After listening to Dr. Marshall's radio show for weeks, I called the help/order line, found a practitioner in my area, and have been going to her for about a month and a half. From testing, I have discovered that I am in pretty bad shape from all of the antibiotics I took and it's not going to be a quick fix. When we tested I came up weak just about everywhere.

Quantum Relex Analysis is a system of testing the bio-energetic status of the body's key organs and glands. It uses Omura O-ring testing of medically accepted reflex points. Jan, my practitioner, says this testing is much more accurate than the standard arm kinesiology testing (deltoid muscle) that I was doing with NAET. Apparently that is only accurate about 50% of the time.

When I heard that little fact I really had to come to grips with the fact that I basically wasted a year and a half just trying to attack my symptoms. It seems that your chances of having the clearings last probably depends on your strength and state of health at the time you do them. I am finding that most of mine have not. Turns out I'm still allergic to so many things that I thought I had cleared. Here I was wondering why my nose was still running etc., etc., if I had cleared all my allergies. Well---I hadn't. Or if I did, it didn't last. Maybe if you are basically strong and don't have too many problems then NAET will work for you. But I'm not strong enough yet because I haven't addressed the causes of my allergies.

Still listening to Marshall's radio show online everyday, and have my husband, who is already pretty healthy, on his basics. Went to the doctor and found out one of the nurses is using his products. I mentioned to her what I was doing and she said, "Oh, I take some of his products and so does my husband." Small world.

Marshall's basic philosophy is that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is indeed "sad". Our food is no longer very nutritious, most of us make poor choices on top of that, we stop digesting our food as we age, and set ourselves up for poor health and disease. He believes we can get back to good health by making good food choices, balancing our urine PH, taking digestive enzymes and HCL, and taking "living nutrients" targeted to specific sites. That's a little oversimplified but is pretty close I think. QRA practitioners can test your body to see where the weaknesses are and tell you which nutrients will heal.

I'll write more this week about all the things I have learned. Especially the exciting fact that you can clear your allergies by yourself at home!

Had my follow-up with my doctor. Not much new. I took in the blood pressure record I had been keeping at home. It's consistently low at home and pretty normal in his office. His nurse took it and it was 110. When he came in we talked for awhile, and he decided to take it and "see if I can get it up". It shot up to 140! Second time it came down to 120. Guess I have a problem with doctors. Do you think I don't like them? LOL So I'm supposed to keep doing what I'm doing and try to keep my blood volume up by drinking lots of water, etc.

He wants me to go to an allergist. I have tried to tell him about NAET in the past but of course didn't get too far. He was probably thinking to himself, "What on earth is she talking about?" He didn't pursue it so I dropped it. I'm not sure what to do about this chest stuff now. The thought of seeing a regular allergist again just doesn't apeal to me. Skin tests, allergy shots? I did that 20 years ago and it didn't work. I'm sure things have probably changed after all these years, but I don't want to do it again. So he could give me different allergy drugs to try? I've also done that and haven't had much luck. I have been spending over a year doing NAET and here I am still trying to manage these outdoor allergies. Unbelievable.

So I'm considering going to go to a Naturopath and see if he can help at all. I have always wanted to see one but never knew anyone who had been before. Now I have a recommendation so we'll see.

Good news from the eye doctor, the one that sent me a bill after leaving me with dilated eyes for twelve days. I finally called the office and said I just had a problem paying for the privilege of being miserable for all of that time. And the response was basically so sorry, we never meant to send you a bill and you don't need to pay anything. I wonder if they did that for everyone affected or just for the patients who called and complained. So that made me feel a little better about what happened. Now I just have to decide if I want to continue to go there.

I'm at the tail end of another bout of bronchitis and antibiotics...5 day Z-Pak again. Just can't seem to stop this cycle. Post nasal drip from allergies goes to my chest and causes an infection. Add that to a little asthma and I end up in bad shape. I could continue to treat the outdoor allergies with NAET but it just seems impossible to keep up with the changing things in the air.

