Living in central Texas there are several different airborne allergens that seem to strike different people at different times. For years I suffered with terrible allergies during the cedar (aka juniper) season. I would try a homeopathic one year, a couple sessions of acupuncture, honey, quercetin and some other helpful supplements. But every year I would end up double dosing on several prescription medications trying without success to prevent the inevitable sinus and lung infection by the end of the season. One season (because I know how effective they can be) I resorted to one of the worst things you can do to your body, a cortisone injection, which didn't even work.
After years of trial and error, I have finally discovered a solution to my own severe seasonal allergies. Last year with lower cedar pollen counts I made it through the season with a couple sneezes, and minimal fatigue without any prescription medication. This year with off the chart pollen counts I have taken a few over the counter medications on the really bad days, but have had very few symptoms compared to previous years. For those of you who seek to manage your allergies naturally, I will admit that it is one of the most difficult ailments to manage naturally. If you have constant allergies year around it becomes even more difficult to manage especially the older you get.
STEPS TO MANAGING ALLERGIES NATURALLY:
*Note: Even if your allergies are only seasonal, these steps are to be followed year around to be effective.
1) Decrease Inflammation - if you have gut issues, you have inflammation. If you have elevated cholesterol, you have inflammation. If you have joint pain you have inflammation. There are several herbal and dietary supplements that can be helpful with inflammation, I would suggest consulting myself or a natural care practitioner for your specific needs. Read my blog on food sensitivities, and avoid processed sugars for dietary modifications. Avoiding certain foods has been one of the most essential parts to my recovery.
2) Manage any underlying disease process - if you are diabetic, have parasites, Hoshimotos or any number of disease processes you will need to manage these conditions first for the best response to naturally managing allergies.
3) Exposure to the allergen year around (not recommended for children under 4 years of age)- this is the same principal used for those of you who get allergy shots. Allergy shots are great because the injection is concocted specifically to the allergens you react to. Homeopathic tree blends are also available over the counter. LOCAL honey and bee pollen exposure is also an excellent way to expose your body to allergens.
4) Detoxification - if you have developed new allergies with age, sometimes allergies will clear up with the right detoxification program. Nutritional detoxification can vary depending on each person's individual needs.
5) Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables - if you are unable to consume at least 8 servings per day (that's a cup of fresh per serving) you need to supplement with a whole food supplement like Juice Plus (multivitamins like Centrum are isolated nutrients with fillers in their supplements that can sometimes make allergies worse). Many people become toxic because their body does not have the basic nutrition that allows us to detoxify naturally.
6) Exercise regularly - like that doesn't help everything right?
7) Acupuncture - especially just before the allergy season starts.
8) Nutritional Support specific for allergies - what works depends on the individual. As mentioned earlier high doses of quercetin have been found to be helpful for some people, but my personal cure (after trying many) is a product called Albiza Complex made by MediHerb taken every four hours along with Allerplex.
9) Limit exposure - seems like a no brainer, but stay indoors as much as possible, clean your house often, wash your sheets often, use air purifiers, and take weekend trips away from your allergens if possible.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Last week my daughter told me she wanted to sign up for a class that is expensive, far away, and not exactly what I would have picked for her. Unlike the unenthusiastic grunt, "I guess that would be OK" I got when I suggested a marine biology class at the beach, scuba diving, the gifted and talented camp, and a number of other things, she beamed with excitement offering up $1,000 of her own babysitting money to pay for it.
I did sign her up for the class because a parent I want to encourage her to follow her heart..... to do things that encourage growth in areas that make her and thus the world around her a little happier/better. It is easy as a parent to do for your child; picking up their toys is easier than teaching them to pick them up; cooking their meals is easier than teaching them to cook for themselves; and sometimes telling them to go to college or take over a particular business is easier than letting them discover for themselves what they enjoy. It seems easier as a parent to (try to) control our children's decisions and much harder to guide them towards following their own passion or purpose. But in reality it is working in a field that we enjoy and find fulfilling that keeps us happy and healthy. I want my daughter to discover on her own that work of any sort is a blessing, because the gifts we have mean nothing unless they are shared.
