A Natural Approach to
By Dr. Todd Born, ND
ronment, pets, chemicals, lotions, potions, medications, and even natural substances. You might find that you suddenly have allergies you never had before. I have had countless patients say to me, “Doc, my allergies seem to get worse every year, and they’re active longer. Why is this?” Usually there’s a very simple explana-
A
tion. I tell my patients how I think of it. Imagine a cup that is half full. Then add dust mites, cat and dog dander, pollen, rag- weed, mold, chemicals in our environment (which we’ll address in a moment), medi- cations, poor food choices, etc. Soon the cup is overflowing. Essentially, the immune system can no longer keep in check what it had kept in check for so long. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America defines “allergy” as an overreac- tion of the immune system to substances that usually cause no reaction in most individuals. Essentially, what is normally a benign and inert substance, the body sees
llergies can be caused by so many things that we are in contact with every day, including food, the envi-
as a foreign invader. Through a complex series of chemical messages and reactions, matters get out of control. For allergy sufferers these symptoms
include sneezing, nasal stuffiness, itching or discharge; itching anywhere else; rashes or hives; burning/itchy, watery eyes; difficulty thinking and/or concentrating; fatigue; headaches (usually from the nasal conges- tion) and swelling; and the list can go on. These symptoms can be mild to extreme. Mild is more of a nuisance for most, while extreme can be life threatening (anaphy- laxis).
Let’s address two of the main causes of
allergies. First, food. Many people wonder about the difference between a food intol- erance or sensitivity versus an allergy. Web- MD puts it succinctly: “Food intolerance is a digestive system response rather than an immune system response. It occurs when something in a food irritates a person’s digestive system or when a person is unable to properly digest, or break down, the food. Intolerance to lactose, which is found in milk and other dairy products, is the most
common food intolerance.” Essentially, food intolerance is a local gastrointestinal response, which is non-immune mediated and generally produces few systemic issues. Food allergies are immune-mediated, have many more systemic symptoms, and can even lead to anaphylaxis in some suscepti- ble individuals. Food intolerances are much more common than food allergies, which affect only about 5% of the population. Second, a very contentious and con-
temporary allergy issue: the environment. There are more than 83,000 chemicals reg- istered with the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA). Most of these have not been thoroughly tested for their effects on human health (let alone our beloved animal friends). The Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) 2011 National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (NHANES), Fourth Report, presented data on 212 chemicals, including 75 measured for the first time in the U.S. population. Key findings from the report include widespread exposure to some commonly used industrial chemicals, first available exposure data on mercury in the U.S. popu- lation, and first-time assessment of acrylam- ide exposure in the U.S. population, just to name a few. The research literature clearly points to many of these chemicals acting as neuroendocrine disruptors that get stored in fat tissue, organs and the fatty sheaths sur- rounding nerves, wreaking havoc on many of our systems. Two of these systems are our immune and detoxification systems. As the body is overburdened by attempting to rid itself of these chemicals, it can become “preoccupied” and over-reactive. What was normally an inert, benign substance (such as your beloved cat, for example) now causes symptoms. In next month’s issue
36 Natural Nutmeg March 2012
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