I try to get rid of it without asthma inhalers and allergy medications but am not having much luck. My doctor gives me stuff like Zyrtec and I come home, look up the side effects, freak out, and don't ever take it. I really don't feel well when I take any of this stuff. I have heard that people with mitral valve prolapse are more sensitive to medications. Not sure if it's valid, but sure seems to apply in my case. Years and years ago a doctor gave me 2 drugs for allergies. I took them both and ended up almost in a catatonic state. I could barely speak and my daughter had to call my husband to come home. Not fun. I just sat on the sofa until it wore off. When I told the doctor what had happened he just looked at me like I must be making it up. Why can't some doctors figure out that all patients are not the same and may respond differently to medications?

I cleared fluoride last week. I have known for quite a while that it was bad but I was avoiding it and thought that was good enough. I don't do fluoride rinses at the dentist, I drink bottled water, and I use a fluoride free toothpaste.

But it turns out that fluoride is in a lot of other things like food and beverages. I swear we are all being poisoned. So I cleared it the regular way...avoiding for 25 hours. It wasn't easy, but not as bad as some of the other things I've had to clear. Had to avoid: fluoridated water, gelatin, sunflower seeds and foods prepared with sunflower oil, milk, cheese, carrots, garlic (that was a killer), almonds, green leafy vegetables, and fish. Who knew fluoride was in all of that?

We had a long discussion about what could be making me sick now. The allergies and asthma are still going strong. Lisa asked a lot of questions along with the muscle testing, and it looks like it may be the construction and dirt across the street, along with DDT. They have been digging up the dirt for a couple of months now. It's a huge housing project and they're digging deep to put in canals. (When you're in bed in the morning the house shakes. Feels like an earthquake.) The land was a former crops field so whatever was in the dirt is being released into the air. She said it can affect me inside the house. Even with everything closed it still seeps in. I guess I should have connected it before. Duhhhhhhh! It certainly is logical and pretty much corresponds to when I started getting worse again.

I do know that I didn't have these lung problems before we moved here. Guess I should have stayed away from an agricultural area. We only considered pollen, etc. when we were looking for a place. Why didn't it register that we were building across from a field of pesticides? Amazing how it dawns on you when you get sick.

I have cleared the field dirt once but have to do it again now. So I'm taking in a dirt sample and an outside and inside air sample tomorrow.

Well I went for my eye exam. I told the doctor I had cleared the proparacaine and he said he didn't have to use it. They use that for the anesthetic when they do the glaucoma test. He did it without it and it was fine. But he said it's a good thing to not be allergic to that because you never know when you might have to use it in an emergency, etc.

I have been having two problems with my eyes. The first I have noticed when I'm using the computer. A litle dark spot in my vision. That symptom sent me running for my Amsler Grid to test for macular degeneration. As I mentioned before both my mother and grandmother had that. When I checked it at home I didn't see anything, but when I was in his office the lines seemed a little wavy on top from my left eye.

He tested my eyes and said the macula looks fine. But he did see something called cellophaning in that eye, which can also cause wavering lines on the grid. It's also called a macular pucker, a cellophane-like membrane that forms over the macula.

I had a visual field test and he said I saw every light so that was a relief. I'm seeing O.K. and my field of vision is O.K.

The other problem is something that has been happening for about a month. A little place in the middle of my vision that kind of wavers. Then it goes away. It's very weird. Lately it's been every morning when I get up. Anyway, I have to go to a retina specialist to have it all evaluated, see if there is a connection between the two, etc. It never seems to end. And eye stuff scares me. Possible eye surgery? That REALLY scares me! I didn't think I would be having eye problems this early.

I'm getting new glasses and also ordered some computer glasses. I've been needing those for years.

This seems to be go to doctor month. Today was back to my primary doctor to figure out what to do about the asthma. I have about given up on natural supplements for lungs curing this although I am still taking some that I think may help.

