posted
I had a hair appt yesterday for hilights. I was not feeling well as the inflammation/irritation behind my sternum was really flaring up. Since it's pretty much at the core of my body, when this is inflamed (I'm assuming this is what it is) I feel blah all over.
Anyway, I'm getting my hair done, my stylist does a double process. When she was putting on the product for the second process it smelled strongly of ammonia. Within 2 minutes the discomfort was gone and I felt quite well.
The only thing I could associate with it was the ammonia smell.
When I got home it seemed like the inflammation was perhaps starting up again. I found probably an 18-year-old bottle of ammonia under my kitchen sink, took a whiff (don't judge, only playing researcher here), and even as of this morning I still don't have that discomfort.
Anyone have any thoughts on what may have transpired?
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tickled1
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posted
I'm not saying this is true or not but I remember someone on here once saying that ammonia detoxes mold. But please, don't keep wiffing ammonia based on what I just said. It was just the first thing that came to mind when I read your post.
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poppy
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tickled1
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posted
Wow poppy! That is really interesting! Leads me to believe that koo maybe has POTS? Have you every been diagnosed with that koo? Or NMH (neurally mediated hypotension).
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tickled1
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...I have POTS. Wish I had some ammonia to test it out on myself! LOL
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tickled1
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posted
....plenty of deer horns around here though (husband is a hunter). Maybe I'll grind some up! Just kidding.....
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steve1906
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Please be careful - I copied a few things of the net regarding (inhaling ammonia).
Q - What is the danger of inhaling ammonia fumes?
A - Extreme cases, death. It can reverse the action of glutamate dehydrogenase and lower the NADH + H+ energy carrier.
Ammonia is also caustic and will lead to tissue damage.
A - Yes. Inhaling Ammonia is extremely dangerous. Ammonia is a poison. It can kill you.
What are the main health hazards associated with breathing in Ammonia gas?
Ammonia gas is a severe respiratory tract irritant. It is noticeable by smell at 0.6 to 53 ppm. Volunteers have first noticed nose and throat irritation at concentrations as low as 24 ppm after 2-6 hours exposure. A 10-minute exposure to 30 ppm was considered faintly irritating by 2/6 volunteers, while 50 ppm was considered moderately irritating by 4/6. Irritation of the nose and throat was noticeable in 5/10 and 10/10 volunteers after a 5-minute exposure to 72 or 134 ppm. At 500 ppm, immediate and severe irritation of nose, and throat occurs. Brief exposure to concentrations above 1500 ppm can cause pulmonary edema, a potentially fatal accumulation of fluid in the lungs. The symptoms of pulmonary edema (tightness in the chest and difficulty breathing) may not develop for 1-24 hours after an exposure. Numerous cases of fatal ammonia exposure have been reported, but actual exposure levels have not been well documented. If the victim survives, complete recovery may occur depending on the extent of injury to the respiratory tract and lungs. However, long-term respiratory system and lung disorders have been observed following severe short-term exposures to ammonia.
People repeatedly exposed to ammonia may develop a tolerance (or acclimatization) to the irritating effects after a few weeks. Tolerance means that higher levels of exposure are required to produce effects earlier seen at lower concentrations.
-------------------- Everything I say is just my opinion! Posts: 3529 | From Massachusetts Boston Area | Registered: Jul 2008
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glm1111
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Perhaps you would do well with antifungal aromatherapy and or a sea salt lamp. Google it. DO NOT INHALE THE AMMONIA!!! Understand you want relief.
Steve has posted the dangers. Hope you find some solutions. Perhaps some antifungal, antiparasitic herbs would benefit you as well.
Gael
-------------------- PARASITES/WORMS ARE NOW RECOGNIZED AS THE NUMBER 1 CO-INFECTION IN LYME DISEASE BY ILADS* Posts: 6418 | From philadelphia pa | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
I agree that inhaling ammonia from a bottle is not a good idea.
That being said for a year or so I carried around the break open smelling salts packets after an ER doc and/or a neurologist suggested them to bring hubby out of his seizure-like spells. And I would agree that I think you can develop a tolerance to them.
Rub alcohol pads held to the nose also worked sometimes.
Bea Seibert
P.S. Has a doc ever suggested that the sternum pain cold be costochondritis -- a fairly common lyme symptom.
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
The pain is actually behind the sternum, not to touch. If I press hard I can feel some irritation deeper in. My MD's thought was perhaps I have affected lymph nodes in this area.
I appreciate everyone's response and I am well aware not to inhale ammonia. My question was WHY did it elicit this response in me? Parasites, fungus, mycoplasma???? I am at a loss as to why this happened.
GLM, where does one acquire antifungal aromatherapy, sounds intriguing?
The behind the sternum/xiphoid inflammation/irritation was one of my very first Lyme symptoms, when it exploded onto the scene in 9/09. Got better once tx started in 3/11, but I do notice it exacerbates sometimes with exertion, ie weightlifting, power walking, or a feeble attempt to run 10 yards, however, this is not the rule.
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posted
Oops, need to clarify something. When I say exertion exacerbates the discomfort, it is not during exercise. Rather, it starts to develop perhaps 60-90 minutes and continues to build thereafter. Very strange.
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poppy
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If you read the link I posted above, it gives the physiological action. That is the WHY you asked.
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Keebler
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- [To be heard in a friendly matter-of-fact tone]
The Wiki link that Poppy posted is very good at explaining why you felt a rush - and also why this can be terribly risky.
Ammonia is NEVER good to breathe. EVER. There should not even be a bottle under the sink as the plastic cannot adequately hold in the fumes.
