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Paleo asthma switch on allergies anaphylaxis hives allergic reactions salycilates

Does Asthma switch on allergies?

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A year or so after developing asthma out of the blue, something strange started to happen to my skin.

At completely random intervals, I started to notice my skin would be covered in small red hives. I changed washing powder, re-washed everything and it made no difference. I wondered if it was what I was eating, so I made myself eat lots of healthy raw veggies. I loved tomatoes, so they tended to be the main thing I’d eat more of to get rid of these bizarre hives. But oddly, they’d get worse. The hives got bigger and bigger and I was completely covered, head to toe in huge angry red hives.

I remember one day I had a terrible hangover, and as well as the headache, woke up with the worse hives I’d ever had competing for space on my skin. I’d drunk wine plenty of times before – what could possibly be causing this? The hives would gradually reduce and either disappear for a while, or suddenly and inexplicably get large and angry again.

Paleo asthma switch on allergies anaphylaxis hives allergic reactions salycilates

Around this time I had a bit of a headache and reached for some ibuprofen. I hadn’t taken it for a while, but it had always been really effective. Pretty much straight after my eyes got really really itchy. I looked in the mirror to see my eyelids had swollen up – I looked like I’d been in a fight! I went to an out of hours medical centre and was given anti-histamine, and it didn’t take long for the swelling to go down. I was told that I must avoid Non-Steroid Anti Inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) such as aspirin and ibuprofen and that the reaction is likely to get worse with each anaphylactic incident. Great.

It was easy to avoid aspirin and ibuprofen, but the hives kept randomly appearing, so I was referred to an allergy specialist. It was quickly confirmed that Salicylates were causing the hives. I was shown two lists of food, one contained ALL of my favourite foods like tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum, zucchini and watercress. I estimated about 80% of my diet was on the first list she showed me. The second list, wasn’t food I especially cared for. As you can probably guess, the first list was food high in salicylates. The doctor explained salicylate tolerance as being like a bucket. You can have these foods, but one your tolerance bucket is full, you’ll have a reaction. Keep the bucket low and you can enjoy them in moderation. I now rarely eat these foods and thankfully haven’t had any serious hive episodes since. When I notice red marks starting to appear on my skin, I’m really careful to completely avoid foods even containing moderate levels of salicylates, and I find my skin clears up.

Fortunately with the anaphylaxis, it’s easy to avoid and I’ve only had one (all be it very serious) anaphylactic incident since – an experience I don’t intend to repeat.

I’ve read a lot about asthma and allergies happening at the same time (for example an allergic reaction causing asthma symptoms), but anecdotally I think once you become susceptible to asthma, you turn on the switch to allergy susceptibility. I’d love to hear your experience of asthma and allergies. Do you have asthma and allergies? Did they both start happening at a similar time in your life?

Did my address where I lived cause my asthma paleo

Did my address give me asthma?

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Long before I moved to Australia, I lived in an idyllic rural village in the South West of England, with open views of fields for miles around in each direction. The houses were beautiful cottages made of Cotswold stone, with roses in the gardens – and looked exactly as they would have a hundred years before. The local teenagers hung out by the park on horse-back, and the two big houses hosted annual Summer Supper parties exactly as they had for generations. My elderly neighbour lived in the cottage his mother had been born in.

The village had a quaint old pub, a church, a nursery school, a post box and a play park. On the corner was a farm you could let yourself into, leave a couple of pounds in the honesty box, and help yourself to freshly laid eggs. The nearest shop was about six miles away, which was the closest option for even a pint of milk or load of bread (this was long before I’d ever even heard the word paleo). With miles of public rights of way, it was right in the middle of nature. And unfortunately a great big motorway.

Did my address where I lived cause my asthma paleo

The huge motorway was the main route from London to Wales and dissected the village in two. In the time I lived there, there was only one brief occasion when the constant rumbling of cars and heavy goods vehicles stopped – just for an hour or so. On this one afternoon, the entire motorway was closed after a serious accident. Rather than being blissful, the silence was eerie. Day in, day out, no matter how ungodly the hour, the roar of the motorway never ended. Along with the noise, the motorway covered the windows and walls of my should-have-been-yellow house, with a thick layer of dirt.

On hot days (rare in the UK), the better option was to be uncomfortably hot, rather than sleep with the windows open.

The fields that surrounded the village grew all sorts of different produce and it was fascinating to see a fallow field transform to a field of wheat in a matter of weeks – all from my kitchen window. Every so often I’d see the farm machinery spraying the fields, which would fill the air with a heavy, unpleasant smell for a couple of days. The type of smell you can taste, long before you get close to it.

