Review of NQ Clarifier Air Purifier: Clean Safe Room for MCS Sufferers

I bought my first NQ Clarifier for $699 (free ship) in 2005. It was one of the best purchases I have made as an MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) sufferer back then.

[Update 30 Jan 2013: The current lowest price for the NQ Clarifier and parts is found at Airpurifiersource.com: HEPA Filter ($135), Carbon Ring ($150), UV Bulbs ($66). Use Coupon Code SCCU10 for 10% off or PURE5 for 5% off.]

Making a fashion statement with my 'I can breathe' carbon
mask, the day before my Malaysian wedding in 2008. 

The improvement in air quality is palpable and the machine can clean all the air in a 1500 square foot house twice every hour. This is better than other HEPA air purifiers in this price range. The top-flow design differs from that of most other air purifier brands and it seems to do a much better job at circulating the air and reducing dead spots of unpurified air in a room. The substantial 15 lb of carbon media and powerful fan pulling air through the HEPA filter and carbon media does a good job of totally absorbing all chemical odors and allergens. The purified air finally passes through a germicidal UV filtration system and comes out medical grade pure like what you would find in a hospital clean room.

The indicator lights tell me when I need to clean or replace the pre-filter and/or HEPA filter, and the UV bulbs. It's easy to unscrew and open the filter to change the filters and bulbs, which is good for me.

The roller wheels on this rather boxy machine facilitate moving it from room to room within the house. Even though the machine weighs 50 lbs, I have actually brought it to meeting (meeting rooms) to create a safe room for me there. Yes, I was that desperate. Yes, I was that ill. With all the mouldy off-gassing carpets and office furniture, sometimes this air purifier is the only thing that works.

This machine is noisy, particularly at the highest setting. After a while I got used to the 'white noise' in my bedroom, but it might be too much for some people. I am a light sleeper and often use ear plugs when sleeping.

The service provided by the company is excellent. On three occasions when I called up, I spoke with knowledgeable and friendly staff and was attended to right away. This machine has proven sturdy and reliably built for 24/7 running these seven years.

I bought my second one in 2007 and gave it to my Kung Kung - it has greatly helped with his asthma.

I no longer suffer from MCS. Though I am sometimes still bothered by cigarette smoke and fragrances, they don't make me violently ill as before. If you're an MCS sufferer reading this, and you're sitting in your safest room in the house right now, with your world shrinking and you struggling to breathe, I totally sympathize with you. I'm among the fortunate few that actually recovered from MCS - in most people it eventually gets worse and worse, and becomes debilitating. I musta done something right :).

Please leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you.

Review of Gluten Ease: Helps Intolerance to Wheat Products

Gluten-ed? GlutenEase to the Rescue
If you have full-on celiac disease, and are dining out in 'high risk' places where you may accidentally be 'gluten-ed', GlutenEase could help alleviate your pain if you take a couple of capsules soon after accidental ingestion of food containing gluten.  If you have gluten intolerance or sensitivity, Gluten Ease may give you the relief you are seeking, and the ability to enjoy wheat products without pain or the usual side effects eg fatigue. Oh joy right? I thought so. :)

Oh to be able to enjoy this organic Chinese pineapple tart without fear and pain ... (Recipe at Gracie Cooks!)

My Experience
I first found out about Gluten Ease when I encountered it in a natural foods store back in 2006.

I immediately bought a bottle to try (about $30 for 120 capsules), and was pleasantly surprised that it worked for me.

Now, I have never been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, but I am pretty sure that I don't tolerate wheat products well. In my food journals and on elimination diets, I observed that I felt horribly tired after eating pasta, bread and any wheat product. Furthermore, whole wheat products that I thought would be better for me would give me severe indigestion and sharp stabbing pains in my stomach, colon and bowels.

Gluten in wheat products and some grains are increasingly incriminated as causing health problems among those who are sensitive to this plant protein. It turns out that gluten sensitivity affects about 10% of the general population, and sometimes at low levels that often don't get diagnosed. Gluten doesn't just cause gastrointestinal problems but can also result in headaches and migraines, ADD and ADHD (attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity), and even joint pain.

How to take Gluten Ease
I take one Gluten Ease capsule right before consuming a small portion of wheat product (eg one serving of pasta is 1/2 cup). Since the capsule contains enzymes that digest gluten and lactose, it makes sense to take another pill if I eat more servings or if I stretch the meal out over a longer period.

I rarely feel the need to eat wheat products nowadays but it's nice to be sociable and eat food at family dinners. Gluten Ease is a great 'antidote' that I can take and it only costs 25 cents per capsule.

