|
Managing Allergies and
Sinus Problems Effectively
|
|
Dr. Steven Whiting Ph.D.-Director of the Institute of
Nutritional Science
|
|
The number of persons suffering from some form of allergy has continued to steadily rise for the last few decades. Conservatively, it is estimated that 70 million people suffer from allergies in the United States and another 40 million in Europe.
The symptoms of an allergic response can vary from simple irritations to complex and devastating problems, which can, forever, alter the quality of an individual’s life. Since most allergies are auto-immune and therefore genetic in origin, they are virtually impossible to eliminate with our present knowledge of biochemistry. The good news is that we can mitigate many of the symptoms caused via the allergic response, allowing the sufferer to oftentimes live a completely normal life, symptom free.
|
|
|
|
From the medical point of view, an allergy is a chemical response to a foreign pathogen or invader within our body’s internal environment. This occurs in all of us when virus or bacteria invade the body. The immune From system reacts to the presence of these pathogen by building antibodies and eventually destroying the culprit. A by-product of that process is the production of a chemical called histamine.
When the body reacts in this same manner in the presence of normally harmless substances, such as certain proteins in foods and airborne particles such as pollen, molds or dust, we call that an allergic response.
Since the body sees these harmless substances as actual invading pathogens, antibody production occurs to fight the allergens. Antibodies attach themselves to specific cells called mast cells. When the mast cells explode, they release many chemicals, the primary one being histamine. It is histamine, which causes virtually all the symptoms associated with allergies.
Allergies do not always affect the entire body, but rather target specific sites for reaction and subsequent irritations. Food allergies affect primarily the gastrointestinal tract and the skin, while airborne allergies target the eyes, ears, sinus tract and throat.
While it is possible to develop an allergy to a specific substance later in life, most of us have the predisposition at birth through our genetics. If one of your parents has allergies, you have a 50 percent chance of developing allergies as well. When both parents are allergic, your odds jump to 75 percent or better. You may not inherit the same specific allergies but the rather the allergic potential.
|
|
|
Determining Your Specific Allergies
|
|
If you suspect that you have allergies, it is important to identify each specific allergen if possible. A good place to start is to have your doctor administer the RAST. This acronym stands for the radioallergosorbent test. This test is conducted by drawing blood, which is then tested for immunoglobulin E, in the presence of various food and airborne substances.
Once the offending foods, airborne particles and chemicals have been identified, we can set forth on a program to either eliminate exposure or regulate response through antihistamines and specific nutrients.
Food allergies are the most common form of allergy. While virtually any food can produce allergic response, some of the more common offenders include wheat, dairy, soy, chocolate and most protein foods.
In the case of food allergies, it is important to identify the offending foods and eliminate or greatly reduce them from your diet. This is especially true if you also suffer from airborne allergies. The degree of allergic reaction and therefore the degree of symptoms, is directly related to the number of allergens present in the body at any given time. Each stimulates the allergic chemical response, making the side effects mount in severity. Since we cannot eliminate exposure to airborne allergens, (it’s tough to stop breathing) it is important to identify and eliminate food allergies. This lowers the overall allergic response level and can make managing airborne allergies much easier.
|
|
|
Understanding the Stress and Adrenal Connection with Allergies
|
|
No discussion of allergies would be complete without addressing the role the adrenal glands play in the allergic response.
The adrenal glands secrete hormones during an immune response, which enable our defense system to work better. When this occurs on a more or less constant basis, these glands can become over-worked and eventually even partially fail. As they become less and less effective, the adrenal glands can no longer properly regulate the amounts of potentially powerful hormones, which they produce, sometimes making too many and sometimes not enough. This leads to further chemical imbalance and immune hypersensitivity, leading to increased allergic response.
Common symptoms of adrenal exhaustion include fatigue, anxiety, confused thinking, fluctuations in body temperature and respiration.
