Step 2 – Live A Healing Lifestyle
Stress is probably the number one factor in modern day ill health. I recommend that it is the primary thing for you to focus on managing, which is why I have made it the first ‘treatment’ discussed in this book. Reducing stress in your life can be enough on its own to produce significant improvements in your health and, conversely, failing to do so can decrease the effectiveness of other treatments to the point of making them a waste of time. All my research has brought me back to this: effective stress management is key. Make it your ongoing top priority to keep your stress levels low. Invest the majority of your time, effort and financial outlay in this because it will give you the best results. Make sure you have someone appropriate to ‘unload’ to whether it be a professional counsellor or a friend; find a way to forgive and let go of hurts and grudges; heal or remove yourself from difficult relationships; attend classes in yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi and meditation; find something you enjoy and do it daily; have fun. These are the best things you can do to reduce the symptoms of your chemical sensitivities and improve your tolerance levels.
Choose to accept that it is OK to let go, go slow, unplug, nap and do things just for pleasure. The modern world is so full of opportunities that we fear we will miss out if we are not constantly plugged in, but we are missing out on pleasuring our own soul. Try to simplify your life and home as much as possible and remove yourself from the constant barrage of marketing, distraction and noise. Instead of watching TV or some other digital device in the evening try sitting in the moonlight and doing something creative like playing a musical instrument or drawing. Even if you start with having just one technology free evening a week it is a positive step, and making changes one step at a time is the best way to establish ongoing habits.
How Stress Affects You
When you are stressed your digestive system works less effectively and you are prone to higher levels of inflammation. Prolonged physical, emotional or psychological stress can:
cause hormonal imbalances
raise blood sugar levels which stimulates the release of more insulin. High insulin levels promote inflammation throughout your body and brain.
decrease beneficial gut flora populations, which can weaken your immune function
stimulate the overgrowth of yeast and pathogenic (bad) bacteria in your gut
cause harmful bacteria to cling to your intestinal tract causing damage
decrease enzymatic output in your gut by as much as 20,000-fold
trigger or heighten food and chemical sensitivities
cause mast cells to release histamine which can cause or worsen allergic symptoms
decrease the flow of oxygen in your blood and to your brain promoting inflammation in your brain
cause the excretion of nutrients, such as water-soluble vitamins and calcium
Even smaller episodes of stress, such as when you have a cold, cause your immune system to work extra hard which can result in your chemical tolerance levels decreasing for a time. An angry argument can stimulate a chemical sympathetic stress response in your body that lasts for several days.
Do something every day that you find enjoyable and relaxing even if it is just sitting down for 15 minutes with your feet up to read a book. Be aware of not taking on too much. Learn to say ‘no’ if you do not want to, or feel you do not have the capacity to, do something. Respect your own needs. The world will not fall down if you do not do everything you feel you should or that other people want you to. Learn to delegate, especially to your children as it teaches them valuable life skills.
Be
realistic:
Stress is often caused by the difference
between our expectations and reality i.e. we expect that something
will happen or someone will do something and then it doesn’t happen
or the person doesn’t do what we thought. We can only change and
manage ourselves. Often we expect too much of ourselves, and
others, and life. I find that the following Serenity prayer is
great wisdom to try and live by:
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Learn to let go of unrealistic expectations of yourself and others. Set just one goal for yourself each day. If someone constantly fails to do what you want, then think about why that might be. Are you expecting something from them that is out of character or impractical? Do you need to voice your desire clearly to them i.e. have you even told them what you want? Women especially tend to have the expectation that if our partners loved us they would just know what we wanted, and then we get disappointed when they don’t give us what we want. Nobody is a mind reader and generally men are not very intuitive about the feelings and desires of others. We do not live in a romance novel. Learn to effectively communicate what you want.
We also need to be realistic about our chemical intolerances. Most of us get intimately attuned to every subtle change in our bodies. ‘Regular’ people tend not to constantly examine every change in their body like we do. It is very easy to become obsessive. Accept that you will probably always have symptoms to some degree. Let go of the expectation of being perfectly cured, unfortunately it is not realistic and will cause you to feel frustration and despair. Envision yourself getting better, because positive thinking is healing, but hold the vision lightly with love and let go of striving for perfection.
Breathe,
Smile and be Thankful:
I view these as my core ‘get happy’ helpers. They are all quick and
easy to do, can be done anywhere by anyone with no equipment
necessary and they produce significant results. When you
breathe deeply you expand and contract your diaphragm. This
stimulates your lymphatic system and massages your internal organs.
Your lymphatic system removes excess fluid, waste and toxins from
your body’s cells and tissues and works with your circulatory
system to deliver nutrients and oxygen from your blood to your
cells. Deep breathing from your abdomen/diaphragm also switches off
your body’s sympathetic nervous system stress response and switches
on your relaxation oriented parasympathetic nervous system. Lastly,
deep breathing helps to reduce inflammation in your body. I think
it is amazing that something so simple and enjoyable can help us
relax, energise, fuel-up and detox. Learn to breathe properly (I
have outlined a simple exercise below to help you with this) and
whenever you feel stressed take a few moments to breathe deeply.
