Allergies
An allergy is a condition in which the body has an adverse reaction to a substance, known as an allergen, that is harmless in similar amounts to the majority of people. It is estimated that between 10 and 20% of the United States population suffers from some form of allergy. An allergy can be so mild that is merely irritating, or so severe that it is life-threatening.
Why are most allergies NOT cured?
One might think allergies are due to an inadequate immune system; often it is exactly the opposite. Normally an allergen is controlled by the immune system with no symptoms. An allergic reaction is a stronger response of the normal reactions than is necessary to control the irritant. The excess response causes swelling, sneezing, and other reactions the body makes to control the allergen.
Allergy symptoms can be in the nose and eyes as hey fever, in the bronchi as asthma, anywhere on the skin as a rash or hives, or in the digestive system. Symptoms can be remote from the site of allergy such as severe, debilitating headaches, rapid heartbeat, irritability, or nervousness.
The offending allergen may be known simply because when cats or dogs are around immediately the nasal passages swell and sneezing starts. Seasonal allergies are to flowers, trees budding, pollen, grass cutting, and many other natural occurring vegetation.
There may be many allergens residing in the house. Mold is toxic to everyone if they are exposed long enough. In the bedroom there may be mites growing in the pillows or under the bed. On the other hand the bedding itself may be the problem from laundry detergent. Furthermore, there may be a problem from the manufacturing chemicals in the bedding to which one is sensitive.
The approach of determining what an individual is allergic to by various testing methods and then eliminating that item from his/her diet and environment is like deciding to live in a cave as a hermit because you don't get along with people. The real answer is to correct the body function so there is proper reaction to the allergen.
The major problem will allergy treatment today is that most of it is symptomatic, designed not to correct the condition but to relieve symptoms. The real answer to an allergic reaction is to find the basic underlying cause of why the body does not react properly to normal substances.
Many treatments for symptomatic relief actually make the basic underlying cause of the problem worse. Nasal sprays, used for decongesting the mucous membranes, work temporarily; however, they themselves may irritate the mucous membranes and leave them more irritated, probably to swell more the next time. Use of a spray may cause an increased need for future medication.
Steroid medications, used to supplement inactive adrenal glands, simply cause further depletion of the glands. Longtime use of this therapy makes a patient very resistant--or even non-responsive--to natural health care.
Begin now--Get to the underlying cause of your allergies
If allergies develop, it is important to seek natural correction of the problem before permanent damage is done.
Health comes from within. The body is a self-correcting and self-maintaining mechanism. Frequently when quality of health is reduced there are some or many factors of the body's controlling mechanisms that are compromised. The Professional Applied Kinesiolgy (PAK) approach to health is to evaluate the mechanisms that control the body and, when dysfunction is found, reduce or eliminate the cause.
Because the PAK approach to to health is to return the body's controlling mechanisms to normal, many health problems improve. Often patients will seek care for body pain and obtain correction of an allergic reaction.
Food allergies
Reaction to food may be mild to very severe. Symptoms tend to concentrate in the digestive system as nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea but can be remote. There may be skin symptoms such as rash, hives, or itchiness. Examination can usually find the cause and treatment can correct the reason the immune system is over-reacting to the allergen.
A severe allergic reaction is anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. The blood vessels dilate and the blood pressure lowers. Breathing problems such as shortness of breath, weakness, chest pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea are indications of anaphylaxis. This requires immediate emergency treatment.
Food allergies need to be differentiated from food intolerance. Food intolerance occurs when the digestive system is unable to digest or break food down properly. The food then becomes an irritant to the digestive system. Common causes include an inadequate production of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. PAK examination can determine if there is proper production of these and other factors necessary for proper digestion.
Some of the symptoms of food intolerance are abdominal pain, gas and bloating, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, headaches, and nervousness.
There are some types of food intolerance where the person must avoid a particular food. For example, there may be lactose intolerance where the person's body does not produce lactase, the enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar (lactose).
The PAK approach to allergy is to discover why the body is overreacting or incapable of fighting off some adverse environmental factor. Treatment is then directed to that causative factor.
