‘Allergy’-Greek meaning ‘altered reaction’

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`Allergy'-Greek meaning `altered reaction'

 

 

More than 22 million people in the UK suffer from allergies.

Hayfever affects 25% of the UK population. That's a whole heap of

people. Maybe it's you? Do you splutter and sneeze all summer long?

Is persistent nose-blowing part of your morning routine? Do your

eyes and nose make determined attempts to dribble off the bottom of

your face? Or maybe it's milder, such as constant, background

catarrh that you consider to be inevitable, an itchy skin at certain

times of the year or strange rashes that come and go?

 

Why does this happen?

You may just be allergic to something – dairy products, eggs,

peanuts, shellfish and oranges are all common allergens. Sometimes

allergies run in families. `Allergy', by the way, comes from the

Greek meaning `altered reaction'.

You may have an intolerance. This simply means you aren't actually

allergic to something but your system finds it tricky to deal with

and you may feel better for avoiding it. Many people find their

digestion is better when they avoid wheat, for example, although

they are not coeliac.

 

You may be run down and your system is struggling to cope. Dr

William Rea, an American allergist, gives a useful analogy: think of

your body as a water barrel with holes in it, being filled from a

tap above. The holes let out enough water to stop the barrel

overflowing, but if the flow of water gets stronger the barrel will

eventually overflow. Our bodies are very clever and have many ways

of dealing with the various toxins that they encounter from day to

day. The equivalent of the holes in the barrel – the safety valves –

are the liver and kidneys, the immune system cells spread throughout

our tissues, even the acid in our stomach. These are all there to

break down harmful substances and keep us safe. Nowadays, though,

there are many more pollutants and chemicals around than there ever

have been, and our bodies sometimes get overwhelmed or come across

things they just don't know how to deal with. Think of an average

day:

 

Coffee first thing – caffeine is a drug which your liver has to deal

with.

 

Artificial sweeteners in coffee – much harder to deal with than

ordinary sugar and possibly connected to unpleasant diseases.

 

Milk on cereal – many people are intolerant of dairy products.

 

Toast – many people find wheat hard to digest.

 

Perfume – chemicals sprayed straight onto your thyroid area or soft,

absorbent tissue. around your wrists and neck

 

Car fumes – once you get out of the front door.

 

Cigarette fumes – from your colleagues.

 

Chemicals – in the atmosphere at work.

 

Cleaning agents – next time you're polishing the furniture, think

about what's going into your lungs. I remember a woman whose

houseplant was dying until a gardening expert advised her to stop

wax polishing the furniture in that room – the spray was killing the

plant!

 

And all this is before you start eating things with additives and

colourings in them, taking painkillers, drinking alcohol and taking

the Pill... No wonder your body is finding it tough!What are the

symptoms of allergic reaction?

 

Most true allergies cause dramatic reactions that you'll know all

about. Many people, though, don't realise they are reacting to

things around them and put their poor health down to other factors.

 

Diarrhoea, colic, crying babies, catarrh, ear infections, asthma,

eczema, headaches, migraines, arthritis, sleeping problems,

sinusitis, mouth ulcers, psoriasis, rashes, fluid retention,

digestive pain, fatigue, dark circles and puffiness around the eyes,

anxiety, anger, flushing, weight problems, constantly swollen

glands… all of these can result from intolerances or allergic

reactions.

 

You may not equate two factors, e.g. your irritable bowel and your

eczema, but food intolerances can be a trigger factor in eczema or

psoriasis.

 

(Always check with a doctor if you are suffering from unexplained

symptoms.)

 

What are the factors that make you more sensitive?

Any of these factors can make you more likely to react to

environmental pollutants, pollen, dust, certain foods, etc. You may

not be truly allergic, but your barrel is overflowing!

 

Taking antibiotics

 

Recuperating after illness

 

Bereavement, divorce, retirement, job problems, family problems

 

Your environment e.g. living in a city, working with chemicals

 

Smoking

 

Stress – coping with stress can improve your intolerance to certain

foods

 

Cleanliness – sounds strange but keeping children too clean prevents

their immune systems from developing and poor immune function means

greater likelihood of allergies

 

What can you do about it?

Stop and think about your lifestyle and whether you are making it

hard for your body to cope. Remember that adrenal exhaustion can add

to sensitivity, so take action to deal with stress. Check the foods

you are most drawn too. It's sad but true that addiction and

cravings can indicate allergies. In other words, if you are really

hooked on something, it may be doing you harm – if it's a blameless

food you're unlikely to feel a real physical or mental craving for

it. Many mothers tell me how much their children with eczema love

milk and cheese…

 

Pay attention to your digestion. You're less likely to react to

foods you've digested properly. Chew, relax, and don't eat on the

run.

 

Reduce the pressure on your body by avoiding junk food and too much

coffee or caffeinated drinks.

 

Stop smoking… in fact, ban smoking from your house!

 

Get enough sleep – this helps your immune system.

 

Exercise – it's good for your immune function.

 

Don't do any housework… well, at least, any that involves chemical

sprays…

 

Supplement with vitamin C (a low dose every hour acts as a natural

antihistamine), zinc (15mg daily for adults), magnesium (300mg daily

for adults) and Evening Primrose Oil (1,000 to 3,000mg daily).

 

Use herbs that have a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory

action:

 

Nettles So simple and yet so effective. Drink nettle tea or use

nettle tincture daily. It's a great antihistamine and has no side

effects. It may well have the additional benefit of easing arthritic

or gouty pains, clearing skin rashes and making you feel less acidic

and toxic. It contains minerals to boost your energy. There are no

contraindications and nettles are safe to use with children.

 

Luffa A fantastically swift fix for streaming, itchy eyes and noses.

If you wake up every morning sneezing and spluttering, take Luffa

(Sponge cucumber) regularly and cut down on your hanky expenditure.

It doesn't make you drowsy, has no adverse effects and can be taken

by anyone for as long as they like.

 

Petasites (Butterbur) A recent trial showed that Petasites works as

well as conventional antihistamines but has none of the drowsy,

sedative side effects connected to these medications. It's suitable

for long term use and can be used for children over 6 years old.

Traditionally this remedy has been used for many kinds of pain

relief, particularly migraine, so if your allergies involve

headaches or migraine, you may find you've cured two birds with one

herb!

email info.

 

http://www.healthywaymagazine.com/issue24/05_allergies.html

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/FreeRadicals.html