Eliminating all dairy from diet cleared constant nasal congestion
Q: For years I suffered from sinusitis and hay fever. It started with seasonal allergies when I was 38. Then I had summer colds and eventually all-year-long sniffling. I used to joke that I had snot dripping off my elbows.
It became intolerable. I was eating lots of dairy, especially milk and cheese. When I read about the dairy connection, I immediately cut it out of my diet.
Magically, my allergies abated. Now I take no over-the-counter allergy pills. The antihistamine cetirizine caused crazy brain fog that also cleared up.
Now if I wake with an itchy throat or a bit of stuffiness, which is rare, I take stinging nettle and a quercetin supplement for immediate relief.
A: The link between dairy consumption and nasal congestion remains controversial. Although there is little research to support this association, many readers share your perspective. Cutting back on dairy seems like a lowrisk approach.
Quercetin is a natural compound derived from plants. It stabilizes mast cells that release histamine and has anti-inflammatory activity (Inflammation & Allergy Drug Targets, September 2010). Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) also has scientific support against allergies (Phytotherapy Research, July 2009). Unfortunately, allergists have not conducted clinical trials on this herbal medicine.
Q: You’ve written about Voltaren gel for arthritis pain. I cannot use this drug, as it causes me severe stomach pain and acid reflux. I wish I could use it for my sore joints.
My aunt died from using an NSAID. It gave her an ulcer that led to infection and death.
I can’t believe we can buy NSAIDs without a prescription in this country. They can kill you and are known to cause ulcers even when people are unaware of the damage until it is too late.
A: You are correct that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB), meloxicam and naproxen (Aleve) can cause stomach ulcers (Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, June 2016). Such complications can indeed be deadly.
For most people, occasional use of ibuprofen or naproxen is not highly dangerous. Many people take these medicines daily, however, to ease the pain of arthritis.
Q: My doctor is cool with anything reasonable that I want to try. So when I asked for a prescription for Armour Thyroid instead of the levothyroxine (Levoxyl) I’ve been taking for years, he agreed. I have been on Levoxyl ever since my thyroid was removed to treat Graves’ disease.
I’m on Medicare, and my insurance denied it because it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It’s inexpensive, so I paid cash for it, just $20.
My poor daughter, who has hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s, asked her endocrinologist and the reaction was swift: “NO! I don’t prescribe Armour to anyone I care about. Tell your mother not to take it.”
I’m taking it anyway, and in another six weeks I’ll be getting labs done. If it’s working, great. If not, I return to Levoxyl. I haven’t noticed any difference, but I’ll go with the bloodwork.
A: Armour Thyroid and other brands of desiccated (dried) thyroid extract (DTE) are made from pig thyroid glands. Before there was synthetic thyroid (Synthroid or levothyroxine), doctors relied upon DTE to treat people with underactive or missing thyroid glands. These products were grandfathered into pharmacy practice.
According to the official prescribing information for Armour Thyroid, “This drug has not been found by FDA to be safe and effective, and this labeling has not been approved by FDA.” The description of the drug specifies exactly how much T3 (liothyronine) and T4 (levothyroxine) each grain of thyroid extract contains.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via www .peoplespharmacy.com.