Seasonal: hay fever. All year: allergic rhinitis. Mostly air borne - pollen, grass also diesel, moulds. An Aol survey in12/5/06 found 67% of people are suffering from hay fever, 33% not.
Strictly speaking, the term 'allergies' should be reserved for medical use only. The medical profession has a distinct definition to do with the autoimmune system attacking itself, immediately after contact with an allergen, producing classic symptoms such as swollen face and red, blotchy skin.
The general public has taken the word allergy and stretched its meaning. This is illustrated in Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine (19th Ed) it says 20% of the population consider themselves to have allergies, whereas in fact, only 1-2% actually does.
Perhaps a better term non-medical people could use is 'sensitivities'. This then includes the whole range from slightly intolerant to extreme reaction. In my allergy testing, I grade reactions from 0 (neutral, no reaction) to 10 (maximum possible reaction). If these are bad reactions, I give them a minus figure. Eg a cup of tea is often -4 for people, which means occasional consumption (once in four days) might be OK. However, peanuts might be -10 which means they have the potential, at least, to kill you. Anything actively good for you I give a plus mark. So sea salt might be +10 (essential) while table salt is often -10. So my definition of an allergy is anything which scores -8 or above. An intolerance is -7 and below. After -8 it seems even the smallest possible amount of a substance disturbs the body energy enough to seriously disrupt it. For example, trace amounts of peanuts might bring on a severe reaction.
However, in Alternative Medicine, reactions may be much more insidious then the medical model of gross reactions. We might not even notice any immediate difference when we come in contact with the thing we react to. It may be a gradual build up that tips over the top into an observable reaction only with the last straw. For instance, if we are sensitive to many things, overall having one more has little observable effect. The same applies to avoiding that one thing, incidentally - If we are allergic to, say, 10 things, it doesn't help to avoid only one at a time - the other 9 are still producing reactions that mask the overall picture. This model of subtle effect may be wide-spread and not really noticeable. The only thing we might be aware of is say, tiredness or lethargy.
Key allergens make more allergies Over the years, certain 'key allergies' have become apparent to me. Through 'asking the body' I have identified a number of factors that actually make us become sensitive to other substances. These key allergens in themselves cause other allergies. In my clinic, I correct the imbalance to these underlying things, then as that correction works through, so you become less allergic to the dependant substances. Things in our diets that make allergies: " Inorganic red meat fat " Polyunsaturated oils and margarines " Table salt " Wheat and gluten " Dairy (cows) " Artificial preservatives " Additives to food " Pesticides " Fungicides Things we breathe that make allergies: " Formaldehyde " Air fresheners " Diesel fumes " Moulds Things from inside our bodies that make allergies: " Kidney deficiency " Inability to deal with stress " Candida albicans Outside things: " Electrical smog " Immunisation
Natural therapies
When you come in contact with an allergen, a message jumps from one part of the body to another. This message tells, say, the stomach, how to deal with wheat. However, sometimes this message gets distorted, blocked, or degraded in some way. Then the stomach is working on the wrong information and the wheat is not digested properly. Over time the distortion effect may build up until the body is so confused it reacts more violently. This may explain why we get 'hooked' on some allergies. We can't digest the wheat properly, so fall short of the essential nutrients it contains that we need. So we eat and crave more and more, but to no real avail, and in reality, are getting more and more sensitive to it. This sensitivity can be superficially masked, however - so we have no real idea of just how bad the wheat in this case, is. In Reharmonising, we show the body how the information is being degraded (or blocked or polluted). The body can then correct the misinformation, and allow for it. This is actually the first part of an allergy correction. The second part is your body learning to use the correct information and getting used to it. During this time it is best to avoid the allergen as much as possible, especially in the few hours immediately after the correction. We don't want the body to become swamped by the nasty stuff it is trying to deal with. Later you will be able to deal with the allergen without it messing you up - the correction will have worked through, and you will be able to eat the wheat without it giving you nasty effects. This will then be permanent.