Allegic rhinits
forum post
Hi Everyone
I have a 10 year old who is allergic to the cat that we have in the house. Not crazy allergic, mind you. She has slightly inflamed eyes: they don't itch or water. Runny nose: not all the time for some reason..when it does run it is clear. She sneezes a few times when she wakes up in the morning. She can pat the cat, and accidentally touch her face afterwards, and it doesn't seem to bother her. Go figure.
She is VERY allergic to dogs, tho. We don't have on. Obviously. She breaks out in hives and has trouble breathing. I tend to think that this dog problem is more of whats bothering her than the cat. You see..when she goes to school she is in contact with a hundred kids all of who have dogs. When a friend comes here..who has a dog..they have to change their clothes at home and not come into contact with their dog before they come her. Found that out the hard way when she started wheezing after a friend was here for a couple hours (has 2 dogs) Thats when I discovered she can't even come in close contact with the clothes of someone who has a dog. She starts sneezing, and rubbing her nose when a dog passes by her too close in the park.
On occasion she will start wheezing and get all phlegmy. Doc. refers to it as "allergy induced asthma" He always wants her on an inhaler, but I refuse. I have a product here called "Clear Lung by Ridgecrest Herbals" Works like a charm to clear up her mucous/wheezing..the only thing I noticed, which I don't care for in this product is that it contains dong quai. When she takes it for up to a week, she will start to get breast area tenderness, and she will start to sprout breasts. When I take her off...breasts disappear. Must find something that works as good as this without nasty side effects.
She has been on umpteen different remedies all to no avail. They either don't work at all, or work for a while and then stop or make her problem worse.
She is currently taking Vitamin C 500mg, 1 garlic oil cap, 1 b-complex 50mg, 1 calcium 600mg with added magnesium/vit D/zinc/manganese/copper, 1 quercetin/bromelain cap, 1 flaxseed oil cap 1000mg. She has a cup of nettle or eyebright tea at bedtime. She used to take a homeopathic remedy from A. Vogel called Pollinosan. Worked great for a while then stopped. I started giving them to her again the other day, to see if maybe they would work again. Some combo has got to work.
She has taken claritin/reactin/aerius/singulair/nasonex nasal spray. These have all either given her: stomach pain/headache/nosebleeds/stabbing chest pain/nauseau. I don't know what to do for her already. Getting rid of the cat is not an option. I know many people can live with their pets, and have allergy symptoms five times worse than hers. I stumbled across this site from a Dr. Weil newsletter than I get. Someone was asking about a product you carry called...Te Xiao Bi Min Gan Wan. Of course, this got me interested...and here we are. Thank you for any help and insight you can provide me.
Have a great day...sorry for the length of this
Kwabakitty
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comment by "kwabakitty"
on Apr 2010
Hi
She normally does have a good diet high in fruits and veggies..more garlic than she would care to have :D. I started supplementing with the flaxseed caps as getting her to take the flaxseed sprinkled on her food every day was getting to be a pain in the butt. As a rule, I don't normally fry a lot of things which require oil, but when I do its usually with canola (i know not that great) and EV olive oil. She also does eat a wide variety of nuts and seeds for her REALLY good oils and omegas. She is not a big fan of meat..neither am I so I don't force the issue. I was a practicing vegan for about 5 years, so I have a good idea how to work around the no meat/protein issue. Did I mention she absolutely ADORES beans. Throw some salsa on them and she's good to go :D
She is also not a milk fan. Only soy milk for her. She will occasionally eat dairy yogurt and even more rarely ice cream. Her dad always brings cheese home, and I really haven't met a kid yet who will turn their noses up at a grilled cheese.
Regarding the supplements I am giving her...I've read quite a bit on them and it has been suggested that especially vit. C and quercetin have a good effect on someone with allergies. Oh and the b complex as well. The calcium I give, well, becuz I take them as well as my other girls.
I did try to get her to see an acupucturist, but they refuse to treat her unless I get rid of the cat. At that point you must know what I said to that. The reason being...as I mentioned earlier...was that I'm beginning to suspect her allergic state of health is having to do more with all of the kids she is in such close contact with at school. Of which....I have no control over.
Guess I will have to keep searching for something to help her. Can't afford a homeopath as they charge about $100/hour over here. I have a friend who has seen various ones...and they just looooove to drag out those sessions. :( I went to see one a number of years ago for EXTREME morning sickness that would not let up, and she just kept piling on the different bottles of supplements that made me poorer and poorer, sicker and sicker....excruciating stomach pain and more vomiting. I was eventually hospitalized and placed on IV fluids for a week. I think it was amazing I never miscarried. The friend I mentioned earlier had the same results..but with different person. Obviously we both stopped seeing homeopaths as it seems to us they are only in their line of work for the money.
What I would like to know is how these supplements I give her "complicates her immune system" If anything...she seems to be a bit better since she has been on them. Not great, but somewhat better. I have stopped them before just to see and she is worse. I just need to find the right combo. Yikes.
Calcium is problematic??? Since when shouldn't a person...women in particular, take calcium??? Holy cow. If it wasn't for those blasted calcium supplements the once a monthlies at my house would be a living hell. I have 4 girls. As well as myself. We all notice and agree that once the calciums were started hardly any period cramping. They are a life saver. We don't ever intend to stop those.
Hmmm...what to do...what to do. Back to square one again...RATS.
kwabakitty.
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comment by "ChadD" (acupuncturist)
on Apr 2010
The general answer to your question is that these are treatable conditions and your daughter should be seen by an acupuncturist locally. It is much easier to treat these conditions at an early age rather than later. They may or may not use herbs in conjunction with acupuncture.
A few more details. One the formula, Te Xiao Bi Min Gan Wan, is quite helpful but it is best to have her be seen by someone locally if at all possible first. The formula itself is meant to aid the underlying issues instead of masking symptoms like most medications. Generally side effects are non-existent and you don't feel medicated or cloudy while you are taking the formula. We usually use it at full dose (adjusted appropriately for children) until the symptoms stop then on an as needed basis if necessary. We've taken many people from lifelong allergy sufferers that take western meds daily to using nothing at all and only needing treatment and/or herbs maybe once or twice a year.
The next thing I'll have to say illustrates my strong biases against unnecessary and unproven supplementation (and dangerous in our opinion). I would take her off all the supplements - they are unnecessary and -may- (again in our opinion) complicate the functioning of her immune system. It's just too much for the body and calcium in particular can be problematic. Just eat some garlic, have some good oils, and eat generally whole foods.
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