This is my personal account with my battles with my ever present allergies and how I have been treating this pesky ailment. Im not a doctor, so please understand this article is for educational purposes and should be read at your own risk.
Background
I have been dealing with seasonal allergies for a little over ten years starting at the age of about twenty one. My allergies seemed to get a lot worse when we introduced a family cat. By this time, my allergies were consistent with an almost on queue daily morning sneezing fit.
Many drugs were purchased and used to help with the onslaught of sneezing, congestion and the headaches. None of them worked effectively for me. I have the desk drawer full of medication to prove it. Also attempted were more natural approaches like breathing in steam and a nasal sinus rinse which was administered through the nose. (This nasal sinus rinse surprisingly worked for my congestion but I soon got tired of the rather cumbersome process). If you are interested in trying this method, there are plenty of resources on the web to get you started.
Unfortunately, I started smoking cigarettes around the age of nineteen and got up to about a pack a day around the age of twenty two, this continued on for another nine years. (I had my battles with quitting during this time). I suffered periods of shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing. I went to see a doctor and he prescribed an inhaler for me. I was very thankful to him for helping me ease my sudden loss of breath and severe attacks, which of course stemmed from all the smoking.
I did quit smoking with the help of an inspiring book called. "The easy way to stop smoking" by Allan Carr. I am not endorsing this book, but it did help me in my efforts to quit smoking. Though I quit smoking I noticed my asthma got much much worse after about a month of quitting. Doctors visits ended with the same outcome. Here's a prescription for a purple disk and an emergency inhaler. After 3 months, 3 doctors visits and subsequent prescriptions, I decided to look for potential reasons for my Asthma continuing to worsen. This is when I stumbled upon a comment about hydrogen peroxide and this is when this story really begins.
Medical History
An important factor in my story and any story you read regarding treatment of any ailments are the history of the person. After all, doctors do have your file on record for a reason.
I would say my medical history is somewhat non-existent. I do not go to the doctor very often; planned visits all revolve around my need for Asthma medication. After a certain point I stopped talking to my doctors about my Allergies a very long time ago because I was told to see a Specialist. After much time spent and a bit of frustration, I gave up on attempting to see an Allergist/immunologist. After a 6 month waiting list, I could still not actually schedule a concrete appointment. This is not the doctors or Allergists fault, its just the system and amount of patients needing attention. Allergy medication was prescribed by my doctor several times, but nothing worked effectively. My Asthma problems was much better handled then my Allergies as far as finding something that works. As mentioned above, I was using the purple disk along side an emergency inhaler. My doctor said my checkup is good but strongly suggested and pleaded with me to stop smoking. I took up his advice but a month into quitting and my Asthma dramatically got worse. My doctor said little hairs in my lungs, called Cillia, where lying somewhat dormant due to the smoking and are now starting to open up with the increase of oxygen since quitting smoking. These little hairs are pushing up all the bad stuff that has been accumulating in my lungs over the years but in the process making my Asthma pains much worse. I continue to deal with this aspect but am hopeful that i will get over this effect soon.
Other then the past smoking history, I would say I am somewhat healthy, I don't eat out every day but I certainly don't maintain a strict diet either. I play a little basketball, but lately, as in the last 8 months, I haven't played at all. Prior to the 7-8 month absence I would say I played once a week. I drive my car to work but plan on riding my bicycle to work when the weather warms up. I know I need the exercise but riding in the cold and rain is very discouraging. I also plan on picking up basketball again when the weather heats up.
The Story
At the beginning of my research I read many personal stories about individuals and their experiences with Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy that didn't seem genuine. I was reading claims of alleviating not only chronic problems such as Allergies and Asthma, but also serious terminal ailments like Melanoma and Prostate Cancer.
This left me with a very skeptical view. The claims seemed far-fetched and I could find no evidence of scientific research or clinical trials.
On the other hand, I had used many prescription medications and "over the counter" drugs, that are backed by extensive medical research and funded by millions if not billions of dollars. Based on my experiences, I found the following...
A. Most remedies I tried simply did not work and are still collecting dust in my medicine cabinet, in a drawer or in my fridge.
B. Some products alleviated my symptoms, but had other drawbacks. They were expensive and had potential side effects. These side effects can be numerous and significant, as is plainly obvious from the advertisements alone.
With this in mind, I was willing to try alternative therapies. Therefore I kept looking for more information, and for some reason I stayed curious about the varying uses of Hydrogen Peroxide. My research continued on. Though high concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide are undoubtedly toxic, the same is true for many things we ingest. Everything in moderation as the old saying goes. After reading about the role that Hydrogen Peroxide already plays in the body, I reasoned that using this treatment in the prescribed method, was likely not harmful and if it worked at all, it was likely to work for my symptoms.
With a little fear of the unknown, I decided to give it a shot.
The Results
So far I have experienced some very positive progress with my Allergies & Asthma, which after suffering for so many years, is both exciting and encouraging. Regarding my daily congestion, I am once again able to breathe completely through my nose and right down into my lungs. I have not been able to do such a thing in many many years. I still do sneeze, but again, I still have the cat around so without removing the "problem" I cant expect the H2O2 therapy to cure this.
My Asthma has gotten much better, though I do not completely rely on the H2O2 exclusively, I do use an inhaler for any emergencies I have with my breathing when an Asthma attack is on its way. To put this in perspective, prior to the H2O2 therapy, for three months I was on that purple disk prescribed by my doctor along with an inhaler used for any emergency Asthma attacks. The purple disk worked great for me, kept my Asthma in check but I really have no idea what it was or will do to my body now or in the future. The list goes on and on for potential side effects and I encourage any one reading this to seriously question what they are putting into their bodies and read the labels and the fine print. The monthly bill was also hampering my budget. Back to my results, once I stopped the purple disk and started the H2O2 i have not felt the need to "control" my Asthma with any prescriptions. Like I mentioned, I still do get attacks and have my inhaler with me at all times for those emergencies, along with my nasal mister. More info on the mister below.
The Method
The H2O2 method I researched and decided to use was the inhalation method. After about a week of researching other comments, YouTube videos and any and all resources, the inhalation method was the method I felt would be best fit for me. Currently I am using a 4-4-4 method (easy for me to remember) which uses a 2.9% H2O2 solution (the solution consists of 29% food grade hydrogen peroxide diluted using 1 part 29% H2O2 and 10 parts distilled water placed into a nasal mister.
The 4-4-4 method entails 4 nasal mist sprays, every 4 hours, 4 times a day.
Side effects
The Side effects
All joking aside... None to speak of as yet.
The Time Period
13 months and counting. (Since about early February 2011)
Last Words
I have created a site as part of my ongoing research in to the varying uses of Hydrogen Peroxide. It should be noted that I am a layman and am only sharing my personal experiences and creating a conduit for others to share their knoweldge and stories through the site. It is my hope that by providing this space for others to do the same, we may begin to develop a clearer picture of what potential this treatment may hold, whether it be positive or negative. I am not dismissing the importance of clinical trials, doctors recommendations and the pharmaceutical community. If you choose to use this alternative therapy, do so at your own risk.
I can only speak for myself and I cannot praise enough how much it has helped me and I want others that experience issues with Allergies and Asthma to reconsider their options.
Read up and educate yourself about this very misunderstood yet powerful and effective little fluid.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed my story and hopefully you have the time to view the site.
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