Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Posts Tagged ‘Allergies’

Sneezing, Itching, and Being Stuffy

Posted by terrepruitt on November 16, 2013

I have allergies, hay fever some people call it.  It is there all year round, but worse or “more active” during specific times of the year.  Spring is a really sneezy time of year.  Also anytime it rains and then there is sun right after.  Also when it first starts to rain in the winter.  And for about 10 years, during the month of March and the month of October, I can barely be around my cat.  Just 30 seconds in her vicinity will set me off on a sneezing jag.  The months that I am hyper sensitive to her have fluctuated the past three years.  At this time, mid-November, I am having some lengthy sessions of sneezing after I get my snuggles in.  As far as I know I have always been sensitive to cats and dogs, but that doesn’t stop me from having one and wanting one.  It is just something I deal with.  I used to take a combination decongestant-antihistamine every night, but now it is so difficult to get one.  I feel as if I am a criminal by having to go to the pharmacist and be registered.  Forget that.  After they made it annoyingly difficult I would just purchase the antihistamines and for a long time I took that every night.  Then I stopped.  Now I just take it when my nose is so raw from rubbing it and sneezing that it hurts when I touch it.  A few months ago I had a thought during one of my multi-sneeze sneezing jags.  I thought I would ask you guys about it.  Can a gluten sensitivity present as hay fever?

I have been resistant to jumping on the band wagon and claiming I have a sensitivity to gluten.  I know many people who have obvious and more annoying symptoms.  I know that a sensitivity and actually being allergic to gluten/Celiac Disease is very serious so I never really thought that my sneezing, congestion, itchiness, and inflammation could be because of a gluten sensitivity.  But now I am thinking about it.  Could it be?

If the wheat that is in our food supply and food “stuffs” is something that is barely related to the wheat of the past and it it being blamed for all types of health issues and primarily inflammation in the body it would make sense that gluten or wheat is causing allergy symptoms.  Could it be the gluten is causing the allergy symptoms?

Or maybe the gluten is causing other “issues” (such as inflammation) in my body that does not allow my body to fight off the offending pollens so I end up having allergy attacks.  Hmmmm . . . .That could be it.

But . . . . one of the reasons I had not linked it to gluten is I usually am ok in air conditioning.  Hmmm . . . I just thought of that . . . . I have not been in air conditioning that much lately.  When I am teaching a Nia class and I can turn the air on, it seems better.  See, it is really difficult to pinpoint.

What do you think?  Do any of you have issues with “hay fever”?  Do you think it is tied to gluten?  Have you don’t any type of experimentation?  Does anyone have this issue?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Put A Little Strut In It

Posted by terrepruitt on July 13, 2013

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoI have allergies. I’m allergic to things outside, things inside, and things around. I cannot breathe through my nose at night especially when I sleep. My nose gets too stuffed. When my mouth hangs open all night long it gets dry and my throat hurts. So I sleep with a cough drop in my mouth. This does a few things, sometimes it helps a little with the “stuffy”, it helps sooth my throat, and/or it helps me keep my mouth shut which is great because I don’t even want to think about . . . . (spiders, shhhh!). Not too long ago I was doing a quick stop at a shop after one of my Nia classes and I saw that there was a bag of cough drops on sale. They were honey-lemon. Whatever . . . I was hoping they wouldn’t be to icky. Turns out they weren’t icky at all. I liked them. So the next time I was in the store they were still on sale so I bought two bags. I was using them when halfway through one of the bags I actually looked at one of the wrappers. Well, I’ll be . . . I was happily surprised to see little motivational sayings on each wrapper. How cute is that? Halls has a PEP TALK IN EVERY DROP™.

I think that is pretty brilliant. It made me smile. Then I was thinking that most people use cough drops when they are not feeling well, so these could really be little pick me ups. I know there are tags on some tea bags that have nice little sayings, I’ve seen that, but I hadn’t noticed the sayings on the wrappers of these cough drops right away. I like it!

I like all of the sayings, but some I like more than others. My favorites are:

~Put a little strut in it!Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo
~Elicit a few “wows” today.
~Bet on yourself.
~Hi-five yourself.
~Don’t waste a precious minute.
~Don’t wait to get started.
~Flex your “can do” muscles.

You know that I would LOVE the strut one. To me strut is like “spirit” or “pep” and I like putting that into it! Strut into the dance of life! And, really, who wouldn’t want to elicit “wows”, right? Well, I guess there are some “wows” out there that are a result of some odd things, but I am thinking of the of positive masterful “WOWs”. Those two are my favorite of my favorites.

Such a simple thing for a company to do. I know — as I said — they are not the only ones to do it nor, I imagine, the first ones to do it, but I still think it is cool. Sometimes it is the little things. Ha, and speaking of little things, the latest bag I bought . . . the cough drops are SMALLER than they used to be. Sigh.

So yeah, a simple thing, but for me sometimes it is the simple things. Things that make you smile. Things that make you want to strut or wow someone. Or good reminders, like “Don’t waste a precious minute.”

Don’t you think this is a nice idea? Which saying would you pick as a favorite?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Itch-less QUICK

Posted by terrepruitt on May 16, 2013

Recently I was doing some quick cleaning. As I started I felt an itch on my arm but I had just started cleaning and I was on a roll so I didn’t want to stop and look so, I kept cleaning. I have kept my box of essential oils on my coffee table for ease of use, so as I was moving them to clean the table I remembered that one of them states it helps with bug bites. I assumed without looking at my arm that it was a bug that had bit me.  It kept itching! So I decided to sit down to find the one that helps.  I had to read every bottle. I don’t yet know which oil does what so I have to read each bottle each time I want to use one. I found it. It is Eucalyptus Oil. I put it on the spot and the itch stopped instantly.  IMMEDIATELY!!!!! I was a little taken a back. It was amazing. I tipped the bottle onto my arm again. I wanted that effect to last!

