All Entries Tagged With: "allergies"
“Happy Wife: Happy Life”
Leslie decided to stop blogging for a while as she made new discoveries about herself and codependency. I took it as an opportunity to take a break also but as she has had several people contact her wanting to discuss symptoms and such I thought it might be time to put my two cents in again. Leslie has been awesome the last couple of months. Earlier in the year I was feeling the pressure and weight of her depression in our marriage. It was making me feel down and incapable of helping the person I really love. I felt overwhelmed and really didn’t know what I should do. What I did know was that our marriage will not be a productive and happy one if we don’t figure out how to overcome this problem. We escaped to Australia earlier this year to spend time with my family. For me it was a time to just do nothing and think about nothing. I was exhausted from work and from Leslie’s depression and other symptoms. Since coming home I believe that Australia trip to be a life changer. Leslie figured out that she was codependent and started to research and learn about it. She has been helping me understand it and watching her come to terms with her life experiences with determination to change the way she thinks has been inspiring. In addition to that she started trying acupuncture as a method to reduce her allergy symptoms. This treatment includes NAET principles of energy manipulation. The way I understand it is that your body is out of balance with things around you causing allergic reactions. Leslie is allergic to everything. Since starting these treatments she has been cured from eggs, milk, lactose and histamine. It makes me so happy to know that my Leslie is going to be able to be free from a vast majority of her allergies over the next few ears as she continues her treatment. In addition to these two different changes in her life there is a significant third- and that’s the sun, it came out.
I asked Leslie a week ago or so if she was depressed and she said no. I would have to affirm that statement. She hasn’t been acting depressed and I haven’t felt it effecting my moods negatively at all. She has been visibly happier which really puts a smile on my face. Is the journey still going to be difficult, you bet but at least we are heading in the right direction. I believe eliminating just 50% of her allergies will increase her ability to manage her depression. With her new found discoveries of codependency she is working at adjusting the way she thinks so she can become mentally stronger. I don’t know the role the sun plays in all of this but I know it helps so bring it on.
I’m hoping to have her completly cured of everthing by Christmas……is that to optimistic?
New Growth
Right now in life I feel a lot like this tree. When we went to visit Tareak’s family in Australia we saw some of the devastation the fires caused. Even though it had only been a couple of months since the fires, there was already life growing from the burnt logs and trees.
I was a burnt tree. There wasn’t any visible life left in me. I couldn’t see the point in trying to repair something that seemed beyond hope. In the past month I have felt the stirrings of life inside of me and it has now sprouted to the point it is visible to others. I am able to get out of bed without any internal resistance. I feel like I have more energy. My relationship with Tareak has significantly improved. Overall I just feel BETTER! So what has changed?
While in Australia I noticed something for the first time. In conversations with others, I had very little to say about myself or my experiences. I did have a lot to say about Tareak though. My curiosity was peaked and I began to do some research. I started seeing words and phrases like, “Codependence”, “White Knight Syndrome”, “Obsessive Love”, “Overdependence”. Basically what I was seeing is that I had a low self-worth. This is different from self-esteem. Because I didn’t see much worth in myself, it became easy to put anything and everything before my own wants and NEEDS. I had convinced myself that by completely focusing on the needs and wants of others I could find self worth and they would value me because I had helped them so much. The more I read, the more I realized this is a serious condition. It is a disease. An addiction. “Oh Great!” I thought, “Just another ailment to add to my list”. I’ve read three books on the subject now, and have learned that while it is a serious condition, it is treatable. This is where the stirrings of hope and new life began.
My allergies this year have seemed worse than usual. During all waking hours I am an itchy sniffly mess. My sister suggested acupuncture for allergies and I thought “Why not? Nothing else is working.” I found an acupuncturist that specializes in getting rid of allergies. I went to my appointment with zero expectations. I found that she actually uses a technique called “NAET” which is a mixture of acupuncture, kinesthetics, chiropractics, etc… Had I researched the technique ahead of time I would have never made the appointment because the results sound too good to be true. I have only had 2 appointment and have been treated for my allergy to eggs and lactose. NAET suggests that most ailments are caused by underlying allergies in the body and if those allergies are eliminated the ailment will clear up. It claims to heal depression, anxiety, OCD, and a huge list of other problems. Had I not seen the definite improvements after my two appointments I would be skeptical, but now I have hope. The idea of being allergy free is more than I ever thought possible.