Highly recommended.

Disclosure: As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small commission of product purchases you make through my links. These are products that I use personally and heartily recommend. 

Review of The Antioxidant Miracle (Packer & Colman): It Really Works!

I was sceptical of quackery when my Mama put this book in front of me and encouraged me to read it. Anytime anything proclaims 'Miracle', cynicism is aroused in me. Being the dutiful daughter, I promised Ma that I would review it for her. And I ended up a convert.

Quack alert?

Folks, this book is the real deal. Dr Lester Packer is not a medical doctor (MD). He is an extremely well-respected PhD researcher with hundreds of peer-reviewed publications under his belt. And his field of research is antioxidants. Specifically, how antioxidants combat free radicals at the cellular level and how their actions measurably decrease, even reverse aging and the progression of all sorts of diseases. His claims of 'miracle' may be off-putting to some, but are solidly backed up by the hundreds of research studies that he and his team at the University of California at Berkeley conducted over the past four decades.

Being a PhD myself (albeit in entomology), I can really appreciate how well this book is written. He takes scientific data and results, which are often difficult to understand and yawn-inducing, and presented them in a lay-person-friendly, easy to understand book. Quite the page-turner. After having convincingly made the case for antioxidants, he then prescribes the simple and easy-to-follow Packer Antioxidant Regimen (Packer Plan) to readers.

The Regimen involves supplementing with alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q-10, vitamin E (with the full complement of tocotrieonols) and selenium, vitamin C and etc. After I finished reading the book (back in Oct 2011) I went right out and bought most of those antioxidants. The difference I felt in my energy levels was palpable and immediate (next day). The antioxidants helped bring down inflammation and eased the pain I felt from weaning off the steroids. I guess I was not alone - testimonials from enthused people abound on the internet.

The book goes into detail about each antioxidant and how it works by itself and also in synergy with the other 'network' antioxidants. The basic plan reads like this: in the morning: 100 mg tocotrienols, 200 mg mixed tocopherols, 30 mg CoQ10, 50 mg lipoic acid, 250 mg ester C, 400 mcg folic acid, 300 mcg biotin, 2 mg B6. In the evening: 200 mg natural alpha tocopherol, 50 mg lipoic acid, 250 mg ester C, 30 mg gingko biloba, 200 mcg selenium.

I still take the antioxidants as a preventative measure against recurrence of my autoimmune illness. And on particularly stressful days, I double up on the ALA.

I hope you will give the Packer Plan a try, particularly if you are plagued by autoimmune illness. It won't hurt you, you have nothing to lose, and the antioxidants can be found reasonably priced most anywhere. I've found the Swanson brand to be cheap, good, and favorably reviewed, so that's what I have been buying. But there are many other brands that you could try. Just try it! Would love to know how it worked for you.

Reminiscing: Lessons Learnt Weaning off Steroids

Hello there! It's been a while since I updated this blog. I've been busy managing my illness while dabbling in Triathlons (see my other blog Grace's Tribulations).

I want to thank all of you who have written in, shared your experiences, asked questions and encouraged me these past few years. I received many requests for the 'Pulse and Stretch Protocol' (the Protocol), which I finally got down to posting this year. I continue to recommend (very highly) Dr James Wilson's Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome  (my Review HERE) to all my readers and from feedback received from various ones of you, this book is the goods!

One thing I've somewhat come to terms with is that my autoimmune illness, Henoch Schonlein Purpura, is something that I may have to manage for the rest of my life. However, I absolutely believe this can be done without steroids.

I actually thought myself 'cured' of HSP in 2007 so it crushed me when I relapsed (under extraordinary stress) in 2009. I had to go back on hydrocortisone and this time found it impossible to wean off, despite my best efforts adhering to the Protocol. I never gave up but it was rough. My lowest point was the winter of Dec 2009, sick as a dog, bloated with steroids, chilled and depressed. In desperation, to escape the cold, I went down south to Florida where I camped out for three months in the Everglades! An unforseen turn of events saw me back in Malaysia from July 2010 where I continued trying to wean off the hydrocortisone.

It is now 2012, and I am thrilled to report that this is day 37 Steroid Free. Not only that, I have abs (See pic below)! Not quite a six pack yet, but my point is that I am in the best physical shape I've been in my 36 years on this Planet. What's more, I may at last, actually, really, be on my way to getting completely better! And I believe I'm much the wiser for all that I've been through.

Does the Pulse and Stretch Protocol really work?