Allergy Relief, Alternative Treatment

According to allergy specialist John Mansfield, MD of England, allergies are the result of:

A depressed or malfunctioning immune system.

An overload of toxins.

Nutritional deficiencies, chemicals in foods, i.e. pesticides, preservatives, etc.

Chronic intestinal yeast overgrowth (candida, or candidiasis ).

Treatment of Allergies

"In order for true healing of allergies to occur, it is necessary to address their cause rather than just treat the outward manifestations or symptoms", says Dr Wilkinson.

The researchers conclude that the digestive system has a link to all allergies and not just those caused by food. Proper digestion aids the body in clearing out toxins. When digestion becomes impaired a greater threshold of toxins have to be dealt with, and eventually the body becomes overwhelmed.

Allergies strike seasonally due to irritants such as tree pollen, weed pollen, grass pollen, but allergic reactions can also occur all year round due to dust mites, pets, mold, etc. Allergy symptoms occur when your immune system reacts to these irritants because it is depressed and when your system is already overloaded with other toxins, i.e. candida.

When your immune system reacts, it is actually doing its job of removing the irritant from your body. An example of the body trying to get rid of an irritant is when grass pollens enter your circulation your immune system binds the pollen with an allergy protein such as histamine. Histamines cause you to experience watery eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose.

What is essential for people to understand is that the body needs to filter these substances out of the system. Even with suppression of the symptoms, the allergy will likely resurface. When you use immune suppressive therapies/drugs, you also run the risk of your weakening your immune system. It is a little known fact that adverse drug reactions are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

As Andrew Taylor Still, the M.D. who founded Osteopathy, once said: "The best physician is the one who knows how to nudge the system at just the right time and in just the right way to get it back on its own path of self-healing -- and then get out of the way so it can do what it does best: heal itself."

Vitamin C

Vitamin C in high doses can have a dramatic effect in improving allergy symptoms, particularly hay fever and asthma. This is due to it's ability to counteract the inflammation responses that are part of such conditions. "Vitamin C is one of nature's miracles," Dr. Mandell says. Robert Cathcart MD, who pioneered the technique of taking Vitamin C to bowel tolerance, also recommends its use for allergies.

His own seasonal hay fever symptoms were blocked by taking 16 grams of Vitamin C orally during a 24 hour period. In cases of more severe exposure he advises the Vitamin C dose be increased. Dr. Cathcart bases his recommendations on clinical experience with over one thousand patients with allergies. The vast majority of these patients gained significant relief by taking mega doses of vitamin C.

Vitamin C's natural antihistamine properties make it a classic allergy treatment. A daily dose of 4,000 mgs, or more, helps reduce the severity of sinus stuffiness and runny nose. When increasing vitamin C take 1,000 — 2,000 mgs every hour until you reach bowel tolerance, i.e. loose stools, and then cut back on the amount a little.

Increase the amount every day and gradually over time your body will become accustomed to the increased dose without creating diarrhea/loose stools. It can take several days to a couple of months to increase doses up to 14,000 mgs per day. However people who need vitamin C the most will find they can tolerate higher doses better than others can.

Also, fatty acids, herbs, minerals, and vitamins that can play an important role in maintaining good immune system health, and can sometimes relieve allergic reactions.

Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFA) such as omega-3 are important to the immune system because they reduce inflammation associated with allergic response by aiding in the production of prostaglandins that counter inflammation.

Herbs & Garlic

Echinacea stimulates the immune system and may also protect against infection and stimulate tissue repair and healing.
Ephedra is commonly referred to by its Chinese name, ma huang, and it has both an upside and a downside. It constricts the blood vessels which makes it a useful nasal decongestant, but it also raises blood pressure and increases heart rate.
Garlic has antibacterial properties that are beneficial in healing a chronic runny nose.
Goldenseal, goldenrod, and stinging nettle have been used for anti-viral and anti-inflammatory response and help remove excess mucus. Nettle can be very helpful for drying out the sinuses.
Quercetin, a herbal extract derived from the bark of the white oak tree, is a very safe and effective treatment for all kinds of sinus reactions, including allergies, asthma, and hay fever. It stabilizes the membranes of the cells that release histamine which is what triggers allergic reactions. Quercetin is contained in vitamin C supplements recommended in the Candida Program.