I'm not sure anyone really knows exactly what they want to be when they grow up. I don't think this class my daughter has signed up for will be her destiny (because maybe the journey is our destiny), but I do believe anything that creates such excitement in her heart will help guide her towards becoming what she is intended to be. Hopefully we never stop growing up.
I did sign her up for the class because a parent I want to encourage her to follow her heart..... to do things that encourage growth in areas that make her and thus the world around her a little happier/better. It is easy as a parent to do for your child; picking up their toys is easier than teaching them to pick them up; cooking their meals is easier than teaching them to cook for themselves; and sometimes telling them to go to college or take over a particular business is easier than letting them discover for themselves what they enjoy. It seems easier as a parent to (try to) control our children's decisions and much harder to guide them towards following their own passion or purpose. But in reality it is working in a field that we enjoy and find fulfilling that keeps us happy and healthy. I want my daughter to discover on her own that work of any sort is a blessing, because the gifts we have mean nothing unless they are shared.
I'm not sure anyone really knows exactly what they want to be when they grow up. I don't think this class my daughter has signed up for will be her destiny (because maybe the journey is our destiny), but I do believe anything that creates such excitement in her heart will help guide her towards becoming what she is intended to be. Hopefully we never stop growing up.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Food Allergies and Sensitivities
There is a lot of confusion as to why healthy foods like wheat, eggs, milk, nuts, strawberries or just about anything may be bad for you. I know many people who suffer from food allergies or sensitivities because they refuse to believe this could be possible. But as the autoimmune population grows (over 300 new autoimmune diseases are being identified every year), more and more people are claiming to be "allergic" to certain foods. Who doesn't know someone who is lactose intolerant, allergic to some nut, or feeling a lot better on a wheat free diet?
If you have a true food allergy (by current medical definition), your body has an IgE immune response when exposed to the offending food. An IgE response is quite dramatic (like the throat swelling, or sharp stomach pain) and occurs soon after exposure. Most medical doctors will run IgE tests to determine food allergies (although I'm not sure why, because it is usually quite obvious if you have an IgE immune response).
What is called a food sensitivity by some and a food allergy by others is typically an IgG or IgA response to consumption of offending food. Symptoms can be vague and vary from weight gain, weight loss (less common), bloating, brain fog, joint and muscle pains, increased hay fever/allergies, headaches, and much more. Many food sensitivities do not cause digestive symptoms, which is why many people refuse to believe their health problems could be related to eating healthy foods. Symptoms do not typically occur immediately(usually several hours to a day after consumption) so identifying the offending foods can be difficult. Several methods can be used:
1) The gold standard for identifying this type of sensitivity is with the elimination diet. The problem with this type of diet is, most elimination diets use brown rice as their non-allergenic food. I have found that some patients are sensitive to rice and some will develop new sensitivities to almost any food upon repeated exposure due to poor gut health. If there is not a single food that you are certain is not causing an immune response, it is almost impossible to determine the foods that are causing immune responses.
2) If you suspect a particular food, you can take your pulse before consuming it, and then again after you consume the food. If your heart rate increases after consumption, you are likely sensitive to that food.
3) Many alternative care providers will use a technique called muscle testing. Although I find this to be very accurate, it is impossible to scientifically support this method.
4) The IgG and IgA blood testing is quite expensive and only works if your immune system is functioning properly (unfortunately most people who have this type of sensitivity, have altered immune function). I find this bloodwork can be a good basic guideline, but not the best method.
5) Sometimes certain health problems are associated with specific sensitives. Wheat sensitivities have been linked to Autoimmune Thyroiditis, Ulcerative Colitis, and Chron's Disease. Corn sensitives are common in people with brain fog. Milk sensitivities are almost a given in a child with ear infections, and very common in people with allergies.
If the cause of a food sensitivity is genetic (like with Celiac Disease) your body will never become capable of digesting that particular food because it lacks the ability to do so. Consuming the offending food will damage your intestinal linings which results in additional food sensitivities because the enzymes used to breakdown food are no longer being made by the damaged tissues.