When you are waiting in line or in the car use the time to breathe
deeply, or make it your daily hit of happiness (see below) by
taking ten minutes to sit, or lie on your back, and breathe (if the
weather permits lie on the grass and imagine cloud pictures at the
same time).
The physical act of smiling, whether or not we feel the emotions behind it, can elicit the same response in our body as genuine smiling. Of course, it is good to build things into your life that make your smile with joy as well, but even just physically adjusting the muscles on your face into a grin has benefits (it also exercises the muscles on your face helping to keep your facial muscles toned). Smiling stimulates the release of feel-good serotonin and endorphins, reduces stress and strengthens your immune system. It also helps us to maintain a positive mindset as it is hard to focus on something negative when you are smiling. Smiling also makes you look younger and more attractive. Get a little Mona Lisa style and cultivate a habitual mysterious smile.
Focusing on things that you are thankful for can quickly reduce stress and worry. You could try this simple exercise: before you go to sleep think of, or write down in a journal, at least 5 things that you are thankful for right now. They do not need to be big - it could be just that you are happy to have a warm bed, or that your cat gave you a cuddle. Think back over the day that has been and interpret it in terms of things to be thankful for instead of mistakes made or things left undone. I find this helps me to sleep more restfully. I also turn my mental focus to things to be thankful for when I am starting to feel overwhelmed by things to do, or by worry.
Quick Tip: A fast easy relaxation activity you can do before bed, or first thing in the morning or anytime you need a stress break is to sit somewhere quiet, breathe deeply, physically smile and think of things you are thankful for (you can simply be thankful that you are able to breathe, that you are breathing and alive, that your body is relaxing, that you can smile, that you are able to feel good, that you are allowed to feel good or that it is okay to take time for you). Even 5 minutes of this makes a big difference to your wellbeing.
Abdomen Breathing Exercise: Do this exercise somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed for 10-15 minutes. Lie on your back on the floor. Ensure you are comfortable, put a cushion under your head if you want, but it is best to lie on a firm, flat surface (avoid lying on a bed as you will likely fall asleep). Let your feet fall out naturally and place your arms by your sides a little out from your body with your palms up. There is no exact position and the key is to adjust yourself so that you are comfortable. This pose is known as Corpse Pose in yoga and is very relaxing. Close your eyes. Let your face relax and your body sink into the floor.
Next, place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen (belly button). Take a slow deep breath in through your nose. Nose breathing correlates with your relaxation response parasympathetic nervous system. The object of this exercise is to breathe into the hand on your abdomen first and ‘fill-up’ your body with the hand on the chest rising last. Pause, then exhale by pouring the air out of your chest first then down to your abdomen last. Your belly is the powerhouse. Draw the air in from your abdomen and push it out from there. You might like to imagine that your abdomen is like a set of bellows drawing air in and pushing it out. Alternatively, you can imagine the process as being like filling a jug with water, filling the bottom first then rising to the top and then emptying it from the top all the way to the last drop at the bottom. Think about your breathing, but try to let it flow as naturally as possible. Avoid forcing anything and if you get out of pattern just take a normal breath and then begin again. There is no right or wrong, just practice and growth. This time is just for you. No one else is judging you so let go of any judgements of yourself.
Breathe this way for 5-15 minutes (or more if you want) until you feel deeply relaxed. When you get up, roll onto your side first and get up slowly as you may feel a little light headed.
This is just one of many possible deep breathing exercises, but it is a good one to start with as it is so simple. There are many more options detailed on the internet.
Relax to
eat:
It can help reduce food intolerance reactions simply by sitting
down, breathing deeply and taking your time when you eat. Avoid
eating when you are feeling stressed, angry or upset and take some
time to calm down first. Sitting down and taking three deep, slow
breaths before you eat is usually all you need to start to relax.
You also digest food more effectively if you eat away from the TV,
tablet/iPad or any other stimulating device or environment. Avoid
watching/reading the news when you are eating because it is often
negative. Reading a light, enjoyable fiction book is okay, but it
is best to just engage in light conversation while you eat or use
the opportunity to just be in the moment, or gaze out a window and
daydream. If you are at work, take your lunch-break and get away
from your work area to sit and eat lunch. If you can, it is also
very beneficial to go for a brisk walk outside either before or
after you eat, even if it is only for 10 minutes. The exercise will
help you de-stress, enable your digestive system to work better and
boost your energy levels for the afternoon helping to prevent
mid-afternoon sugar cravings.
