With the coming of spring and warmer weather, so comes the allergy season. For some, this presents a fearful time with symptoms such as runny nose and eyes and headaches. The TV commercials jump on the bandwagon for a windfall of drug ads for sinus relief. These over the counter products, called antihistamines, work by interfering with various chemical reactions that normally occur in the body. The drugs do relieve symptoms, but are not without side effects. There is a difference between relieving symptoms and getting healthy to lead an allergy-free life.
We tend to associate allergies with the outdoors and pollens in the air, but any symptom or condition of the body can be an allergy. Doctors who have worked extensively with food allergy are astounded over the wide range of symptoms that can be observed in patients. Everyday foods can cause PMS, epilepsy, diarrhea, swollen arthritic joints, bed wetting, migraine headaches and asthma to just name a few.
Milk is the most common allergen. A person who drinks a lot of milk may experience colitis or become calcium deficient. How can this possibly happen? If you have an allergic reaction to a food, it is difficult to absorb its nutrients. When a foreign substance, or allergen from the air, water or food we eat, gets into our body, our immune system will try to protect us by building antibodies. When an allergen comes in contact with an antibody, an immediate reaction takes place producing symptoms within minutes or hours. This is the classic allergic reaction.
Most symptoms we suffer from are the result of food allergies which affects the tissue of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, small intestines and colon).When we eat, food has to be digested and broken down by the use of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. If digestion is not thoroughly completed because of a diminished supply or absence of these digestive elements, then undigested fragments of food can be absorbed through the intestinal lining and into the blood stream. Antibodies recognize these particles as foreign invaders and attack, creating allergic reactions in the body. Histamine is the best known substance released by the allergic reaction and quickly spreads into other areas of the body causing inflammation and swelling.
So, now that we know what the cause is, what can be done to control or eliminate allergy symptoms? A nutritionist will make an overall assessment of a person’s health, their symptoms, their diet and testing for food allergies, yeast and fungus overgrowth. A nutritional program will be designed to correct digestive disorders and Candida infection. It has been found clinically that 80% of people with multiple allergies will have Candida overgrowth.
Enzymes are the key to understanding allergy. Enzyme supplementation can be the first giant step to overcoming allergic conditions. Most foods have their own enzymes, that is, before we cook it. Cooking destroys up to 85% of the original nutrients and 100% of the enzymes. This is where the problem exists by having a diet of all cooked foods and not eating enough fresh, raw whole fruits and vegetables. Our body becomes overburdened having to supply it’s own enzymes which are produced by the pancreas. This leads to a compromised or weak digestive system. The pancreas also manufactures insulin. The consequence here is, as the pancreas becomes over-taxed, it now does not produce insulin and diabetes develops.
As you can see, there is no quick fix when it comes to controlling and eliminating allergies. It starts with the food you eat. Chewing your food thoroughly and adding digestive enzymes for complete digestion will control allergic reactions. Food allergy testing and elimination will help to restore the immune system, reduce inflammation, and normalize the function of other internal organs. If this all sounds confusing or you don’t know where to start, call a Nutritionist and get on “The Road To Recovery”.
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