Episode #191: What To Do When Allergies Affect Your Exercise

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In this Apr 18, 2012 free audio podcast: What To Do When Allergies Affect Your Exercise. Also: how much do you need to eat after an endurance event, is Tri-Ripped or Triathlon Dominator better for a 70.3, a genetic test to determine your potential aerobic capacity, how to heal a bruise, controlling the side effects of prednisone, how to reduce migraines, should you use the mess out of 7-Keto DHEA, and wearing minimalist shoes on a bike.

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Listener Q&A:A donate button that reads - keep the podcasts coming

As compiled and read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast “sidekick”.

Audio Question from Megan:
When you do a big event like a marathon or Ironman in the days after the event is it true that you have a bigger caloric need. If so, what would the percentage be? She eats good/healthy food after the event but wants to know how much more she might need or not need to consume.

~ Resources I mention to Megan: Enerprime, Capragreens or SuperGreens, Tian Chi for adaptogenic herbs, Energy28 for Maca, Caprazymes and Caprobiotics, and Betaine HCL.

Audio Question from Josh:
Can seasonal allergies cause his heart rate to get really really low? In April and May he can't get into Zone 4 or 5 while riding. His standing rate is 40 or 50 BPM!

Christian says:
My wife and I ran a 1/2 marathon today. She appears to have a significant histamine reaction causing vasodilatation every time she runs significant distances. Her arms and legs turn purplish red and she feels her blood pressure drops. She dumps cold water on her arms each aid station and that helps some. The problem is worse when it is hot outside. Her hydration and nutrition are good. Her liquid nutrition has electrolytes and she adds a salt tablet to her water bottle. I recall your podcast interview about not needing electrolytes but adding salt seems to help her. What other thoughts do you have?

Audio Question from Brian:
He is planning a 70.3 in January. Which program of yours would you recommend: Tri-Ripped or Triathlon Dominator?

Audio Question from Hunt(?):
He recently watched “The Truth About Exercise” and saw a genetic test that can guess the potential of an individual's aerobic capacity. He's interested in learning more about that test.

Audio Question from Jerry:
He fell 6 feet on to a mat while bordering which caused pain in the arch of his foot. He called it quits, went home and the next morning there was swelling and bruising (hematoma). He has been using ice, ultrasound and e-stim and is wondering if there are any other ways to speed up the healing?

Tommy asks:
My wife is a runner and suffers from ulcerative colitis. She has a really clean diet no grains, no dairy or legumes. Her recent flair up sent her to the doctor and they put her on prednisone. 30mg 2 weeks, 20mg 2 weeks, 10mg 2 weeks. Within 24 hr of her first dose her symptoms were much improved. What side effects can she expect, will it effect her running? Is it possible to offset the prednisone side effects with diet and supplementation. What can she expect as the dosage decreases?

~ In my response, I recommend the GAPS diet.

Adam says:
My wife suffers from migraines at least once every 2 months (usually once a month), to the point where she's bed ridden (normally a few hours) until she throws up then the pain subsides within an hour. The doctors reckon it could be her pill, but I wanted your take on it. She eats the standard typical high cho mod pro low fat (enjoys the odd egg) approach diet. Has no known illnesses. Is a fitness instructor and healthy. Have you heard of this before? Is there any known issues of substances or food groups that could induce this reaction?

Dylan says:
I know some guys at my gym are talking this 7-Keto DHEA stuff up. Is it a scam? My number one goal is fat loss. If it can indeed increase my thyroid T3, I'll buy the mess out of it!

Phil asks:
I am way into minimalist running shoes and use them all the time I am at the gym – for weight training, treadmill, elliptical, rowing. I use the Merrell Trail Glove, which looks like a “normal” shoe (no separate toe compartments). During the week, I try to mix up the cardio day-to-day. There are spinning bikes in the gym with toe clips and I'd like to add them to my cardio repertoire. Given my time constraints, I cannot switch to my (stiff) cycling shoes. So my question is – What are your thoughts on cycling (100 rpm hard intervals) in minimalist running shoes? I have tried the shoes without any problems, but I wondered if you knew of anything showing this to be contraindicated.

Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness!

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14 thoughts on “Episode #191: What To Do When Allergies Affect Your Exercise

  1. Kathy says:

    Hi, Ben,

    I thought I'd share that I've had great experience with acupuncture in treating allergies. My allergies can get pretty bad in the spring, where, after a long bike ride, my nose will be running like a faucet. (And disrupt sleep severely too.) If I get acupuncture weekly, it seems to keep it at bay. Also, a neti pot rinse after a long ride really makes a difference too.

    Thanks again for your great podcast!

    1. Awesome Kathy, that's great to hear!

  2. Brennan says:

    Hi Ben! I wanted to share a quick personal experience related to this podcast and say THANK YOU! I had allergies for 20+ years that often seemed unexplained and random including the past 5+ which included daily doses of clariten, benadryl, and or zyrtec. After hearing your interview with Paul Jaminet last year I switched from the SAD diet to the PHD diet purely to try something new. Through that experience and some vacation weekends where I ate gluten, I discovered that my allergies, or the thing that put me over the histamine hump, seems to be gluten. In the past 5 months the only time I have needed to take meds is after eating gluten. A drastic difference after daily doses of allergy meds. I also had some unexplained, doctor reviewed, swallowing problems in the past that went away. I was diagnosed with mild asthma too and I am tempted to see what has happened there. As you know, the switch from the SAD diet to the Perfect Health Diet is a big change and involves giving up other things besides gluten but I think gluten has had the biggest effect. Thank you for all you do!
    Best,
    Brennan

    1. Awesome, Brennan. And congratulations on your success!

  3. Heith says:

    You talked about fueling on coconut oil on longer sessions. i've been fueling on avocados sliced in half skin on, pit removed(just squeeze like a gel), almonds, and 2 complete amino pills every hour on long rides. Just wondering if coconut oil would be a better alt. to the avocados? Only because avocados are expensive, but, no matter how you swing it,coconut oil is processed and out of it's natural anti oxidation shell. Allso, why coconut oil? What's in it that isn't in avocados?
    I've tried coconut flake but it's hard to chew and breathe. Thanks.

    1. Coconut oil has nearly twice as many Medium Chain Triglycerides in it, which are more easily metabolized as fuel compared to avocodes, which are mostly monunsaturated fatty acids.

      1. Kathy says:

        So, Ben, just like it's better to have carbs earlier in the day (and I work out in the morning, so doubly so), does that mean it's better to have coconut oil earlier in the day, and some other kind of fat in the evening? I've been having coconut oil as almost 'dessert' after dinner, but would it be better to have nuts or avocado at night instead?

        1. If you're going to have any type of fat before exercise, an MCT oil or coconut oil would be best – yes. You could technically save other fats lower in MCT's for other times of day…

  4. Cam says:

    Hi Ben,
    When discussing post-event recovery you mentioned that the build up of free radicals, metabolic byproducts and all the sugar intake can make your body acidic. I have heard about this before but haven't seen many folks point to evidence that either your stomach or your muscle tissues are overly acidic after an event like this. Also, there are whole diets focused on avoiding acidic foods and I didn't know what to make of them. It seems logical that lactic acid and the production of CO2 would decrease pH but wouldn't your body be able to regulate this with oxygen delivery? Can you point me towards a source that convinced you of this phenomenon? Thanks for the great work you do and the effort you put into this website and podcast!

    1. I'm doing a whole interview on this and releasing next Friday, Cam, so stay tuned! It will be with Ted Morter.

  5. Andy says:

    Hey Ben, the feces transplant you mentioned in this podcast is not really something new. They have been doing it in Washington DC for years only they call it brain transplanting :)

    1. Comment of the month. ;)

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