Since your "flight or fight" adrenal stress hormones have been shocked - resulting in a surge - be sure to be on good adrenal support to try to mitigate the high cortisol damage.
Ammonia fumes can also damage the liver. Be sure your liver support is on board.
As for the irritated nerve endings, whatever you use for myelin sheath support should help. Milky Oat Seed (glycerine tincture) is just one in that category.
Even highlighting hair at home can be just far too damaging to the lungs, eyes, sinuses, brain, liver, etc. I tried for years to justify this and open windows, etc. and I was just fooling myself.
I'm much happier with my hair now, just the way it is. No chemical processes ever have to be done so my hair and lungs are happier, too.
It took a while before I realized that, even for a hair cut, BEAUTY SALONS are really off limits right now - unless you can find one that uses only Ayurvedic / Aveda products.
AVEDA SALONS - find one near you -
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Keebler
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- In addition to Ammonia, MOTH BALLS also come to mind as something that we should not even have in our homes, at all. Ever. They are so very toxic, too. Just in case anyone here has not yet heard that. -
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glm1111
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posted
Koo,
Google antifungal aromatherapy and you'll see some good info. Since Lyme is a complex syndrome, the ammonia could have hit any of the inbfections temporarily.
I realized a long time ago that one simple answer was not going to help me figure out what does what for what??
I did however figure out that parasites were a BIG player in the complex and made big progress with antiparasitic herbs and salt/c.
Parasites are carrying yeast, fungus, mercury in their coats and when they die it is release. Aromatherapy tea tree oil might elicit the same response as the ammonia.
Gael
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Keebler
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- Along the lines of Gael's antifungal aromatherapy suggestions, Tea Tree oil is very nice.
For those with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivies):
Even a whiff of just about any essential oil can cause a "hit" so to speak. So, be sure to start gently with just one that might call to you.
I suggest starting with LEMON. One drop mixed in with Almond oil as a carrier oil - and just put in a dish. If you can, take a whiff and just set it back down.
Although I deal with severe MCS, I do find with oils of lemon, bergamot, or other citrus - or mint family.
I also do okay with Tea Tree oil, and the oils from savory plants (Rosemary, etc.)
Thieves has been fine on and off over the years.
Most with MCS can be clobbered big-time by lavender and other flower oils. Some with MCS may not be able to handle even the citrus scents, though.
Essential oils are very strong.
Sometimes, just cutting open a lemon can be tremendously uplifting to our brain, keep a fresh slice on the countertop.
Fresh mint from the garden or a pot on the deck can make a nice kitchen bouquet, too. -
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steve1906
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I seems funny that the pain in your sternum (Chest) was relieved after smelling ammonia. Since the chest one of the places it can harm.
If ammonis is inhaled or ingested, ammonia poisoning will affect the chest and lungs. A person may experience burning and severe tightness in the chest, which can lead to wheezing and problems breathing.
Coughing may occur when the concentrations of ammonia are lower when it is inhaled or ingested. This form of poisoning causes severe damage to the lungs because it breaks down lung tissue, prevents the formation of protective mucus, and destroys the cilia that line the lungs.
-------------------- Everything I say is just my opinion! Posts: 3529 | From Massachusetts Boston Area | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
Poppy, I read the link and understand it in the context of the parasympathetic response and fainting, but I am having difficulty in grasping the connection as an anti-inflammatory...one would think the smell of ammonia would irritate.
Which leads me to Keebler's response...
Keebler, actually you may be on something when you talked about "fight or flight" response. Mine has been absent, yes ABSENT since Lyme set in.
I can have a close call on the road, and no biggie, no response, no increased heart rate or sweating.
I wonder if I got a desperately needed adrenal rush? Doesn't cortisol help with inflammation? I am taking an adrenal support but only started last week.
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Keebler
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posted
- Cortisol does NOT help with inflammation. It can cause it and, in excess, it can lead to damage.
Cortisol is vital, important and good. We must have it -- but only in balance and under control. Too much can speed death.
A "needed" adrenal rush is never a good thing - unless you literally have to get out of the way of a lion or a bus.
Adrenal "rush" creates a dangerous cascade. But, it can be enjoyable, create a false sense of well-being for that moment in time, only to crash later.
That "rush" is partly why we are a nation addicted to all kinds of stimuli that send our senses to the moon - and to food products that give us that same rush via additives, etc.
I'm more concerned with the ammonia getting to your brain and liver than a one-time adrenal rush from smelling ammonia. The effects you had were chemically induced, but likely a stress on the adrenal system.
Detail here - especially be sure to get the book noted as it explains so much: --------------
posted
When I first noticed I was lacking the fight or flight response back in '09 I thought no big deal. I remained calm and never overreacted in driving situations (I live in a major metropolitan area).
However, I think this is part of my adrenal dysfunction. I did have a cortisol stim test in the summer of '09, along with thyroid stim test and human growth hormone stim test, because all those levels were all over the place, but results were normal.
Here is something else that will hopefully get you thinking Keebler. That behind-the-sternum inflammation/irritation is also relieved by eating salty foods. What are your thoughts on that?
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glm1111
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Ahh, The adrenals need salt and many of us are salt deficient. Not sure why that would relieve the pain behind the sternum, but salt is antipathogenic. Age old antibacterial.
Also vitamin C is needed to support the adrenals as well. Pantothentic acid (b-5) is also really good for the adrenals. Sounds like perhaps the salt/c protocol might be beneficial for you.
Gael
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