Month: October 2017

I have been very congested since living in San Francisco. I recently became determined to find out why. I started eliminating foods, I cleaned my house, bought a HEPA air filter and recently a dehumidifier.

Now I remember in the past when I vacuumed the carpet I would sneeze and get more congested.

I got tested for allergies today. They tested me for 43 compounds which include mold, pollens, dogs, cats and dust mites.

Here is what they skin tested me for:

Tree Pollens:

1. Golden Acacia (2-5): 0
2. Alder, Red (12-3): 0
3. Ash, Red/Green (3-5): 0
4. Birch (mix) (3-5): 0
5. Bottlebrush : 0
6. Box Elder Maple (3-5): 0
7. Cedar, Mountain (1-5): 0
8. Cottonwood, Com. (3-4): 0
9. Cypress, Arizona (1-5): 0
10. Elm, American (8-10): 0
11. Eucalyptus: 0
12. Gum, Sweet (3-4): 0
13. Olive Tree (4-7): 0
14. Pepper Tree Species (7-9): 0
15. Mesquite (5-6): 0
16. Mulberry, Mix (3-5): 0
17. Oak, Mix (red,Virg, Live/White) (3-6): 0
18. Sycamore, American (2-4): 0
19. Walnut, Black (4-5): 0
20. Walnut, English (3-5): 0
21. Willow, Black (2-5): 0

Grass Pollens:

22. Bermuda (3-10): 0
23. Johnson Grass (5-9): 0
24. Perennial Rye (4-8): 0

Weed Pollens:

25. Careless Pigweed (5-9): 0
26. Cocklebur (7-10): 0
27. Dock/Sorrel, Mix (4-7): 0
28. Lamb’s Quarter (5-10): 0
29. Mugwort Sage (7-10): 0
30. Nettles (4-8): 0
31. English Plantain (4-7): 0
32. Ragweed, Mix (Giant,Short,West) (8-10): 0
33. Wing Scale (5-10): 0

Mold Spores:

34. Alternaria Tenuis (HS1:10): 0
35. Aspergillus fumigalus (HS): 0
36. Helminthosporium inters (HS): 0
37. Hormodendrum cladospo (HS): 0
38. Penicillium notatum (HS): 0

Epidermals:

39. Cat, Standardized AP: 0
40. American/ German Cockroach mix: 0
41. (HS) AP Dog 1:100 std.: 0
42. Dust Mites, DF 30,000: 4+ (12/31)
43. Dust Mites, DP 30,000: 4+ (11/20)

The zero on the end meant that I was negative. The last two were the positive ones. Dust mites.

I threw out my carpet about a month ago, but there is carpet I can’t throw out which is in the hallways. It’s old and dirty enough and probably filled with dust mites.

I washed the curtains too.

I think the humidity is a problem. Drier places and high elevation places are supposed to be better. I don’t remember having a problem in the Southwest.

There is also mold and apparently dust mites like humidity.

So I am trying to use some dessicants like

• salt
• silica gel
• cat litter (bentonite clay)

I placed these in open containers/tea bags around my room in drawers and in my closet.

Then a few weeks ago I got a small dehumidifier which takes about 16 oz. every 3 days or so out of my small 7×8 room.

This is what the allergy doctors at UCSF suggested to do:

• Use zippered dust mite proof covers for pillows and mattress and box-spring
• Remove feather pillows and down comforters from bed
• Washing sheets/bedding weekly in hot water (140 F) to kill dust mites
• Steam clean or remove wall-to-wall bedroom carpeting
• Remove area rugs
• Dust mites die when the humidity falls below 40 to 50 percent. If you don’t have dry skin or eczema, consider using a dehumidifier if the weather is humid.

+Sinus rinses and a nasal spray (steroid)

Other effects

If you are congested then you can’t breath well. If you can’t breath well then you’ll start breathing through your mouth which is no good and probably the reason why I got 3 cavities (so they said) in spite of eating well, brushing and flossing.

So I have been trying to be more mindful of keeping my mouth closed when sleeping and have even tried taping it closed when I sleep which is tough.

The other problem is a deviated septum which also helps block my nose. I had one surgery in 2006 on it. The ENT doctor gave me a couple of options to consider and showed me with a camera the scar tissue that grew inside after that surgery.

 

Which makes sense as I didn’t really notice any improvement from that surgery.

Working on getting that fixed too.

I decided I would try to keep track of the changes and things that I am experimenting and learning about diet.

I was taking a whole food multi-vitamin then I just went to taking spirulina then around 2009 I stopped. I was thinking do these things really work? But I started to take it again maybe 6 months ago or so when I started the ketogenic diet.

Since then I have added Omega 3 Algae oil, Vitamin D (for my teeth) and just recently Zinc. As mostly a vegetarian I don’t get much omega 3 since I don’t eat fish. I occasionally ate some seafood when I lived in Asia, but not since I lived here.

The highest source of zinc is oysters. I tried oysters once in Xiamen, China in like a green onion sort of pancake. I don’t remember much taste, but it was a bit sandy.

They don’t appeal to me that much so I decided to take a supplement.

I might have been on the lower end for getting zinc, so I decided to try it out on the high end.

Why I am taking zinc?

I read that it helps:

• Allergies
• Prostate
• Warts (I have had these little plantar warts on my feet for years and I tried burning them and duct tape to no avail)
• Prevent injuries
• Anti-inflammation
• Aromatase inhibitor (boosts testosterone/lowers estrogen)

Other changes

I eliminated cucumbers from my diet and some other night shade vegetables that I rarely ate. That was part of the plant paradox book on avoiding certain lectins.

I am trying to stray away from foods that are high in phyto-estrogens. I don’t eat stuff like flax or soy or grains. However, I was occasionally eating tahini which I read was high in phyto-estrogens.

Despite it’s high in that it’s also pretty high in Zinc (aromatase inhibiter which blocks estrogen). So I am not sure, but I’ll stop eating it for now.

Probiotics…

I recently have been making my own kombucha and yogurt. I have been making yogurt from coconut milk/cream and A2 cow’s milk.

Root vegetables & green bananas/papaya

Recently I added some sweet potatoes and taro into my diet. I guess these do I have some phyto-estrogens but nothing compared to soy, flax or sesame.

Apparently green papayas and bananas are better for you because of resistant starch (prebiotic).

Reducing omega 6 from nuts

I guess some nuts have a lot of omega 6 fats in them. Nuts are like my favorite food. I think I may eat too much at times so I am trying to cut back a bit. Omega 6 causes inflammation and pain.

Increasing omega 3

I have been taking algae oil which is high in EPA and DHA and from what I have gathered a better/cleaner source of omega 3 than fish oil.

Omega 3 is supposed to reduce inflammation.

Books I read recently:

• The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Performance
• The Plant Paradox