After much discussion we decided just to try Proventil. I told him I didn't want to do a steroid. I had taken Advair and didn't think it helped the asthma and it caused a problem with teeth sensitivity. My dentist told me she sees that a lot with her patients on steroid inhalers. So I will try that for awhile and see if it helps. I sure hope so. I can't believe I'm back on an inhaler after a year of NAET.

I tried on a coat last week. Didn't like it and took it off.
Then I started with the horrible symptoms...running nose etc. Looked at the label. It was wool and cashmere blend. It got so bad that I actually came home and changed clothes and washed what I was wearing.

I was sure I must have tested wool, although it wasn't on my list. I knew I had tested the Fabric Mix. So I figured I must be allergic to cashmere. I took some samples in to Lisa. I don't own anything cashmere but I have some angora sweaters. (Cashmere is goat fiber, mohair is hair fron an angora goat, and angora is either from an angora goat or rabbit.) I figured if I'm allergic to cashmere I would probably be allergic to the other things.

Well, I was allergic to those. And then she pulled out the wool vial and I was allergic to that. Needless to say, I was stunned. Lisa has been to the house and we tested everything. We have wool area rugs and they were O.K. when she was here. So is that why I'm still having such a problem in the house? And in the car with the carpet? Not allergic when she was here and now I am?

We cleared the fabrics. She suggested cupping again for my lungs but it didn't help. I'm getting very discouraged. Nothing seems to help right now. I'll have to go back to the doctors because I can't breathe. Very very sick of this. Feeling sorry for myself. So tired of feeling bad. I've been doing this for a year now. I've seen the testing work. I've seen the clearing work. What is going on? Anyone doing NAET have a suggestion? I'm considering getting an appointment at Devi's office to see what they come up with. Maybe something has been missed, or maybe there are just so many allergens outside that you can't keep up with them.

I'm starting to feel better so I'm hoping the new approach I'm taking is working. I'm going to give it a week or two and then will report.

The visit with Lisa went well. It had been three weeks since my last visit so I had a lot of things to test. I was allergic to the Robitussin expectorant I was taking. Sure could have contributed to feeling lousy. She said just about everyone she tests for that has a problem.

I wear a lot of non-iron shirts. I tested a washed one once and it was fine. A few weeks ago I put one on that hadn't been washed and I started sneezing etc. So I took one in and sure enough, it was bad. So I guess I'll always wash before wearing. No telling what kind of chemicals are in those. Not exactly something that an allergic person should be wearing, but I love them and don't want to give them up. It's so funny. If that reaction had happened months ago I would have just thought it was pollen or dust and never have connected it to anything else. Once you have cleared a lot of things when you have a reaction it's so much easier to be a detective and figure it out.

Mmmmmmmmm. I wonder if I should check out the dry cleaned clothes.

Of the two eye solutions from the optometrist, one was bad,- proparacaine. It is used in the eye as an anesthetic to numb the pain that may occur during eye procedures. So that is what I'm clearing now. I knew there was something causing a problem every time I get an eye exam. Should solve the problem when I go in next week for my checkup.

Well I finished the 5 day course of penicillin (Z-Pak) and I'm not any better. So I guess I didn't have an infection after all. Guess I have to face it that the main problem must be asthma. It's just a constant chest tightness with phlegm and cough. Of course I don't want to go the drug route. I tried Advair before and it really didn't help. And every time I look at the side effects of all this stuff I freak out. I have read that people with mitral valve prolapse react more to medication, and I think that's true.

So after hours on the net I found a natural program I'm trying. I have very high hopes for this because it makes a lot of sense. I'm only a day into it and if it works I'll let you know. I sure hope so because I am really feeling terrible.

Have an appointment with Lisa this afternoon. It's been awhile so I have a lot of stuff to test. I have an eye check-up and I stopped at the eye doctor to pick up the two solutions he uses in my eyes for the exam. Every year I have a problem for days afterwards so I want to see if I'm allergic and clear if necessary.

