For sinus sufferers, there was a bit on NPR about lactobacillus sakei and sinus infections...seems to be a strong connection to the good bacteria fighting off the sinus infections. Only thing is, it hasn't been studied yet in humans, but thought I'd mention that there has been some early signs of success with it. Also GF suffers with allergies and she has found that taking OTC antihistamine before or as her allergies begin really helps to control the situation as it keeps it from getting worse and setting up vicious cycles of misery. Though I have no first hand experience, I hope this helps.... what causes sinus infections Acutally this whole human biome business is just beginning to get hot and scientists are just beginning to understand that we shouldn't think of the body as a pristene place with viral and bacterial invaders that need to be wiped out....rather we need to think of the body as a garden where we want to grow the good bacteria so it can keep the bad stuff in check....fascinating stuff. Here is a link that might be useful: What works for chronic sinusitis

You can get Benedryl that is dye-free, but it is hard to find. You will be amazed at how many things have Red 40, like bar-b-que sauce, yogurt, many medicines. One brand of cake mix has it on the label for both yellow and chocolate cake. Then of course, all the red and pink things like jello, candy, some jelly, canned cherries, cherry pie filling, many toppings, ice cream, mixes with artificial berries. It's everywhere. A small percentage of people can taste red dye and it gives food a bitter taste to them. I am one of those people, so I have never been big on eating "red" things that other people think taste great. That is probably why I am not dead. I remember getting sick as a child on a desert that had red jello in it, and once ended up in the emergency room after taking a common (pink) med. In those days, I think I had to get a lot of it before I had a real problem. I always had problems after I would fly because I always took a pink motion sickness pill. I didn't know that everyone else didn't have gas, bloating, and diarrhea after flying. LOL Since I tend to get dizzy easily I had taken a lot of pink motion sickness meds before I discovered Meclizine. Also check any kind of vitamins you may take. Beware of anything red, pink or orange. I do really well most of the time, but occasionally when eating out I will get something without knowing it. If I get very much, I will have severe cramping within minutes. I practically live in the bathroom for the next two hours because my system will just try to "flush" it out. In addition, I have pains in my heart. During a very serious attack I will just be freezing and can't get warm. I sit in a hot tub of water, and keep running it hot until I finally warm up. I shake like I am having a siezure. Do you do any of these things? When it started to get so bad about 10 or 12 years ago, I thought I had some serious stomach or bowel disorder. Then I would get better and be fine for a few days, so I would think well, maybe not. If it does turn out that it is red dye, we are not alone. More and more people each year and learning that it bothers them. I am not a drinker, but I read an article about a lady being taken to the emergency after having a drink with grenadine. I hope this is not what is wrong, but at least if it is, you can control it. You will have to give up a few things, and maybe prepare more things from scratch, but you will soon learn what to avoid. Good luck. Carol

lablover4ever, allergies are diagnosed both in dogs AND humans by what is known as an "elimination diet" as Meghane above suggested. An elimination diet consists of feeding only a bare minimum of ingredients for a specified period of time, then slowly adding in other ingredients to find out where the reaction to the ingredient occurs. The ONLY commercial food that I know of designed for this specific purpose is "California Natural" by NaturaPet. It is expensive. Quite honestly, I fed it to my epileptic dog for 3 years watching his seizure triggers for any signs and his allergies. He has both problems. We discovered what his allergies were -- and his seizure triggers -- by using this method, and then were able to switch him to a less expensive food. If this may be the case for you, then I'd suggest that food. The problem with many commercial foods is you can't trust the big bag label. While they may say they are "lamb and rice", if you read the fine print, they also contain corn, rosemary, and many other ingredients. The first 5 ingredients are the most copious in a food. Look for pure ingredients. If it is lamb and rice for example, then that is ALL it should contain. Add in other ingredients after that, and see if sensitivities re-occur. Bear in mind, it takes about 8 weeks for sensitivities to ingredients to manifest. So make any changes sloooooooowly. A good rule of thumb is, "the devil is in the details". It's also in the fine print on the ingredient label, not the big label on the front of the bag.

Shellfish allergies are no joke. This is the one allergen that is " Adult onset". I grew up on the ocean; and have eaten lots of shrimp. In 2005 I had my first reaction to shellfish. After 2 bites, my throat started to close up. Last night 2018 was my last exposure; and it was more severe. It was cross contamination. I had a steak where a lot of shrimp was on the menu. My steak was cooked where shrimp was cooked. I was in the ER within an hour of exposure via 911 ambulance. Vomiting, sweating out of every pore and blacked out twice. Once hitting a wall so hard everything fell off and broke on the opposite side. The EMTs kept asking me if I have been drinking.... None of my family told them I just ate at a local restaurant and had a severe shellfish allergy. I could not communicate this as I was in and out of consciousness. I am now going to an allergist, getting a medical alert bracelet and an epipen. I guess my family was too freaked to communicate what was going on.