I have recently come back to doing nothing when I eat apart from sitting, eating and calmly engaging with others when they are present. I used to do this and then I started using the time when I was eating to read. While reading can be relaxing, I was reading to use, i.e. not waste, that time. For me reading while eating was a way of multi-tasking. As I have come back to doing nothing while I eat I have noticed some things. Firstly, I chew my food more and eat more slowly. Secondly I feel calm and relaxed after my meal whereas I used to often feel stimulated or annoyed. When I tried to read while eating my children would often interrupt my reading and I would get frustrated that I couldn’t even have 10 minutes peace to sit and read my book. Now, I don’t mind when my children talk to me while I am eating and I often just sit and watch and listen to them. I have also noticed that not only do I feel more relaxed, but the calm seems to flow to them and my husband. My relationship with my children has improved. My daughter has picked up my habit of reading when she eats. It is better than watching a digital device, but now looking at her I see how it shuts out the people around you and I presume that my children, and husband, felt that when I was reading.
At first I struggled with ‘doing nothing’ while I ate and I found that listening to slower, soulful music helped me transition. It gave me a focus. Now I am happy just sitting enjoying the feel of the food in my mouth, listening, watching, reflecting, dreaming (visualising), breathing and indulging in a period of mental space. I also find that I do not feel as fatigued as I used to.
If you have children, then try and make mealtimes enjoyable and relaxing. As often as possible turn off digital devices and sit together to have meals. Listen to music, chat or play word games like Twenty Questions (Animal, Mineral, Vegetable), Two Truths and One Lie, Would You Rather? or tell a made-up story with each person in turn adding a sentence or two. Use open ended questions to stimulate conversation such as “what was the funniest thing you heard all day?”; “did someone do something nice for you today?”; “what was the hardest thing you had to do today?”, or “what is the thing you are looking forward to most tomorrow?” Sometimes asking an unexpected question attracts more of your child’s attention, for example “if you could fly for free anywhere in the world where would you go and why?”
Get Your
Daily Happiness Hit:
Find a way to relax that works for you and practice it daily - make
it your daily hit of happy. This could be:
Going for a walk (especially in natural surroundings)
Practicing yoga/Qigong/Tai chi
Singing (join a local choir or put on your favourite music and sing without worrying if you sound any good)
Swimming
Playing with a pet
Doing something creative, even just colouring-in
Reading an entertaining book
Remember the
Sabbath:
In the Christian bible even God gives everyone the right to have
one day off a week – the Sabbath. Traditionally this is a Sunday
and a day to focus on spiritual things. Your day off doesn’t have
to be a Sunday, but it is very beneficial to book in one day off
each week. For those of us Type A personalities who find it hard to
stop - you can do it, just let go and remember that it is your
God-given right to have it. If you find it too much to take a whole
day off at least take half. Diary in your day off first. Make it a
priority not a leftover or something you’ll squeeze in if you have
time after everything else is done. Leave other things undone. This
is important. You are important and so is your health. You also
don’t have to go to church, but it would be a good idea to invest
some time in some sort of soul enriching activity. For some this
may be meditating, for others watching a movie, for others going
surfing, or for others creating a work of art or craft. Soul
enriching activities are those that we enjoy and feel refuelled
emotionally after engaging in. What do you consistently want to do
‘when you have the time’? What did you enjoy doing when you were a
child?
Learn to
Communicate Effectively:
Learning how to ask clearly for what you need and to deal with
conflict in a calm pro-active manner is very important in helping
to manage sources of stress in relationships. Attend workshops,
listen to web talks or read books about how to communicate
effectively with your partner, family and children. It is a very
worthwhile investment of your time.
Fortunately, kids have a naturally affinity for fun and laughter if left to their own devices and the best way to help your children relax is to slow down and relax yourself. Some children are more prone to anxiety than others, though I found my children’s anxiety levels drop considerably when I can keep their chemical exposure low. Here are a few tips for helping your children avoid excess stress:
- allow them enough down-time: avoid enrolling children in too many activities/classes like sports, music, dance etc. One or two extra activities on top of pre-school/school is usually enough. Some children are fine doing a lot of extra activities and some struggle with just one. Listen to your child. Constructive play is just as beneficial to their development as music lessons.
- establish effective bedtime routines: help your children get plenty of sleep by having the same bedtime routine and bed-time every night except for special occasions. It is a good idea to have no technology (T.V., computer, electronic games etc) for an hour before bed and include some wind-down activities like a bath/shower and/or reading stories together. My children also like a routine way of saying good-night. It could be a chat question like ‘what did you like best about today’ (teaching thankfulness), or a set good-night phrase like ‘love you to the moon and back’.
- have fun with them: let your hair down and get crazy with your kids every so often - dance to a favourite song, play dress-ups, jump into their Xbox Kinect game, have a face-pulling competition or a tickle fight etc
- teach your kids to breathe deeply and correctly
- listen: whenever your children talk do your best to pay attention and listen. When they are little they may seem to go on (and on, and on) about little things, but if you develop your listening relationship with them when they are young they are more likely to talk to you about more important things that are stressing them when they are older. Do your best to simply listen, paraphrase what they are saying and ask questions to help them see possible solutions for themselves. Avoid jumping in, lecturing or solving all their problems.
