How's this for coincidence?

As part of my food "experiment" back in Dec 09, I decided to stop eating garlic and onion for a while.   My sinus has conveniently chosen that time to return...the constant sneezings especially in the mornings (hate this!), the pressure pain in the nose (hate this too!), sleepless nites due to the pressure pain (hate this even more!), etc etc. I was very baffled why I was suddenly having these attacks as I haven't been experiencing it for the past few years, with the exception of occasionally getting one teary eyed from spicy or hot food (and this is I cannot prevent due to my blocked right sinus duct). 

Last nite as I was reading Food Harm Food Heals (by Reader's Digest, given courtesy of my dear bro and mom), I came across the section on "Sinusitis" and it mentioned that garlic and onion can help to alleviate sinus.  I probably should know this, considering the fact that I suffered from sinus, but I never really pay attention to all these stuff.  All I know is, I have my nasal corticosteroid spray ready in hand and recently I discovered that menthol crystals help to reduce the congestant, though it does not make the pain go away. 

Needless to say, I am now back to eating garlic and onions again.

Are you taking care of yourself?

These past weeks, I've been totally busy learning to take care of myself. It is not an easy process as I try to be more mindful of what I put in my mouth, how I cope with indirect stress, what I put on my skin, etc etc.

Been religiously scouting newspaper and online sites for job applications. Registered myself with 2 headhunter agencies. Got an interview coming up next week. Hoping for more to come. I am grateful for the hands that feed me but I just can't wait to get out of this god forsaken place. The mental stress is enough to send one into deep depression.

Been teaching myself to eat cleaner and healthier. For me, the caloric intake is secondary. What's more important is the list of ingredients. I'm slowly learning to avoid certain chemicals and preservatives that are harmful to our bodies. It's not easy because those stuff are everywhere in our food. I'm not going 100% organic, at least not yet but I am making better food choices. I will write more on those harmful preservatives soon.

Another area which I am paying greater attention to, is non toxic skincare products. This is not easy, I gotta admit. Our local health and beauty pharmacies do not carry products that are free of SLS, propylene glycol and paraben. I know, because I spent hours scouting for those products there, without any success, of course. There are some good brands out there such as Aesop or Jurlique but they are more high end products. Very expensive indeed. I have found a couple of sites/shops that do offer more reasonably priced skincare. More on that soon.

Eating healthy isn't enough. It has to be accompanied by exercise. It's not only good for the body but it is also good for our soul and mental. I'm spending more time on resistance and core training, and less on cardio. To begin with, I don't have great endurance level anyway. It is something that I need to work on but not for the moment. That is not to say, I'm abandoning cardio altogether. Cardio is good for the heart but I'm gonna hold back on it, for now, until I have a healthier weight to support this exercise on a regular basis.

I plan to explore in more details these subjects and as soon as I've done enough research, I will write more in the next few entries. In the meantime, please eat clean and live healthy.

Change in priority..

A while back, furnishing my home was all that was in my mind. The re-painting, the furniture shopping, the housekeeping. Yeah, it was exciting while it lasted. Well, it's not exactly out of my mind yet. It's just that where money is concerned, the priority has now shifted to, health instead.

vs

I've been wanting to do a complete health screening since forever. The last that I did was in 2001...that long ago. Even then, I did it becos it was a job requirement, so the screening wasn't thorough.

I should really scout around for some health packages. This time, I gotta make sure I find out what is my blood type. *shy shy*

tsk...tsk..tsk....no discipline

Paid a long overdue visit to the ENT Specialist Clinic this morning and got lectured by the doctor. My last visit was back in Nov 2007 in which I was prescribed a nasal spray for my swollen sinus. Since then, I have only returned once to get a refill of the spray. 2 bottles in 7 months timeframe. Not good. Hence, a lecture by the doctor.

I was prescribed a different type of nasal spray this time cos I told the doctor the previous one I used wasn't effective anymore. OF COURSE LA NOT EFFECTIVE, the doctor said...cos I didn't use it continuously. No discipline, doctor said. Gulp! I was firmly told to use this new spray for 3 continuous months (i.e must return to the clinics to get 2 refills) and then return at the end of the 3rd month for the doctor's checkup. Then only will she advise if I still need to use the spray on a montHly basis or otherwise. Gulp!

A quick check by doctor proved that my sinus is still a little swollen, it seems. I have also been advised to take antioxidant supplements. The medicine she has cost RM180 per bottle...a bomb! Sigh...let me check if can claim from company or not.

Acute gastritis OR food poisoning?

Vomitted 5 times, diarrhea close to 20 times, fever, headache, abdominal pain since Sunday.

Paid a visit to the clinic at 3am (Monday morning).

Given a jap (of which the pain can still be felt).

Doctor was damn unfriendly & sarcastic. The medicine given was damn useless.

I think I lost a tremendous amount of weight too from my already thin frame....

I'm grimacing in pain