|
Allergy Relief
How natural remedies can help you reach this
elusive goal.
March
31, 2007
We all know the story about the man who tells the doctor, "It hurts when I hit my head with a hammer." The doctor's miracle cure: "Stop hitting yourself with the hammer." The story is much the same with allergies: It hurts when we come in contact with allergens, be they pollen, dust mites, mold, certain foods, latex, drugs, stinging insects, or as Judith Newman describes them in a May 2006 article in National Geographic, any other "oddball substances." The problem is that removing the allergens from our lives is far more difficult than removing the offending hammer.
Allergy Triggers
Allergy triggers, it seems, are all around us, particularly those of
us living in industrialized nations like the United States. And we are
suffering. Newman offers the following statistics:
• 54.3% of U.S. citizens show a positive skin response to allergens.
• Asthma, a serious consequence of allergies, affects some 20 million Americans, twice as many as two decades ago.
• Asthma kills about 4,000 people each year.
Dust Mites
Other sources also chime in with scary numbers. For example, a Bioforce
USA press release offers this tidbit from the National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences: "45% of U.S. homes, or approximately
44 million, have bedding with dust mite allergen concentrations that
exceed 2 mcg per gram of dust, a level that has been associated with
the development of allergies." Neem oil may be part of the answer
in reducing symptoms caused by this form of allergy.
Modern Living Increasing
Allergies
As noted, these conditions seem to be exacerbated by modern, Western
living. Indeed, even in the United States, children living on farms
tend to have fewer allergic incidents than those living in urban settings.
Why? Newman's sources suggest the following as possible reasons:
• "Tighter" buildings, with less fresh and more recirculated air, as architects and builders try to make heating and air conditioning systems more efficient and less costly.
• More processed food, fewer fresh fruits and vegetables consumed.
• Increased use of antibiotics, which indiscriminately slay good bacteria in the gut along with infectious invaders.
• Less breastfeeding of infants.
• Increased stress and reduced production of the hormone cortisol.
• Environmental pollutants.
Hidden Food Allergies
In their book Hidden Food Allergies, British physician James
Braly, M.D., and his compatriot co-author, nutrition writer Patrick
Holford, note that immediate-onset allergies generally involve IgE (immunoglobulin
E) antibodies, while the more common delayed-onset allergies normally
involve IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibodies. In the former, the IgE antibody
"latches on" to the antigen or specific allergen. Then, when
a sufficient number of antigens is present, "the antibodies trigger
the mast cell to 'degranulate,' releasing inflammatory chemicals."
In delayed-onset cases, the IgG antibody grabs hold of the antigen and, again "when enough antigens are present, immune complexes are formed. These [in turn] attract phagocytic cells like neutrophils, which eat them up, enlarging and sometimes bursting."
Avoid Allergens and
Heal the Gut
Braly and Holford have the same advice for allergy sufferers as that
given to the man with the hammer: "Strictly avoid what you are
allergic to." To this, they add, "Heal your gut." To
accomplish the latter, they recommend: take "enzyme complexes (lipase,
amylase and protease) that help digest fat, protein and carbohydrates";
use butyric acid at 1200 mg per day, as well as vitamin A to help heal
the intestinal walls; begin a regimen of probiotics such as Lactobacillus
acidophilus or Bifidobacteria to help calm a distressed digestive tract;
and boost your immune system with antioxidant nutrients and foods, glutamine,
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), vitamins A, B in all its various forms, the
minerals zinc and selenium; and thymic extract.
Protection with L-Glutathione
Marcia Zimmerman, C.N., and Jayson Kroner, C.S.N., co-authors of
7-Syndrome Healing also are believers in NAC, which they describe
as a sort of "911 operator." They explain, "When your
body phones in a report of unwanted toxins and other foreign invaders,
NAC dispatches glutathione to scour the scene. After a brief interaction,
it escorts these cell-threatening free radicals to the liver, where
they can be safely excreted."
