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The
allergy season is upon us again with the beautiful weather and nature
reawakening that brings promises of blooms and flowers.
All of this is very poetic if it wasn’t for the fact that
many allergy sufferers experience a variety of
seemingly
unrelated symptoms
due to the
inflammatory
process that comes with allergies.
The
media is finally focused on what we have known for a long time in
complementary/alternative medicine, that inflammation is at the basis
of most chronic illnesses such as Fibromyalgia, arthritis, even
cardiovascular conditions, back pain and the like. Allergies
cause first and foremost inflammation.
Most
people have learned to recognize the more common symptoms connected to
allergies such as itchy eyes, runny nose, and other forms of upper
respiratory system symptoms traditionally connected with allergies,
few are aware of the many other manifestations. The following
examples will guide you in recognizing symptoms that pertain to you.
Patient
number one is in a remission phase of chronic fatigue and has done
very well during the winter. By the middle of this February, he
started feeling again as if he was “losing terrain.”
Patient
number two who had responded so well to our intense treatment
instituted to bring her back to wellness after a year of disability,
felt a scratchy throat coming on and an inexplicable sense of
despondence.
Patient
number three, who had done very well with the arthritis treatment
began to complain of joint pain despite the fact that his diet and
general lifestyle had not changed and that he was still taking
glucosamine and chondrotine sulfate.
Patient
number four, who had come to us with complaints of angina and other
cardiovascular problems, began experiencing some discomfort over the
left side of his chest, reminiscent of his previous angina condition.
Patient
number five, who had resolved her severe PMS and disabling
dysmenorrheal (menstrual cramps) complained of a “bad period.”
Patient
number six who had developed some environmental allergies when he
first moved to New York City, two years ago, was faced this spring
with a serious bout of hives and throat spasms.
What
all of these patients had in common was a problem with environmental
allergies. The spring blooming provided the stimulus for production of
higher levels of histamine
and other inflammatory
chemicals
in the blood. These chemicals cause the return of some of the
previous symptoms in the systems or organs that had not completely
healed. The way around the problem was to institute the allergy
and inflammatory protocol in
conjunction with whatever else they were doing for their disease
processes. Some patients were sick enough to need allergy
desensitization, most of them, however, responded to just adding
nutrients specifically designed to lower the inflammatory cascade of
events associated with environmental allergies.
Allergies
and moderate (blood) acidosis
Another
important bit of advice for everybody during the allergy season is to
consume large amounts of vegetables. Nature, in all its wisdom,
provides us not only with allergens but also with their remedies.
Spring and early summer is the time of nature’s healing foods:
the vegetables.
Vegetables tend to reduce the acidity
of the blood which is responsible for increasing
the amount of histamine released by special white cells called
“mast” cells. The alkalinizing diet is not an option, it is a
necessity during the spring for all of us but especially for allergic
people.
Allergies
and toxins
Carbohydrates
also increase acidity in the blood, so at this time of the year it is
prudent to reduce bread and pasta and grains. Cakes and other
foods loaded with carbohydrates are not even to be thought of as
foods. We consider them a dangerous form of addiction.
Another
way to stop the inflammatory cascade is to take Alka Seltzer Gold
(without aspirin). We advise patients to take two tablets two or
three times a day when they suspect they are in a state of mild
acidosis. In case one cannot find Alka Seltzer Gold, a teaspoon
of bicarbonate in a glass of water with a few drops of lemon (to make
it pleasant) is another good alternative to alkalinize the blood.
To
reduce the amount of toxins we all produce, which also promote
inflammation, it is important to undertake the bowel
scrubbing and
bowel soothing
program during this time
of the year, even if the bowel movements appear to be “normal.”
The more things we do to reduce inflammation, the faster the symptoms
disappear and less damage occurs in the vulnerable organs. Yes,
inflammatory processes are not just a nuisance, they are potentially
damaging events to predisposed organs such as the joints, the heart,
the muscles, the brain, or any other part of the body that is
sensitized to these dangerous chemicals.
Now
that you are empowered with a better capacity to recognize nonspecific
allergy responses and how to deal with them, just apply our
recommendations and enjoy
the wonderful reawakening of nature and the beauty of spring.
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