It is almost summer. We have had a warm and sunny spring. The sun is healing. The sun makes me happy to get out of bed. I have also been taking Vitamin D supplements for a month and have noticed a change in my mood. I don’t know if it is just the weather, or if the Vitamin D is helping, but I have no complaints either way.
Between learning about co-dependence, how to treat my allergies and the healing effects of the sun and Vitamin D, I am feeling good. I still have several books to read on my conditions, but I think I am off to a good start. Hopefully you won’t even recognize me in a few months. Instead of a burnt stump I will be a huge green tree oozing with new life.
Allergies and Depression
I knew it! I recently blogged about my allergies and how they effect my depression. Today I came across this article confirming my suspicions:
The ‘Bless You!’ Blues
A surprising relationship between depression and allergies.
By: Richard Firshein
I treat many patients with allergies and am always surprised by how many complain about feeling depressed yet never make a connection between the two conditions. The fact is that individuals who are prone to allergies are more vulnerable to depression. And not just because their symptoms make them miserable.
There is a unique, undeniable link between allergies and depression. A study in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics monitored 379 students who were depressed and fatigued. They found that 71 percent of those who had ever been diagnosed with depression also had a history of allergies. The worse they rated their depression, the worse their allergies. A review article in the Psychological Bulletin also found a very high prevalence of allergies in people with depression. And individuals with the most common type of allergic reaction, known as Type 1 IgE, are far more likely to get depressed after a bout with the flu than people without allergies.
Sometimes, depression is the only allergic symptom a patient mentions. One young woman complained that she got depressed every September. Of course, this could stem from disappointment at the end of a summer vacation or anxiety at the coming school year. But the cause of her foul mood seemed quite specific and physical: she was allergic to ragweed. Allergy shots cleared up her blues.
Scientists don’t understand the precise mechanism by which allergy might trigger depression, but we do know that a chemical called histamine is released from specialized cells during allergic reactions as part of the body’s immune response. The brain also contains histamine receptors. So when our immune systems release histamines in response to pollen or mold, these histamines might also impact our mood by latching onto brain cells. The connection between the immune and nervous systems is an exciting area of research that is only beginning to be explored.
Of course, allergies aren’t always linked to bad moods, and any time you’re physically ill, you’re likely to feel down. When I treat someone for allergies, I know that as their symptoms improve, their mood will improve, too. I advise patients to avoid allergens like dust and mold, to take allergy shots and to try natural remedies like quercetin, a flavonoid that blocks allergic reactions; nettles, an herb that regulates histamine release; and vitamin C, a known antihistamine.
Allergies are part of a mind-body pathway which we don’t completely understand. Still, there does seem to be some special feedback loop between allergies and mood changes that will become clearer as scientists further explore the chemical connections between our brains and bodies.
It’s That Time Of Year Again
The birds and singing and the flowers are blooming and Leslie is walking around the house with toilet paper stuffed up her nose. Every year from around March-September I suffer from severe allergies. You might wonder what this has to do with depression, but it actually plays a bigger role than you might think.
I need this invention most of the year.
Allergies make me tired. My body is working overtime trying to fight off all the things that make me sneeze and this hard work drains my energy. Unfortunately the allergy medication doesn’t help me out in the energy department. While it might help my itchy eyes and sniffles the number one side effect is drowsiness. I have tried allergy shots, a neti pot, nasal spray and prescription drugs. Each of these remedies provide some relief, but I can still feel the drowsiness weighing on me and pulling me down.
The number one thing I want to do when I’m feeling especially depressed is to sleep. Some days I just feel so tired that it requires all my energy to just breathe in and out. Sleeping provides an escape. Excessive sleeping is a symptom of depression and one that becomes even harder to fight when I am being weighed down with the drowsiness allergies inflict. This past week I have felt extreme temptation to just crawl back into bed after I’ve only been up for a couple of hours, not because my allergies have been horrible, but because the combination of the allergies, medication and depression just make my bed look so desirable. While it would be easy to just climb back into bed and get a few more hours I have resisted. I know that in order to combat my depression effectively I can’t give into all my urges to just crawl into bed and escape life, no matter how tired my body is.