We can see by this scenario that managing stress and nourishing the adrenal glands is oftentimes essential to an overall program for dealing with allergies.
|
|
|
How Nutrition Can Benefit the Allergy Sufferer
|
|
As may be seen by our discussion of the relationship of the adrenal glands to the allergic response, we must begin building our program of successful allergy management by ensuring the health and well being of these important glands.
Many studies have continually shown that persons suffering with allergies are deficient in many nutrients. This is because they, oftentimes, do not get sufficient nutrients from the foods they eat. Their bodies need certain nutrients in much higher amounts than persons who do not have allergy problems because the chemical process, which is taking place in the body during an allergic response, consumes these nutrients rapidly.
The single most important nutrient for the adrenal glands has to be pantothenic acid. This B vitamin is necessary for all adrenal hormones, especially cortisone. Since we know cortisone is essential in preventing the symptoms of allergies, a deficiency in pantothenic acid alone can increase the severity of an allergic response as much as five-fold.
Vitamin C is probably the second most important single nutrient in the management of allergies. Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine and can be used in relatively high amounts, somewhere in the range of 1 to 10 grams per day.
We cannot overlook the link between allergies and hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar seems to be connected with many allergy patients and frequently we find those suffering from severe, multiple allergies also have an intolerance, or even an allergy to many carbohydrate foods. Chromium and another mineral, vanadium, are essential in regulating the blood sugar and insulin relationship. Many of those suffering from allergies benefit greatly by the addition of these minerals, in higher amounts, into their daily program. This should especially be considered if you suffer from hypoglycemia or diabetes along with allergies.
|
|
As with any nutritional program, guessing and fragmenting your diet with one or two nutrients is probably the worst way to help your body. Nutrients are chemicals, essential chemicals, but still powerful chemicals, which should never be indiscriminately taken. The body works on balance and ratio, with all one hundred plus essential nutrients working together for the sum benefit of overall health and well being.
Before you decide to randomly supplement with any nutrient, we strongly encourage you to review the protocols that follow. They will not only address your allergies in the most powerful way science currently has to offer, but will also provide the Full Spectrum of nutrition to your internal biochemistry.
It is important to remember that when our bodies suffer from any chronic condition, including allergies, we need more nutrition – not less. By following the program as outlined, you can be sure of supporting your body at all levels of need.
|
|
|
Sinus Problems: The Scourge of the Allergy Sufferer
|
|
Of all the annoying symptoms, which can be produced as a byproduct of histamine formation due to the allergic response such as watery eyes, ear & throat problems and gastrointestinal upset, sinus problems – everything from runny noses to acute and constant sinus irritation and infection must be the worst. The allergic response to airborne allergies often results in constant irritation of the upper and lower sinuses. This irritation all to frequently leads to infection of these tissues due to the breakdown of the natural anti-biotic properties normally found in mucosal tissue.
I have had tremendous results in managing acute and chronic sinus infections in allergy patients through the use of one of my favorite vitamins, vitamin A. By supplying the body with sufficient vitamin A, the integrity of the sinuses and other mucosal tissues are maintained. While vitamin A will not prevent the allergic response, it will most certainly prevent the infections of the sinuses, ears and throat, which often accompanies histamine production.
|
|
|
Free Radicals and Allergies
|
|
When we experience an allergic response, the body produces histamine. A direct byproduct of histamine activity within the body is the production of massive amounts of free radicals. Free radicals are those chemical buzz bombs science has identified as being at the cause of virtually every chronic disease process within the body as well as loss of lean muscle mass and premature aging. Needless to say that free radical activity within the body must be controlled in order to prevent further and continual damage to cellular material. Those suffering from allergies must therefore consider the use of high potency antioxidants in addition to the base line antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E or the minerals Zinc and Selenium. While these antioxidants may be sufficient for some, the allergy suffer requires high potency ‘heavy hitting’ antioxidant protection to offset the high levels of free radicals being produced as a result of histamine activity.
