Stuffy, Headachey and Sick: Mold In Your Basement And Your Sinus Problems

If you've ever noticed that your nose closes up and your eyes get itchy in certain parts of your house, that's sure sign that you've got unwanted black mold hanging out somewhere. Many people suffer sinus trouble when they go into their basements. The trouble isn't your sinus; it's the mold.

I Can't Breathe!

When there is mold in your house, you don't often see it. This is especially true in the basement. So, the only way you can tell is by following your nose.

Mold spores cause a variety of symptoms, usually resembling a mild cold or sinus attack. You may have a stuffy nose, sinus headache, itchy eyes, irritated skin, trouble breathing or a whole variety of other symptoms. Some people who suffer from chronic sinus trouble are actually getting attacked routinely by hidden mold in their house.

Actually, your sinus is your best testing device. If you go into your basement and feel a sudden sinus attack coming on, go to another part of the house and see if it goes away. Some people who experience sinus trouble in their homes find that, when they go on vacation, the trouble goes away. Then, when they get home, it's back.

Why Does Mold Like My Basement So Much?

The basement is a particularly good place for mold to wreak havoc on your sinuses. This is because it's dark and wet, two of mold's ideal living conditions. There are also lots of convenient hiding places where mold can still get the water it needs to live.

Mold may grow on things stored in the basement, in walls, in the flooring joists, on the concrete floor. On of the worst places is on the wall right under a ground-level window. If you have a basement bathroom, you can be sure that mold can find lots of great places to shack up.

Your basement offers many great opportunities for mold to get in and upset your sinuses. This is especially true of older houses, where there might be an entire mold civilization thriving.

What Can I Do About It?

First, you have to find the mold. As I said before, one good way to do it is to follow your nose. Pay attention to your sinus as you walk around the house. You'll notice that in certain places, every time you go there, your sinus seems to close up and become congested. This is a sure sign that you've got mold, and you don't need any fancy testing devices to tell.

If you really want to be sure, mold testing may be a good idea. A licensed mold inspector can test a sample of the mold to see what species it is. Knowing the species can shed some light on your particular health condition. Certain types of mold are known to cause certain symptoms. They can also test airborne mold.

Wouldn't you love to be able to breathe again? It's quite likely that getting rid of the mold will get rid of your chronic sinus problems.

ECG Testing Procedure

An ECG or an electrocardiogram is a test that monitors the electrical activity of the heart. These electrical impulses are then represented in a printout format on special graph paper for doctors to interpret for any underlying cardiac problems.

A normal healthy person's heart will have an ECG that has regular waves and shapes. Irregular heart rhythms or damage to the heart muscle show up in ECG reports. An ECG report can confirm if you have had a heart attack in the past or are currently having one.

The ECG test itself is a painless and safe procedure. No prior preparation is necessary. You may eat or drink before the test. However, since the test is done when the patient is at rest, the latter should avoid exercising or partake in any kind of activity that elevates the heart rate.

Furthermore, you should advise the doctor about any medications you may be taking. If you are allergic to the adhesive tapes used in the ECG test procedure, inform the doctor.

The ECG can be performed in a clinic or in a hospital.
1 You will be required to lie on a bed or a table

2. The patient will be required to strip to the waist.

3. The areas of the skin where the electrodes are attached will be cleaned

4. A special gel is applied to the skin where the electrodes will be placed Disposable electrodes are often used, so special gels may not required.

5. Electrodes will be attached to each wrist and ankle and six are placed in designated areas of the chest.

6. These electrodes are attached to the ECG which will record your heart's electrical impulses and represent them on paper

7.You will be required to lie still during the test. Moving and talking can distort test results.

8. You may experience a slight discomfort when the electrodes are removed

9. In very rare exceptional cases the skin may develop an allergy to the electrodes which could cause a slight redness of the skin.

The test may last about five to ten minutes. The doctor will examine the results in the printout. If the test results are normal, then no further tests may be needed. However, if the results are abnormal or are not conclusive, the doctor will recommend more tests such as the ECG stress test or the Treadmill test. Further investigations may include chest x-rays, Echo cardiogram or even more blood tests. The patient can continue his normal activities after the test.

Can't Find a Doctor Who Will Diagnose You With Candidiasis? - Candida Test and Treatment

Do you get frustrated with your doctor because her/his diagnosis does not reveal candida? This article will help you how to find out candida based on my friend's experience. She was confused, how come she can't find a doctor who will diagnose her with candidiasis? She has been through three years of hellish testing for things like Chron's and colitis, but never once has anyone tested her for excess yeast. She has been diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), but it really doesn't fit her bill, so to speak.