Minerals

Calcium and magnesium are important nutrients for the allergy sufferer. They help to relax an over-reactive nervous system. This mineral helps people with allergies alleviate the stress caused to the body by the allergic reaction.
When combined with Vitamin E, Selenium is an excellent anti-oxidant, which will in turn protect the body from free radicals. Selenium has a targeted role in allergic activity and is important for its help in utilizing vitamin E, another important immune system nutrient. [Note: Selenium is only required in "trace" amounts by the body, and there are plenty of sources contained in the diet and ocean sea salt recommended on the Candida Program.]
Sulfur aids in the treatment of allergies. Sulfur is found in many foods recommended on the Candida Diet, including lemon, garlic, which are very high in sulfur, along with onions, meats, eggs, etc.
Zinc is an anti-oxidant and boosts immunity. It helps the body maintain healthy cell function. It helps the body to build new immune system cells to help fend off viral infections and heal cuts and wounds. It's important for the production of collagen. It also combines with vitamin A to maintain healthy eye function. [Zinc is only required in "trace" amounts by the body, and there are plenty of sources contained in the diet and ocean sea salt recommended on the Candida Program.]

Vitamins

Zinc and Vitamin A are keys to immune system health. They play a role in the production of IgA, an antibody that coats allergens in the intestinal tract, preventing their absorption in the blood supply and forcing their elimination from the body. As noted above Zinc is only required in "trace" amounts by the body, and there are plenty of sources contained in the diet and ocean sea salt recommended on the Candida Program. Vitamin A is found in liver, eggs and other meats and for severe allergies 100,000 IUs per day can be taken for a limited amount of time. Always stop for 2 days after taking it for 1 month, and then continue another month, stopping for 2 days again and so on. Do not continue taking high doses of vitamin A longer than 3 months. Go back to the usual dose of 20,000 to 30,000 IUs per day.
One of the B vitamins, Pantothenic acid plays an important role in the proper functioning of the adrenal glands and helps your body produce natural cortisone that counteracts allergens that can reduce allergic symptoms. Improving how the adrenal glands work reduces allergic reactivity. A person with allergies can take 200 mgs of vitamin B complex per day, in divided doses; ensure it contains niacin and not niacinamide. If it contains niacinamide buy a separate niacin supplement and take 200 mgs per day in divided doses along with vitamin B complex.
A very powerful antioxidant Vitamin E protects the body from free radicals. It alleviates respiratory problems and boosts your immune system's ability to fight off infectious diseases. Take 200 IU vitamin E 2 times per day.

Help for Severe Allergic Reactions

When you experience a severe allergic reaction, in order to alleviate your symptoms do the following:

Drink clove or ginger tea – 4 to 5 cups within 5-6 hours.
Take an Epsom Salt bath.
Take these all at once, except for 2,000 mgs of vitamin C, which is taken every hour:

2 capsules of Betaine hydrochloric acid.
4,000 mgs vitamin C is taken immediately, and take 2,000 mgs every hour until symptoms subside, or until you reach bowel tolerance (loose stools) and then cut back on the amount taken.
Vitamin B complex 100 mgs, in addition your daily amount.
500 mgs of niacin (if you can stand the flush; if you cannot stand the flush take at least 50 mgs every hour)
10,000 IU vitamin A.
400 IU vitamin D.

Note: Vitamins A and D are available in cod liver or halibut liver oil capsules.

9-Day Program

If the above treatment does not help you, do the following 9-day program. Your allergy/healing reactions and symptoms will be much less after this treatment.

Note: Every day of this treatment take two enemas of clear, room temperature warm purified water only. These help to physically remove a substantial amount of toxins and yeast present in the large colon.

Day One - Consume plenty of clear, salted meat and vegetable broth (salted with an ocean sea salt like Celtic). Do not eat any solid foods.

Day Two - Add solid pureed foods; they should be only protein, good fats and low carbohydrate vegetables - cook and highly puree all foods in a blender to maximize absorption, thus minimizing food residue in the intestines.

Day Three through Day Nine — Eat cooked pureed foods as described in Day Two above, and gradually add more and more solid foods each day over the next six days until you are completely back on a solid food diet.

Other Simple Things to Help You

For relaxation do this for 15 minutes every day. Lie on the floor with your feet on a chair so your thighs are at a right angle to the seat of the chair and the calves of your legs are lying across the seat of the chair. It is as simple as that.

Do dry skin brushing which will stimulate the liver and adrenal glands, increasing their ability to handle the toxins.

Thump your thymus to stimulate it. Using the knuckles of your hand, thump gently but firmly on the middle of your breastbone. Thump about 10 times in a row. Do this several times a day to wake up your thymus, which is a very important part of the immune system.

References:

iHerb.com