Any deterioration/damage of the intestinal lining can cause a non-genetic type of food sensitivity. Intestinal deterioration can be caused by many things from poor diet, celiac disease, yeast/bacteria imbalance, and parasites just to mention a few. If you have heartburn, you have gut deterioration, and whether you realize it or not you have food sensitivities. When your intestinal wall deteriorates it is not capable of secreting enzymes to properly digest the foods you eat which will cause the walls to deteriorate even more. Eventually because of the intestinal wall damage, food leaks into the blood (often referred to as leaky gut) and your body will create antibodies against that food in an IgG or IgA immune response. In this type of food sensitivity or 'allergy', you will likely be able to eventually consume the offending food again without having an immune response when the intestinal lining improves.
There are many supplements that help to improve the intestinal lining, but it is almost impossible to completely repair the intestinal lining without removal of the offending foods.
If you have a true food allergy (by current medical definition), your body has an IgE immune response when exposed to the offending food. An IgE response is quite dramatic (like the throat swelling, or sharp stomach pain) and occurs soon after exposure. Most medical doctors will run IgE tests to determine food allergies (although I'm not sure why, because it is usually quite obvious if you have an IgE immune response).
What is called a food sensitivity by some and a food allergy by others is typically an IgG or IgA response to consumption of offending food. Symptoms can be vague and vary from weight gain, weight loss (less common), bloating, brain fog, joint and muscle pains, increased hay fever/allergies, headaches, and much more. Many food sensitivities do not cause digestive symptoms, which is why many people refuse to believe their health problems could be related to eating healthy foods. Symptoms do not typically occur immediately(usually several hours to a day after consumption) so identifying the offending foods can be difficult. Several methods can be used:
1) The gold standard for identifying this type of sensitivity is with the elimination diet. The problem with this type of diet is, most elimination diets use brown rice as their non-allergenic food. I have found that some patients are sensitive to rice and some will develop new sensitivities to almost any food upon repeated exposure due to poor gut health. If there is not a single food that you are certain is not causing an immune response, it is almost impossible to determine the foods that are causing immune responses.
2) If you suspect a particular food, you can take your pulse before consuming it, and then again after you consume the food. If your heart rate increases after consumption, you are likely sensitive to that food.
3) Many alternative care providers will use a technique called muscle testing. Although I find this to be very accurate, it is impossible to scientifically support this method.
4) The IgG and IgA blood testing is quite expensive and only works if your immune system is functioning properly (unfortunately most people who have this type of sensitivity, have altered immune function). I find this bloodwork can be a good basic guideline, but not the best method.
5) Sometimes certain health problems are associated with specific sensitives. Wheat sensitivities have been linked to Autoimmune Thyroiditis, Ulcerative Colitis, and Chron's Disease. Corn sensitives are common in people with brain fog. Milk sensitivities are almost a given in a child with ear infections, and very common in people with allergies.
If the cause of a food sensitivity is genetic (like with Celiac Disease) your body will never become capable of digesting that particular food because it lacks the ability to do so. Consuming the offending food will damage your intestinal linings which results in additional food sensitivities because the enzymes used to breakdown food are no longer being made by the damaged tissues.
Any deterioration/damage of the intestinal lining can cause a non-genetic type of food sensitivity. Intestinal deterioration can be caused by many things from poor diet, celiac disease, yeast/bacteria imbalance, and parasites just to mention a few. If you have heartburn, you have gut deterioration, and whether you realize it or not you have food sensitivities. When your intestinal wall deteriorates it is not capable of secreting enzymes to properly digest the foods you eat which will cause the walls to deteriorate even more. Eventually because of the intestinal wall damage, food leaks into the blood (often referred to as leaky gut) and your body will create antibodies against that food in an IgG or IgA immune response. In this type of food sensitivity or 'allergy', you will likely be able to eventually consume the offending food again without having an immune response when the intestinal lining improves.
There are many supplements that help to improve the intestinal lining, but it is almost impossible to completely repair the intestinal lining without removal of the offending foods.
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