There is a physical connection between stress trauma and chemical sensitivities. While there are digestive aspects to some chemical sensitivities such as inefficient production or functioning of certain enzymes, for many of us with severe and multiple chemical sensitivities there is a neurological component as well. The neurological component is initiated by the amygdala area of the brain in response to an extremely stressful or traumatic event, and this event may be physical (e.g. breaking a bone or a parasite infection) or psychological. Ashok Gupta, Clinical Director of the Gupta Programme explains it this way:
During a particularly stressful period in someone’s life, the amygdala is on high alert responding to emotional and physical threats. If the level of alert of the amygdala is particularly high, and the person is exposed to a toxin at the same time, a conditioned trauma can occur in the amygdala in association with the insula. . .
This conditioning occurs because when the amygdala is on high alert, it is very prone to learning new fears and sensitivities. Even if the original toxin did not present a threat to life, the amygdala will “err on the side of caution” in its hyper-anxious state, in order to protect the body.
From then on, any exposure to the original chemical, or any chemical which holds a vague resemblance to the original trigger, will initiate an over-stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system by the amygdala and hypothalamus, as well as specific reactions to mitigate the threat of the toxin. . .
The continuing over-stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system can cause secondary illnesses and issues, and is likely to suppress the effectiveness of the immune system.
The amygdala will also over-stimulate the brain, causing repetitive negative thoughts and feelings about the reactions, which themselves become hardwired into the brain. This reinforces the vicious cycles. (http://www.guptaprogramme.com/mcs-multiple-chemical-sensitivity-treatment/)
I did not identify my chemical sensitivities until I was in my forties and my symptoms became extreme. However, once I had identified them, I could recognise that I had experienced chemical sensitivities to a lesser degree for most of my life. Symptoms of my chemical sensitivities first became significant after I had a traumatic argument with my father when I was about 10 or 11. My sensitivities became severe after I went through a period of high stress starting with the 2010-2011 series of earthquakes in Christchurch where I live, during which I also ‘suffered’ a late (I was 38), unplanned, difficult pregnancy. This was followed by the birth of my son who had acute digestive issues and hardly slept for two years. During this time my father had a stroke and my God-daughter, whom I am very close to, was being badly bullied and constantly running away from home. My children also experienced incidents of stress trauma via me while I was pregnant with them. My mother died of cancer when I was three months pregnant with my daughter, and I was about three months pregnant with my son when a violent earthquake struck Christchurch resulting in significant destruction and the death of 185 people.
Sometimes it is obvious when we have suffered a traumatic event. At other times the event is not so obvious or affects us more than we realise. I know I tend to suppress things. I don’t like confrontation or getting overly emotional. I am calm in a crisis, but often that means that I do not fully process my feelings connected to it. Occasionally, we endure an event so traumatic that we mentally block it almost completely in order to cope.
If you suffer from severe chemical sensitivities and/or multiple chemical sensitivities, then I believe it is worthwhile seeking help to process any traumatic events that you have experienced, and to learn how to rewire your brain to correct negative patterns and fears concerning the substances you react to. Food intolerances can easily cause us to develop food phobias. I am aware that I now automatically think “I can’t eat that” or feel a tightening grip of fear when I consider many foods, and that is an unhealthy food phobia.
There are several ways to address the psychological component of food and chemical sensitivities. Learning simple relaxation and meditation techniques are a good place to start. Being able to relax your mind and body when you begin to fear exposure to a particular toxin turns off your sympathetic nervous system stress response and increases your tolerance levels. This is also why it is very beneficial to sit, relax and do nothing else when you eat. I try to take a few deep breaths before I begin eating a meal and repeat the following affirmations: deep breath – ‘I am thankful for this food’, deep breath – ‘I choose to feel safe and relaxed when I eat’, deep breath – ‘all is well’/’everything is okay’.
You can take this a step further and learn some brain reprogramming techniques specifically for chemical sensitivities such as those taught by the Gupta Programme or the Dynamic Neural Retraining Programme (DNRP).
If you want to seek help processing any traumatic experiences you have had then try and find a recommended therapist in your area. Therapists who are trained in hypnosis, Meridian Tapping/Emotional Freedom Technique or Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) may also be able to assist you to release suppressed memories and emotions and retrain your brain. The most important thing with choosing a therapist is that it is someone you trust and feel comfortable being completely open with.
I personally used a Meridian Tapping technique to help let go of negative mental and emotional responses to food. I have written this out and included it in the appendix of this book.
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If managing your stress levels effectively is the number one best thing you can do to reduce your chemical sensitivity symptoms and increase your tolerance levels, then exercising regularly is number two.