I've been taking a NAET break for a few weeks and coping with another round of bronchitis. I always think I can get rid of it myself but once again I gave up and went to the doctor for antibiotics. I wait too long every time because I don't want to take them again.

After a year of NAET I'm still having this lung problem. There are just too many things out there in the air to keep up with. I don't think you could ever clear them all. They are doing construction on a new housing development acress the street which could go on for a year, and that isn't helping matters.

I just have to find a way to keep this from happening. A little asthma and allergies and contant post nasal drip that goes down to my chest, and then the cough starts. I've been researching a lot of natural remedies and will not quit until I find one that works. I can't keep on the antibiotics merry-go-round. It's very discouraging.

I just got a message on one of my posts and just want to echo the importance of it for anyone considering or doing NAET.

"Keep the record of what you did with whom for later reference. I cannot remember the last name of Cecilia who worked on my son , and need it now! I need to find her to find out what she cleared.I think it was measles ,mumps,rubella,polio, but can't remember!"

That's so right, and I'm so glad I did. It would be nice if the practitioner would write it all down but there is really no way he or she can do that. Keep your own journal. I come home after every appointment and put down everything in the computer. So I have a record for months of treatments. What was tested and O.K., what was bad and has been cleared, and what is bad and still needs to be cleared.

Right now it's about six pages because I have tested hundreds of things. And sometimes before I go to use something, like a moisturizer etc., I have to look at the list to check. Did I ever test strawberries, or roses, or that mascara? After so many months you can't possibly remember everything and would just have to retest it. It will save you a lot of time and money. Sometimes you may think you're reacting to something, can't remember if it was tested, and if you have your list you can rule it in or out. And if you end up having to go to a different practitioner you will have your records with you.

I don't have everything on the list because sometimes Lisa will just test a lot of vials quickly without telling me what they are, or there is no time to stop and write, but I do my best!

I watched Blow Out all season and have to admit I got hooked. I would watch it every Tuesday night. My husband would just roll his eyes on the way out the door to play poker with the guys. LOL Not exactly his viewing choice for an evening!

So after hearing Jonathan talk about his new products and seeing all the problems and history of development, I decided I would try them. Went to QVC, but by the time I got there they were all sold out. So I remembered he was also with Sephora and I went there. Most of the products were still available and it actually was cheaper with them. You only have to order one bottle and if you order enough (which is easy) the shipping is free.

I ordered Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner, the Glossing Cream, Redo Freshen-Up Mist, and Finish Hold. I did debate over this for awhile because of the allergy problems. I had heard them talk about botanicals which was not a good sign. I still have a lot of outdoor allergies and I still take anything new I buy in to test with Lisa.

The products came. I was impatient. I thought I could try the hairspray before testing it. What could it hurt? So I sprayed some on my hair. An hour later I was in bad shape!! Head itching, nose running down my face. I couldn't believe it! I actually had to go wash my hair! I hadn't had a reaction like that in a long time.

The ingredients on some of the bottles are practically unreadable, even with a magnifying glass, so I went to Sephora where you can get a list. There are a LOT of botanicals, flowers etc. in these products. I narrowed it down to probably gardenia in the Finish Hold and the Redo. After you've cleared so many things it gets a lot easier to look at a list and see what could be causing a problem.

So the next day I put samples in my little bottles and took them in to test. By the way if you're doing NAET it really helps to buy some little glass vials to take in for testing. It's so much easier than hauling all the products in, opening them up, getting it all over you etc. I buy mine in different sizes here. Not expensive. Just make sure you wash them well before reusing.

We blind tested the products. One was bad. I looked down and sure enough it was the hairspray. Before I went I had stopped at the nursery and picked up a gardenia flower. It was also bad. So we cleared gardenia, plus flowers, pollen, etc. on the MSAS machine. Six minutes. Then tested the bad vial and my arm was like a rock. (Before it had come crashing down.) No longer allergic.

