As the 6th most common chronic disease in America,
it's an important issue to discuss -- and even more important to address from a corrective standpoint than merely temporary symptom relief.
|| ALLERGIES ||
We see countless people dramatically improve with their allergy issues, and even completely reverse prior allergy problems!
Sounds like magic, and for some, they could care less and are just happy that they're not chronically congested and feel like junk during certain times of the year!
{{ It's quite the contrast to the conventional approach; testing, more testing, drugs, and more drugs.}}
For some, drugs may help the symptoms in the moment. But, the cause has not been addressed, and cannot be corrected.
When it comes to getting to the cause, it can look different depending on the person. It is typically a multifactorial issue for most (as we'll go into below). It's typically a combination of nutrient deficiencies, immune system dysregulation, toxicity issues, chronic stress, mold and environmental toxicity exposure, and nervous system dysfunction. Addressing these factors will allow the body to function better, consequently allowing the immune system to function better. All important aspects in resolving such issues.
Just like the other things we see improve, or reverse with our patients; it's not a miracle, it's not magic, it's your body healing and adapting to environmental stresses more appropriately. We do this by removing sources of interference to your body functioning like it's designed to function, and your body is able to rebalance, and finally heal.
Remove Interference
Let the body HEAL
Conventional Medicine's current approach: over-the-counter meds first. Then let's do some testing. Try this medication. Didn't work? Stronger dose. Still didn't do the trick? Let's try a different one. And it goes on, and on.
Healing Approach:
Optimize physiological and immunological functioning by removing interference; addressing food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, toxic load, and nervous system dysfunction.
FOOD
Various foods can hyper stimulate the immune system, and affect other physiological processes in the body. There are common perpetrators that we typically address first; immune system stimulants that can chronically suppress immune function. Addressing overall inflammation is also another critical factor; replacing common inflammatory foods with those that quell inflammation and support the immune system. All while simultaneously adding in nutrient dense foods that will provide the body with the foundational nutrients for the body to function optimally. Most kids and adults are deficient in various essential nutrients, and it's impossible for your body to function appropriately when it's lacking various minerals and vitamins, as well as other phytonutrients and antioxidants that help with inflammation and immune function.
Gut health is also another factor to address, as 60-70% of your innate immune system resides within the gut. This makes overall gut health and integrity of great importance.
TOXINS
Our environment is flooded with synthetic chemicals. Over 80,000 to be exact. All of these interact with our body in one way or another, some are inert, while others are fatal. Many fly under the radar and slowly accumulate in our systems. These will impact every system of our body; the gut, our hormones and nervous system, and immune system. You can make a massive impact on your toxic load by simply swapping out some of the household and personal care products that you use, as well as making sure you're drinking clean water and eating clean food.
NERVOUS SYSTEM
Commonly overlooked, probably because most practitioners can't do anything about this essential factor. But having a healthy, optimized nervous system is the cornerstone in all of health and healing.
Your nervous system controls and balances every system of your body. Helping your body adapt to environmental stresses.
Simply put: your body (and particularly your immune system) require optimal nervous system input to function optimally.
Any interference to the nervous system can result in dysfunction, which can certainly cause pain, tension, numbness, tingling, and other symptoms that we commonly associate with nerve problems. Nerve tension will also impact the autonomic functions of the body as well; the things you don't typically feel. This includes the lungs, sinuses, and immune system. Depending on the person, this can lead to an expression of various symptoms; congestion, headaches, neck pain, dizziness, sleep problems, concentration issues, and in light of this article, allergies.
Interference to the nervous system can come in various forms; physical, psychological, and chemical.
Mitigating nervous system stress through breath work, meditation, and other techniques can improve nervous system balance. Supporting your brain and nervous system with high quality nutrients is important, as well as avoiding chemicals and toxins that can impact the health of the nervous system.
The most important factor?
