Chicken, turkey, fish, soy, peanuts, beans,

[zargian]

I have had the poultry and whey allergies since I was an infant, but was forced to finish my "chicken soup" before I could go out and play... nobody in my family understood allergies.

I recently (2 years ago) developed the soy, peanut, bean, wheat, and bannanna allergies.  The legumes cause hand pain, the wheat causes skin problems, the bannannas cause muscle soreness and apathy (more than normal).

I know what my allergies are... but I'm running out of food!  Any suggestions on how to TREAT these allergies?  I tried accupuncture and BioSet, neither of them worked at all and cost WAY too much consider I saw no results.

Thanks,

LIVING ON RED MEAT AND LETTUCE

[Halation]

environmental triggers can make pre-existing allergies worse. for example, my salicitate allergies went from basically tolerable to full-on anaphylactic twitching pukefest last year, and it was due to the fact i swam three times a week in a hyperchlorinated public pool. the chlorine started eating my immune system, and the added stress made the existing sensitivites worse.

so consider making your overall environment less stressful to your body - you might find that at least eases symptoms. that means cutting down on chemical exposure - no household cleaning products, no fragrances or perfumes, no makeup, no chemical deodorants, and no laundry detergents with dyes or fragrances added.

i don't have experience with meat-based allergies - though as i haven't eaten red meat for years, i have an acquired intolerance to it, fun. i'm familiar with fish allergies, and i'm allergic to shellfish, but poultry allergies are a new one on me. are you also allergic to eggs? do down pillows and such also bother you?

for my allergies, going on a low-stress diet for a while let my body detox and calm down, and i can tolerate foods now that formerly were problematic. that meant eating... well, rice, mostly, for me. i didn't try much of anything else for about a month, and then worked up to other foods.

you might also consider getting some bloodwork done - the allergy specifically to bananas makes me wonder if there isn't something weird with your potassium level.

[Fiona]

I'm not sure about treating them -- aside from Hal's great advice.

I can offer a resource: there's a magazine called "Living Without" which is aimed for people with food and environmental allergies. I've only paged through it in my grocery store, but I sent one to a friend with the poultry and some wheat allergy and she liked it.

Forgive the humor -- but the "red meat and lettuce" tag on your post made me instantly think "Atkins Diet"!

Fiona

[zargian]

but poultry allergies are a new one on me. are you also allergic to eggs? do down pillows and such also bother you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Down messes me up pretty bad.  Eggs bother me but not nearly as much as chicken.  Egg whites are easier to take than the yolks and if the yolks are not REALLY well cooked my throat swells up immediately.  If they are cooked really well I can tolerate eggs about once a week before my throat starts to get irritated with every bite.  A very interesting, and personal, symptom is... well... my huevos start to ache if I eat too many eggs... I don't get it!

I have eliminated damn near everything I can at one point or another and try to eat whole foods with a minimum of added colors, chemicals, etc.  I am pretty much on the Atkin's diet by default.... but I still love potatoes, fruit, coffee, and beer.

Thanks for the suggestions and input.