Hi aimhigh4once,

Hair dye is linked to brain cancer? I've honestly never heard that before.

To answer your question though, I've never dyed my hair. I'm a natural red head, so I've always been told that dying my hair would be the ultimate sin in the hair world.

-Amethyst

now I can't find the article that presented with the info but I thought it was Purdue University that did the study.....can't remember for sure, but I did find this link that talks about products in your home that cause cancer and of course I used Nice and Easy for years.

And i agree never dye red hair :) I dye mine to be red lol :D

oops here is the link: http://smartklean.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/the-top-12-cancer-causing-products-in-the-average-home/

I'm somewhat skeptical, none of the studies thus far have found a strong link between personal hair dye use and increased cancer risk. The evidence is very limited and conflicting, I think I probably lean more towards the side that hair dyes are generally safe, but that does not mean they have always been safe. I think it should be known that before the 1980s some dyes contained aromatic amines, which can be related to increased risk of bladder cancer. I've read research regarding links between hair dye and bladder cancer risk, but even still I don't know if it's a strong enough link.

Although I see no risk, I also see no harm in taking precautions. I did a little reading on the alternative methods for dying hair. They now make vegetable based hair dyes which are pretty interesting, or plant based non-toxic henna dyes.

-Amethyst

though my symptoms started with a sinus infection (though I've had dizzy spells on and off for 6 years) I changed my hair dye at about the same time and wondered if it could be the new dye.....

I have no idea about the dye and cancer links. However, knowing the smells well, it could be affecting us in different ways. Two days ago I (finally) polished my toenails. It knocked me into a horrible headache. Looking at the rest of the day though, the nail polish was the only new thing. The last time I went and had my hair done, same thing. This leads me to think it is the smell causing the head pain instead of the product itself.

Just a thought,
Kristena

Most causes of IH are
stenosis of arteries, lymphatic, or glymphatic
kidney issues
sleep apnea
diet toxifiying systems, look at high fructose, msg, gluten, sucralose, basically any food preservative or additive

well, think about the fact that some medications can cause PTC, tetracyclines, Accutane, etc, and it seems possible that any chemical that is foreign to us could be implicated. I have found that every person with IIH who I have convinced to take the QEESI questionnaire, has been quite positive for chemical sensitivity. I have proven that chemical exposure increases my ICP. I can promise you that exposure to hair dye and to nail polish would make me ill with ICP symptoms. I believe that these are increasing ICP by way of causing brain edema. I have also proven in myself that it is not the smell but the chemical itself that causes the abnormal brain change, by functional MRI.
now, does this mean that the chemical is causing the IIH condition? that if you had never been exposed to the hair dye that you would not have IIH? I don't think so. I think that is the definition of MCS: Multiple chemical sensitivity, that multiple different chemicals can cause the same symptoms. something underlying is making us vulnerable to these chemicals causing symptoms. I don't know what that is (yet ;-)) but I know that if I lived in prehistoric times that I probably would never have become ill.

I use henna. would never even walk down the hair dye aisle in the store, let alone buy some or use it. I am repelled as if a mosquito from a DEET cloud.

I would agree as well, even today im sensitive to odors man made or natural. For instance nail polish sends me to a bad place, as does most perfumes, lotions, but the most sensitivities are to body odors.
Today I bought my great nephew a new car seat, the smell was undetectable by others, it was still on the box. I had to open the box to confirm my nose, that was it. I should know better to doubt myself as my nose is always right. Reiterating what Sophiasmom said about sensitivity, and adding heightened ability other dont have, but suppose they go hand in hand.

Smells, vapors, etc... Are a major issue for me. I get terrible headaches, even when others can't smell anything. I am so sensitive to almost anything. There are only certain cleaners I can use and I only buy splashless bleach for the laundry because it doesn't have the strong odor regular bleach does. I can't use nail polish or perfumes and I can't go in certain stores. I have to use alcohol free hand sanitizers too. All of this will give me headaches, make me lose my voice, and/or give me upper respiratory infections. My daughter got married this last weekend at the lake and now I'm so congested. Every cough hurts my head. My pressure is through the roof, so much my arms hurt to move them. My NS is going to lower the setting on my second shunt and they have me taking Diamox 4 times a day to keep the levels in my system steady throughout the day. He said, "you have the Cadillac of shunt systems now...." But every symptom I have is high pressure. I wasn't always this sensitive. I'm 36 and I was 24 when I started becoming so sensitive to everything. It has been a big adjustment and some things can't be totally avoided. It's so frustrating. This disease wrecks havoc on your body. Since diagnosis I have also been diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol (even though I avoid foods high in it), a multitude of headache disorders, liver issues, urinary tract issues, and I will hopefully find out within the next month why my monthly cycles are so screwed up and why I have cramps throughout the month (when I have never had cramps before). Diagnosises just keep piling up. This thing never ends!

Hope, as a side note, there seems to be increasingly evidence that eating cholesterol isn't what makes your cholesterol high, and that it's not cholesterol that's the problem but the inflammation that can be associated with it. Unfortunately, the American Heart Association, being such a huge organization, is REALLY slow to change their recommendations. Here's some food for thought: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2013/February/Forget-Cholesterol-Inflammations-the-Real-Enemy/

Just thought I'd share, hope you feel better soon!

Wow...thank you for that article. Something I didn't know. Also, as a side question, if one doesn't have a gall bladder to help produce bile to break down the foods you eat, is there anything extra one should be doing or taking to compensate?

Ooh, good question. Do you notice any digestive difficulty with eating higher fat foods? Perhaps eating good quality fats (i.e. nuts, avocado, coconut or olive oil, etc) but in smaller quantities more frequently might help. I've read that some people have easier digestion post gallbladder removal if they take a probiotic. It doesn't make up for the missing gallbladder, but maximizes the stomach/intestinal function. The key is to take a quality probiotic - it needs to have several different microbe strains and should contain probably 10 billion or more organisms (my husband bought one at Target once that had only 500 million - barely worth taking!). I've heard of people taking digestive enzymes too but don't really know much about that. Practically everyone, gallbladder or not, can benefit from a probiotic though! Hope that helps. :)

I know this has been topic in the past, but just for everyone today can you make suggestions for a qusloty brand. Also if Sophiasmom would be so kind to male suggestions to us ladies 30+ suffering with low hormones, the natural progesterone brand recommendations, would you "please" explain whom might need it and why.

Thanks all