Your SPINE
It's the structure that intimately surrounds and protects your spinal cord; from the base of your skull, all the way down. to the base of your spine between your hips. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves that branch out from the spine, between the vertebrae, and branch to every cell, tissue, and organ in the body. Misalignments and inflammation along the spine can affect these spinal nerves, causing dysfunction elsewhere in the body. In addition, the brain doesn't receive the proper signaling, causing further interference to this essential system.
Your 'neuroimmune' system, is one such system that is affected. Especially with upper cervical (neck) issues, as well as upper thoracic issues (upper back, between shoulders).
I assess this through specific assessments, tests, and ultimately; digital Xrays.
This provides the most thorough view of the condition and alignment of the spine. Giving you answers in terms of what is causing your issues, as well as the best direction in correcting any underlying issues.
Just by addressing nervous system interference, we regularly see patients improve, and completely resolve allergy issues. Again, it's not a miracle, it's your body returning normal function and adapting to environmental stresses properly.
Other Supplemental Considerations:
Colostrum
Full spectrum CBD
Full spectrum minerals (high quality salt, natural -mineralized spring water, or ionized minerals)
Sunlight
Properly supplement: Vit D, K, A, as well as magnesium
Balance fatty acids with a good Omega - 3 source
Lemon, lavender, peppermint essential oils
Healing Foods
Consider ORGAN meats/products (yes, for real)
Local, raw honey and bee pollen (also consider royal jelly)
Pre/probiotic rich foods
Bone Broth
FASTING
Ginger, Turmeric
Adaptogenic, immunogenic mushrooms: Reishi, Cordyceps, TurkeyTail
Look into an anti-histamine diet.
Additional:
Get outside! Barefoot. Dig in the DIRT. All healthy microbes that need to reinoculate our body and help balance our immune system.
Pets! Yes, research shows that having pets is tremendously beneficial for immune system adaptability.
Stress-LESS
References and Resources
General Stats and Facts
Allergies
Percentage of adults who have allergies in the U.S.: 30%
Percentage of children who have allergies in the U.S.: 40%.
More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year.
Rank of allergies among other leading chronic diseases in the U.S.: 6th.
One estimate of the annual cost of allergies to the health care system and businesses in the U.S.: $18 billion.
Odds that a child with one allergic parent will develop allergies: 30% to 50%.
Odds that a child with two allergic parents will develop allergies: 60% to 80%.
Number of weeks by which the ragweed pollen season increased between 1995 and 2015 in U.S. and Canada, likely because of global warming: From 1 to 3 1/2.
Number of people who visit the ER each year because of food allergies: 200,000.
Percentage of the people in the U.S. who have a food allergy: 4% of adults and 5% of children.
Average amount of time that Americans spend indoors: 90%.
Percentage of indoor pollutants in U.S. homes versus outdoor pollution: 2 to 5 times higher.
Percentage of U.S. households with one or more dogs (2017-18): 48%.
Percentage of U.S. households with one or more cats: (2017-18) 38%.
Percentage of all U.S. households with detectable levels of dog and cat allergens: 90%.
Percentage of children in the U.S. that have asthma: 8.4%.
Percentage of adults in the U.S. that have asthma: 7.6%.
Total number of Americans that have asthma: More than 25 million.
Percentage of white children in the U.S. with asthma: 7.5%.
Percentage of African-American children in the U.S. with asthma: 13.5%.
Number of emergency room visits for asthma each year: 1.8 million.
Number of deaths each year in the U.S. from asthma: 3,564 people in 2017.
Percentage of children in 2015 who reported hay fever symptoms in previous 12 months: 8.4% or 6.1 million.
Percentage of children in 2015 who reported skin allergies (eczema, hives) in previous 12 months: 12% or 8.8 million.
Percentage of children in 2015 who reported food allergies in previous 12 months: 5.7% or 4.2 million.
Percentage of adults in 2015 who reported hay fever in previous 12 months: 8.2% or 20 million.