Allergy Overwhelm

May, 2009

by Morella Devost

If you've ever had bad allergies you know the feelings of desperation, despair, frustration and overwhelm that come with bad allergy attacks. Whether it's wheezing, sneezing or hives, nothing can help you and nothing seems to make it better. You just feel like asking someone to "please be kind and shoot me." All you can do is wait...

I know. I used to have horrendous allergies especially in Venezuela, where I grew up. I was allergic to every single pollen, dust mite and mold spore in that environment. Luckily, I don't have allergies anymore and have also learned how to keep them in check even when I'm there.

Allergies are essentially the reaction of an overactive immune system, or to put it another way, an immune system that is overwhelmed. Essentially, your body is already coping with just about as many things as it can, when a little bit of pollen comes around and it's just enough to put you over the edge. Allergic reactions to food are somewhat different, but essentially the same concept - your body is not able to deal with something that is essentially harmless.

So what to do? Is there any real cure or are you condemned to battle the runny nose, watery eyes, itchiness and sneezing? Will there never be any real respite for you?

There is a lot you can do.

The first step is looking at what kind of environment you are creating within your body and surrounding it. In other words, what might be the ways in which you are overwhelming your body?

Environmental considerations:

Do you have carpets or rugs that accumulate dust, mites and molds?
Do you have pets that accumulate mites and microbes?
Do you keep a clean house?
Do you live in a large urban area and either (a) have a lot of smog in your air, or (b) live with your windows shut which can actually be worse?
Do you use chemical household cleaners, laundry detergents and personal care products?
Do you use synthetic fragrances in detergents, soaps and perfumes?

Each of these things by itself might not be offensive enough to give you an allergy attack, but all together they add up to a cocktail of substances that keep your immune system in hyperactive and hyper-vigilant mode.

Internal environment considerations:

Do you eat pasteurized dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt?
Do you eat a lot of breads, pastas, crackers and other flour products?
Do you eat a lot of sugars, especially refined sugar (the white stuff) or products with high-fructose corn syrup (like sodas, ketchup, etc.)?
Do you eat mostly processed foods that come in cans and boxes?
Do you drink a lot of caffeine?
Do you eat only small amounts of vegetables and/or eat them mostly cooked?
Do you eat fried foods and/or hydrogenated oils?
Do you drink water with fluoride, chlorine or water that is acidic?
Have you taken antibiotics in the past?
Do you take antihistamines and cold medications?
Do you drink alcohol on a daily basis?

Again, any one of these things might be innocuous in and of themselves, but added together they can seriously affect your immune system's ability to respond effectively. This is true for allergies but also for colds or more serious infections. Furthermore, a moist environment created by an allergic condition is the most hospitable home for viruses and bacteria to thrive, so you are more likely to get colds and the flu.

You need to take action to rebalance your immune system and bring it all in check. YOU CAN HEAL YOUR ALLERGIES... it may take some time though.

How to get started:

Look at the list of external and internal environmental conditions and see which apply to you. Start tackling them one at a time. You possibly need a powerful air purifier for your home and/or office. The best one I know is the Nikken purifier. If you're interested in finding out more we can connect you with people who sell them.
Do an elimination diet or detoxification program for at least a month. Eliminating congesting foods (such as dairy and wheat) as well as non-foods (such caffeine, sugar, alcohol, etc.) can help you clear the slate and allow you to determine which of them is the most aggravating to your system. Once you've eliminated them for at least two weeks, you start adding them back one at a time.
Do our detox program or some other detox regime. Begin with an elimination diet and then support that with liver healing herbs and supplements, as well as immune-enhancing practices and foods. The focus is to strengthen the primary organs that work in elimination and purification of your body: your liver and your colon. The benefits of this are (a) you strengthen your body's ability to deal with external environmental factors, and (b) you become more acutely aware of what strengthens you and what weakens you.
Implement allergy 101 right away: (a) start taking a probiotic daily either first thing in the morning or last thing at night; (b) if you have seasonal allergies from pollen, add raw bee products into your diet, such as raw honey or bee pollen. The trick is that they have to be LOCAL to your area... no taking California honey in Vermont! And (c) use a neti pot with saline solution to wash your nasal passages. This is an ancient practice in Ayurveda and it can work miracles in your sinuses. It cleans out pollen and dust from the inside of your nose and make a big difference.

If you are perplexed and frustrated with your allergies, give us a call or email. We would be delighted to see if we can help.