You know, it absolutely amazes me every time. I could clear an allergy the regular way in about 25 hours. Now I can clear one in six minutes on the machine. I know most people will never believe this. All I can say is you have to see and feel it yourself.

The Redo also had gardenia in it but I was not allergic. It is possible it could have been something in addition to gardenia that cleared on the machine but I'll never know. Gardenia was farther down the list in the Redo so just must have been not as concentrated. So now I actually get to use the products! After all this, I hope I like them. It sure will be a good test when I spray that hairspray on my head again. I'll let you know!

UPDATE: 8/06

Jonathan's products are pretty good! The Moisturizing Shampoo is great and so is the Conditioner. It's heavy enough to get through the tangles in my hair which believe me is saying a lot. But it doesn't weigh down my hair or make it look greasy.

No problems with the allergy to Finish Hold now, but this is a heavy duty spray. I'll keep it but will only use if I have to go to a barbecue in gale force winds!! LOL Actually you can spray it and then brush through and you hair holds well. I just usually don't use something with that much hold. And if you don't brush through it you certainly wouldn't want anyone to touch your hair.

The Glossing Cream is nice, and I haven't really tried the Redo Freshen-Up Mist yet. Haven't needed it. I guess the famous product is the Dirt, but I have no interest in wanting my hair to look like I washed it the day before. I do want to try one of his gels, maybe the Create Motion. I need a good one.

I saw his reunion show where they mentioned his bottles won an award. They are nice looking, but as I mentioned before, you can't read the ingredients on some of them. (If the contents of the bottle is clear then you can read it.) And good luck trying to squeeze the conditioner out of the bottle without taking off the lid. It's too thick to do it.

All in all, pretty good products. Just be very careful if you have allergies!

UPDATE 9/9

I purchased the Create Motion Gel and like it a lot. I have given up on the conditioner and won't reorder. Even though it's very thick I still have a hard time getting a comb through my hair after I use it. I've gone back to Neutrogena Triple Moisture which is the best conditioner I've ever used. I can comb my hair and it doesn't weigh it down. Don't know why I ever switched. Guess there is always the allure of finding something "better". But if you don't have the "comb through" problem Jonathan's conditioner could be very good. Still using the moisturizing shampoo and the glossing cream.

I've been working with Lisa on phenolics allergies. I can't really explain it well so here is a site that talks about it.

"Over the last decade, important breakthroughs have occurred in the identification and treatment of allergies. Dr. Robert Gardner, Ph.D. professor of nutrition at Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah), discovered that specific key chemical agents cause allergic reactions including hayfever. These naturally occurring chemical agents called "phenolic" (aromatic) compounds, are regularly found throughout our environment in thousands of items including most foods, pollen and chemicals."

I cleared them on the machine a few weeks ago but today I tested as still having a problem. So we tested all the individual phenolics listed on the machine and I was still allergic to nineteen of them. Cleared them and then had an acupuncture treatment.

Lifestream sent us a new cholesterol monitor! I did it again and it was 210. So I went from 193 on the old machine to 231 at the lab to 210 on the new machine. At least that's a little closer. I think the diet may have brought it down some more and they say you can have a 20 point discrepancy.

I made some homemade mayonnaise yesterday. Really good! 1 organic egg, 1 1/4 c. olive oil, 2 1/2 T. apple cider vinegar, 1/2 t. dry mustard, and 1/2 t. sea salt.

Blend the egg, vinegar, spices, and 2 T. of oil for a few seconds.

Without turning off the blender or food processor, slowly pour in the remaining oil. As soon as it is mixed in, turn off the blender and transfer the mayonnaise into a container.

The only problem is the cost of olive oil and it only lasts 4 or 5 days because of the raw egg. Next time I'm going to just make half of the recipe.

I was doing some research on heavy metals this morning. Since I have a problem with mercury (cleared), lead, nickel, and aluminum I wanted to see what I could find. I came across a site with all kinds of good articles.

