James Thurber
I’ve always had some sort of skin and allergy problem.
Since a young child I have suffered with allergies and sneezed constantly. My Family thought I had “Hayfever” all year round and I suppose I did also. I was known as Sneezy Sarah. I grew up in the country side with fields, trees and flowers all around me. So I suppose in some way we had all resigned to the fact that I was just that way. I wasn’t a sickly child thankfully, I just Sneezed all the time. When I got older though it continued and even got worse. I used to have these sneezing fits where I would sneeze up to 25 to 30 times in a row multiple times a day. It was agonising and uncomfortable but I just got on with it. As I grew older I became more aware of what was causing the worst fits. So very slowly and gradually I became to know how to ease and even stop the sneezing but never fully understood it all back then. I do now though.
As a child growing up in Ireland, Milk and dairy products were a staple in our diets and for many it was perfectly normal to drink it. I, on the other hand never liked it and I suppose I knew deep down or my body was telling me it didn’t suit me. I remember the milk from my Grand Uncles farm at my Grandmothers house, it was always warm and had the thick cream floating on top in a cream plastic jug. I actually have the jug and use it all the time but it does sometimes give me the shivers. The Milk used to turn my stomach but all my family had no problem with it. Most of you who went to primary school in the 80’s in Ireland know about the warm cartons of milk left outside all day which you had to drink before we went home every evening. I HATED IT. I used to dread it and more than once took a visit to the bathroom to pour it down the drain.
As an adult, I can tell you when I have a yoghurt (which is rare) or ice cream and some cheeses, I will break out in pimples and some times have allergy days as a result. Allergy days for me consist of waking up stuffy and foggy and as the day wares on I get worse and worse to the point I’ll have to take an antihistamine , which I hate to do.
My mother had told me that when I was a baby and she used to feed me milk, almost immediately it used to hit the wall at speed. She didn’t know what was wrong with me or she would have stopped it…. We now know better.
Goats milk, Nut milks etc were never an option for her or me back then.
The Milk Jug
As a teenager I started reading a lot about food and how food can be medicine or on the other hand it can be toxic. I suppose the subject Home Economics/Food Science in school helped me understand food in a different way and what it is made up of. As a result I began to understand how Milk and dairy products were not my friend.
One of my favourite books to refer to which I found in a book shop in Killarney in My early 20’s is called Food is Medicine, a practical guide to healing foods by Perrie Jean Cousin published in 2001. It has travelled as far as I have and back. It’s been my go to book for 16 years.
Also around that time, I started to learn about mold and how bad it was for you, so I went around the house de-molding the little patches. I still do, with vinegar, soda, even bleach and a toothbrush in hand. It also helped my allergies. I was now slowly getting to the bottom of it all.
My Blue eyed man and I a couple of years back moved into a great apartment but the bathroom had no windows or fan. It was clean, but I can smell mold a mile away so I asked the landlord to re-grout and paint the tiny bathroom before we moved in. He did. I then in turn, clothed in only my underwear and 2 black sacks went on to spray the entire bathroom with vinegar and dust with soda. The whole place fizzed. It smelled of “clean”. I’m very aware how mad that sounds. It was surely the cleanest, mold free bathroom in Cork that day. My blue eyed man still can’t get the ridiculous image out of his head. Me in all Black Plastic and the bathroom dripping in Vinegar. I slept very well that night knowing there was no mold in my bathroom.
Our family love animals and always had a dog, cats, even a few goats wandering around the house. Cats had always been apart of our family growing up. They slept in the house ,in our beds and we played with them all day. One poor miss fortune of a black cat we once had was called Sammy Jo. There was never a more patient and understanding cat. He nearly always had clothes on and was pushed around in a real pram we had. If he wasn’t in the pram he was in one of our arms. He surly went to cat heaven.
So the cats eventually died out and we just had dogs and My sneezing started to get better. A Miracle right. Wrong. Just no cats in the house.
It was in my twenties I confirmed that I’m really Highly allergic to Cats when visiting a friend’s house where they had 3 long haired cats. Bare in mind we had no cats for a while in my own house or my college house so I was cat free for a few years. I had to leave the house after about 10 minutes into the visit as I had started to sneeze and really couldn’t stop. It was so embarrassing. I sneezed for 2 days. Any of you who know what a sneezing fit/allergic episode is you will understand. It takes over your whole body and brain, you can’t see straight never mind think straight. I had to wash all my clothes and address the matter head on. I was Allergic to cats, and still am but it ha eased for many reasons.
I do believe all my allergies stem from the dairy one. My little baby body just couldn’t cope with milk and as a result it high lighted the other ones.
I understand that for me it was never just milk that made me sneeze it was a combination of things. When I was sick or run down it would be worse. If I was tired it was most certainly full on. Also during the summer when the pollen count is high I do suffer. I can’t pin point yet what plants do it to me. But I will.
I do have to still take antihistamines from time to time. Which for me is amazing.
I have made MANY change to my life over the last 10 to 20 years to try to improve my health, skin and allergies as much as possible. I have always used as natural of products as possible from soaps to cooking ingredients.
We made our home toxic and chemical free many years ago which helps.
In the last few years I have made a serious effort, as I have swapped ALL my makeup and body products completely to natural, toxin free and make many homemade items.
I use essential oils everyday. Tea tree oil has been in my wash bag and kitchen since I was 16 years old. I stay clear of dairy even though I do love a bit of butter and a scoop of ice cream once in a while. We have no animals- YET. My home is mold free thanks to Tea tree oil, vinegar, soda and lots of elbow grease.
I make my own toxin free lip balms, house hold cleaning products, hand soaps, face and body lotions, face cleanser, makeup remover, toothpaste, dish soap, window cleaner and Laundry powder.
I eat and drink as many fermented and probiotic foods and beverages as possible and make many also, which are amazing for your gut health and definitely have helped ease my allergies.
https://www.thegreengreengate.com/index.php/2021/02/19/natural-sodas-made-with-ginger-bug-starter/
I love the fact that I can help the health of family and myself with what we put In and On our bodies and what we use around the house. We have no toxic chemicals in the house except for bleach once in a while for the toilets until I can make something as powerful. We feel better for it and I just know they have helped my allergies and my pimple prone skin.
I take Oregano Oil every other day and as a result I am rarely ill and I believed it has helped my allergies by boosting my immune system. The Trifecta of Lemon ,Ginger and Garlic are staples in our home, as they help all ailments.
I do firmly believe in what you put in you get out, regarding food and especially organic food. All my herbs come from my pesticide free garden, as much of our food as possible is Organic, local, free range and hormone and antibiotic free. Even the few Essential Oil we use are organic.
Its taken me more than half my life to figure out my skin problems and allergies, but I think I’m out the other side of the worst of it. Hopefully!!!!
Kind regards
Sneezy Sarah