According to the bottle it says:

“Fantastic on skin ailments such as burns, blisters, wounds, insect bites, lice and skin infections, as well as to combat the effects of colds and the flu. There is also a history of Eucalyptus essential oil being applied to sore muscles and joints.”

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaI thought it was pretty cool that I remembered an essential oil would help with the bite.  I also thought is was really cool that it took the itching away instantly.  I am not sure if the swelling went down and the bite disappeared faster, but I do know the itching stopped and that is huge to me.  I mean I have had bites before and because they continue to itch I continue to scratch them and I know that does not help them go away any faster.  So this was great to me.

Other common uses for eucalyptus oil are for allergies, asthma, bronchitis, congestion, cough, emphysema, hay fever, pneumonia, and poison ivy.

I have not tried Eucalyptus Oil for any of the other things listed on the bottle.  I have also not tried if for most of the things listed as common uses.  I usually just breathe it in.  I have allergies and hay fever, so I think of it as helping clear my sinuses a bit.

As to the other uses I can not attest, I am not an essential oil expert nor a medical professional.  I am not stating here that eucalyptus oil will assist with or cure any of the issues as stated under common uses or any of the things on the bottle.  I am just here telling you what I used it for and how amazed I was at the result.  It was great.  The itch was gone!

Eucalyptus oil is also associated with opening and/or balancing the Heart Chakra as I mentioned in my post Chakras and Single Essential Oils, you can read that post by clicking here.

So there you have one of my experiences with essential oils.

How about you?  Have you had an experience with eucalyptus oil you want to share?

Posted in Essential Oils, Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Nia First

Posted by terrepruitt on June 8, 2011

This is a Wednesday “place holder” post.  I am going to teach my San Jose Nia class first then do my Ten Minute Workout.  Yes, I know it is only ten minutes, that is the beauty of it.  But I like to make sure I have all my “toe strength” (sounds silly, I know) for my class.

But I am posting so that YOU, Dear-Wonderful-Loyal-Reader/Exerciser, have a place to comment that you have done or not your ten minute workout.

When I have done mine I will post/edit/comment (not sure what yet).

Thank you and have a GREAT day!

_____________________________________

I posted this as a comment, but then I decided to put it in the body of the post.  I just copied the comment with the date and time:

June 8, 2011 at 5:07 pm

Very late in the day, but I did it.  I finally resorted to taking an allergy pill.  I took something I had not taken before — Allegra (don’t worry I didn’t take it with fruit juice).  Like most medicines for allergies it makes me feel very, very, very lethargic.  But, I did it.  I was REALLY mellow on the lunges, I didn’t do them as I wanted to when I put them in this workout.  I am respecting my toes.

Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Skipping

Posted by terrepruitt on June 5, 2011

Sometimes it is necessary to skip even a Ten Minute Workout not because of time, but because of what is going on in your body.  I know that the tens won’t really hurt me, but my sinuses are a little stuffed or sore so I am going to do a few other things today.  I am posting to give YOU a chance to check in and let me know how you are doing.  Did you take ten minutes to do the ten?

Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Allergy Relief

Posted by terrepruitt on December 2, 2010

For some reason, unknown to me, my hubby does not like medical shows.  Medical dramas he will watch, but if I have on a show that is a doctor talking about anything he won’t watch it.  So needless to say, I don’t watch those types of shows.  I don’t know when they are on, but every once in a while I will turn on the TV when he is not home and there is one on.  Like recently when I watched the Dr. Oz show when he was talking about foods that starved cancer.  I just think all that stuff is interesting.  I love to hear what they learn about the body.  It is fascinating.  Well, today I sat down for a moment and turned on the TV and Dr. Oz was on.  I really should find out when it is on and just make a point to watch it when my hubby is not home because I always learn something when I watch his show.

I only saw a few minutes but it was really interesting.  He was saying that it is important to change your home’s filter, ya know for central heating, every three months.  I know we don’t do it that often, but after what he said I think it might be something to consider.  I have always known that it helps trap dust and pollen and things floating around in the air that might help to aggravate allergies.  But I never really thought about insect parts.  Ewwwwww.  He said that insects and their parts are a very common allergen.  YUCK.  Not something I really want to dwell on, but one of those things that I like to know, deal with, then forget about, ya know?

Also he has said that certain foods; onions, apples, and citrus contain Quercetin.  Quercetin acts as an antihistamine.  Which is something that most allergy sufferers take in pill form.  It is awesome to me to be able to get some anti itch help from the food I eat!

The information I am seeing as I look around also states that Quercetin is also considered an anti-flammatory agent . . . and a lot of allergy symptoms are from inflammation so something that acts as an anti-flammatory is amazing to me.

I am very happy to have come across this information.  I don’t always EAT white or yellow onions, but I do put them in food for flavor.  I am starting to eat the red onions they tend to be less sharp.  I do eat apples, but I don’t believe I eat them as often as I should, so I will step up my apple consumption.   Although I like oranges, I don’t eat them that often because it is difficult to find good flavorful ones in the store, but I will work on that too.  If these foods will help quell my allergy symptoms . . . . I am there!

Have you heard of Quercetin before?  Do you eat onions?  What about apples and oranges?  Do you have hay fever/allergies?

Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »