Allergies
Make Peace with Hay Fever and Food Sensitivities
If you think of your body as a battleground on which a fight for your survival is constantly raging, then you're thinking just like your immune system does.
A network of specialized cells and the organs that produce them, your immune system maintains a continual search and destroy mission against alien organisms--viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Its job, quite simply, is to get them before they get you.
WHEN YOUR INNER DEFENSE SYSTEM
GOES HAYWIRE
Usually, the battle that your immune system wages against potentially harmful invaders is pretty efficient. But if you're one of many women with allergies, your immune system becomes just a little too efficient, and that's when trouble can ensue.
When your immune system takes aim against a harmless foreign substance like pollen, your body releases histamines and other chemicals that produce symptoms of an allergic response. Those symptoms can range from a little case of the sniffles to (less commonly) a full-blown, life-threatening, body-wide reaction called anaphylaxis, marked by breathing difficulties and a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Various foods, drugs, pollen, animal dander, dust mites, plants or insect stings can spark allergic reactions.
Environmental pollution, food additives and pesticides have combined to make people more allergically reactive than ever before, says Martha Howard, M.D., co-director of Wellness Associates, a Chicago-based family medical practice. "We treat more and more people with allergies these days. It's practically an epidemic."
Here's what alternative medicine has to offer for two of the most common types of allergy, hay fever and food allergies. (For details on relieving asthma, which is often--but not always--triggered by allergies, see page 490.)
| How I Healed Myself Naturally She Was Allergic--To Everything! Mary Swander, a 46-year-old author, essayist, poet and university professor living in Kalona, Iowa, had food allergies of one sort or another for most of her life. Finally, she decided to do something about her problem. "I consulted an allergist, but the doctor accidentally injected me with too much of one of the allergens that he was testing me for," says Swander. "I became chemically sensitive to practically everything." Swander was diagnosed with environmental illness, an autoimmune disorder in which the body erroneously produces antibodies, or immune substances, in reaction to substances that would normally be harmless. Swander became violently allergic to just about everything that she ate, breathed or touched--most foods, pollutants, chemicals, cleaning supplies, smoke and odors. She was especially allergic to perfumes. "I was so sensitive that if my mail even traveled in the same bag as women's magazines loaded with perfumed cards, I'd have a bad reaction," says Swander. When she ventured outside her house, she had to wear a surgical mask to filter out fumes and odors. Swander consulted a second allergist. He placed her on an elimination diet limited to foods that she'd rarely or never eaten before. For a while she lived on a diet that included caviar, lobster, frog's legs, rattlesnake, raccoon and bear steaks (her favorite). As Swander's doctor explained, her body hadn't produced antibodies to those unfamiliar foods--so she wouldn't have an allergic reaction. Swander followed the diet for three years, rarely eating the same food twice. "I pretty much worked my way through the entire animal and plant kingdoms," she says. "It got to the point where friends would drop by with a pheasant that they'd just hit with their car, asking me, 'Mary, is this something you can eat?' " After three years, Swander consulted Nicholas Gonzales, M.D., an immunologist in private practice in New York City. "He put me on a very specific nutritional regimen that included vitamins, minerals and herbs to adjust my body's acid-base balance. And he put me on a detoxification program to clear my system of allergy triggers. It's quite strenuous and very involved, but it's working," she says. As part of her treatment, Swander has been forced to simplify her life. She lives in a former schoolhouse among Amish farmers. She grows her own organic produce, and she raises her own organic turkeys on pesticide-free feed that is untreated with antibiotics. "I'm much more functional now," says Swander. "I can travel, though I have to sleep in a room with windows that open and I have to air it out first. I bring all of my own organic food, water and pots and pans with me." Though it sounds like a lot of trouble, Swander says that the effort is worthwhile: "I'm feeling better than I have in years." She has even written a book about her experience, Out of This World: A Journey of Healing. |
HAY FEVER: LET NATURE CURE
It's not caused by hay, and you don't get a fever when you have it. So precisely what is hay fever, anyway?
Sometimes described as the most common and annoying allergy around, hay fever affects something like 40 million Americans, who suffer through it with sneezing, wheezing, runny noses and itchy, watery eyes. There are two varieties: Seasonal hay fever occurs only when certain allergens, such as pollen, are airborne; perennial hay fever is a year-round allergy to things like animal dander and dust mites.
