Summer in the City (& elsewhere)

Summers are always hard for me - I have what I know know as hyperhidrosis (meaning I sweat a LOT on my FACE) - so I have had to compensate for that. (See my article on Super Sweating on associatedcontent.com!) 

I  always am dragging along iced tea to drink  - as the heat + my medications always make me so DRY.(And who wants to spend $1.00+ for 2 cents worth of tea in a cup? Altho sometimes I am caught & I rationalize it by saying I can re-use the cup, lid and straw - which I DO.)

And then my allergies have just popped up again!  Can;t figure it out by the pollen count - not so high - (I check them with a pollen count from claritin.com which I get via email) but there have also been fires up N. of us in Santa Barbara - we could see the haze over the city as we drove back in from the beach. So particulate matter is up (I looked that up on the internet, too.)

At any rate, I got sideswiped, blindsided by an unexpected allergy attack.  Sunday morning, despite taking Zyrtec, usually good for my eyes, my eyes felt as if they had sand in them - and I get 1/2 blind. too.  I used my drops - the Opcon-A (otc) and the Similisan and put stye/opthalmic vaseline on my inner eyelids (which get irritated) - (which the mds ever told me about!) and I also popped my homeopathic remedy - (I am using A. Vogel's Pollisan Allergy relief now, as it is cheaper than Allergyaide by B&T) and then I resorted to cold tea compresses on my eyes for about 45 min or so - when all else fails, I can get some relief from the cold tea!  Then I souped myself up with caffeine (I have a caffeinated spray with vitamins) and managed to get through the day, which included mental work -

Took Tavist when I got home - and things did abate - slept a lot.  Still problems on waking (Have an air cleaner & A/C in the bedroom) - Went into the living room & put on the aircleaner there + A/C -took Allertonic drops, + BioAllers drops for grass and tree + nettle drops (they use that a lot in Europe) .  Another dose of Tavist (1x per day & I got a deal on some at the 99 Cent Store - good til the end of the year) - Note:  I don't take the drops in the evening because they are stimulating.  P.S. I have also been using my Nasalcrom spray to alleviate my itching nose!

Big sigh - now, after an iced coffee, I am beginning to feel human - but what an effort!  The other alternative is to give up and take Benedryl, which knocks you out - and just go to BED.  I am also, of course, taking all my vitamins: B and C and E and fish oil and eyebright (has quertcin - good for allergies) and ginko and Cat's Claw and ginseng for the immune system - and calcium/magnesium/zinc and garlic and the CoQ10 I snagged cheap last week!!

I also took some Wellness formula by Source Naturals for their adaptogens!! (I don't want to get adrenal exhaustion from all this stress.) 

See why I spend a lot of $ at the health food store?  And then I go look for bargains elsewhere - or my bill at the health food store would be up in the $100s instead of 1/2 of that! (At the boat I used the multi vitamin sample I got from Naturemade - less to pack!)

You see, I masquerade as a fairly healthy person - but I have been taking precautions of one kind or another for YEARS - so long, I am almost used to it - but as I age - they just seem to pile on!

So this is my summer heat and allergy lament! 

• But even here you can think thrifty, no? 
• (fyi I got the eyebright, the ginseng and the Cat's Claw on SALE -
• and I get garlic at the 99 cent store and ginko, too.
• Got a couple of boxes of Tavist at 99 Cent Store
• Also scored 99 Cent coQ10 last week!
• Otherwise we look for 2 for one vitamin sales at the drug store 
• I get discounts on the Naturemade program - I like their CholestOff. 
• And I got a free 2-wk supply of multivitamins from Naturemade, too
• And I save coupons for eyedrops
• and got a free little sample of the new Bosch & Lomb Alaway drops - find it online. 
• And when I saw little  99 cent store trial bottles of the old Murine, which you can use all the time - I stocked up on a few to carry around in my makeup bags for emergencies! A whole bottle of that is about $4 now!)
• I even used to make my own boric acid solution by mixing a tsp. of pure powdered boric acid to about a pint of hot water & keeping it in the frig.  But then boric acid got expensive - so back to drops I went!)
• Oh, and I keep the swelling at the bottom of my eyes down by putting a dab of witch hazel (Dickinson's is really the best)on them under my daily eyecream (& I lubricate liberally when my eyes are irritated!)
• Use petroleum jelly on my upper eyelid.

My husband says I am a walking pharmacy - but I get so cranky when I am all irritated and uncomfortable, that he really should be grateful for my nostrums - which do create a degree of good humor!

2 Comments | Post Feedback

Allergies!!

Here comes the pollen! c. doverpublishing.com

You poor thing. Vitamin C is very good for allergies. If it isn't working, you are probably not taking enough. My favorite site for advice on these matters is www.doctoryourself.com Good luck

A good all natural remedy for dealing with allergies is using honey from a local bee farm in your area as their honey contains the anecdote for local allergens. Changing your diet helps alot as well and drinking more water if not getting enough of that in already with having to take all of those meds. About 6 months ago, I changed my diet to a more healthier one, cut out candy/most sweets, increased my water intake, cut out all caffeine drinks except for green tea, and replaced all sugars with honey. In no time I saw a dramatic improvement in my health and well being.
I want to also say that I like reading your blogs especially the summaries you post at the end detailing your savings. I hope the advice you receive helps you to enjoy the rest of your summer.

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