." because it will be wasted on me. If you want to believe you are sick, you are suckers. You are suckers for buying into the whole pharmaceutical hustle. The sicker you are, the better consumers you are. Every time you see the doctor... you pay. Every time you need a test.... you pay. Every time you go to the drugstore to pick up the latest and greatest... you pay. Pay pay pay pay pay and for what? To get better? To be ashamed of yourself for being a shut-in because you are convinced that you are a basket case? They have a word for over obsessing about your health.... hypochondria. You don't need a bubble, you need a different hobby. Our society of comfort has us believing that there is a drug for anything that discomforts us. Limp willy? Viagra. Hate your life? Prozac. Don't want to pay attention to stuff that bores you? Ridlin.

My mother took me into the doctor and had me tested for allergies when I was younger. I tested positive for nearly all of the skin tests, tested positive for asthma, all sorts of tests came up positive. You know what? I have sensitive skin. You scratch my skin and put some junk in there, my skin freaks out. (DUH?) If I wear anything cheaper than gold or titanium against my skin, it get a rash. If my laundry detergent has detergents/dyes/perfumes... my clothes give me a rash. I've never once had an asthma attack. My body wasn't made to wear metal, wear clothes, or eat/drink chemicals. I'm a cave man. A cave man that can't remember the last time he was sick, or what it was that he called "sick".

:cuss: "Multiple chemical sensitivity?" Are you fuxing kidding me? Gee, let's see, if I drink a fifth of vodka, smoke a pack of cigarettes, eat some shrooms, pop about 5-10 hits of E, and shoot some heroin into the corners of my eyes, what's going to happen? I'll experience some "multiple chemical sensitivity". COME ON YOU GUYS! Pull your heads out of your aces and think.

Think about it. Think about cave men. Think about 115 year old Japanese people - what did they eat their whole lives? Big Macs? Probiotics? Kraft Maccaronni and Cheese? No.... fish, rice, vegetables, more fish, more rice. More importantly, how often did these 115 year-old Japanese people visit the doctor?

Do the fast. Stop pumping goofy chemicals intor your body. Then, eat whatever you please. Then, when the food you ate makes you sick, don't eat it again. You don't need a damn doctor to tell you it's bad for you. If you go to a restaurant, and the food makes you sick, don't eat there again. You don't need a damn doctor to tell you it's bad for you. If you are seeing a woman and she makes you unhappy, dump her. You don't need a damn doctor to tell you it's bad for you. Broke? Get a job... don't wait for a doctor to tell you something silly like "You're broke, have you considered getting a job?"

Doctors guess. Doctors mess up. Doctors prescribe placebos. Doctors make a lot of money for guessing and messing up. When doctors are caught messing up, it's called malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies provide special things to special doctors that prescribe special drugs. When you aren't buying what the doctor is selling, they refer you to a psychiatrist to prescribe special drugs to you. Please wake up people. Look at corruption in politics, corruption in business, and consider how many countries have standardized health care. Why don't we? Capitalism. Healthy people are bad for business.

I'll leave you with this:

CLEAN LIVERS HAVE CLEAN LIVERS

 

[legolas]

Fasting is a really good idea, in fact my grandparents would drink water with some kind of salt for an entire day, until it came out clean. They would do it about twice a year. Fasting for a week with nothing but water could be too much!! I've also read about fasting with carrot juice too. And by the way, probiotics have been around for ages. My GPs ate yoghurt for dinner every single night, and they didn't have any major diseases.

 

[Bonhomme]

I happen to eat an extremely healthy, mostly organic, mostly whole food diet. I avoid trans fats like the plague (which they are). Yes, detoxification is very important, and undoubtedly all the toxic stuff I was inadvertently taking in (including many perfumes, "air fresheners," {which are highly toxic}, household chemicals, etc.) contributed to the problems. Never had any substance abuse problems, always just this side of "straight edge."

I'm on the skinny side, and have made a effort to gain weight, so I prefer to keep my daily diet clean, rather than to fast. At one point I was 135 lb at 6'1" (now in the 180s). It has worked wonders. But the chemical sensitivities and food allergies are definitely not a figment of my imagination. Believe me, I've often attempted to psyche myself into thinking certain foods I miss like hell are OK, but usually get bit in the azz pretty bad when doing so. A few foods have become less reactive with time, but not as many as I was hoping.

And the chemical sensitivity being a "figment of my imagination" is totally inconsistent with the obervation that I react way worse to certain chemicals and scents that most people find innocuous or even pleasant than to other chemicals (such as chlorine bleach) that are considered much more "toxic." That inconsistency of reactions rules out the possibility it's psychosomatic.

As for the Candida, I don't react to or crave sugary foods, and I do occasionally take graperfuit seed extract for a bit every now and then, without apparent "die off" reactions, so I think that one's been whupped.

Time to eat some organic buffalo meat with artichoke stew ... Yummmmm~~~~

 

[Cesare Cardinali]

Health forum.

 

[Bonhomme]

This post has been hijacked into health forum territory, but it was originally about how to manage dating in light of the health problems. Probably fits best in the DJ forum, but I wanted mature responses.

 

[Vulpine]

Find some sort of chatroom for folks with your same problems and meet women with the same dietary concerns.

 

[mrRuckus]

The problem comes down to what is worse: being a trouper and making a bad impression as a dorky AFC or having to turn down invitations all too often? Usually I just stay home and do some work, saying "I'm not feeling well," "I have too much work to do," or some such, but this disappearing act has happened with such bad timing it's destroyed a lot of opportunities. I don't think the inconsistency goes unnoticed, either.

I used to think it was a "no brainer": definitely better to stay home than be seen at my worst, but now I wonder if cancelling so often makes the same kind of "chicken/chump" impression? Is it worse to be a flake or a dork? The fire or the frying pan?

I bet you come off as Clark Kent. You always disappear in order to go save hot ladies.

 

[mrRuckus]

Consider the matrix... if you die in the matrix, you die in real life.

Wow that is where i stopped reading =p

 

[blabla]

Have you tried one of those cleansing diets? Where you just eat this mix of maple syrup, lemon juice for food and use laxitive teas. Then your body starts ejecting all this wierd toxic **** when you go to the pooper, the tounge starts getting pretty nasty, excreting all this other **** too. You stop after your clear and nothing nasty is comming out or 40 days have passed. While your doing this, you don't feel hungry or anything, but your not %100 to do intense workouts and such. I first read about it here on this fourm and the guy said that he cleared his seasonal allergies by doing this. (do a search...) You might give it a try, it could fix your problem. (Plus food would be cheap for a while )

(BTW, you dont start stinking or anything like that, its like pooping normally, and if you brush your teeth twice a day and use a tounge scrapper you should be fine)