About Ruud Expertise I can answer all sorts of questions related to hayfever and the effects of different foods on the condition.
Experience I have suffered from various (pollen, mites, dander) allergies since the age of 7, but due to a change in diet, I've managed to suppress almost all of the symptoms.
Question Hello,
I do 20 to 30 minutes of cardio every day before my weight training, (bike, eliptical unit and walking outside...weather permitting) by doing it directly before my weight training, i can keep my heart rate up around 130/135 for the entire workout. I dont mess with protein milk shakes, i very rarely have milk unless i have a bowl of cereal (once in a blue moon). I do eat cheese once or twice a week but thats it. Most of my protein comes from lean steak, chicken, turkey and egg whites. Although i dont have fleas ( ha, ha ,ha), i am really considering the shot in hopes that it'll help me with my shoulder aches, my allergies and my asthma. Is that a good assumption? As you can see, i already do alot of what you recommended, although i didnt know about the issues revolving around meat....thats a new one to me. I need some relief, we are replacing the carpets, but our home is 2500 Sq Ft+ and its not cheap to do this so its not happening right now.
Tell me what you think.
Mike
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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I have severe allergies and i have asthma which i think is caused by allergies. I wheeze most of the day, i exercise regularly and i have sinusitus on a regular basis. I use albuterol in severe attacks and a rescue inhaler sometimes. My nose is always stuffed up and im always sniffling and spitting up nasty stuff (sorry about that). We are going to remove our carpets and go with wood floors, our carpets have been here for 13 years and we have had pets for the whole 13 years so i know there is alot of hair and dander in the carpet. My question is this, will a cortisone shot help with my allergies and my asthma? Also, I have been a weightlifter for 25 years and i suffer from a shoulder problem, i was wondering if a shot of cortisone in the shoulder would solve several problems at once...ie, allergies, asthma and should aches.
Thanks,
Mike
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Hello Mike,
I don't know much about cortisone shots, except that they fight the symptom of something, rather than fight the cause. That's why I don't usually approve of them other than as a last resort in really bad situations. (My dog needed one of those shots, she has terrible allergies to fleas and she had scabs all over. She really needed a break to let the scabs heal. But we control her allergies now with proper diet, lots of bathing and flea sprays, so she's doing really great now.)
Anyway, back to you. You're a weight lifter. While that's excellent exercise, do you also do aerobic exercises like cycling, rowing, aerobics or even something simple as long walks? I assume, to build muscles, you drink a lot of shakes that contain milk. You really ought to not drink milk or consume any dairy products, as they stimulate the production of mucus in your system. (Don't worry about nasty stuff. I'm horribly allergic and in the past I have spat out the nastiest things imaginable. You are very unlikely to gross me out.) In order to get the necessary proteins, eat chick peas, egg whites, lentils, but try not to increase your meat consumption too much. Meat can also contribute to allergy symptoms.
Removing your carpets should do you a world of good, if you're allergic to dander. So I hope that'll help you.
Let me know how you're doing if you decide to change something that I recommended. Take care and good luck.
Answer Hello Mike,
You obviously live a healthy life. But it also seems that you are getting a very high dose of allergens or other things your body considers a toxin into your system.
There are some foods that can help you get rid of toxins in other ways. Leafy green vegetables are very good for that. Cabbage, lettuce, that sort of thing. Eat them as raw as you like.
The reason meat can contribute to allergies is because meat will literally spoil within your body, releasing gasses and other substances that your body will want to get rid of. The body has a number of methods for getting rid of toxins. The most obvious one that most people know about is through the kidneys, they purify the blood and deposit the toxins in your urine. Other, slightly less known ways are perspiration, acne, and of course taking a #2 does a lot. But what a lot of people don't know is that mucus is also a method of clearing your body of toxins. Think of when you get a cold. First you get runny snot, then it thickens and in the end it goes away. The thick snot is basically toxins being expelled out of your body. Now, allergies work the same way. Your body considers the allergens a toxin and will want to get rid of it. In your and my case both, mucus is used to get rid of these toxins, as they are inhaled through nose and mouth and the shortest path back out is also through the nose and mouth.
Mucus is also produced in your body when your general pH levels are too acidic (pH < 7). The excess acidity is compensated by the mucus, which transports the excess acid out of your body. Products that will increase acidity in your body are meats, sugars, dairy, alcohol, that sort of thing. Products that decrease acidity are fruits (even sour ones!), green vegetables. You may also consider drinking green tea or bancha tea. They help cleanse the body.
Anyway, after that novel, I can say that yes, a cortisone shot is likely to help you fight the symptoms, but as I stated before, it is not a cure or a method that should be used regularly.
