By Dr. T Adatya, Naturopathic Physician

One of the more common ailments this time of year is allergies. Just as people are adjusting to the plants of early spring, April brings changes in vegetation that cause a new wave of itchy, watery eyes, runny noses and head-rattling sneezes.

Many patients - and many medical professionals - focus their treatment on relieving the symptoms without tackling their underlying causes. Naturopathic therapies, however, address both and can help reduce the suffering of allergy suffers in any season.

• Nine times out of ten, allergies have their genesis in the intestinal tract. Together, the gut and our airways comprise between 60 and 80 percent of our body’s immune system. That’s why naturopathic therapies for allergies - and immune irregularities - begin by bolstering the health of the intestinal tract.
• We know that when there is an inflammatory or allergic-type reactivity in the intestinal tract, most often there is also an immune reaction that can sensitize other mucous membranes and trigger allergic reactions elsewhere in the body. Accordingly, one of the naturopathic therapies for people with allergies is to reduce the consumption of foods that might be triggering allergic reactions.
• Allergy sufferers can obtain food allergy testing and use a food diary combined with an elimination diet to determine which foods are causing their symptoms. In addition to determining which foods you might be sensitive to, there are other easy methods to reduce the symptoms of many allergies. In your home you may find relief in washing your sheets frequently in hot water, replacing your air filters regularly,vacuuming carpets often or removing them entirely, and investing in a good air cleaner.
• Between eight and nine out of ten of my patients have seen a 90% reduction in allergic reactions - and some have entirely eliminated the risk of anaphylactic reactions - by making changes to their diets, repairing the mucous membranes in their bowels and by using an allergic desensitizing therapy.
• Homeopathics and herbs can help reduce the inflammation in the mucous membranes and rebuild them. There are literally thousands of such substances that have been shown to help.
• In addition, you can desensitize yourself to allergic reactions using homeopathic medicines. A number of controlled studies have proven that homeopathic medicines containing a combination of remedies are at least as effective as commercial antihistamines at reducing allergy symptoms (especially seasonal allergies) but without the side effects associated with commercial antihistamines, such as drowsiness. For best results with using these types of remedies it is always advisable that you seek the advice of a naturopathic doctor.
• And, as with many other disorders which are often the body’s reaction to its environment, reducing your stress levels can help to reduce your allergic symptoms. Attending to the nervous system can also help to reduce allergic reations. The study of how one’s mental state interacts with the nervous and immune systems is known as psychoneuroimmunology. Researchers have observed that as people become more stressed and the nervous system becomes more irritated, histamines are released. There are any number of homeopathic, nutritional and botanical remedies that can help you to reduce stress and consequently reduce the severity and duration of allergic symptoms. 

Dr. Adatya will also be running a Naturopathic Allergy Clinic this spring. 
Diagnostic testing for allergy sufferers: Involves a skin prick test (suitable for adults & children) for trees, grass, weeds, dust and dander. This test has a high degree of sensitivity and specificity.

Clinics begin in March and continue through April.

Ask Dr. Adatya if this test is right for you!

 Wishing you a spring full of health and happiness.

*The information contained is for educational purposes only and not meant to diagnose, treat or prevent illness.

Prepared by Qi Integrated Health Centre Inc. March 2010