Allergies
Index of Diseases / Health Conditions ... Medicinal Foods, Herbs, Spices & Household Items
The below provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner ... Please refer to: Medical & Legal Disclaimer.
Common Allergy Symptoms:
Things that can make your allergy symptoms worse
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An allergy constitutes an exaggerated reaction by our immune system in response to bodily contact with an allergen (an allergy-producing substance).
Allergies are a common health problem in the United States, affecting 1 in 3 people. Allergies, asthma and other autoimmune diseases are almost nonexistent in undeveloped countries, while they have reached close to epidemic levels in the industrialized areas. This seems to indicate that there is something in our environment that causes these conditions.
Sufferers have to address the underlying causes to improve their health. Stress, environmental irritants and toxins, infections and allergens overwhelm our immunesystem and our body then becomes hypervigilant and tends to overreact to everything.
The key to lowering the immunesystem's reaction threshold is to reduce the amount of irritants affecting it, while also supporting it with a health diet and nutritional supplements.
Foods:
Although an individual could be allergic to any food, such as fruits, vegetables, and meats, there are eight foods that account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions. These are: wheat, milk, egg, peanut, walnuts, cashews, fish, shellfish and soy.
Pollen:
These allergies can occur in the spring and are often due to tree pollen. Allergies that occur in the summer are often due to grass and weed pollen. Allergies that occur in the fall are often caused by ragweed.
Mold:
Mold is common where water tends to collect, such as shower curtains, window moldings and damp basements. It can also be found in rotting logs, hay, mulches, commercial peat moss, compost piles and leaf litter. This allergy is usually worse during humid and rainy weather.
- Get professional help to eliminate mold from your home, if necessary.
- A dehumidifer in areas where mold grows can help reduce, or even eliminate the problem.
Animal Dander / Feather Dust:
Proteins found in feather dust, as well as the skin, saliva, and urine of furry pets such as cats and dogs can cause allergies in sensitive people. You can be exposed to dander when handling an animal or from house dust that contains dander.
- Allergic Alveolitis (Breeder's Lung)
Dust Mites:
Dust mites are tiny living creatures found in bedding, mattresses, carpeting and upholstered furniture. They live on dead skin cells and other things found in house dust.
Harmful indoor chemicals
... can lead to allergies, and a host of other health problems, including anemia, sinusitis, asthma, chronic fatigue, a generally weakened immune system, cancer, brain damage and even death.
- For people suffering from allergies and/or lung problems, it is particularly important to keep the indoor air free of contaminants. The best way (provided you live in an area with clean outside air) is to frequently vent your home and sleep with the windows open. For those times that this is not possible, it is important to use a quality air filtration system to clean the indoor air. Some units even kill mold, viruses and bacteria. It is imperative to maintain as much of a non-toxic indoor environment as possible.
- Scientific studies have linked chlorinated water to potentially harmful by-products that can, over time, contribute to such health-threatening conditions as cancer of the bladder, liver, stomach and colon; heart disease, high blood pressure and allergies. Shower filtration systems help reduce these risks - so you can breathe easier.
Even the best air purifier won't compensate for poor hygiene and housekeeping when it comes to allergens in the environment. In terms of air quality, it's most important to be vigilant about keeping the bedroom clean, since this is where you spend a third of your life. The bedroom is usually the first room in which most people place air purifiers.
Pollutants in our environment are being blamed for an increase in all sorts of auto-immune-based diseases and allergies as well as cardiovascular disease. Even in homes where no one has diagnosed allergies, it's a good idea to make the environment as pollutant- and allergy-free as possible. How to do it?
- Dust / Dust Mites:
- Cover mattresses, box springs, duvets and pillows with allergy-proof covers to reduce dust mites -- a very common allergen.
- Reduce dust by frequently washing bedding, drapes and stuffed animals.
- Install wood floors instead of carpeting.
- Consider Non-toxic Flooring.
- Pollen: Reduce exposure to pollen by showering, washing your hair, and changing your clothes before going to bed. Keep doors and windows shut - especially on dry, windy days - and run the air conditioner in your home and car when possible.
- Smoking: Ban smoking in the house
- Mold: Clean areas prone to mold in your home - such as shower curtains and bathroom windows - with bleach. Avoid having plants in the house.
- Water: Filter your water with a carbon or reverse-osmosis filter.
- Indoor Air Quality: Avoid air fresheners, potpourri and pesticides.
- Non-toxic ways to freshen / deodorize your home's air are found on this webpage.
- Safe pesticides
- Don't use cleaning materials made from harsh chemicals. Natural cleaning products are better. Many items stocked in your pantry do as good a job at cleaning your home than many of the toxic commercial products.
- Instructions for cleaning your home with products you already have can be found on this webpage.
- These are increasingly available in retail stores and on-line -- one of my favorite brands is Seventh Generation. Many products of this particular line are increasingly becoming available in your local stores.
- Keep your home clean ...
- Avoid clutter. Get rid of dust collectors, carpets, drapes, and stuffed animals, and make an extra effort to keep the bedroom meticusly clean.
- Use shades, vertical blinds or washable curtains that can be easily cleaned. Avoid hard-to-clean horizontal blinds.
- Vacuum frequently, especially in the bedroom. Wear a dust mask when emptying vacuum bags.
- Wash sheets, pillowcases and blankets weekly in hot water.
- Replace pillows every year or two or use synthetic pillows.
- Don't store anything under your bed.
- Pets:
- Ventilate your home frequently and thoroughly
- Keep pet dander at a minimum by bathing your pet frequently
- Use an air filtration system (in all areas you spend a lot of time in)
- Use allergen-resistant bedding
- Keep pets out of the bedroom.
Nutritional Support for Allergy Sufferers:
- Eat organic to minimize toxins going into your body.
- Probiotics (10 billion organisms daily). The healthy bacteria help reduce allergies by balancing the immune system in your gut.
- Buffered vitamin C (1,000 to 2,000 mg once or twice a day) during the allergy season along with zinc (20 to 50 mg daily)
- Try herbs: Perilla seed extract, stinging nettle, and quercetin taken daily can help reduce allergy systems.
- Cod Liver Oil: In numerous studies, the elongated omega-3 fats found in cod liver oil have been shown to improve brain function, memory, stress response, immune response, allergies, asthma, learning and behavioral disorders, including bipolar syndrome and manic-depression. "If you want to prevent learning disabilities in your children," said David Horrobin, distinguished medical and biochemical researcher, "feed them cod liver oil."
- Grape Seeds / Grape Seed Extract: One of the most potent antioxidants known, with tests indicating that it is fifty times more powerful than Vitamin E. It has been used to treat varicose veins, eye problems, arthritis, allergies, heart conditions, Attention Deficit Disorder, cancer, and viral diseases such as herpes.
Information contained on this website is provided as general reference only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought.
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