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Is There Relief From Chronic Allergies?

Allergy skin testing

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It sucks! Suffering from allergies, that is. Symptoms are annoying (and could include stuffy nose, red, itchy eyes, constant sneezing, dark circles under the eye) to life-threatening (anaphylaxis). It is caused by the hyper-reactivity of the immune system to natural as well as synthetic substances found in our food, air (inhalant allergens), and chemicals in our environment. The typical response would be the use of OTC and prescription anti-histamines, steroids and epinephrine (for anaphylactic conditions). Most of them are effective except for some unpleasant side effects such as drowsiness (anti-histamines), suppression of the immune system (steroids), and tachycardia (epinephrine). One more thing, a person has to take them indefinitely because the root cause/causes are not really addressed (by just symptomatic treatment alone). There are natural alternatives to allergy treatment and they include quercertin and bromelain. They may be taken  if one is wary of taking any medications whatsoever. One thing though, is that it still doesn’t address the cause or causes of the allergy.

Other more effective treatments for allergy include immunotherapy (subcutaneous or sublingual) and L.D.A. therapy. Subcutaneous immunotherapy, otherwise known as “allergy shots” involves the administration of gradually increasing amounts of allergens over several months to a couple of years. The injections are given weekly or biweekly. This causes the body to produce less symptoms than are otherwise caused by exposure to antigens. Sublingual immunotherapy, on the other hand, involves the administration of liquid antigen drops under the tongue. It is safe, convenient and can be used on high-risk patients, such as elderly patients, asthmatics, and pregnant patients.

L.D.A. (low dose allergen) therapy, is a method of allergy treatment that was started by Dr. Leonard McEwen from England. Originally known as EPD or enzyme potentiated desensitization, Dr. McEwen used very tiny doses of various allergens along with an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. Treatments were administered every 60 days. The treatment was found to be effective for a wide range of allergens (food, inhalants, chemicals) as well as other immune system disorders. EPD however, is no longer available in the US and has been replaced by L.D.A. L.D.A. therapy is similar to EPD and acts by stimulating T-suppressor cells. The main difference is that the allergen solution used for L.D.A. is not sold at regular pharmacies. It is made by compounding pharmacies according to a doctor’s specifications/prescription. The main benefit of L.D.A. therapy is that it seems to train the immune system to stop attacking normal substances that the body encounters (foods, inhalants, chemicals), rather than just temporarily alleviating symptoms or lowering the body’s histamine levels.

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Magnets to Plug the Hole?

Project Runway (season 4)

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Sounds like a great idea. I just saw it this morning on CNN. There is this Florida company that came up with the idea. It does make a lot of sense. I hope it works. So far, the pollution goes on. And it’s not just oil. Now, there’s the chemical dispersants to deal with. These chemicals were used to “disperse” the oil. In my own limited understanding of how this works, it means that the oil will just be invisible to the naked eye. It’s still present in the water though, causing harm to microscopic organisms (and the rest of the living creatures) in the water. It’s a mess, a hot tranny mess (as the contestant and eventual winner of the Season 4 reality show, Project Runway, would say)! I know it’s not funny, but we as a people should be open to alternatives especially when “standard” protocols are not working. In this scenario, alternatives should have been sought earlier in the game. The hole could have been plugged successfully by now, the 74th day since the oil started spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Health-wise, I believe that we should incorporate therapeutic lifestyle changes into standard treatments. That makes the outcome of whatever health issue more successful. Happy 4th of July weekend! Signing out……

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No More Shopping….

Thin plastic shopping bags

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…in plastic bags, that is. In an interesting article on AOL News, it stated that California may be the first state in the nation to totally ban plastic bags. San Francisco enacted a decree banning plastic bags a couple of years ago. Anyway, it’s about time that plastic bags are banned altogether because as environmentalists and anti-littering advocates say, they are unnecessary, unsightly and dangerous to wildlife. More importantly, plastic gives off chemicals that act as hormone-disruptors in the body, otherwise known as xenoestrogens. We are seeing a lot of hormonal imbalances as early as the pre-teen years because of the environmental toxins that are all around us. Thank goodness, people are now becoming more aware of how the environment influences our planetary and personal health. The use of paper bags however, may not be the best solution. It takes 14 million trees to create 10 billion paper bags, according to the article. The solution is to use recyclable bags or better yet, a Y3 tote bag (or your favorite designer bag) when shopping. Fortunately, there are different ways to detoxify the body of the harmful chemicals that come from plastic. Among these include the use of an infra-red sauna and if this is not available in your area, make sure that you do sweat regularly (through exercise, using a sweat lodge, dry sauna or steam bath). Another way to detox the body of xenoestrogens is through the intake of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower or my favorite, bok choy. This can be accomplished through supplements such as Calcium D-glucarate or glutathione as well.

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