Symptoms are really too many to mention, but mainly are: chronic diarrhea, extreme gassiness and bloating, dizziness, bad breath, acne, weight gain, intolerance to any gluten or wheat products, and the most recent is hair loss.

She is really sick of being poked and prodded by Doctors who should recognize this if it is, indeed, what she has. On the Crooks test (where a score of 180 is a most likely that someone have it), she scored a 340! So she is really confused and need help.

A friend of mine has really good experience that can answer above issue. Here's how she found out about her candida problem (a surprise for her since she does eat rather healthfully - yet this began when she was pregnant!). She got Dr. Michael Murray's book Stomach Ailments and Digestive Disturbances. In it, he mentions the Comprehensive Stool Analysis which is offered by some labs here in the U.S.

She went to a doctor who used natural medicine and asked to have that test done, thinking it would turn something up about the troubles she was having in her colon. Lo and behold, the test revealed candida.

One suggestion she has is to do a colon cleanse. If you go to the internet, you'll find a product called Herbal Fiberblend there which yields excellent results. She (and also I) is convinced that this is the critical step (along with changing diet) to eliminating candida. Also, raw garlic, good yogurt, and iodine (from seaweed- kelp granules are good for this) and flax seeds ground up and taken in water: these are all good, inexpensive remedies.

Food Allergies and Acne - Is Your Diet Causing Your Blemishes?

It is widely understood that acne is mainly caused by hormonal fluctuations and oily skin, and most acne treatments are designed with this in mind. However, there is a significant amount of recent research pointing to the fact that food allergies may be at least partly responsible for breakouts. Read on to find out more about food allergies and acne, and learn how to determine whether something you are eating is responsible for your pimples.

What is a food allergy?

An allergy is an intolerance to certain elements in the environment. If you are allergic to a particular item, your body treats it as if it were an invader, causing an inappropriate immune system response. You may experience rashes, redness, respiratory reactions, and inflammation as your body attacks the offending food.

How do food allergies cause acne?

When you eat something that you are allergic to, your body produces antibodies, which are chemicals that are meant to attack invading substances such as viruses and bacteria. These chemicals provoke a toxic response in your system, which can lead to hives and acne lesions on your skin.

How can I determine which foods are causing my acne?

Some of the most common food items known to cause allergic reactions include dairy products, nuts, shellfish, and gluten. You may be able to determine whether any of these are causing an allergic reaction by eliminating them from your diet one at a time. If your acne begins to clear up after a few days, chances are that you are allergic to that food and you should discontinue eating it.

Another way to find out if you are allergic to any foods is with an ELISA food allergy panel - contact your doctor to schedule testing.

How can I find out more about acne causes and treating blemishes?

Why Do I Always Have a Cold? Consider This!

I always have a cold, and it seems to plague quite a few people. The cold gets blamed for a host of maladies that are cold like but are not necessarily a cold. A cold is a virus, the rhinovirus to be specific. It is highly unlikely that you have a year round cold. It is more likely that you have something undiagnosed going on. Very often it can be a sign of un-diagnosed allergies, especially if the condition continues on year round. However many modern tests still can't accurately detect allergies and sensitivities so you may have to dig deeper to find the cause.

Here are 2 more potential causes you may not have considered.

What is Eating You?

By now if you are thinking I always have a cold you have probably had some allergy testing done. The problem is you are probably having the wrong allergy testing done. You may be suffering from a food allergy that is behaving like a cold. When you present yourself to the doctor with complaints of prolonged cold symptoms the doctor is going to be looking for respiratory allergies, but it may not be what you are breathing in but instead it may be what you are eating.

Invaders

Your immune system may be compromised and you may wind up feeling like you always have a cold because you have something that is causing your immune system to break down. In some cases you may have started with a bacterial or viral infection and you wound up with a secondary infection that secondary infection that has gone untreated may have bloomed into something else.

Don't just assume that you always have a cold. It may be something that is much more treatable than the common cold. If you feel like you always have a cold than you need to investigate all possibilities, all the causes that you're not even aware of!

How You Can Eliminate Wheat Allergy Symptoms from Your Life

Wheat allergy is the body's abnormal and adverse immunoglobulin antibody reactions to wheat and wheat-related particles and proteins that contain the likes of gluten, albumin, globulin and gliadin. Albumin and globulin are what cause majority of wheat allergy occurrences, while gluten and gliadin are in the same level, though less common.

