A reminder of allergy treatment basics

[Guest guest]

1. The underlying Root(s) of allergies have to be addressed either from a

TCM or a Western alternative standpoint or a combination of both. Until the

underlying weaknesses are addressed, moving to a new climate is only a

temporary fix. Until the underlying weaknesses are addressed, the person

will in time develop new allergies to things in the new environment.

 

2. In some medical conditions it is critical that food allergies be

addressed in the beginning. Otherwise the person will not be able to

benefit from many foods and even herbs. CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune

Dysfunction Syndrome) is a prime example of this. Many PWCs (People With

CFIDS) find themselves reacting not only to most prescription drugs but to

herbs as well and also many foods. The more limited the diet has to be, the

less variety of nutrients and healing substances the person will be able to

take. Thus, clearing up food allergies or at least lessening them will have

to be a top priority for some people.

 

I frequently find myself re-realizing the importance of these two basics. I

just returned from a visit with relatives across country. Surrounded by

family I had not seen in many years and meeting their children for the first

time in person, I got bold in my food choices when we went out to eat. I

had not eaten cheese in many years. To my great surprise, not only did

generous helpings of pizza not bother me, I actually started to feel better.

Evidently there is something in pizza that my body needs and which I now can

digest, tolerate, and use.

 

I can remember when the least amount of milk in any form sent me to ER in

agonizing pain. No matter how careful I tried to be when reading labels in

order to make sure no milk in any form was present, I occasionally

overlooked labels and ended up discovering the hard way that milk was in the

prepared food. Dining out was difficult at best and usually impossible.

This also was the period during which I had to take prescription medicines

(the few I could still tolerate) either as a liquid, a patch, or a

suppository. Something like 75% of pills and capsules produced in the U.S.

uses milk sugar as a filler/binder. Even that tiny amount was too much for

me.

 

I still remember how happy I was when I finally improved to the point where

I no longer had to worry about a little bit of milk or milk sugar being

present in a prepared food or pill. It meant that I no longer had to

carefully read labels (not daring to miss milk) and that I could eat out.

But cheese and yogurt were out of the question. Those were too much dairy.

 

I now have reached another plateau in which I can eat cheese. I'm finding

that occasionally having something with cheese is helping me and I'm feeling

better than before.

 

I also managed to make a 2,000+ mile bus trip by myself though I did choose

to return by train. This may not sound extraordinary to most readers, but

others on this list who have CFIDS will understand how wonderful (and

unusual) it can be for a PWC to be able to do this. Even better is that I

was not wiped out by the trip out or back. I was tired, but after just

several hours of sleep, I had energy and was able to resume my usual level

of activities. (PWCs tend to have to take a long time to recover from any

activity. I didn't in spite of first a bus trip and then a train trip two

weeks later.)

 

I also was informed when I got home that all my relatives are sick with a

stomach virus that has been going around where they lived. They know my

medical problems and were concerned that I had caught it too. But so far I

haven't had any problems. There are added benefits to TCM, and sometimes

this can take the form of increased resistence to infections.

 

Victoria

 

 

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