Hope all is well!

(well I do find issues with people choosing pets more than other people, but that is a side topic!)

If everyone was willing to put emotions to the side, open up and brainstorm, we might find more solutions. :)

And I’m from Maine, so if you don’t mine the drive you can stay with my family :)

What could I alleviate by having tons of money? OH boy… I could retire… quit the job I hate. No more getting up at 5am! Actually I may still get up early, but I would not have to leave the house and do the commute in traffic, you know the rat race!

My allergies are actually very mild now, especially since I rarely play golf (allergic to the grass and stuff that kicks up after each thwack). If I were to ever move to a highly seasonal area, I will definitely think about treatment more closely.

Best, Sam

Many people overcame allergies by changing diet to more natural food, e.g., fruit, raw vegetables and juices. One gets important nutrients and vital stuff, like antioxidants which help fight allergies, from fresh food. Processed food has too many unknown ingredients added to it to make it taste good. These added ingredients eventually cause us problems. Of course, most of the nutrients in processed food are lost during the process.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/404/enemy-camp-2010

The story is in Act III.

Maybe somewhat extreme, but the “science” falls under what is described as the hygiene hypothesis:

Hygiene hypothesis

The hygiene hypothesis states that infants and children who lack exposure to infectious agents are more susceptible to allergic diseases via modulation of immune system development. As Mary Ruebush writes in her book Why Dirt is Good, “what a child is doing when he puts things in his mouth is allowing his immune response to explore his environment. Not only does this allow for ‘practice’ of immune responses, which will be necessary for protection, but it also plays a critical role in teaching the immature immune response what is best ignored.[35]” The theory was first proposed by David P. Strachan who noted that hay fever and eczema were less common in children who belonged to large families.[36] Since then, studies have noted the effect of gastrointestinal worms on the development of allergies in the developing world. For example, a study in Gambia found that eradication of worms in some villages led to increased skin reactions to allergies among children.[37]

Although the exact mechanism is unknown, scientists hypothesize that the helper T cells are key players. Allergic diseases, which are immunological responses to normally harmless antigens, are driven by a TH2-mediated immune response. Bacteria, viruses, and parasites, on the other hand, elicit a TH1-mediated immune response which inhibits or down-regulates the TH2 response.[38] TH1 also inhibits the activity of TH17 which is heightened in numerous inflammatory diseases including multiple sclerosis and asthma.[39] More research is currently being performed to better understand the possible mechanism for the hygiene hypothesis.

- Kind of makes sense.

I can’t help it, and she can’t help it that she couldn’t express what she had to say in a ready manner. She did come back eventually and say she agreed with the suggestion of having the cats downstairs in the evening, but she couldn’t say so immediately, which obviously leads me to wonder whether she truly means it.

Maybe the search for that ultimate compatible person is an illusion, which is why there are so many fights and breakups. Relationships take WORK and lots and lots of open communication. I think I’ll go write a post now about the topic :)