Some of the antioxidants we use here at The Institute with great success not only for the mitigation of allergy symptoms but for asthma as well, include Milk Thistle, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), Co-enzyme Q10 and Quercetin, to name a few.
|
|
|
The Step by Step Allergy Management Program
|
|
|
Since there are many types of allergies and many variables possible with the management, I have broken down the program into specific steps. The first steps are those that everyone suffering from allergies must take. The later steps may be added to the base line program on an as needed basis, depending upon your individual allergies and related symptoms.
|
|
1. If you feel that you have allergies, obtain a RAST test to determine exactly what you are allergic to.
2. If you have chemical, drug or cosmetic allergies, eliminate these substances from your life as much as possible.
3. If you have food allergies, abstain from consuming these foods or eat them only rarely to reduce the overall allergic response.
4. Reduce, or learn to manage stress in your life. This will take the stress off the adrenal glands, allowing them to properly regulate powerful but essential chemicals within the body.
5. If your allergies are severe, consider partaking in a cleanse or fasting program, which involves the liver, kidney, bowel and colon, to rid the system of unwanted toxins, which are produced in high amounts as a byproduct of histamine activity.
6. Provide your body with the Full Spectrum of Nutrients that it needs on a daily basis. This will ensure that your body chemistry is in the best possible position to deal with the challenges ahead and to ultimately heal itself.
7. Provide the specific nutrients, in mega doses, which directly support adjunct areas of the body such as adrenal/stress or blood sugar fluctuations
|
|
|
Basic Program For Everyone
|
|
Full Spectrum Nutrition, providing the 100+ nutrients including vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, phytochemicals and anti-oxidants necessary for optimal body chemistry functioning.
Liquid Organic Trace Minerals, which help regulate and fine tune the chemistry of the body.
Essential Fatty Acids, which are not only essential but help in the case of many food allergies.
|
|
From your local health food store you would get the following single nutrients; the amountwould be determined by the severity of oyur problem:
Pantothenic Acid: 500- 2000 mg per day
Vitamin B 12: 500 mcg, two or three times per day
Vitamin C: 1000 – up to 10,000 mg per day
|
|
|
|
By combining the basic protocol with those that apply to your own individual case, you can build an allergy support program that will best meet your individual needs. All of the protocols have been tested for safety and effectiveness here at our Institute, on people just like you.
You can get relief from your allergies! You may not be able to send them all away, but through some effort, there is no reason why you cannot live a reasonably normal life. It does take some work but since allergies are frequently with us for life, you should begin today for a better tomorrow.
|
|
References
1. Johnstone, DE. The Annals of Allergy. Oct,1981;46:225-233.
2. Randolph T, and Moss R. An Alternative Approach to Allergies. Harper & Row. New York;1980.
3. Williams, Roger J. Physician’s Handbook of Nutritional Science. Charles C. Thomas. Springfield, Illinois;978.
4. Otten HW, et al. Is antibiotic treatment of chronic sinusitis effective in children? Clin Otolaryngol. 9:215-217;1994.
5. Ramadan HH. What is the bacteriology of chronic sinusitis in adults? Am J Otolaryngol. 16:303-306;1995
6. Clemetson CA. Histamine and ascorbic acid in human blood. J Nutr. 110(4):662-668;1980
7. Middleton E and Drzewiecki G. Naturally occurring flavonoids and human basophil histamine release. Int Arch Allergy Applied Immuno. 77:155-157;1985.
8. Ho JL, et al. A double-blind controlled trial of elemental diet in severe perennial asthma. Allergy. 36:257-262;1981.
9. Freedmann BJ. A diet free from additives in the management of allergic disease. Clin Allergy. 7:417-421;1977.
|
|
Main Page
| Pain and Inflamation
Slim 4 Life Weight Management Program
| Fitness
| Articles On Health Problems
For more information:
D&S Services
1191 E. Airport
Blackfoot, ID 83221 US
Email: dougstoddard@cableone.net
1-208-785-3628
1-888-615-5778
Custom Web Site Design & Ecommerce
© Copyright 2008 D&S Services. All Rights Reserved.
|
