That first spring nursing I was braced, as I had been every spring since moving to Western North Carolina, to feel terrible. What medicine could I take that wouldn't pass through my milk or dry it up? Amazingly, after years of being a blubbering mess due to the blooming of an incredibly diverse array of local vegetation, I had NO allergic symptoms whatsoever.
Turns out, I did not have to take a thing because even when the wind blew a large cloud of yellow pollen into my face, I barely sniffled. Wow! All this time, all I had to do was cut out dairy, challenging as that was.
Unfortunately, after weaning I was so excited to be able to have cheese, ice cream, and cream in my coffee again, that I started consuming dairy here and there. Symptoms returned and spring was miserable, but man did that pizza taste good and I could always take Claritin! Ugh.
Unfortunately, after weaning I was so excited to be able to have cheese, ice cream, and cream in my coffee again, that I started consuming dairy here and there. Symptoms returned and spring was miserable, but man did that pizza taste good and I could always take Claritin! Ugh.
After my son was born we realized he had "colic" too. Crying for hours, throwing up, bouncing, football hold, Mylicon drops. "Put him on the washing machine. Maybe the vibration will help." Me knowing the whole time I was going to have to give up the yummies again.
I of course did and once again...BAM. Different baby. I mean, night and day. My husband and I would tease that "On Dairy" our babies were like satan babies and "Off Dairy" they were angel babies. The difference this change made in the quality of life of our entire family was astounding. This knowledge was life-changing and sanity-preserving. How many other nursing infants and moms could have these same results? Again, I was blessed with two years of allergy-free springtime living.
Witnessing such amazing benefits, my husband tried a dairy-free diet and discovered the positive impacts it had on his health and allergies as well. He wouldn't swear off of every molecule like I had to, but cutting back significantly minimized the amount he would have to use an inhaler in the autumn when his seasonal allergies would act up.
Why isn't this knowledge more wide-spread? Interestingly, when we paid $400 out-of-pocket to have Sydney's blood tested for allergies (including dairy), results showed she had NONE. We researched best allergists and went "off the mountain" to have a scratch-test performed checking for about 80 different food and environmental allergens. The results were the same with the strange exception of cockroaches, which I have never seen up here. No allergies.
There is no scientific proof of anything. The pediatrician said the blood test will only detect an allergy that would produce an anaphylactic response. He said, "Sydney could be allergic to nothing, but sensitive to everything." We decided not to put Michael through a barrage of testing if it was not sensitive enough to detect the problems we had experienced.
A chiropractor confirmed our results through a process called clinical kinesiology, but the gold standard seems to be the elimination diet. Eliminate the suspect food and if symptoms go away, you have your answer.
Imagine that. We don't need proof from outside ourselves or to pay anyone a cent. We do, however, need to realize that we truly "are what we eat" and look here first when we have problems with our health.
Thanks so much for reading and to anyone who may have been curiously awaiting the second half of this post! I am glad to answer any questions and please feel free to share stories of your own experiences. Inspire others!
Why isn't this knowledge more wide-spread? Interestingly, when we paid $400 out-of-pocket to have Sydney's blood tested for allergies (including dairy), results showed she had NONE. We researched best allergists and went "off the mountain" to have a scratch-test performed checking for about 80 different food and environmental allergens. The results were the same with the strange exception of cockroaches, which I have never seen up here. No allergies.
There is no scientific proof of anything. The pediatrician said the blood test will only detect an allergy that would produce an anaphylactic response. He said, "Sydney could be allergic to nothing, but sensitive to everything." We decided not to put Michael through a barrage of testing if it was not sensitive enough to detect the problems we had experienced.
A chiropractor confirmed our results through a process called clinical kinesiology, but the gold standard seems to be the elimination diet. Eliminate the suspect food and if symptoms go away, you have your answer.
Imagine that. We don't need proof from outside ourselves or to pay anyone a cent. We do, however, need to realize that we truly "are what we eat" and look here first when we have problems with our health.
Thanks so much for reading and to anyone who may have been curiously awaiting the second half of this post! I am glad to answer any questions and please feel free to share stories of your own experiences. Inspire others!
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