Here are some of the benefits of exercise:
Regular moderate exercise strengthens your immune system and increases your tolerance levels.
Exercise circulates lymph fluid around your body through the lymph vessels. Lymph circulates immune cells and carries waste out of your body.
Exercise causes us to draw in more oxygen and circulates oxygen, nutrients and immune cells throughout your body via the bloodstream. Adequate supply of oxygen to your brain is necessary to keep it functioning well, and prevent brain inflammation.
Exercise increases the efficiency of your bloodstream carrying waste products out of your body (i.e. exercise increases detoxification)
Exercise stimulates the thymus gland and speeds up the healing of intestinal cell walls.
Regular, moderate exercise reduces inflammation in your body and brain
As Case Adams notes in his book Natural solutions for Food Allergies and Food Intolerances: “exercise is one of the best and cheapest therapies available to boost immunity and tolerance.”
I can clearly observe a lessoning in my food intolerance symptoms when I exercise regularly, however avoid strenuous exercise as it stresses your body. Moderation is best. Exercise to a level where your heart rate is gently accelerated and you need to breathe quite deeply for about 30 minutes, or an hour for gentler forms of exercise like yoga. Brisk walking, yoga, jumping on a trampoline, hiking, dancing and playing team sports are all good forms of exercise, or you can join a gym and do one of the various classes it offers. Swimming is great exercise if you have access to a suitable chemical-free pool, lake or ocean, but avoid swimming in chlorinated public pools as it is like immersing yourself in toxic soup. Personally, my main form of exercise is hula hooping. I have been doing it for about 2 years. I find it a very enjoyable way to exercise. I also find that when I spend at least 5-10 minutes waist hooping every day that I can eat oats and legumes without digestive and back pain. I think this is due to the massaging effect of the hula hoop around my abdominal area. When I miss hooping for a few days the digestive and back pain return.
Avoid getting overheated when you exercise especially if you have a histamine intolerance (see Keep Cool below). In warmer weather exercise in the mornings or evenings when it is cooler, or go for a walk or bike ride in a forest where it is almost completely shaded (exercising around trees helps boost oxygen intake and oxygen helps our detoxification systems work more effectively).
Yoga is a good choice of exercise because combines the benefits of exercise with the benefits of deep meditative breathing. When practiced regularly it can effectively reduce stress and inflammation. Many yoga poses such as abdominal twists, downward dog, forward folds, legs up the wall, child’s pose, cat’s pose and triangle pose also massage and stimulate your digestive system, liver and kidneys enhancing detoxification.
I try to prioritise having an exercise session in the morning because if I leave it until later in the day I often find it gets crowded out by other things or I just get too tired. My aim is to do at least 30 minutes of concentrated exercise a day. Teaming up with a friend can also help keep you motivated. You can also establish a regular fun activity to do with the kids like a Sunday morning family soccer game or midweek dance-off using a camera based video game where you physically do the dance moves.
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“When you neglect sleep or have poor quality sleep, this registers as a significant stressor to your body. It makes you immune compromised, chubby, forgetful and crazy.”
Robb Wolf - The Paleo Solution
Lack of sleep, along with stress and chemical toxins, elevates your body’s inflammatory immune response making it prone to respond more strongly to allergens and toxins. This means that unless we avoid the foods and chemicals we are intolerant to we can get stuck in a debilitating cycle where chemical sensitivities cause sleep disturbance and then the sleep disturbance increases our inflammatory response making us react to more substances with greater reaction symptoms.
Managing stress effectively and enjoying regular exercise should help you to sleep more soundly. Here are some other things you may wish to try to promote better sleep:
Go to bed around between 10-10:30pm every night: Apart from the occasional special occasion aim to go to bed at a regular time around 10 - 10:30pm. This is considered by most the optimum time to retire for sleep.
Establish a wind-down routine: have a routine that you go through to prepare for bed and do it every night (this is also advisable for children). For example, my routine is to turn on my bedside lamp (cue bedtime), go to the toilet, brush my teeth, wash my face, perform a pressure point facial massage, put on my pyjamas and then do three quick, relaxing yoga postures.
Switch off: to help with relaxing and getting plenty of good quality sleep it is a good idea to switch off from all electronics including TV’s, computers, smartphones and electronic games 1-2 hours before getting ready for bed. These electronics actually stimulate the brain and commonly cause disturbed sleep, physical stress and fatigue even though we may not be aware of it.
Keep cool: optimal room temperature for sleep is slightly cool, between 16-17 degrees Celsius or 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Being too hot or too cold can cause disturbed sleep.
Make it dark: to sleep really well you need to sleep in a room with no light. Hang block out blinds or thick dark curtains on the windows, switch off all electrical appliances such as televisions at the wall so they don’t have stand-by lights glowing (ideally have no television in your bedroom). Consider getting a clock with an unlit screen where you can push a button and a light illuminates the time. If you must have a clock with a lit display make sure the light colour is red which is less disturbing than blue or green.
