Asthma and Allergies allergies
Asthma is an allergic disorder characterized by spasm of the bronchial tubes and excessive excretion of mucous in the lungs that can lead to difficult breathing. The recurrent attacks range from mild wheezing to a life-threatening inability to breath.
The major causes of asthma are allergy, hypersensitivity of airways, and excessive release of inflammatory chemicals from mast cells lining the respiratory tract. Specific underlying defects and initiating factors must be determined to effectively treat asthma.
ROLE OF FOOD ALLERGIES
Many studies indicate food allergies play an important role in asthma. Adverse reaction to food may be immediate or delayed. Double blind food challenges in children have shown immediate onset sensitivities are usually due to eggs, fish, milk, shellfish, nuts, and peanuts; while delayed onset reactions are most commonly associated with milk, chocolate, wheat, citrus, and food colourings.
Eliminating food additives is vitally important in control of asthma. Artificial dyes and preservatives are widely used in foods, beverages, and drugs. The most common colouring agents are dyes such as tartrazine (orange), sunset yellow and red. The most commonly used preservatives are sodium benzoate, 4 –hydroxybenzoate esters, and sulphur dioxide. Various sulphites are used in prepared foods.
Tartrazine, benzoates, sulphur dioxide and sulphites in particular have been reported to cause asthma attacks in susceptible individuals. Tartrazine ( F.D. & C. yellow dye #5) is found in most processed foods as well as some vitamin preparations and anti-asthma drugs ( such as aminophylline ).
VEGETARIAN DIET
A long-term trial of a strict vegetarian diet provided significant improvement in 92 percent of 25 individuals afflicted with severe asthma. Researchers also found patients who completed the study had a reduced risk of infectious disease. It is important to recognize, however, while 71 percent of the patients responded within four months, a year of therapy was required before the 92 percent level was reached.
The benefits of this diet probably were related to two areas: (1) elimination of common food allergens, and (2) alteration of fatty acid metabolism. An imbalance in fatty acid metabolism can lead to increased leukotriene production. Leukotrienes contribute to allergic and inflammatory reactions found in asthma. They are 1000 times more potent as stimulators of bronchial constriction than histamine.
Leukotrienes are derived from arachidonic acid, a fatty acid found exclusively in animal products. This implies that eliminating animal products may greatly assist the treatment of asthma.
Food - including water, natural pollutants such as pollens, animal danders, molds, etc., and chemical pollutants in the environment cannot only be the source of physical problems, but of mental and psychological problems as well.
There are clues to allergy-based illness:
Dr. Mandell identified over one hundred symptoms which he put into physiological categories. A few of these follow: aches or stiffness in joints such as arthritis, speech problems, migraine, respiratory problems, blurred vision, compulsive eating and compulsive drinking, insomnia and schizophrenia.
In many cases the only noticeable symptom may be chronic exhaustion which is frequently misunderstood and labeled as "neurosis."
Any organ of the body can be affected by an allergic reaction. Gastro-intestinal trouble is most commonly a result of a food allergy. Eighty percent of all respiratory allergies are accompanied by gastro-intestinal problems whose symptoms mimic perfectly such serious organic disorders as duodenal ulcers, colitis, chronic appendicitis and gall bladder attack.
Allergy is a common cause of illness in children. Dr. Mandell, who became interested in allergies while working as a pediatrician, says that there are hundreds of thousands of allergic children who are ill and will remain ill, uncomfortable, tired, irritable, achy, unproductive and unhappy because of their allergies.
Childhood allergy can cause both learning and behavior problems. Dr Mandell has found many cases of reading disability, "dyslexia," "perceptual disorder," and "minimal brain disorder" to be allergy based.
Common symptoms in children are flushing, hyperactivity, irritability, anger , restlessness, headache, fatigue, abdominal pain, leg muscle pain, mental confusion, withdrawn attitude, depression, visual blurring , lack of concentration, drowsiness, itching, changes in penmanship, urinary/bladder urgency with uncomfortable urination, inability to read and changes in speech. With sick children, rule out allergy first.
That rule should be applied to mental illness: With mental illness, rule out allergy first. Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph,D. , a psychiatrist renowned for his work treating mental illness with megavitamin therapy, states that any kind of metabolic disorder, including allergic reactions, can cause symptoms which are identical with every known psychiatric disease. Dr. Mandell worked with cerebral allergy for several years at a mental institute in Massachusetts where he found that ninety percent of the patients admitted had a significant degree of cerebral allergy and that their symptoms could be duplicated by allergy tests.
There is also a convincing correlation between allergy and obesity and between allergy and alcoholism.
Our bodies can only tolerate a certain level of contamination before a toxic overload results and illness, in this case in the form of an allergic reaction, sets in. Because of the depleted nutritional value of the foods commonly available, many of us do not enjoy optimum health. We have a lowered resistance to physical and mental illness and a lessened ability to cope with our environment. Often our metabolism, enzyme function, glandular balance and nutritional state are not able to give us the protection they were designed to give. According to Dr. Levine, supplements with amino acids, vitamins, minerals and glandular can result in increased tolerance to food, inhalants, and even to chemical sensitivities.
