Allergic reaction from artificial tree?
sue36
16 years ago
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luvstocraft
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Real Christmas Trees vs. Artificial
Comments (6)We have used artificial trees for years. We get years of use out of them, and I've used some of the branches for decorating when they're no longer good as trees. If I used a real tree, I wouldn't feel guilty about that either, since they are a crop, and someone makes a living by growing and selling them. I am kind of allergic though, and get nasty red bumps on my arms from handling them. I also worry about the fire danger. When I was a kid the tree was up for only a week or so, I now keep my up for maybe a month. Like all of you I do miss the smell. Nothing that comes out of a can, or a candle, smells that good, or says Christmas and takes you back to your childhood, like the smell of a real tree. Then there's that thing about bringing live things into the house. I never used to worry about it, but I think now days I'd be checking it for bugs all the time. When I was a kid, we would buy our tree, and there was always a bad side and you had to turn the tree and try to figure out which side was best. Today when I see the green trees, they really are nearly as perfect as artificial ones. Truthfully, I say to each his own. I know artificial works best for us, but I don't have any problems with anyone who prefers real, or better yet live trees....See MoreSheets, Pillowcases - Allergic Reaction - Help!
Comments (30)johnmari: I've bookmarked the link to the resin-free sheets in case DD does not improve. Hopefully it may help the OP as well. I am finding this thread so fascinating with all of the different ideas, solutions and options--much more helpful than a visit to the dermatologist and getting an Rx for meds! In my history of dealing with various allergies (mine were mostly rhinitis whereas DD is eczema) one thing stands out that my allergist said to me years ago. That is that we spend 1/3 of our time/day in our bed and bedroom and if we can just get one thing under control, it's the bed. That should be the easiest to control--since there are so many other aspects of our lives when we go out of the home, eat foods out, etc. that are almost impossible. He also gave an analogy to think of allergies as having a glass of water. When you fill it up, it overflows. One solution to that is to get a bigger glass and another is to fill with less water. The "bigger glass" is everything we can do to enhance/improve our immune system and tolerance for allergens in our environment. For me this was a combination of years of immuniotherapy or allergy shots and more recently accupuncture and as of today I no longer require meds or shots to control my symptoms. For DD I have not got a complete handle on this though we've been doing Vit-B, probiotics, Omega3's, accupunture and more recently homeopathy. The second part "fill with less water" is to reduce the allergens we are exposed to. The home is where we have the most control and of this, controlling the bed and bedroom can have a huge impact so that we have more reserves to deal with the outside world....See MoreHow do I get a real Christmas tree smell with an artificial tree?
Comments (31)Wow -- I want to thank everyone who recommended Thymes' Frazier Fir diffuser. This is our first year with an artificial tree and I really missed the smell. Knowing GW, I did a search and found this perfect thread (!); going to the Thymes' website I found a local (I mean a seven minute drive, door to door) charming shop I'd never seen before. It was incredible! And for whatever reason, they sold it to me for $30 (it should've been $60); I protested but they said "no, that's the price." So I bought a few other bibelots to ease my conscience (and it wasn't hard because it was one of those incredible shops where you want to just move in!). Right down the street from this shop a man was offering hay wagon rides, so my four and two year-olds, husband and I all hopped on and had an incredible ride around this sweet and historic downtown. Then we found an outdoor skating rink, so we rented some skates and pulled each other around. On the walk back to our car a man was handing out homemade candy canes from his candy shop. My four year-old loves candy canes! And all of these wonderful things happened to us today because the generous people here on GW shared Thymes Frazier Fir diffuser. So now I have this gorgeous smell, know about this wonderful local shop, and had a wonderful, serendipitous Saturday. Thank you!...See MoreAre you allergic to anything?
Comments (46)I grew up with asthma and eczema due to environmental allergies. Also have a serious allergy to peanuts, one of my first memories is refusing to eat a peanut butter sandwich because it gave me a tummy ache. Still have environmental allergies and peanut allergy and have added allergies to tree nuts, melons and avocado. If I eat a lot then it's bad, if I eat a trace then I have a mild stomach ache that lasts for weeks. It mimics hunger pangs so I eat and eat. Awful. Terribly allergic to cats but if I give the dogs a bath every few weeks I'm fine with them. Apparently I'm reacting to the pollens and such that get into their fur more than the dander as their licking annoys me but doesn't cause any problem. A couple times a kiss from a large dog has caused a reaction though. When I was commuting to college by bicycle I could ride through a mild asthma attack, that was wonderful. Sometimes I can walk through one nowadays. There's a Ukrainian physiologist who developed breathing patterns to correct the panicked pattern that asthmatics do, suspect that is what was going on when I rode or walked through a mild attack. It isn't supposed to work but it does for me....See Moreblizlady
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