I'm new here :-) and this may or may not help, but I make my own laundry detergent - I'm allergic to a lot of scented products, so it's the best option I've found. My basic recipe is 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup Borax, 1 bar castile soap (grated; can also use 1 bar Zote or Ivory, but the castile is 99 cents at my grocery!). Can add 1/4 cup Purex crystals for scent. Shake it all up in a bottle and use 2 tbsp per load. This is great for HE washers since it doesn't foam up. Our clothes are so much softer and cleaner now - we even stopped using fabric softener altogether! It's much cheaper than purchasing detergent and, for me at least, has been great allergy-wise. You might give that a try!

You know I haden't actually eaten the shrimp yet last night ...I had only peeled and chopped them (I was making a tex-mex fajita recipe), anyhow I recall I felt a little odd....kinda like an overall weak feeling like my bloodsugar may have dropped. Again all of this was very mild but noticable. I didn't eat much of the shrimp and I drank a lot of water with dinner so about a half and hour later I felt better. Well I guess I am just going to have to go see Dr Lou...poor me LOL-did I mention he is hot?? I do have a small bag of frozen scallops in the freezer that I was planning on making this week...I better not. Thanks guys! No shrimp till I get some answers!! Cheers! Susie

Here is some science behind it... Some are allegic to walnut tree pollen, ie hayfever symptoms, but the nut is a different protein than the wood used in furniture and does not seem to cross. "Allergens/Function: The Walnut tree nut contains a lipid transfer protein allergen (LTP). (Asero 2001 ref.4245 9) (Asero 2000 ref.3711 9) Whether a similar LTP allergen is present in Walnut tree pollen has not been determined yet. Cross-reactivity due to LTP allergens appears to be relevant only in foods, which are ingested, and not in pollens, which are inhaled. Adverse Reactions: IGE AND IMMUNE: Pollen from the Walnut tree is commonly found in airborne pollen surveys and will contribute to asthma, hayfever, conjunctivitis, and anaphylaxis. (Sicherer 2000 ref.4559 4) (Shafiee 1976 ref.45720) (Lewis 1975 ref.3257 8) There is a high cross-reactivity suggested between members of the genus Juglans. (Yman 1982 ref.1241 0) OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE: Occupational allergic contact dermatitis has been observed. (Estlander 2001 ref.4409 7) NON IMMUNE: Unknown or Nil" Information supplied from an abridged section of: Allergy Advisor - Zing Solutions http://allergyadvisor.com/index.html � zingsolutions.com 1998

I have had this allergic condition for over 20 years. I have been on just about every medication from nasal sprays to flownase to Beconase (steroid nasal spray). Beconase being the worst with the exception of a nasal spray (can't remember the name) I was on about 15 years ago which I believe caused me to have a ministroke, I was on absolutely no other medication at the time and while driving a car my eye began to twitch for 15 minutes and then my hands went numb and as I spoke to my friend who was in the passenger seat my words began to slur so I stopped the car, found a water hose and rinsed out my sinuses and walked about 10 blocks until I started to feel better. Back to the subject. As I have stated, for over 20 years I believe what I have is a cat allergy. Whenever I'm around cats my face turns red, my throat begins to swell, the glands in my neck enlarge, my ears itch, my body feels as if it is overheating, and this will continue sometimes for hours until I cough up not dander but an actual strand or multiple strands of whatever type of fur happens to come off of said cat. Once I have cleared the fur from my throat all of the allergic reactions seem to rapidly dissipate. All of the articles I have read about cat allergies state that it is not the fur, it is the dander that is supposed to be causing this reaction. I have never coughed up a ball of dander. As I have stated before these allergic reactions continue until I cough up the fur and then rapidly dissipate. I have a few questions. First, am I crazy? Second, does dander ever naturally separate from the fur or is it fully integrated with it for life? Third, if it is the dander and not the fur itself why does my allergic continue until I actually cough up fur and then my allergies rapidly dissipate (within a minute)? I am 40 years old, can ride a mountain bike up to 100 miles within a days time, do pushups on my thumb tips, and I'm extremely fiscally fit for my age at 5' 10" and 165 pounds. Please post if you can scientifically explain the relationship between fur and dander. Oh, and as for medication, I gave up on that a long time ago. The best thing I have found for when my allergic reaction is at it's worst to this cat dander/fur is either a pure saline solution (warm salt water) or just sniffing salt by itself.