Make it nice: make your bedroom all about great sleep and a place you feel attracted to relax in. Get the most comfortable bed you can, it is a very worthwhile investment, and cover it with attractive natural fibre bedding that will breathe and help keep your temperature regulated. Clear the room of clutter and work-related items - this is your sleep sanctuary.
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Drink plenty of clean water. Here are some of the benefits of drinking plenty of fresh clean water:
The mucosal membrane in your intestines is largely water. If it gets dehydrated it thins and becomes less effective.
Water aids digestion and the absorption of nutrients
Water flushes and replenishes the digestive tract and is necessary for the proper elimination of waste
Your immune system utilizes water to produce lymph fluid. Lymph fluid circulates immune cells throughout your body and flushes toxins out.
Water speeds the removal of toxins from every organ and tissue system in your body
Water increases the availability of oxygen to cells
Increased levels of histamine are released during periods of dehydration
Most tap water is high in contaminants and chemicals. Water is a crucial element in our body’s detoxification system so it is important that you consume plenty of it, and that it is as free as possible from toxins itself. You want the water you drink to relieve your body’s toxic load not add to it. It is best to drink either quality water from glass bottles, or water you filter yourself. If you have a sulphur intolerance then you may react to mineralised water (I did). There are a number of different water filters available. Each has different properties and will suit different needs so I am not going to discuss them all in this book. See the resources section in the Appendix for links to recommended sources of information about water filters and bottled water.
Aim to consume around 8 glasses of pure water (2 litres) a day if you are 13 or older and 5-8 glasses (1-2 litres) if you are a child. I say consume rather than drink because water can also be obtained from high liquid foods like soup and stews, and from high liquid raw fruits and vegetables. However, water from drinks such as tea and coffee or flavoured/sweetened waters do not count towards our necessary water intake. Obviously you will need to drink more if it is hot, or you exercise/sweat frequently, and you will need to drink less if you eat a lot of water containing foods like soups, stews, raw vegetables etc. It is helpful to drink a glass of water as soon as you get up in the morning to rehydrate and flush out the digestive system and body. From then on drink water freely throughout the day, but avoid drinking significant amounts just before, during or just after a meal as it dilutes your stomach acid and can inhibit digestion.
Two good indicators of whether you are consuming enough water are thirst and urine. If you feel thirsty your body is already dehydrated, so try to consume sufficient water that you do not experience thirst. When you are consuming sufficient water your urine should be light yellow to clear with little or no odour unless you are taking B vitamins or other medications which would alter the colour and smell of it, or you have been eating asparagus. If you are consuming plenty of water and not taking anything else that would affect your urine, but it is still bright yellow or strongly odorous, then talk to a health professional as it may indicate another health issue.
Be aware that consuming too much water can also be a problem so listen to your body and aim for the middle road of enough, but not too much.
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Excess heat stimulates your body to release histamine. This is especially relevant for those of us with a histamine intolerance, but is also relevant for others as histamine and inflammation go hand in hand and high levels of inflammation in your body make reactionary symptoms worse. Wear layers so you can easily dress down or up as temperature fluctuates. Avoid sunbathing or being outside in the sun too much. A little sun exposure is good to obtain vitamin D, but it is best gained without getting too hot. Also avoid drinking very hot drinks or eating very hot foods. Allow hot drinks and cooked meals to cool a little before consuming.
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It doesn’t take much to make your daily shower a detoxifying, relaxing experience. Start by dry body brushing your entire body, or giving yourself a massage. You can dry massage your skin or use an oil/lotion that you can tolerate. This may sound time consuming, and it does take a bit to learn the technique, but once you know what to do it takes 5-10 minutes to give yourself an invigorating rub-down. Massaging your skin helps to stimulate your body’s circulation and lymphatic detoxification systems. There are a number of different body brushing and self-massage techniques available, but the basic idea is simply to start at your feet and stroke upwards towards your heart, moving up your legs to your torso, up each arm, then stroking up your neck front and back and finishing with a scalp massage. See the Recommended Resources section in the Appendix for more information on dry body brushing and lymphatic drainage self-massage. Personally, I use an Enjo microfiber body cloth to dry brush my skin as my skin is very sensitive, and I find even soft bristled brushes too irritating. I also give myself an acupressure point or lymphatic drainage facial massage while applying my jojoba oil ‘moisturiser’ after washing my face in the evening.
After your massage have a warm shower - avoid hot showers and long showers as when your body gets hot it releases histamine (see “Keep Cool” above). Finish with a cool rinse to cool your body and stimulate your circulation, but don’t have it too cold as extreme cold also stimulates the release of histamine.
