Luma

So how many of you out there have allergies and intolerances and what kinds?

Do you think allergies are on the increase?

Sally Simpson

I am allergic to cat hair, triggers asthma very very quickly.
Also have a problem with some trees but not sure what!

Jane and Jason

My son and I both have an intolerance to strong dairy products (by strong, I mean, cream, full fat milk etc). Anything with a cream sauce is a big NO NO. Also gelatine products have an adverse effect, such as Jelly babies, marshmallow etc. Effect it has on us is 'the runs'! Happens pretty quickly too, none of this 'it takes hours to go through your system'. I recently had a meal with cream in it (cream wasn't listed in the meal description!) and within 45 mins I was glued to the loo!!!

Kooky.

Where shall I start?

I don't know if they're on the increase or if we're getting them diagnosed better (at all?) these days.

sammyg

YES!!!!! for the last 2 years i have itched something chronic and i sometimes wake up in the middle of the night wheezing.
Still investigating what it is had all the obvious rasp testing in the UK - nothing showed up.
i did a rice diet for two weeks then introduced foods back in but i must have cocked up somewhere as it didn't clearly outline anything.
i take 2 citerizine a day to keep the itching at bay.
Looks like i'll be spending $$$$ to see a specialist here.

Kooky.

If you think it's food, invest in Yorktests. Sure beats messing about with exclusion diets.

ronan_in_Oz

I'm allergic to bulls***

On a serious note, I'm allergic to dust. It makes my life hell sometimes .

Sally Simpson

Dust mites?

johnnyx0

Reckon thats the truth of the matter

MarkMC

Kerry is allergic to eggs, its a pain sometimes, sooo many foods have eggs in, also vacines like swine flu vacine are cultivated on egg shells.....

It means I have to be careful when cooking too.

Fly Away

I am allergic to oranges, (the smell, the touch and the consuming!) the glue on plasters, (that's really annoying) most cleaning products / detergents (as I get execema) and lots of cosmetics and toiletries. I've had trouble here in Aus as I can't find a washing powder/liquid I can tolerate. Oh and aspirin gives me a rash and red wine gives me a headache. I'm not allergic to chocolate though!

One theory for the increase in allergies is our increased cleanliness. We actually need to be exposed to dirt to build up an efficient immune system.

Kooky.

I'm sure there's some truth in your last paragraph, Fly Away.

I don't have food allergies but I have some very severe intolerances. I'm with Kerry on the eggs one, totally intolerant; also bovine dairy, gluten, and to a lesser extent a whole host of other things (sugar cane, garlic, citrus fruits, asparagus, kidney beans...). I'm not very strict with myself as I initially got totally depressed about it all, and some of them are fairly mild so I can eat them occasionally, but I do need to recognise and manage the after-effects of eating them.

I also react to plasters - it's quite common, I think. I have very sensitive skin; last time I had a waxing I had bruises, and she wasn't rough.

Cleaning products - go as natural as I can. Bicarb and vinegar does most jobs. Laundry liquid - my Mum always used Persil and, wherever I've been, I've paid a premium to use it too. Here I use Omo Sensitive - some kind soul on here told me it's the same as Persil and, TBH, the more strictly eco-friendly ones don't clean clothes very well.

Toiletries - I've experimented with a few of the SLS and paraben-free ranges here and settled on http://www.purist.com.au/ for showergel and shampoo (the unscented shampoo is great).

Fly Away

Thanks for all the info Seasider.

I use OMO sensitive at the moment as it is the least worst. I used Persil non bio in the UK and I find this is slightly different and react mildly to it. We went away last week and stayed in hotels and goodness knows what they washed their sheets in because I am covered in a rash.

I find gettng my OH to do the cleaning which involves cleaning products is the best bet!! I also try to use the most natural stuff. However I have allergies to some of that too. I can't tolerate Tea Tree oil for example and that seems to be in everything over here. I will check out your link and try their stuff. I finally found that Mum sensitive roll on antiperspirant is OK. Thankfully I seem to be fine with sunscreen!

Forgot to say I am allergic to newsprint too - blisters my hands! So I read online.

My Mum was a clean freak when I was a kid and it does make me wonder if that had a lot to do with it.

Pollyana

I wonder, they do reckon that exposure to dirt etc builds up resistance.

When I got my medical records to come over here there was a comment in it from a skin specialist I saw when I was a kid;he commented on the fact that my parents were probably over-protective of me healthwise, and he didn't think it was a good thing - stuff like keeping me off schoolif I sneezed -and he thought it might be creating problems when I actually did go out.

Fly Away

There was some research done in Sweden, I think, which showed that children bought up on farms with animals had far fewer allergies and they hypothosised that it was exposure to animal dung which was the crucial factor. If you think about it, until the 1940s there were still many horse carts on the road and piles of steaming dung were a common hazard.