Ever wonder what are the most challenging places for allergy sufferers to live?

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America wondered that too. So they’ve been researching and publishing a yearly report.

Each spring and fall, they gather information based on 3 factors. They check the pollen scores, the number of
allergy medications used and the number of allergy specialists per patient.

Their report lists the top 100 places an allergy sufferer would find the most challenging. That’s just a polite way of saying the 100 worst places to live with allergies.

Looks like Texas tops the list. They have 7 cities in the top 70. Austin is number 1 with a score of 100. This is one time a score of 100 and the number 1 spot isn’t a good thing. San Antonio isn’t far behind Austin with a score of 98.75. That puts it in second place.

Third place is claimed by Oklahoma City, OK. They get a score of 96.25. But it’s not all bad in Oklahoma. Tulsa with a score of 83.00 is the only other city to make the list.

Florida has 11 cities in the top 100, with Lakeland leading the way with a score of 93.75. Orlando is right below them with a 93.20.

Los Angeles isn’t far down the list. It ranked 11th, scoring 82.75. And our nations capital ranked 70th with a score of 51.45. Seattle, WA. finishes the list with a nice low score of 25.45.

Not all minerals are created equal!
Organic vs. inorganic minerals

People always ask, “Are the multi mineral supplements I’m taking daily enough to keep my skin healthy and meet my daily essential mineral requirements?”

My answer to the question is no. When you see the impressive mineral list on the label of your multi mineral supplements such as calcium, zinc, magnesium, iodine…etc., you would think you are getting your daily essential minerals requirements. But these isolated minerals in your supplements are actually leading to mineral imbalances in your body.

Why is it that your body cannot utilize the impressive list of minerals found in your supplements?

The answer is because these minerals are inorganic minerals. Inorganic minerals are not the same as organic minerals found in natural foods like fruits, vegetables and sea vegetables. The way elements of a compound are connected determines whether it is organic or inorganic. The elements of organic minerals as found in fruits and vegetables are loosely held together. The constituent parts of inorganic minerals are held together tightly; they have strong bonds that the body cannot break easily. This means that such minerals do not have the nitrogen bond attached to them in order to break them down easily and make them accessible to the body’s cells.

Minerals are found in nature in the soil or in sea water. These minerals are hard minerals such as rocks or sand. Objects in the mineral kingdom are made up of substances like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, silicon, manganese, and a vast assortment of other elements. Elements in this kingdom are held together by very strong bonds. The scientific terms for the strong, inorganic, mineral kingdom bonds are “electrovalent” or “ionic”. You can consume inorganic minerals, but your body will either store them as toxins or eliminate them. Your body does not have the physiological capabilities of easily converting inorganic minerals into usable organic materials, but plants do. That’s the beauty of plants as food. A plant will process these hard minerals through the photosynthesis process in order to turn them into organic minerals (soft minerals). Plants can take minerals from the soil, break the strong bonds, and incorporate the minerals into their physical structure. When we eat the plants (fruits and vegetables), our bodies can utilize these soft essential minerals. The plants make the minerals soft or accessible to the bodies’ cells. Plants “eat” the mineral kingdom; we eat the plants.

In addition, the relationships of minerals to each other are very precisely calibrated when they are in foods. So, if they are offered to the body as a single mineral or isolated inorganic minerals as found in man-made supplements, it is easy to throw the complex system of minerals out of balance in the body.

Quoting from the book, Natural Healing with Foods by Nancy Appleton, pgs. 11-14:

“Let’s look at two important minerals that work in direct relationship to one another: calcium and phosphorus. These minerals work best in the bloodstream in a relationship of 2.5 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus. Normally, the calcium level in the bloodstream is about 10 milligrams per deciliter, and the phosphorus level is 4 milligrams. This means that your ability to use the calcium in your system is phosphorus dependent: no matter how much calcium you have, you can only use it if there is enough phosphorus present to go with it.
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A traditional Chinese herbal medicine consisting of five herbs may benefit people with eczema, claim researchers.

A study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong evaluated the effects of ‘pentaherbs formulation’ on 85 patients aged between five and 21 with atopic eczema. Half were given the herbs and half placebo.

The formulation capsules contain extracts of five raw herbs – Japanese honeysuckle, peppermint, root bark of peony tree, underground stem of the atractylodes herb and Amur cork-tree bark.

The researchers found that the quality of life improved by a third in the group taking the herbs, compared to no improvement in the placebo-treated group. They also found the remedy reduced need for topical steroids – the duration of use reduced by an average of four days per month in the herbal group compared to one day per month for placebo.

Nina Goad, a spokesperson for the British Association of Dermatologists, said: ‘We would warn against using Chinese herbal medications without first speaking to your doctor. Some retailers may not be reputable.’

Source: http://www.nursingtimes.net/news/breakingnews/2008/03/chinese_herbs_may_ease_eczema_in_children.html

Laura Weaver is allergic to almost everything.

Dairy products, some fruit and wheat, peanuts, soaps, sprays, perfumes, non-cotton clothing, plastic furniture and grass. The list is almost endless.

These everyday foods and products irritate her skin, so that she is covered with eczema. The itching keeps her awake all night.

“It’s from the moment I get out of bed because it’s dry and very sore,” says 13-year-old Laura.

“It’s hard to move about until I’ve got my creams on and had a bath, more creams and bandages, and through the day it’s mostly sore all the way through, if I start reacting it cracks and gets very painful.”

Laura’s skin is failing to act as a barrier, and instead of keeping harmful chemicals out, it’s letting them in.

The result is a sunburn-like rash all over her body.

It is rare to have such an extreme reaction to so many things and it is something that attracts unwanted attention.

“Certainly during primary school a lot of kids were told ‘don’t hold hands with Laura’, ‘don’t sit next to her you might catch eczema’ which of course is very hurtful,” says Mike Weaver, Laura’s dad.

“But adults are worse, you can see people walking through a shopping centre and they’re fixated by Laura and they’re staring at her.”

“Some people will call me names,” adds Laura. “It makes me feel sad, I hope that talking about it will help them understand.”

Laura’s condition was so severe last year that she had to be taught in a sterile room in hospital.

But now her school, Wyebridge Sports College in Hereford, has set aside a special ‘clean’ room for her so that she can interact with friends, then go to the special classroom if her skin has a bad reaction.

“We haven’t got any air conditioning in there,” says Laura’s teacher, Christine Atkinson.

“The carpets are new so there’s no dust, we don’t use chemicals when we clean it, there are no plastic chairs and the teachers don’t wear perfume so it feels safe for her.”

The National Eczema Society says one in five schoolchildren suffer from eczema, along with around one in 12 adults.

:: For more information go to www.eczema.org or freephone 0800 089 1122 (Mon- Fri 0800- 2000).