The following ingredients are helpful.
Vitamin C
Pantothenic Acid
Ammonium Chloride
Calcium Chloride
Glutamin acid hydrochloride
Magnesium glycerophosphate
Choline Bitartrate
Methionine
Edl alpha.
Pancreatin granules
Pepsin (1:3000)
Betain hydrochloride
Niacinamide
B-6
Macrocystis pyrifera
Raw lung tissue
These ingredients works to eliminate allergy reactions by giving nutritional support to the glandular system, the immune system and the digestive/eliminative system. The nutrients amplify each other just as the good effects of reinforcing each system adds to our total good health and well-being.
When we are under stress, and allergic reactions bring stress to the body like any other illness-- it becomes very important to meet the nutritional needs of the glands and organs. By building and reinforcing the body's immune system, we can better resist the attack of allergens as well as other forms of illness. The three most important vitamins for teh immune system are vitamins C and B6 and panthothenic acid.
Vitamin C is one of the most powerful immunizing factors. It is especially known for its ability to inhibit histamines and in this way it works to quell allergic attack. Besides being an excellent antihistamine, vitamin C content normally appearing in the urine is reduced by fifty percent, showing that the body draws greatly upon vitamin C at this time.
Pantothenic acid improves adrenal function and vitamin B6 must be present in teh body for the production of antibodies and red blood cells. It also functions with the digestive system in the production of hydroghloric acid.
Macrocystics pyrifera is a special Pacific kelp proven to be more powerful than other types of seaweed in tis ability to increase resistance. It is a kelp which ccontains trace minerals not normally found in other supplements, such as selenium.
Inflamed tissue is a common allergic response -- blotchy skin, red nose, etc. Vitamin E is very effective as an anti-inflammatory agent. It repairs cell damage sustained ruding an allergic attack and promotes ther repair rate. Vitamin E also increases the ability of the body tissues to respond to stress and it acts as a nerve relaxant. One of the finest synthtic vitamin E's available is used in this formula. This is because sensitive people are often allergic to natural vitamin sources such as wheat and yeast.
Along with the vitamin E, vitamins B6 and niacinamide also aid liver function. Choline, a lipotropic or fat dissolvent from the B-complex family, and methionine, another lipotropic, this one a sulphur containt essential amino acid, both help to detoxify the liver and control fat content.
COMMON FOODS MOST SUSPECT IN ALLERGIC REACTIONS
Vitamin C is but one of many vitamins, vitamins are but one part of nutrition, and nutrition is but one aspect of health. And even then, look what just the one vitamin can do.
Can you imagine how you'd explain the theory of evolution to a classroom full of kids allergic to housedust? I can't see any way that humankind could have evolved at all if people were always stopping to itch, scratch or sneeze. Allergy shots have only been available in recent medical history. So have allergies. So has our chemical-laden, overcooked, overly processed, overly meaty-and-starchy diet. If you look at someone cross-eyed and they get sick, they were primed and ready by years of bad diet.
What's more, "allergy" tells you nothing. In Botany class, I once learned that plants turn towards the light because of phototropism. Phototropism means "moves towards light". The name tells you nothing that you couldn't have observed yourself. Same with allergies. Rashes, hives, troubled breathing and such when gathered together in one body are collectively called "allergy". When some people get near such and such, they have an "allergic reaction". What do you do, then? Just keep them away from what triggers the reaction. No milk, no dust, no cats, no feathers, etc. Nothing concrete is accomplished. How can avoidance be cure? If your son got sweaty palms, hives or "butterflies" every time he telephoned a girl to ask her for a date, would you conclude that he's allergic to women and send him to a monastery? Of course not. You'd find out why he got so nervous and strengthen him, encourage him and most of all allow him to get over it.
So why not do the same for your body?
"Allergic" tells you nothing more than any other symptom. Symptoms tell us that our body is not quite right. Naturopaths tell us that if our body is not quite right, we should take a good look at the way we take care of it. Check your diet first, not for the presence of "allergens" but rather for an absence of nutrients. You can start with a saturation test with vitamin C, as mentioned above.
Other questions to ask yourself: Are you avoiding chemical preservatives and other unnecessary food additives? Avoiding drugs, non-prescription and otherwise? Are you getting enough rest? Do you need a cleansing fast? Eating a near-vegetarian diet? These questions should replace battery after battery of allergy tests.
Rather, the way to be healthy is deceptively simple:
1.) Stop eating meat, sugar, and junk food. . . or reduce as much as possible.
2.) Instead, eat whole grains, fruits, beans, sprouts, lightly cooked or raw vegetables, and take vitamin food supplements (especially vitamin C).
3.) Clean out body wastes by occasional juice fasts and an everyday natural diet which is high in fiber and free of artificially colored or preserved foods..
This is more than "folk" medicine. This is a real remedy for all folks.