First of all, a psychiatrist isn't going to help your friend with her "anxiety". She has several allergies that are affecting her and her "anxiety" as you call it is fully warranted. Those with various types of allergies can be extremely sensitive to even the slightest smell of the offending allergen. Whether it is food, perfume scents, pollens, anxiety can and is part of the reaction, especially emotionally, to the risk of exposure. As with those who are allergic to peanuts or any type of nuts, it can be traumatic, dangerous and a life or death situation for them to just be in the same room with peanuts or near someone that has just eaten peanuts or any type of nut or nut product. Your friend did err in being in a room or at the table with food being served that had peppers in it, when she knew the offending allergen was going to be present. There are more people than you realize that are allergy affected by various chemicals as well. We live in a society that has put various scents into almost every product that it can possibly be put in. That alone has created a great deal of the problem. I myself am amazed by the various processes that are used in every day products that people use and often wonder why the industry has gone to this type of extreme. Just a daily example is this. A person bathes with a soap that has one scent. Then puts on anti-persperant with a second scent, skin lotion with a 3rd, clothes that have been washed in a 4th and dried with a 5th scent. Proceeds to do hair that has been washed in a 6th scent, had creme rinse used with possibly a 7th scent. Then continues to do hair with a hair spray with an 8th scent and tops at scents off with a 9th scent by using perfume. You are talking about the combo of potentially 9 different scents and maybe more if makeup is used that is also got some scent to it. Then that person exposes themselves to others that are sensitive to any one of those scents or a various combo of them. Various perfumed scents or scents of food can and are highly allergenic to many, many people. I myself, as are my 2 adult children, very sensitive to various odors that are present in cleaning products, soaps, laundry detergents, perfumes and have found that it is necessary to use within our own homes, products that have no scent or very little scent. There was a time when both my daughter and myself could not walk past the various makeup and perfume counters in department stores without getting extremely sick; ranging from coughing, sneezing, watery eyes to breathing difficulties and once my daughter had a severe asthma attack and need to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Your friend gets defensive when you make a suggestion because she is suffering herself from the affects this is having on her life with others, her friends and limiting her time outside. It is quite possible that she is getting worse because of continued exposure to the offending allergens. You might suggest that she try seeing another allergist since the one she saw did not help her. You might suggest that she see an allergist that is well versed in environmental allergens as well. As for your relationship with her and being with her, why not try not using perfume when you are with her. Cut down on the use of so many scented products, ask her what you specifically can do to make it easier for her to be with all of you. Ask her if she knows if there are specific scents that you are using that may or may not be causing a problem for her? You can try using unscented hairspray, suntan lotions, no perfume. But, please remember this is not a psychiatric problem that your friend has, it is a very serious medical problem that she has. Her body actually has turned against her and is causing her serious problems. She has, what is called, an immune imbalance. It is not her fault and she has to deal with the problem and hopefully find a way to function around others. In the mean time, try and be understanding an supportive to your friend. She is having a horrible time herself and it sure isn't an enjoyable way to have to live. And also, a psychiatrist is not going to help her with her allergic problems. Fran

Oh please, you fit the perfect profile of someone who is just tired of taking care of a dog now that you have a child. When you make a commitment to a pet then fail to follow through, while trying to blame it on the dog's behavior you're going to get negative comments. From your very first post: 'They are the best of playmates at times, but I am always watching them which is exhausting. Dd also has allergies and I'm a neat freak about it around the house...I know she has allergies to our dog for sure.' You're tired of watching the dog to make sure he doesn't bite your child. Why you wouldn't keep them separated when you say the dog has bitten her hand several times seems ridiculous and almost unbelievable. And 'you know' she has allergies to your dog 'for sure'. I guess you wouldn't have to be such a neat freak about the allergies if you dump the dog. But then in another post you indicate having a foster dog sounds like a good idea because your child just loves dogs... so is she allergic or not? Maybe she's just allergic to your dog, the one you don't want anymore. I hope your parents keep the dog and provide it with a good home. I hope you don't get another pet until you understand they are not disposable.

Interesting thread- how did I miss this a year ago? My mother and I were talking a few months back about the materials used in new housing construction- after she went to visit my brother in his huge, new house that is all cheapo materials. She complained that everything from doors to counters was plastic. I've been very interested in some of the stuff that's out there lately about various components of plastic being hazardous to the immune system. I got rid of my chronic hayfever about 10 years ago by putting myself on a regimen of vitamins and supplements for a couple of months- said goodbye to a lifetime of hayfever so am convinced that the immune system may play a bigger role than it's given credit for. Who knows how or if all those plastics play into that type of thing. Some of it can also be the landscaping done in new construction areas. Back in the good old days, whatever grew was what grew (think of the farm), now so much of what is planted is well cultivated and is often a male tree that looks prettier than a female tree, or may be less messy, but spends a great deal of time spurting pollen hither and yon. Humidifying is great not just for the linings of the nasal passaged, but also because dust mites don't do well with higher humidity. Rinsing the sinuses with salt water like someone else suggested is also a great thing to learn- I learned to do it with a shot glass and have cleared sinus infections very rapidly that way.

We can develop allergies any time to anything. I occassionally get what you are describing and was told it was allergies. As the doctor explained it to me, it was mucus that was draining down the back of my throat, causing irritation. I have never been able to figure out what triggers it, it comes and goes as it pleases.