In order to prevent wheat allergy, it is best for you to steer clear of foods that have wheat in their roster of ingredients. To be on the reactive and safe side, make sure to read food labels first all the time. Aside from food intake of wheat products, you can also get wheat allergy by being exposed to or inhaling products like flour, which can eventually lead to what is called baker's asthma.

It is not known how common or rare wheat allergy is. In fact, a lot of people will predictably be surprised to know that this type of allergy exists. It can, however, be a common culprit in other types of allergies, like occupational asthma, which afflicts around 30 per cent of individuals working in the baking sector.

Symptoms of wheat allergy

Allergic reactions to wheat happen shortly (a few minutes to a number of hours) after exposure or intake of wheat and wheat-related goods. Wheat allergy is most commonly manifested via the skin (such as in angioderma, urticaria and eczema), the respiratory system (via allergic rhinitis or asthma attacks), or the gastrointestinal system (such as in vomiting and nausea, oral allergic reactions and cramps in the abdomen). Other wheat components also help aggravate adverse allergic reactions to other particles.

To determine if you have wheat allergies, you dermatologist will perform the routinely skin testing on your forearm to see which particular products you are averse to. You will also be able to find out if you have wheat allergy by taking note of your family's medical history, because it can also be passed on. Laboratory tests will confirm if you, indeed, have wheat allergy.

To combat wheat allergies, you have to, of course, steer clear of foods that contain wheat and wheat-related products, like rye or barley. However, since wheat is usually found in majority of the foods we eat everyday, this can be quite a challenge. If your allergy to wheat is of gargantuan proportions, then you will have to undergo a very strict diet and lifestyle change.

The good news, though, is that wheat allergy can be treated. Over the counter drugs and alternative medications are readily available. Just consult your medical practitioner first.

Foods that contain the following will likely trigger wheat allergy: couscous, bread crumbs, semolina wheat, cracker meal, bran, vital gluten, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, wheat gluten, wheat malt, enriched flour, cereal extract and wheat germ. Food ingredients that may contain wheat allergens include starch, gelatinized starch, natural flavoring, soy sauce, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and modified starch and food starch, so you might want to steer clear of these products, too.

Again, wheat allergy is something preventable and curable. The only thing you need to do is identify what makes your allergies tick and determine what medications and treatments are needed to address every problem.

Mold Allergy Symptoms Are Not Always What You Might Think

A lot of people have mold fungus in in their home and they do not even know it. Worse yet, many of them have mold allergy symptoms that they do not recognize as such. It is actually very common. More houses than you would think have mold and/or fungus. However, just because it is uncommon does not mean it should go unheeded. There are certain kinds of mold which are actually toxic, such as black mold. Other types of mold are just annoying. Still, they can pose certain health risks. That alone makes it important for you to get rid of your mold as soon as you spot it.

Let us take a look at some of the health risks. Some of them are annoying. Some of them are serious. Some of them are down right dangerous. Having mold in your home can cause an excess of headaches and even rashes. More seriously, mold can lead to allergic reactions and allergies, asthma, and painful sinus infections. On the much more serious side, studies have shown that being exposed to mold can lead to pulmonary problems, fibromyalgia, and even cancer.

Naturally, the risks of these mold allergy symptoms are much higher if you have a significant amount of mold in your home. As you might expect, there are some areas of your home which are more given to mold. The basement and the attic are probably the most common, because they tend to be very moist, especially the basement. Padding and carpet pose a risk as well, especially if they are in close proximity to concrete. The areas around your showers and sinks pose a high risk too. You cannot discount the vents for your heating and air conditioning either.

The good news is that you can get rid of fungus and mold without too much hassle. You will have several options at your disposal. The first step, though, is figuring out what kind of mold is in your home. Naturally if you have toxic mold, you want to get rid of it as quickly and safely as possible. It is harder to get rid of but most types are quite simple.

You can test for mold in several ways and this is recommended before you suffer from any of the mold allergy symptoms listed above. Calling in a specialist is always an option. You can also buy a kit yourself. Testing for mold on your own is quite easy. You will be able to find these kits at a variety of local stores.

You have different options for eliminating mold as well. Again, it may be necessary to call in specialists depending on how much mold you have. You can also get rid of it yourself with the help of standard cleaners. Using bleach is probably the most common treatment.

You can also prevent mold from occurring in the first place which is a great way to insure you don't get any of these mold allergy symptoms. Keeping the at risk areas of your home dry can be enormously helpful. The more moisture you have in your home, the more likely you are to get mold.