Guest guest Posted February 3, 2003 Report Share Posted February 3, 2003 - >His asthma almost completely went away, but the hives remained (although >weren't as bad). He's already spent over $1,000 going to doctors >(mds). Any ideas? It remains a mystery! What else does he eat and expose himself to? - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2003 Report Share Posted February 3, 2003 Well, he's not NT and he pretty much went off the elimination diet even though he knows it's a good idea (he's an opera singer, so asthma is a problem). I think he's drinking coffee again (but he went off this on the elimination diet I described before.) Now he's talking about getting a full allergy skin test (amazingly, the md didn't give this to him) but I'm not even sure this is an effective way of finding out what one is allergic to. He lives in NYC, so there's lots of environmental pollutants here as well (as you know, paul). Did I answer your question? ----- Original Message ----- From: Idol Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 1:31 PM Subject: Re: Hives? - >His asthma almost completely went away, but the hives remained (although >weren't as bad). He's already spent over $1,000 going to doctors >(mds). Any ideas? It remains a mystery! What else does he eat and expose himself to? - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2003 Report Share Posted February 3, 2003 > I'm actually posting for a friend who gets hives everyday in the late afternoon/early evening. For an entire month he cut out: > > wheat and most other grains (can't remember which) > dairy > sugar > alcohol > yeast (and all things with yeast in it) > scented laundry products > > His asthma almost completely went away, but the hives remained (although weren't as bad). He's already spent over $1,000 going to doctors (mds). Any ideas? It remains a mystery! > What about caffeine (incl decaf drinks) artificial sweeteners, and fermented foods? Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2003 Report Share Posted February 3, 2003 Yup, he went off these too. He did see a great reduction in all his allergic symptoms, but the hives never really went away. The weird part is that they happen at the same time every day. ****** What about caffeine (incl decaf drinks) artificial sweeteners, and fermented foods? Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2003 Report Share Posted February 3, 2003 > Yup, he went off these too. He did see a great reduction in all his allergic symptoms, but the hives never really went away. The weird part is that they happen at the same time every day. > What does he eat/drink before that time of day? Does he pay a regular visit to the bathroom at the same time - some places have air fresheners in bathrooms which he may be allergic to. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 - >Well, he's not NT and he pretty much went off the elimination diet even >though he knows it's a good idea Hmm, did he _feel_ better while he was on that diet? Or perhaps he didn't tailor it to his needs well enough to notice an increase in energy and other such improvements? Of course, even if he did that might not have been incentive enough to make such a huge change, which is understandable, albeit unfortunate. >(he's an opera singer, so asthma is a problem). I've noticed my voice, which is fairly deep and resonant, is very sensitive to what I eat. Junk will tend to make me hoarse and will reduce the resonance of my voice. He might manage to improve his voice via diet, which might be attractive to him. >Now he's talking about getting a full allergy skin test (amazingly, the md >didn't give this to him) but I'm not even sure this is an effective way of >finding out what one is allergic to. From what I can tell, those are pretty useless. There are plenty of false positives and maybe some false negatives, and it all depends on diet anyway. The more damage you do to your gut, the more foreign proteins make their way past the intestinal lining and the more you'll become allergic to things. Heal the gut, cure the allergies. >Did I answer your question? Well, the most curious thing is that the hives always come at the same time of the day. General diet information isn't enough to try to understand such a phenomenon, but you can't really be his proxy in a situation like this anyway. If he's not willing to eat right, he's probably more interested in taking medications for his allergies (which, BTW, could adversely affect his voice). I hope this wasn't completely useless. <g> - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2003 Report Share Posted February 7, 2003 I agree with everything you said, . Yes, he noticed improved well-being on the diet and only had to use his inhaler every once in awhile, rather than every day. I think he's decided to compromise and eat " right " when he knows he has an important audition or performance coming up. Of course, he's still not sure what eating " right " means for him. Since he took most possible allergens out all at once, he still doesn't know which ones were the biggest offenders. In my mind, if I knew I couldn't have wheat, it would be easier to just not eat that instead of feeling like I had to give up everything yummy (chocolate, dairy, wine, caffeine, yeast, etc, etc.) The doctor was a shyster in my opinion (he paid $700 for an evaluation and then another $500 in lab fees!!) Mind you this is one of those fancy pants doctors on Park Avenue. Pisses me off, frankly. ********************* Hmm, did he _feel_ better while he was on that diet? Or perhaps he didn't tailor it to his needs well enough to notice an increase in energy and other such improvements? Of course, even if he did that might not have been incentive enough to make such a huge change, which is understandable, albeit unfortunate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2003 Report Share Posted February 7, 2003 - >, he noticed improved well-being on the diet and only had to use his >inhaler every once in awhile, rather than every day. Good Christ, he uses it every day? He's heading straight for an early grave! I've gone through periods when I had to use my inhaler every day (or even multiple times per day) and it's ruinous. There'll come a time when the inhaler just doesn't work, or when the rebound kills him. >The doctor was a shyster in my opinion (he paid $700 for an evaluation and >then another $500 in lab fees!!) Mind you this is one of those fancy >pants doctors on Park Avenue. Pisses me off, frankly. Hell, that's cheap compared to some places. Atkins is such a big-wig nowadays that it'll run you a couple grand just to get in the door. It's obscene, but de rigeur. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 8, 2003 Report Share Posted February 8, 2003 I forgot to reply to this at the time.... > >Now he's talking about getting a full allergy skin test (amazingly, the md > >didn't give this to him) but I'm not even sure this is an effective way of > >finding out what one is allergic to. There is a difference between an allergy and an intolerance. Allergies are usually much more severe and immediate reactions, whereas intolerances gradually get worse over time. An allergy test will not detect food or environmental intolerances. For example, no allergy will tell me that I am allergic to yeast or dairy. However, I am intolerant to both. The blood tests for intolerances are different, and probably not available on the NHS. Allergy tests look for IgE in the blood, intolerance tests look for IgG. The cheapest way to find out his intolerances will be an elimination diet, as he has already done. How long did he stick to the diet for? It should be at least 2 weeks. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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