Day 14: Check in and starting new antihistamine diet

 

Day 14: The Check Up

After logging my diet for two weeks and being mindful of the way I eat, now I get to do the antihistamine diet. It looks a lot like the elimination diet I did 13 years ago...

Here is my list for the next two weeks. I'm avoiding high histamine foods such as:

And I have these as "prescriptions"

Supplement prescription #1

Used for: Supporting skin health

Name: High EPA Omega-3

Brand: Aqua Omega

Dose: 2 capsules

Route: Orally

Frequency: Twice daily

Additional Instructions: Start by taking 2 capsules once per day with your meals. After 3 days, if well-tolerated, increase to 2 capsules twice per day. Take for minimum of 3 months. Discontinue prior to any surgery as omega-3 increase blood thinning. Discontinue if you experience any adverse effects.

Available here: https://well.ca/products/aquaomega-high-epa-omega-3-fish-oil_153476.html

Supplement Prescription #2

Used for: Essential fatty acid that supports skin health

Name: EPO SAP

Brand: NFH

Dose: 1 capsule

Route: by mouth

Frequency: once daily

Additional Instructions: Can be found at healthy planet. Some side effects include upset stomach, stomach pain, headaches, & soft stools.

Body wash:

Used for: Supporting healthy skin & restoring skin barrier

Name: SA Body Wash for Rough & Bumpy Skin

Brand:CeraVe

Dose: 1-2 drops

Route: Topically

Frequency: when needed (during baths or showers)

Additional Instructions: Massage body wash into skin during showers/baths & rinse. Can be found at shoppers drug mart or on amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/CeraVe-Salicylic-Cleanse-Exfoliate-Rough/dp/B077TWXCQV/ref=asc_df_B077TWXCQV/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=336235023036&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10326168048758910330&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000908&hvtargid=pla-527480207483&psc=1

Check in:

weight: 142

skin is... pretty clear actually! I went back on CBD 15mg a day as the existential dread won out. And it isn't making my skin crazy but it sure does make my eyes itchy and nose full. So very allergic, but hey, I'd rather itchy eyes than all the fallout of the side effects of an anti-anxiety pill. 

This is as good as my skin usually gets, I just woke up too so after a full night's sleep (thank you valerian in my tea) my skin is as rested as me:

thighs are very clear from 2 weeks ago

left shoulder

right shoulder

Starting Over... Kinda.

Day 3: April 6 2022

So I'm back to the naturopathic doctor that I started with in 2009! He is still practising! And my new intern, as it's a Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) Robert Schad https://www.rsnc.ca/ is nice too.

The onboarding is a deep dive into who I am and what I do and what I eat is time consuming but helpful. My homework over the next two weeks until next check up are a weekly diet diary, an in depth lifestyle profile of environment, exercise, job... so they get a better picture of what stressors and triggers and level of activity I am at. 

Diet Diary

My "reunion" with Dr Hall made me laugh because he suggested the same thing he did to me in 2009: fish oil! Why did I ever stop taking fish oil...? 

An overview of what I am taking currently:

Pine Bark Extract pills 50mg/day

High Potency B Complex pill 100mg/day

D3 1000 IU/day

Magnesium 500 mg/day (for migraine prevention)

*sometimes Zinc 25 mg

*sometimes Valerian in my tea for sleep aid

 

And I just ran out of my CBD 15 mg oil that I used to take daily for the past 2 years that was helping me with my anxiety and insomnia. I'm taking some time off to see if is hindering more than helping as I get congested and itchy from it. Marijuana is legal here in Ontario Canada, and since legalisation I have been enjoying CDB as a way to combat my stress and General Anxiety Disorder, which was pushed into full swing since the pandemic, my friend Roberta Died, and well... the general dystopia that the world is in :P 

Immediately I am reminded of how much sugar has crept into my diet: in my peanut butter, in my soy milk, and elsewhere. I am also reminded that even though I am not gluten intolerant I do consume a lot of wheat products that can also irritate skin. 

Sigh. 

They are talking about a hypoallergenic diet. UGH. I knew this was coming. I remember the elimination diet back in 2009 when I lost 15 pounds from just not being able to eat anything FUN. 

I am asking my GP Doctor for an allergy test too; the one where you get a million needle pricks to see what you react to. I haven't had that since 2009 too. Could I be allergic to more or less over the past 13 years?

I should do a weigh in... I never weigh myself... but I know I lost weight last time and since the pandemic I have been moving less. 141 pounds. Ok. Did that. Hate that.

 

So the next two weeks will just be observation (and me judging myself in the process!) and my "team" at the clinic will be researching my skin disorder to follow up with me soon.