Another great article on vaccinations. You HAVE to read this! Look at 2 and 3 on live viruses.

I haven't finished reading everything here but looks like they should all be worth a read.

I also found this article on "avoiding aluminum". You will not believe all of the sources of exposure. I can hardly wait to clear that.

I tested all the plants around me yesterday. In addition to the ficus (we have one large and 3 small in the house, a fern was also bad. Outside on the walkway and the deck the jasmine (a lot of it) and two other plants were bad. There is also a BIG ficus tree right by the front door outside. So I will clear all of those on Monday.

The clearing for drafts (wind) was not pleasant. A fan was blowing on me for 20 minutes and it was freezing! So much for a relaxing accupuncture treatment. But the 25 hours is up in 10 muinutes and I can go outside! I sure hope this makes a difference.

I cleared the two vitamins so at least now every one I'm taking is alright. I take a lot so it is nice to know they are helping not hurting.

Hmmmmmmmmm! Allergic to money! LOL! Everyone got a good laugh out of that! Actually allergic to nickel, aluminum, lead (50%), and slightly to cadmium. A lot of metals have nickel in them. It turns out I was about 50% right with my testing which really doesn't help me much. So I'll either have to practice a lot or just give it up. Lisa said I need to practice clearing my mind when I do it.

But hey! I did discover the metals. And the razor did test badly, so that may be the itching problem. Let's hope! Stainless steel was O.K. and I thought that was probably what the razor was made from, but it must have some nickel in it.

I have Alzheimer's disease on both sides of my family,-my father and an uncle. I was sensitive to mercury (cleared) and aluminum and am very glad that I am able to clear them both. There is still debate about any causal connection between these metals and Alzheimer's, but I have always thought there probably is one. I had my mercury fillings out and stopped cooking with aluminum pans years ago.
Lisa has been working with autistic children and clearing them of their senstivities to their vaccinations with great success. I just read this article about mercury levels in vaccines. I think if I were having children today I might follow the advice here. It sounds pretty balanced. You would probably get a lot of static from everyone but wouldn't it be worth it for the health of your children? The odds are that nothing would happen, but what if the odds were against you? Anyway...that's my opinion. When I was young we didn't get so many vaccinations. I had measles, mumps, and chickenpox. Now the shots are ridiculous. Too young and too many at once. There has to be a better balance. This article really scares me! Vaccination coverage of children is at an all-time high.

O.K., I'll get off my tirade and get back to my appointment. I also took some ficus leaves in. I was sneezing the other day while I was trimming a tree and sure enough it was bad. So I'm going to take other plants in to test before I clear that in case I need to clear more than one. It's amazing what you notice after doing NAET. Before I probably would have thought I was reacting to dust in the air.

The fan was nowhere to be found in the office so I couldn't clear draft. (Sure sounds odd!) Next time. So today I'm clearing two vitamins I need and want to get done. The diet is pretty restricted but that should be about it for testing and clearing vitamins. Still have to do oxalic acid but am putting it off.

My raw honey from philoxia.com and it is fabulous! Tested O.K. too. The supposed health benefits of raw honey are amazing! This article is VERY hard to read (too small) but if you can manage it's interesting. I also found another honey site that says theirs is completely unfiltered. That may be better for you so think I'll try it next. I've been burning the Pheylonian candles every day and love them! (A Note: These candles take a lot of maintenance but are worth the time.)

I'm off to get samples of all the plants to test tomorrow.

There is an interesting article in the Allergy News section on holiday food. It talks about food allergies and food sensitivities.

"Food allergies differ from mere food sensitivities, says Dr. Richard L. Wasserman, director of pediatric allergy and immunological studies at Medical City Dallas. Someone who gets cramps or diarrhea from a glass of milk or a plate of scrambled eggs is sensitive. Someone who develops hives, swelling, coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath is suffering a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis. That person needs immediate medical attention."