"Allergies to airborne irritants tend to run in families," says Lisa Meserole, doctor of naturopathy, research consultant and faculty member in the botanical medicine department at Bastyr University of Naturopathic Medicine in Seattle. "Women who have hay fever can be environmentally sensitive in other ways: They might have eczema or other skin problems, or their bodies might overreact to mosquito bites," she continues.
The medical approach to managing hay fever often calls for taking antihistamines--over-the-counter or prescription medications that relieve symptoms by blocking the release of histamines, the substances responsible for hay fever symptoms. Problem is, antihistamines can leave women tired.
Thankfully, natural medicine offers some highly effective alternatives that, combined with basic avoidance tactics, may eliminate (or at least lessen) your need for fatigue-provoking drugs. Here are the experts' tips.
Move or modify. "The classic recommendation for hay fever is to reduce your exposure as much as possible," says Dr. Meserole. "If you have a bad seasonal allergy--hay fever triggered by pollen, for example--and you can't actually move to another part of the country, then you have to eliminate pollen from the air that you breathe."
Dr. Meserole advises her patients to use air filters at home and in the office and to clean their home furnace vents regularly. (Conventional physicians often give the same advice.)
Boost your immune system. Supporting your general health helps your immune system fight off outside invaders, says Dr. Meserole. "So eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, be sure to exercise regularly and get enough sleep--and make sure to laugh heartily several times a day."
"When your immune system is stressed out due to a poor diet, lack of sleep or other problems, you can become apparently allergic to things that wouldn't normally cause you to react," says Dr. Meserole.
"And when you're really run down and exhausted, your adrenal glands and the hormones that they secrete--epinephrine and norepinephrine--are affected. White blood cells fail to migrate properly, histamine release is off-balance and as a result, your body mounts an ineffective and overreactive immune response to allergens," explains Dr. Howard.
Try an herbal helper. "I encourage doctors to use freeze-dried stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) for people who have hay fever," says Andrew Weil, M.D., professor of herbalism and director of the Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, near Tucson, and best-selling author of Spontaneous Healing and Health and Healing. Speaking at a seminar at the Columbia University School of Medicine on herbal healing in New York City, Dr. Weil said, "The effects of stinging nettles are very dramatic for hay fever. It's a far better choice than antihistamines and is one of the most effective herbal remedies that I know of."
"Use freeze-dried nettles in capsules, tinctures or teas according to label directions," says Dr. Meserole. Try a small dose first since some people are sensitive to nettles. Nettles are available at health food stores.
Meditate hay fever into submission. Practicing meditation or yoga regularly can help turn hay fever around, says Dr. Meserole. "Both disciplines allow you to reach the ideal state of relaxation that makes it easier for your body to heal itself and ease allergic symptoms."
Take C and see. "High doses of vitamin C alone, between two and five grams a day (2,000 to 5,000 milligrams in divided doses), will reduce hay fever symptoms in some people because vitamin C at these levels has an antihistamine action," says Dr. Meserole. "Though I've also seen it not work, it's totally safe, cheap and readily available." (If you're prone to kidney stones, however, you shouldn't exceed 500 milligrams of vitamin C a day. Also, excess vitamin C above 1,200 milligrams a day may cause diarrhea in some people.)
Homeopathy for Hay Fever
"Homeopathic remedies offer hope for people with hay fever," says Michael Carlston, M.D., assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.
The surest way to successfully treat hay fever with homeopathy is to consult a homeopath, says Dr. Carlston. During your first visit, which can last up to two hours, you will be closely questioned about your symptoms, lifestyle and your medical and psychological history. Your answers will enable the homeopath to precisely select a remedy for you from among more than 2,000 known homeopathic remedies.
"Success depends on exactly matching your symptoms to the right remedy," says Dr. Carlston. "Each homeopathic remedy is associated with the symptoms that it's said to cure. The closer the match between your symptoms and the remedy's symptom profile, the better your chances are for successful treatment."
You can also try self-treating with homeopathic remedies that you find in health food stores or some drugstores, says Dr. Carlston. Use homeopathic preparations specially blended for hay fever or try these remedies.
Allium cepa. If your hay fever is characterized by watery eyes, a burning mouth, hoarseness and a cough made worse in warm weather or a warm room, a dull headache, and eyes that are sensitive to light, Dr. Carlston suggests using Allium cepa--derived from the herbal family that includes garlic, shallots, leeks and onions--in concentrations of 6c or 12c. (Concentrations are expressed in c's and correspond to the potency of a ho-
meopathic remedy.)