You can also ‘massage’ yourself in the shower and exfoliate your skin at the same time by washing yourself with a microfibre glove. I use an Enjo microfiber body glove and find it very effective. I can use it without any soap or body wash and find that it leaves my skin feeling very smooth. My skin has also been less dry since I started using microfibre cloths without cleansers to wash my face and body.
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The best leisure activities are those that involve activity outside among nature. Swimming pools, shopping malls and roadsides contain concentrations of chemicals and are best avoided. Going for a walk or bicycle ride through gardens, forests or beaches, or going skiing, are leisure activities that do not involve exposure to a lot of chemicals. Trees and plants help to clear some chemicals from the air and produce oxygen which also helps our detoxification systems work more effectively.
Stuff For Kids
With my children, I find one of the biggest issues in going out is dealing with them wanting treat foods. There are three ways I deal with this. Firstly, I take food with us whenever we go out so I don’t need to buy anything. Secondly, if possible I avoid going to places where treat foods are sold. For instance, I take the kids to a park rather than the mall, and choose a park that does not have a shop or ice-cream stand. We go to a library that does not have a cafe attached, to less popular beaches with no shops nearby, and I try and avoid taking the children to the supermarket. Thirdly, if we do have to go somewhere like the mall or the supermarket, then I may buy non-food treats such as a magazine or small toy.
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How to Manage Social Situations
While food intolerances and allergies to substances such as nuts, gluten and dairy are becoming more well-known to the general population, few people have even heard of things like salicylates and histamine. I have to confess, before I identified my intolerances I did sometimes suspect that people who said they suffered from multiple chemical intolerance were just a bit over-sensitive about their health. I think sometimes the universe brings us experiences we need to have a better understanding of.
Most people will have no idea what you are talking about if you tell them you have a salicylate, phenol, histamine, glutamate or sulphur intolerance or even multiple chemical sensitivity. Unfortunately, these chemical intolerances are also quite complicated to explain and generally if you try people’s eyes will just glaze over. As a result, I generally don’t say anything unless I have to, or I just say we are allergic to something because it is easier for other people to understand. For example, when I am at the hairdresser I state that I don’t want any products in my hair because I am allergic to them. It is not a complete lie; I do react with allergy-type symptoms. It just makes life easier.
People, including your friends, relatives and partners will react in various ways when you tell them you have learned you have a chemical intolerance of some sort. My husband told me he thought it was a ‘load of rubbish’ when I initially tried to explain to him that I thought myself and my daughter had a salicylate intolerance. Some people will think you are being a hypochondriac, some might think you are just miss-led or misinformed, and others may flat out think you are crazy. My way of dealing with this is avoid the issue with them if I can or every so often point out evidence that may help them understand. I am aware that if you do not experience the symptoms of allergies or intolerances it can be very hard to understand how it works, and how uncomfortable and painful it can be. Before my intolerances became as severe as they are now I used to find it hard to believe that someone could have an allergic reaction to peanuts just from smelling them. Now I break out in hives just from smelling coconut oil. We all want people to see things from our point of view, but sometimes we have to try and see things from the point of view of others first in order to help them understand.
Some people will accept and support you. Focus on these people and utilize their support because you will need it. Dealing with a food or chemical intolerance is challenging enough, but dealing with one that other people have no knowledge or acceptance of is even harder. You can also find support on-line through relevant forums and Facebook groups. Be gentle on yourself and others and aim to foster understanding all around.
If you do want to give a more in-depth explanation to someone here are some ideas you could try:
For salicylate intolerance: A simple explanation is that you (or your children) can’t tolerate one of the chemicals found in most fruits and vegetables and in added food flavours and colours. A more involved explanation would be: some of my digestive enzymes don’t work properly and I have trouble getting rid of a chemical called salicylate. Salicylates are found in all strongly coloured food (natural and artificial colours), all strongly flavoured food (artificial flavourings and all herbs and spices) and all fragrances (natural and artificial including essential oils). These explanations are not completely accurate nor do they cover all sources of salicylates, but they are enough to give someone an overview which is generally all people can understand.
For histamine intolerance: I can only eat very fresh and quickly cooked food. Any food that has been stored longer than a day or two before being frozen, or that is slow cooked or fermented contains histamine. Again, this does not completely cover all sources of histamine but it gives a simple overview that others can understand.
For glutamate intolerance: I can generally only eat fresh, natural foods with no processed ingredients.
If you have multiple chemical-intolerance like me, here’s a combo explanation: My digestive enzymes don’t work properly and I can’t detox certain chemicals. When they build up in my body I get allergy or irritable bowel type symptoms. I can only eat a small number of plain, fresh foods and react to all fragrances, both natural and artificial and most chemical cleaners and body products.