Adrenal Insufficiency
The adrenal glands secrete hormones that are anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory in nature. These hormones provide the body with one of the mechanisms to keep inflammation in check. An allergic response is excessive inflammatory reaction to a stimulus. House dust, specific foods, and pollens do not cause inflammation in a normally functioning body. IN an individual with abnormal adrenal function, the body may be fighting a war with inflammation that is greater than needed for the invading force.
The adrenal glands help protect the body from stress. If your doctor determines that you have an adrenal stress reaction, it becomes necessary that you eliminate as many forms of stress to your body as possible. This is similar to putting an injured arm in a sling while it heals. Reduction of stress gives your adrenal glands time to repair and helps them react normally to allergens. It is not always possible to eliminate all forms of stress; however, since stress is cumulative, the more phases you can eliminate the better off you will be.
Stress can be divided into four categories:
1. Physical. This form of stress comes from such things as overwork, lack of sleep, injury, or fighting an infection. Most physical forms of stress are controllable.
2. Chemical. Any poison is obviously a chemical stress to the body. There are many insidious types of chemical stress, such as some food additives, goods so highly refined that they are out of balance with nature (ie. white flour, white sugar), and stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, and chocolate. Some are environmental toxics such as smoke and perfume. Adrenal glands are especially sensitive to perfumes and colognes.
3. Thermal. Becoming chilled or overheated is a stress to which the adrenal glands must respond. This problem is more common during the fall and spring, when people don't think it's as chilly outside as it actually is. There is a tendency to quickly take the trash outside, or for a child playing ball to become sweaty, take of his sweater, and chill as he walks home.
4. Emotional turmoil causes the adrenal glands to react. It is not always possible to eliminate all emotional stresses, but an individual with allergies should try to achieve an emotional balance within him/herself. Emotional Clearing Techniques have tremendous curative benefit.
The most important thing about the 4 factors of stress is that they are cumulative. Because of this each factor should be reduced as much as possible. An individual may be able to handle one type of stress with no problem or a second category of stress with only minor problems; however, when a third factor is introduced, the adrenal glands may be overwhelmed and fail to function adequately.
Consider the individual who strays from his diet and eats a piece of cake. Ordinarily this dietary indiscretion causes no problem. The next morning, while still in a state of mild adrenal insufficiency, he becomes chilled. Combating the chill causes the adrenal glands to become a little more overworked; the combined effects of the chilling and the dietary indiscretion prevent the lymphatic system from effectively fighting off a cold.
The individual now has a cold, which probably would have been thrown off by the body had the adrenal glands not been somewhat depleted by the cake the day before. For relief from the cold symptoms, the individual takes some over-the counter medication, such as aspirin or a decongestant, which acts as a chemical stress to the body and further depletes the adrenal glands. They are now ready to be triggered into adrenal insufficiency. The next day the individual has a mild argument with the boss. The argument is not serious enough to have caused problems 3 days earlier, before the cake was eaten; now, in a continued state of stress, the adrenal glands are forced into greater insufficiency, puttin the individual into an acute stage of allergy. Continued stress to the adrenal glands causes them to not repair and rebuild properly.
Acid-Alkaline Imbalance
Relative acid-alkaline imbalance is a common contributing factor to allergies, especially those associated with food. Your doctor, using PAK methods, will test you to determine if you have an acid-alkaline imbalance. You may be given nutritional supplements or be advised to change your diet to help bring balance back.
Nerve Control
Nerves control the entire body and are closely associated with the immune system, adrenal function, and acid-alkaline control. Again, your PAK doctor will use the muscles of your body to help examine nerve function and return it to proper control of the glands, systems, and structures. The overall approach is to find the factors that are causing the nervous system to not control your body correctly. This may cause problems in your immune, digestive, or upper respiratory systems. When these or other systems are not functioning properly, treatment can be provided that allows your body to return to normal.
The natural approach is an effective method for the long-term cure of allergies. You must remember, however, that the cure comes from within your own body. Your doctor can help return your body to normal control in most instances, although the outlook is not as favorable when there has been long-term use of certain drugs. Since the cure comes from within your own body, it is necessary for you to follow all the procedures prescribed by Dr. Kateri Porto or your PAK doctor--including the elimination of as much stress as possible.