Arsenicum album. If your eyes and nasal passages are irritated and you experience a burning sensation with a lot of sneezing, or if you're fatigued and restless and your symptoms are worse when it's cold, use Arsenicum album--an extremely dilute form of arsenic--in concentrations of either 6c or 12c, suggests Dr. Carlston.
Euphrasia officianalis. This remedy is especially useful when the focus of the allergic reaction is the eyes--that is, if you experience watery eyes and blinking, says Dr. Carlston. Look for concentrations of 6c or 12c.
FOOD ALLERGIES: CLEARING UP THE CONFUSION
When it comes to dealing with food allergies, the solutions are more complicated--mainly because reactions to food are so confusing, says Melvyn Werbach, M.D., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of Nutritional Influences on Illness and Healing with Food.
Foods can cause two kinds of reactions in people who are sensitive. As with allergic reactions to airborne allergens like dust, one is a true allergic reaction to certain foods that causes specific symptoms like hives, watery eyes, sneezing, wheezing and sinus congestion.
Seafood, especially shellfish, is among the foods that most commonly trigger true allergic symptoms. Nuts are also villains, and some people have very severe reactions to them. (And peanuts, which are legumes, cause more allergy-related deaths than any food.) Wheat, corn, milk, soy and eggs have all been implicated as allergy-causers. And allergists have found that egg whites are even bigger troublemakers than the yolks.
The second kind of reaction--food sensitivity--isn't an allergy in the true sense of the word. That is, your body doesn't release histamine or other chemicals typically triggered by allergens. Food sensitivity causes a broad variety of less specific reactions.
"Severe food sensitivity can cause all kinds of problems, ranging from headaches and stomachaches to confusion and other vague complaints," says Dr. Werbach. Food sensitivity has been implicated in conditions as diverse as eczema, arthritis, colitis, ear infections, asthma and glaucoma.
According to Dr. Werbach, the science of food sensitivity is advancing, and doctors are increasingly aware of the problem.
"We now know that partially broken down proteins can get into the immune system through the intestines," explains Dr. Werbach. "This tendency, called gut permeability, or leaky gut syndrome, can sensitize people to foods like milk and wheat."
Doctors have also discovered that food sensitivities can come and go, says Dr. Werbach. Eating certain foods frequently can sensitize you to them, he adds. "I remember one woman, for example, who was sensitive to cow's milk. So she stopped drinking cow's milk and started drinking goat's milk, but then she became sensitive to goat's milk. Now she's back to cow's milk again and she's feeling just fine."
Ironically, some doctors believe that frequent cravings for a specific food might mean that you're sensitive to that food. Though no one knows exactly how common food allergies and food sensitivities are, Dr. Werbach estimates that perhaps 3 percent of us have classic allergic reactions to specific foods, and he suspects that many more of us may be food-sensitive, at least some of the time.
An Elimination Diet Can Pinpoint Culprits
Blood and skin tests for allergies aren't always reliable, says Dr. Werbach. So if you suspect that you're reacting to something you're eating, he suggests that you try an elimination diet instead. Here's how.
Avoid foods that you eat more than twice a week. This usually includes wheat, dairy products, yeast and corn, says Dr. Werbach. That means that you'll have to become a devoted label reader during that time and stay away from bakery items and packaged foods that contain these ingredients.
Give it two weeks. Problems such as headaches will clear up within a few days if the eliminated food is to blame. Some symptoms, such as joint pain, could take much longer to fade. So one to two weeks of elimination is optimal to figure out what's causing most problems, says Dr. Werbach.
If in doubt, avoid. To make sure that you're not getting ingredients that you're trying to avoid, you might have to do more than read ingredient lists closely. Sometimes those lists are vague or incomplete, or they have chemical names that aren't familiar to you. If you don't know exactly what's in a particular food, avoid it, advises Dr. Werbach.
Reintroduce foods cautiously. Once you've started to feel better, add back the eliminated foods one at a time, every three days, to pinpoint the one that troubles you, says Dr. Werbach.
Keep a diet/symptom diary. Write down exactly what you eat and when. Note symptoms, too, and any changes. Rate symptoms on a scale of one to ten and compare them over time. This log should further help you identify (and avoid) foods that cause problems.
Steer clear of prime suspects. Once you've pinned down problem foods, avoid them, says Dr. Werbach.