Managing Special Situations
Functions with alcohol if you are choosing not to drink: If you are with people you don’t know very well then the easiest thing is simply to say: “I cannot tolerate alcohol. It makes me feel ill, but thank you for offering”. If you have been a happy drinker previously, but choose to stop, then your friends and relatives may put pressure on you to join in the drinking. This can be hard. You could try something like: “I have found out that alcohol is one of the things that makes me feel sick so I am not drinking it at the moment, but thank you for offering.” Another option is to get yourself a ‘safe’ non-alcoholic drink in a wine glass or something similar that you would normally have your alcoholic drink in. Then if someone asks you if you want a drink you can gracefully say “no thank you, I already have a drink”.
Going out for a meal: When you go out for a meal try to smile and laugh a lot because it helps to increase your tolerance levels. Let go of any worries about food, breathe deeply and enjoy yourself as much as possible as it is one of the best things you can do to reduce your reactions to higher chemical exposure.
My children and I react to so many different foods/chemicals that when we go out for a meal there is never anything completely ‘safe’ that we can eat. If you are doing an elimination diet you will need to either stay home or take suitable food with you if you can. When we go out for a meal I call it a ‘Free Meal”. By this I mean we just eat want we want, enjoy it and deal with the consequences later. We try to avoid anything really high in the chemicals we react to or anything that will make us significantly ill, but apart from that we just savour it as a treat. This is alright for us because we don’t eat out very often. Something else that can be helpful is to eat before you go out so that you do not need to eat much from the restaurant, or anything at all if it is a social gathering with finger food. If you have to eat out frequently for work, then you will have to become adept at asking for special meals to be made to keep your chemical levels low.
Soups and sauces often contain glutamate/histamine loaded stocks, and salicylate laden herbs and spices. It is usually best to avoid soups and either ask for no sauce, or for sauce to be served on the side, so you can choose not to have it, or to just have a taste.
Eat at clean, quality eating establishments only. If the visible area/serving staff are dirty, then the kitchen is probably worse.
Birthday and Other Parties: If it is a party for adults then I generally try and eat before I go and avoid eating snack foods/finger foods when I am at the party. If it is a party my children are attending then I either take suitable, safe treat foods for them, or approach it as a ‘free day’ and let them have what they want as long as it is not too high in chemicals they react to, or something that will make them significantly ill. As my daughter is older I just let her manage herself at birthday parties, but for my son I attend with him and take some safe treats and then also let him have anything at the party that will not cause him too many issues. Usually I remove the icing from birthday cake then let my children eat the cake. The cake is usually alright (not ideal, but not too bad) but the icing usually contains flavouring, colouring and numerous ingredients derived from corn which would cause significant problems. I also try to give the children plenty to eat before they go to the party (if they are not too excited to eat!) so that they are likely to get full sooner and eat less at the party.
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Managing Partners/Spouses
In most cases one spouse or partner will identify or learn about food intolerances first. This is usually the mother or female because in most households women are still the primary caregiver of any children, and women are generally more interested in health issues (apologies for the generalisations). Generally, women seem to have more difficulties enlisting the support of their male partners than the other way round. This was the case for me so I asked for some advice from the Sue Dengate Failsafe Group on Facebook and below are some of the ideas people shared. They were directed at wives enlisting the support of their husbands, but most of these ideas would also work the other way round if that is the case with you. Most of the ideas follow the same theme of somehow helping your partner to visually experience the difference in behaviour or other evidence of reaction.
When doing the elimination diet with your child/children organise food challenges so that your partner can clearly see the before and after state of your child/children e.g. if your partner works full time plan to have day 3 or 4 of the challenge fall on a day he/she is home with the children.
Watch the Fed Up DVD (available from fedup.com.au) either together or by yourself but while your partner is around and can see and hear it.
Ask your partner to take the children to the next dietitian’s appointment
If you have your children settled on a diet that largely eliminates chemicals they have issues with then go away for a week during normal routine time e.g. when they are attending school/kindergarten, and let your partner organise all their food while you are away i.e. do not leave any pre-prepared ‘safe’ food for your child/children. Having to manage the children around structured daily routines when their behaviour is going from bad to worse may help them to see the effect food has.
Just for interest: here is a quote for the sceptics who wonder how we can react to natural foods
" Although much attention has been paid in recent years to the adverse effects of food additives, naturally occurring food chemicals are a more insidious and more common cause of problems. Natural chemicals play a central role in the complex symbiotic relationship between animals and plants which has developed as a result of co-evolution. Plants are known to be capable of synthesizing an enormous range of substances important for their own survival and reproduction. Amongst these are a variety of anti-microbial and anti-parasitic agents, as well as chemicals which can modify the feeding behaviour of insects and higher animals. Not surprisingly, some of these substances can be toxic to humans if ingested in significant quantities."
The Role of Food Intolerance in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Robert H. Loblay, Anne R. Swain, in The Clinical and Scientific Basis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, B.M. Hyde, J. Goldstein, and P. Levine, Editors. 1992
The Nightingale Research Foundation: Ottawa. p. 521-538