Half way down of one of the bridal paths, right next to the stream, was a huge steaming pile of (what I eventually learnt to be) human manure. I saw some of the best tomato plants I’ve ever seen growing up from that pile. The smell was one of the most unpleasant I’ve ever encountered, as made clear by my Labrador on her twice daily walks, who would do everything she could to drag me closer so she could have a good roll around in it (fortunately I was onto her and she never got to indulge in her penchant for excrement). Just when the pile looked like it couldn’t get any bigger, it would all but disappear, and I’d notice the smell had moved to the nearby fields, full of produce.

After living this healthy rural lifestyle for a year or two, I had a cold that just never went away. Or rather the cough never went away. No matter how much I’d cough, it would never quite resolve the need for the coughing. Eventually I went to the local-ish doctor (across the motorway, in the neighbouring village) expecting to be given some medication to clear up my cough. Without even getting so far as to see the doctor, a nurse heard my wheezing and coughing and instantly diagnosed asthma. Which I hadn’t realised you could develop, totally out of the blue, at the ripe old age of 23.

With the help of modern medicine, the coughing stopped, and it was manageable*

But I’ve always wondered, did where I live cause me to develop asthma?

If you developed asthma as an adult, what do you think caused it? I'd love to hear, in the comments below.

 

* Several years later (long after I’d left the village) my asthma was instantly cured as a side effect of life-saving treatment I received in a completely unrelated incident.

Vitamin-E-paleo-diet-deficiency-supplement-min

Vitamin E & the Paleo Diet

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Probably the most effective antioxidant known to function in the human body, Vitamin E is worth learning about. By counteracting free radical damage, it can help to protect you from cardiovascular disease and cancer. In addition, it can raise your skin’s ability to resist UV damage, and it may contribute to the prevention or treatment of a number of medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, male infertility, psoriasis, PMS, Parkinson’s, migraines, menopause, acne, multiple sclerosis and pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Vitamin E is not just one compound, but actually a collection of eight water-soluble vitamins. Why is this important to know? While supplements usually provide a limited range from this collection, it is possible to get a more beneficial combination of E vitamins from whole foods. For example, research about the influence of Vitamin E in the prevention of Alzheimer’s and prostate cancer both argue for the superiority of a whole food approach for greater effects. This is an illustration of the great benefits of the Paleo Diet that promotes consumption of whole foods for comprehensive health and longevity.

But, how do you know you might be deficient of Vitamin E? A deficiency can be characterised by liver or gallbladder problems, digestive problems (especially poor nutrient absorption), and tingling or loss of sensation in the legs, feet, arms, or hands. Deficiency can be detrimental to the central nervous system and lead to neuromuscular disorders that cause impaired reflexes, loss of balance, muscular weakness. So, especially if you think you might be deficient, read on for recommendations to include more Vitamin E in your diet.

Vitamin-E-paleo-diet-deficiency-supplement-min

How much Vitamin E do you need in your diet?

The recommended daily amount of Vitamin E is 20mg.

Which foods can you get Vitamin E from?

There are a number of great sources for Vitamin E that you can add to your meals under the Paleo Diet. Here are some of the best!

  1. Sunflower seeds – Great as a snack or as an addition to your everyday salads, sunflower seeds provide 222% of your daily Vitamin E need in 100g.
  2. Almonds – Whether you prefer to snack on almonds by themselves, or indulge in almond butter, you’ll be getting a good serving of Vitamin E. In a 100g serving there is 175% of your daily Vitamin E need.
  3. Paprika – If you wish to add Vitamin E to your food through seasonings, go for some paprika. In a simple tablespoon, there is 14% of your daily intake need.
  4. Pine nuts – Another delicious snack or addition to salads, pine nuts provide 62% of your daily need of Vitamin E in 100g.
  5. Dried apricots – If you’re craving a sweet treat, dried apricots provide a number of beneficial micronutrients, including Vitamin E. In a serving of 100g there is 29% of your daily need.
  6. Pickled green olives – Whether you prefer olives as an indulgence by themselves or add them into salads, they are a great source for Vitamin E. 100g of pickled green olives will provide you with 25% of your daily need. Have you tried tapenade sauce made from olives yet?
  7. Spinach – Another reason for adding it to your diet – there is 18.7% of your daily Vitamin E need in cup of cooked spinach.
  8. Papaya – For a fruity dessert, go for a papaya that provides you with 11% of your daily Vitamin E need.

What else do you need to know about Vitamin E consumption?

Vitamin E content of foods can lower with exposure to air and factory processing. Therefore, it is good to store prepared food in airtight containers to not lose its Vitamin E content, tightly cap your olive oil bottles, and always choose fresh whole foods instead of processed ones. Of course, minimally processed foods is what the Paleo Diet is about – to improve and maintain your health in a natural way.

So, what do you think – are you going to include more Vitamin E-rich foods in your diet? Or do you already focus on the Vitamin E content of your food? Share your thought is the comments!