My face is red blotches - help

I'd take a closer look at the supplement. As SherriG pointed out, it may contain concentrated amounts of things found in shellfish--if you take the Balanced Omega Combination, it includes a warning:

Warning: Consult with your physician before using this product if you are pregnant, diabetic, allergic to iodine, using blood thinners, or anticipate surgery. Keep out of the reach of children.

When was the last time you ate a sizeable amount of crab, lobster or shrimp? Your reaction could be in the early stages and dose-dependent.

If the Balanced Omega Combo is indeed the one you take, I noticed it also contains omega 6 from Evening Primrose Oil. This is not likely something you've had in your diet and I'd be suspicious of this ingredient if the iodine proves to be OK.

"GLA" is gamma linoleic acid. It's probably from the Evening Primrose that I mentioned above.

Here's a site that sells essential fatty acids and addresses the issues of allergic reactions:

http://www.thewayup.com/products/0169.cfm

"Borage Oil is an excellent alternative to evening primrose oil as a source of Gammalinolenic acid (GLA).

Some are allergic to evening primrose oil (EPO) or may develop such an allergy with repeated intake. For allergy prone individuals it may be wise to rotate usage of essential fatty acids, i.e. either alternate on a day to day basis or after finishing 1 bottle of evening primrose oil, then use 1 bottle of borage oil, then back to EPO & so on. This can minimize allergenic risks.


The same can be done with the other essential fatty acid sources listed on this site. Look on the labels to see the sources then follow the rotation idea if you are allergic."

brenda - I too was taking 3-6-9, but the gal in the health food store told me that since I was ER+ and needed to stay away from estrogen that I should not take it - she said the fish oil and the flax seeds were okay but not the borage - so now I am back to just the fish oils. glad you are feeling better. Karen

Brenda, you can avoid all the supplements for essential fatty acids if you eat what you need. It doesn't sound like you have dietary restrictions so consider this:

1) use olive oil for cooking; this is your primary source of omega-9 fatty acids; you can also eat olives.

2) Eat salmon, tuna and other cold-water fatty fish 3 or more times a week; these are your best sources of omega-3 fatty acids; a secondary source is flaxseed, flaxseed oil and walnuts (grind the flaxseed and add it uncooked to oatmeal or sprinkle on cereal--cooking can destroy omega-3's and that goes for the walnuts too).

3) Skip the omega-6 fatty acids. We typically get an abundance of omega-6 from all other sources--these come from the oils that are promoted for heart health: canola, corn, soy. Also try to avoid trans-fats (partially hydrogenated oil) as these can increase inflammation in our bodies and substitute for the essential fatty acids we need but aren't able to perform the same functions. Most packaged foods contain omega-6 and/or transfats. They're very stable and have a long shelf life, but the omega-3s are what we need the most and they are not stable.

Flaxseed and flaxseed oil should be refrigerated or frozen to maintain it's freshness over time. Don't buy flaxseed oil that hasn't been refrigerated. Flaxseed should be ground just before you use it or the oil begins to break down.

If you decide to take the oils as supplements, try just the fish oil and start using olive oil for cooking. Use flaxseed oil as the oil base for dressing salads (or other uses where it won't be cooked).

I believe the trans-fats are one of our worst food additives. It may be helpful to avoid them as best you can.

I think you're way ahead of most people!

Sardines count, as does herring, mackerel, swordfish, cod & trout.

Quote:

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Here's a recent list of fish to avoid or to eat:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070403/news_lz1c03fish.html

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Thanks Rosemary
This is just what I needed and I will print it out.
I've been buying Tilapia but last time I was in the market I
started seeing signs of origin and the Tilapia said Thailand
so I decided to try Grouper which I knew nothing about.

Most of the other fish I would have picked look like they should be limited to twice a week.

Looks like flounder and catfish are better alternatives if
they are American or Canadian.

Of course Salmon is the best but for me I tire pretty quickly of it if its a steady diet--nice to have some alternatives.

Susie