The four provocateurs of allergies
There are four common sources of allergic reactions. Allergies are provoked
by biological, chemical, physical, and mental sources. Biological allergies
can come from food, infection, animals and plant sources. Chemical allergies
are spurred by the myriad of chemicals in common use. Less common physical allergies
are brought on by invisible sources such as radio and microwave waves, atomic
radiation, X-rays, UV light, and infrared. A common but lesser known source
of allergy suffering comes simply from mental and emotional stress.
How does mental stress produce allergies?
Because allergies occur when allergens overwhelm the ability of the immune system to cope, anything else that overwhelms and burdens the immune system will make it that much easier for an allergic reaction to occur. Stress, both the negative kind (i.e. anxiety) and the positive kind (i.e. partying all night and forgoing sleep), suppresses immune system function.
Just like stress can predispose people to more easily catching colds or the
flu, it can do the same for allergies. For this reason, additional supplementation
or the remedy of allergy herbal medicine may be required.
Homeopathic or herbal medicine that can help address the body's reaction to
stress can be helpful in treating allergies.
"In fact, allergy straddles the mind/body border. There is no question about its physical reality, since you can die from an allergic reaction, but you can also make it vanish by changing your mental and emotional state."
"History has shown long-standing, severe allergy cases that disappeared when people switched jobs, left a spouse, or otherwise eliminated sources of stress. One way to take advantage of the mind/body connection with allergies is to experiment with hypnotherapy. Hypnosis can lessen, or completely prevent, allergic reactions, and can also facilitate the immune system's 'unlearning' of its pointless habits." (www.viable-herbal.com/health1/health59.htm)
How does diet produce allergies?
"Another root of allergy is in the environment. Diet can greatly influence allergic responsiveness, or lack of it, as can exposure to potentially irritating substances at critical times in one's development. Excessive protein may irritate the immune system and keep it in a state of over-reactivity."
"The protein in cow's milk, specifically, is a frequent offender, and for people with a genetic predisposition to allergy it may be a hidden cause of problems. One general treatment strategy, therefore, is to follow a low-protein diet and try to eliminate milk and milk products." (www.viable-herbal.com/health1/health59.htm)
Suppression of allergy symptoms might feed allergy problem
Though this hardly ever happens with allergy herbal medicine,
the use of convention allergy remedies may often feed fuel into the allergy
fire or cause other health issues. For example, antihistamines are often used
to treat the cold-like symptoms of an allergy attack, but they also often interfere
with brain activity, and cause depression and sleepiness. People with tendency
toward depression should not use antihistamines because it could make symptoms
worse in the long run by encouraging the effects of immune-suppressing depression.
"Even when these drugs do not depress mental activity, they merely suppress the allergy rather than cure it. As a result, the pattern of immune over-responsiveness is strengthened rather than weakened, meaning that more treatment will be required in the future." (www.viable-herbal.com/health1/health59.htm)
Another popular remedy for allergy relief are steroids in the form of cortisone, prednisone, or other steroid drugs. Steroids perpetuate allergy through their suppressive action. They also lower immunity. If allergies are severe or life threatening, steroids might be necessary, but use should be limited to only two weeks.
When does an Allergy occur?
The following is excerpted from (www.the-cma.org.uk/HTML/aller2.htm)
"An allergy may occur at any time after the first exposure to a provocant or allergen. This may be eaten, breathed in or enter the body through the skin. Allergies are much more common after a "trigger event" such as an infection (especially virus infection), massive exposure to chemicals or radiation, or a shock or accident. It is often very helpful if you think back in the year before your allergy started to see if you can identify the trigger event." Emotional trauma could also instigate an allergic reaction.
Which factors increase my risk of allergy?
"Allergy is often an inherited characteristic. The more members of your family who have allergies of any sort, the greater your own risk of also suffering allergies. For example if no parents have allergies the child's chances of having allergies is 10 to 20 percent. If one parent has allergies the risk rises 30 to 50 percent. If two parents have allergies the child's chance for developing allergies are as high as 40 to 75 percent."
"The hereditary nature of allergy is often greatly under appreciated because the symptoms of diseases listed are all seen as different conditions, rather than just a different outward manifestation of the same underlying problem."
Have you read our information on Diabetes Alternative Medicine,
or Allergy Herbal Medicine? Trinity Clinic is a
Seattle Holistic Center that strives to provide excellent information and services.
| 
