Doing elemental diet but still getting allergic rhinitis - how is this possible?

[Fogbuster]

My elemental diet consists of the following:

- A hypoallergenic amino acids supplement
- Unrefined sunflower oil
- Salt
- Clear honey

(Changed from honey to normal granulated sugar to see if it was the salicylates, absolutely no difference).

The purpose of me going on this diet is because whatever I ingest I "react" to and I also have constantly all day every day fluctuating levels of cognitive dysfunction, depending on what I eat, but the fog at its best even still stops me from socialising and being able to think at all, my ability to access my memories and a line of thought.

I've had my blood sugar, thyroid tests done etc etc and it all came back fine. The more quick release the sugars in the food the worse the "wired" symptom + cognitive dysfunction is, along with caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes being the worse offenders.

Since going on this elemental diet my allergic rhinitis has not improved; the inflammation in my nostrils swings like a pendulum from left to right, sometimes both but usually one is much more severe than the other. It seems when the inflammation reduces in one nostril it increases in another one, like some sort of balancing act.

Can anyone explain this phenomenon? And how could this be happening on a hypoallergenic elemental diet?

Its just awful, it's an extremely difficult diet to do and it seems that if I'm still reacting to something then all this suffering and mind over matter malarky, could all be for nothing.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,
JD

 

[minkeygirl]

Maybe it's environmental?

 

[Fogbuster]

I've thought this, it's the only theory I can think of which would explain this. My only reservation is I thought people with MCS had pretty overwhelming fatigue, skin issues etc. Mine only seems to be pretty severe cognitive dysfunction, wired symptom (body in constant sympathetic state), rhinitis and a rash here or there.

 

[minkeygirl]

@Fogbuster I didn't say MCS, just environmental, like allergies. And you really can't make a blanket statement of how allergies or anything affects us.

With my MCS, I never had any symptoms unless I was near a trigger. Colognes and especially cleaning products and pesticides, made me feel like I was having a nervous breakdown. I would melt down in grocery store produce departments and sob uncontrollably at disc office. This is before I knew what it was. That did not cause rhinitis.

.

 

[Fogbuster]

Ok @minkeygirl ,do you think that the allergic rhinitis could be causing the cognitive dysfunction? I think it contributes as i get brain fog from foods, caffeine, alcohol and sugar.

 

[minkeygirl]

I'm no expert but I have horrible fog new which is from either sinus, infection or inflammation. @heapsreal suffers from this too so maybe he can shed some light on this for you.

The fact that the other things you mention cause cognitive issues says something about how toxic they are for you.

 

[Fogbuster]

Thanks very much for your input @minkeygirl! Have you managed to keep your symptoms under control with anything in particular? Eg quercetin.

Hi @heapsreal, would it be possible if you could add your two cents?


Thanks.

 

[manna]

you can get a stuffy nose from just turning the heating on though id guess that other factors would allow this propensity. nose breathing is supposed to help a blocked nose. use it or lose it kind of thing. so mouth breathing could cause it. also the colon meridian runs up either side of the nose. so if the colon is sluggish it will affect the nose. ive seen blocked noses disappear immediately following acuouncture on a colon point of the hand. diet is key. organic at least. if i need a little sugar boost i have a little organic molasses in warm water...b vits too.

 

[alex3619]

I am almost certain that most of us do NOT have allergic rhinitis. We have something that LOOKS like allergic rhinitis. If cortisol sprays do not stop it, its not allergic rhinitis.

The circulation pattern in the nostrils shifts from left to right and back again, causing vasodilation and vasoconstriction alternately. I no longer recall the timing of this ... 30 minutes? Ninety minutes? Variable? I was taught this at uni as part of my biochem degree, but that was over 12 years ago now.

This is also why so many of us with obstructive sleep apnoea do not respond to CPAP. Then they give us cortisol sprays. Once we fail to respond to those they give up.

If you respond to cortisol sprays then dealing with this as allergic makes sense.

If you have nasal infections then using antibiotics etc makes sense.

If its an autonomic problem, as I suspect, then none of these will work. That is my situation.

 

[minkeygirl]

@Fogbuster I have found nothing that helps this but it just got worse so I'm in the early stages. The fog is with me all the time. Adds a whole new level of fatigue.

@alex3619 The first sinus infection I had I took Augmentin and it worked. This time it did nothing. I am using a compounded nasal spray that has steroids in it and that is doing nothing.

I'm going to try a different ABX and hope I get some relief from that since I did the first time around.

 

[rosie26]

I don't think any thing we try for our sinuses is going to be a permanent fix. It seems to me that our sinusitis is tied up with the ME fluctuations. You could get improvement but only until the next ME flare up and then it's back again. If you can get yourself to a better level of ME the symptoms should lesson - takes years though!! to get to a better level. I am more moderate now and my sinuses are not as horrid.

 

[minkeygirl]

I had my first sinus infection last year and got it cleared up. This time it came out of no where again and I can't make a dent in it. @heapsreal has lots of problems with his sinuses. Takes ABX, A/Vs, immune modulators. He can never quite get it under control but seems to get intermittent relief.

I'm going to try some Azithromax since the Augmentin didn't work. See if I can make a dent in this.

 

[tyson oberle]

My elemental diet consists of the following:

- A hypoallergenic amino acids supplement
- Unrefined sunflower oil
- Salt
- Clear honey

(Changed from honey to normal granulated sugar to see if it was the salicylates, absolutely no difference).

The purpose of me going on this diet is because whatever I ingest I "react" to and I also have constantly all day every day fluctuating levels of cognitive dysfunction, depending on what I eat, but the fog at its best even still stops me from socialising and being able to think at all, my ability to access my memories and a line of thought.

I've had my blood sugar, thyroid tests done etc etc and it all came back fine. The more quick release the sugars in the food the worse the "wired" symptom + cognitive dysfunction is, along with caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes being the worse offenders.

Since going on this elemental diet my allergic rhinitis has not improved; the inflammation in my nostrils swings like a pendulum from left to right, sometimes both but usually one is much more severe than the other. It seems when the inflammation reduces in one nostril it increases in another one, like some sort of balancing act.

Can anyone explain this phenomenon? And how could this be happening on a hypoallergenic elemental diet?

Its just awful, it's an extremely difficult diet to do and it seems that if I'm still reacting to something then all this suffering and mind over matter malarky, could all be for nothing.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,
JD

Hi JD
Maybe your elemental diet is still allergenic for you? If you fast for a day or two and your "allergic rhinitis" goes away then you know that something in your elemental diet is still causing inflammation. Fructose or salicylates in the honey? Sugar that may feed bad bacteria? Protein in the "hypoallergenic" amino acids? Omega 6 in the sunflower oil?