I guess technically I have been calling my food issues "allergies" when they are "sensitivities." Thankfully I have never had any severe allergic reactions.

This morning I read an article about Debra Messing and a reaction she had to perfume. Very scary!

There is an interesting article on the growing concern of allergies in the classroom on the Allergy News on this site.

It states that "more than 11 million Americans have food allergies and approximately three million children under the age of 18 years old or 1-in-25 American children have a food allergy. Food allergy reactions result in more than 30,000 emergency room admissions each year."

Worth a read. I just have one disagreement. The author says "there is no cure for food allergies, so strict avoidance is the only way to prevent severe or life-threatening reactions." I obviously do not agree with that. I have read about a lot of people that have been cured by NAET and I hope to be one of them.

The allergies pretty much took a backseat to the quest for the anxiety disorder diagnosis.

I did go to a dermatologist and he did some skin testing on my back. I ended up with one huge welt...allergic to thimerosol, ie. mercury. At that time thimerosol used to be in a lot more than it is today. It was in contact lense solutions and mascara etc. as a preservative. So I basically just changed brands. The only other problem was that I had a lot of fillings. The silver amalgams in your mouth are mercury.

I thought about it for a long time. Should I have my fillings out? Because I didn't know what was wrong with me I thought I really didn't have much choice. Maybe it would make me better. If I hadn't been actually allergic I may not have done it. I think the American Dental Association is still saying they think they are safe and you don't need to have them out unless you have an allergy. But I also believe they are banned in some other countries.

I am not a big fan of dentists (who is?) so you can tell how desperate I was to feel better. It was a horrible month of torture sitting in that dental chair having all the metal fillings replaced with composites.

And guess what! I don't think it ever helped. I didn't feel any better and I still didn't know what was wrong with me. Oh well, according to some doctors it may help my overall health down the road. After reading some of the articles on what mercury can cause I would never put another silver filling in my mouth.

Thimerosol is also in flu shots and tetanus shots. I heard the first from a doctor on T.V. "Don't have a flu shot if you're allergic to eggs or mercury." My doctor didn't even know about the tetanus shots. My husband was having one and I had heard that it might be in there so I asked the nurse if I could see the paper that comes with the serum. So my tetanus shots are not up to date, but I guess if I really needed one I could do it without too much problem. I'd probably just feel lousy.

It's been quite a while since I posted here. Things have been going pretty well on the panic front, but I have been having terrible allergy problems.

I'll write more on that in a minute, but on the panic side I do want to comment On Rose's diary. I was reading it yesterday and she was talking about having a problem being stuck in traffic. I felt so sorry for her because I can relate totally to that. I wrote earlier about my problem at stoplights. It's the feeling of being trapped with nowhere to go if you have a problem. I still don't like being stuck on the freeway or in any traffic jam. I did learn a good coping mechanism when I was having my stoplight problem. Put a rubberband around your wrist and snap it! It distracts your mind from all the negative thoughts and really works. Thankfully I don't have to use that anymore. I can pretty much just distract myself by thinking about other things and telling myself "I'm fine!"

Back to the allergies. They have been a part of my life for a long time now. I first went to the doctor about 16 years ago and had the usual allergy skin tests. He pronounced that I was allergic to weeds, grass, pollen, dust, trees (olive) and cat hair! I have since leaned that I am also allergic to mercury which adds a whole different set of problems. I then proceeded to allergy shots for two years with no success. And what a pain that was! Back and forth to the doctor constantly. I remember the first shot I ever got was on our anniversary. We went out to dinner and I was totally miserable. It all went to my eyes and I could hardly see! I guess I should have picked a different day to start! Anyway I did the shots for about two years until I had the first panic attack at Meteor Crater. I have always wondered a little if putting all that mixture in my system could have contibuted to putting my body out of balance. Could that really be good for you? Two years of shots and the allergies weren't any better. Maybe the concoction they made up wasn't right, but then I had the panic to deal with so I stopped all the shots.