Allergies occur when our body’s immune (defense) system reacts to something harmless in our environment. Inhalation allergies like pollen can cause mild symptoms, such as red eyes, itching, hives or runny nose.
Food Allergies
Food allergies are more likely to cause a wide assortment of symptoms (fatigue, pain, nasal congestion, migraines, spastic colon, autism, and many more), and should be considered when your doctor does not know the cause of a chronic problem. In rare cases they can be life threatening (anaphylaxis where the throat swells shut or shock can occur) as occurs in some peanut allergies. For those with the latter type, carrying an “Epi-pen” (preloaded adrenaline syringe) can be life saving.
We are seeing a dramatic increase in food allergies, with wheat/gluten sensitivities being especially common. These are likely occurring because food proteins are being absorbed into the blood before they are broken down to their basic non-allergenic building blocks (called amino acids). This is occurring because:
- Enzymes that help digest the food are purposely destroyed during food processing to prolong shelf life.
- Stomach acid being turned off by acid blocker medicines.
- "Leaky gut" caused by candida and other bowel infections.
- Adrenal fatigue increases allergies.
Allergy Testing
For sneezing/runny nose type inhalation allergies, standard skin testing works well (i.e., putting a drop of the stuff you’re allergic to on the skin and making a tiny prick with a needle to see if the area turns red).
For food allergies, skin testing and most blood tests are not reliable. The blood tests seem to almost randomly pick 30-40 foods and say you're allergic to them. Repeat the test another day and it may pick totally different foods that it says you're allergic to. Avoid these tests — they are a good way to make yourself nuts.
One possible exception is IgE testing. This will miss most food sensitivities, but when positive, you do have a food allergy. So a positive IgE test means you do have the allergy, but a negative IgE, or ANY IgG test is, imho, meaningless.
If you do not know what is causing your symptoms, an elimination diet for food and chemical allergies is a good idea. In this, you avoid common allergy producing foods and chemicals for 7-10 days and then retry them one at a time.
Treatment
For occasional, mild runny nose or sneezing from allergies, simple medications such as Claritin or Zyrtec during the day (not sedating) and/or Benadryl at night (sedating) can be easy and well-tolerated. If the allergies are ongoing and problematic, more effective measures are warranted.
Recommended Supplements
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MSM
MSM is a supplement found in health food stores. Taking 3,000+ mg a day can decrease allergies after 4 weeks of regular use.
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Vitamin C, B Vitamins, Magnesium
These and other nutrients decrease allergic reactions as well. These can be found in good multi-vitamin supplements designed for overall nutritional support.
Other Therapies & Advice for Allergies
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Acupressure — NAET
An excellent treatment for determining and eliminating allergies is a special acupressure (no needles needed) technique called "NAET." It uses muscle testing (sometimes reliable) to see if you go weak when holding an allergen and then can eliminate an allergy in just 20 minutes by stimulating certain acupuncture points.
There are over 12,000 NAET practitioners worldwide. Most people have multiple allergies, so expect to need a course of about 25 sessions, and I recommend treating for the 10 most common food allergens regardless of what the muscle testing shows.
Most people will begin to feel better after the 10 treatments.
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Improve Digestion
- Take 2 tablets of a plant-based digestive enzyme (animal enzymes work poorly for digestion) with meals.
- Take 2 Betaine HCL tablets, eat vinegar-based salad dressing, or 4-8 oz of refrigerator cold diet cola (e.g., Zevia Cola) with meals for acid support.
More Information Online
- Food Elimination Diet: Multiple Food Elimination Diet
- Reliable food allergy blood test lab: ELISA/ACT Biotechnologies
- Acupressure technique for treating food allergies: NAET
- NAET practitioner Laurie Teitelbaum: NAET Hawaii
