What are allergies?

What are allergies? Why do some people have sensitivites to foods or substances that others do not? What is the cause? How can we get relief? These are some of the questions I intend to answer in this post.

By one defiinition an allergy is an immune response to a foreign antigen that results in inflammation and organ dysfunction. Further an allergen is any substance that causes an hypersensitivity reaction. The key factor is the sensitivity - the majority of reactions are just sensitivities to a substance and not a true allergy.

The general symptoms associated with allergies/sensitivities are nasal inflammation and/or congestion, sneezing, mucus production, watery eyes, itching,, rashes, tissue swelling, bronchospasm, stridor (wheezing) and shock. itching and congestion. Some people suffer every spring when a fresh crop of pollens drift through the air and arrive in their nasal passages.

Other people are unable to tolerate certain foods or experience reactions that range from mild to life threatening. An anaphylactic reaction is the most severe version of our immune system's reaction to an allergen and if immediate medical intervention is not administered death can result. An epinephrine injection kit is often carried by a person as an emergency first aid response to a severe reaction such as a bee sting or exposure to peanuts. Did you know that it is the spores of a type of mold common to peanuts that causes the sensitivity?

First we have to apply the Natural Law of cause and effect. If we have an unusual reaction to a food or substance it is reasonable to deduct that we have an imbalance or deficiency in the nutrients that naturally act as an anecdote to the agravating factor.

The four key categories of nutrients that will counteract a sensitivity are vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs. These work synergysticly to return our metabolism to a state of balance or normal resistance and the previously irritating substance will no longer be a problem.

There are nine major categories of allergens that create the majority of reactions. One of the more common categories is a wheat sensitivity. Included in the same group of allergens are feathers, wool, dust, detergents, and pet dander. Usually one of these substances will be the major problem with lesser reactions to the other substances in that group, or the adverse reaction may shift from one substance to another within the same group.

Continuing with the wheat category the nutrients that will neutralize these sensitivities are:

1. Vitamins: Vita-F (linoleic acid) and Essential Fatty Acids;
2. Mineral: Magnesium;
3. Amino Acid: Histidine (see comment below);
4. Herbs: Black Walnut and Kelp.

Even though specific amino acids are recommended as antidotes my personal recommendation is to eat a complete protein and allow your metabolism to resolve the deficiency.

In traditional Chinese medicine the diagnosis of allergies would be described as a disharmony of the Zhangfu (internal organs) , Qi stagnation/constraint or deficiency, blood deficiency or an invasion by one or more of the six pathogenic factors (wind, heat, summer heat/fire, cold, dryness and dampness). This " invasion" will manifest symptoms that refers to the depth of the disease. External symptoms are associated with the acute phase and internal symptoms denote a more chronic pathology that affects the internal organs.

In Western medicine the norm is to treat allergies/sensitivities with antibiotics which will aggravate the condition rather than relieve it. Antibiotics cause a yeast/bacteria imbalance in the intestinal tract that exacerbates the problemand often is the basis of candida yeast infection.

In Chinese medicine we diagnos the root of the problem and it is treated quite successfully with acupuncture, food cures and herbs. The herbal formula prescribed is dependant on the diagnosis of the root cause and treats the cause rahther than the effect or symptom.

Good health to you,

Dr. Bill