Natural Relief with
Vitamins, Antioxidants and Herbs
In addition to NAC, Zimmerman and Kroner add the following as useful
in combating allergy problems: quercetin, vitamin C, nettle and Pycnogenol.
For asthma, they also recommend forskolin and bromelain. Quercetin is
a flavonoid found in apples. When used for allergy relief, the authors
say, it may help "prevent inflammation and irritation in the bronchial
airways and nasal passages." Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) may be of
value because it has "strong antihistamine properties capable of
inhibiting inflammation." The leaves and roots of nettle, or stinging
nettle (Unica dioica), they say, has a role in controlling
allergy because it contains "natural compounds that have been shown
to hinder the release of histamine." And Pycnogenol, a patented
extract of French maritime bark, is not only a "high-powered"
antioxidant, but has been shown, in a 2002 in vitro study, to "inhibit
the release of mast cell histamines as effectively as a popular anti-asthmatic
prescription drug."
Natural Support for
Breathing, Coughs and Congestion
Forskolin, derived from the ayurvedic herb Coleus forskolii, is prized
by asthmatics, say Zimmerman and Kroner, because it "has been shown
to help prevent bronchial spasms while soothing and relaxing the muscles
that allow them to occur. And bromelain, a pineapple-derived proteolytic
enzyme, "possesses strong anti-inflammatory properties and may
also be able to help lessen the severity of coughs and congestion, while
preventing fluid from accumulating within the nasal passages. In addition,
it has been shown to help reduce the volume and thickness of mucus."
Support for Airborne
Allergies
Further, a study on airborne allergies such as allergic rhinitis, published
in 2004 by the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Research
showed promise for a patented blend of seven herbal extracts, including
Phyllanthus emblica (fruit), Terminalia chebula (fruit),
Terminalia bellerica (fruit), Albizia lebbeck (bark),
Zingiber officinale (root), Piper longum
(fruit) and Piper nigrum (fruit). WF
Personal
Note
N-acetyl cysteine Versus Vitamin C for L-Glutathione Production
Under the sub-heading Protection with L-Glutathione
the authors Marcia Zimmerman, C.N., and Jayson Kroner, C.S.N., co-authors
of 7-Syndrome Healing recommend N-acetyl cysteine, NAC, for
production of the amino acid L-Glutathione. NAC is very costly and research
has found that you can more effectively boost your body’s production
of L-glutathione by taking adequate amounts of vitamin C daily, 2, 0000
to 3,000 milligrams, preferably a non-acid form such as ascorbate or
ester-C, along with 1,000 milligrams of bioflavonoids to enhance vitamin
C activity and retention. The vitamins riboflavin (B2), B6, and vitamin
E are required also. Make sure you also have adequate amounts of magnesium,
selenium and zinc as these are needed to produce and activate the enzymes
required to produce L-glutathione. The minerals should all be in the
form of true chelates for maximum absorption and effectiveness.
References
1. Jain A, et al., Effect of ascorbate or N-acetylcysteine
treatment in a patient with hereditary glutathione synthetase deficiency.
Journal of Pediatrics 124, 229-233, 1994
2. Johnston CJ, Meyer CG, and Srilakshmi JC, Vitamin
C elevates red blood cell glutathione in healthy adults. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition 58, 103-105, 1993
Other Causative Factors
for Allergies
Dairy and Dairy Products
When trying to remedy allergies don’t forget to consider how much dairy
contributes. Many people have received improvement when it was eliminated
form the diet. Use rice or almond milk. Go to www.notmilk.com.
Unfermented Soy Foods - Go to www.soyonlineservice.co.nz
Exposure to Chlorinated Drinking, Bath and Shower Water - Read Chorine - “Crippler and Killer” This article has information on how chlorine promotes allergies.
References:
"The Misery of Allergies," by Judith Newman, National Geographic,
May 2006
Material provided by Bioforce USA
Hidden Food Allergies, by James Braly, MD., and Patrick Holford
7-Syndrome Healing, by Marcia Zimmerman, CJM., and Jayson Kroner, C.S.N.
Material provided by InterHealth Nutraceuticals, Inc.
|
|||||||
