This time of year, many people suffer from allergies. However, there are those who suffer from allergies all year long and don’t even know it. If you have acne, fatigue, sinus congestion, skin issues, asthma, joint pain, bowel problems, dizziness, autoimmune diseases, or itchy/dry/red eyes read on.
We have an epidemic of allergic, (60 million people), asthmatic, (30 million people), and autoimmune disorders, (24 million people) in the 21st century, and they almost always occur in developed countries and they are all connected. Poor countries without all of the modern amenities like running water, flush toilets, washing machines, and sterile backyards DON'T get these diseases. If you grew up on a farm with lots of animals, you are also less likely to have any of these inflammatory disorders. Playing in the dirt, being dirty, and being exposed to bugs and infections somehow trains your immune system to recognize what is foreign and what is "you."
Here in this country, autoimmune diseases as a category are a HUGE health burden. These include: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, celiac disease, thyroid disease, and the many other hard-to-classify syndromes of inflammation, pain, swelling, and misery that afflict so many. But what exactly is autoimmunity?
Your immune system is your defense against invaders. It is like your army and has to clearly distinguish friend from foe -- to know YOU from OTHER. Autoimmunity occurs when your immune system gets confused and your own tissues get caught in the cross-fire. Your body is fighting something -- an infection, a toxin, an allergen, or the stress response -- and somehow it redirects its hostile attack on your joints, your brain, your skin, or sometimes your whole body.
Many times the treatments for these diseases can make you feel worse. Anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, or steroids, or immune suppressants like methotrexate, or the new TNF alpha blockers like Enbrel can lead to intestinal bleeding, kidney failure, depression, psychosis, osteoporosis, muscle loss, and diabetes, not to mention overwhelming infection and cancer. These drugs can help people, but the price can be high, the effects short-term and they miss the point -- the root cause of the disease.
A patient of mine, “Michelle” came to me after years of suffering from all of the symptoms I listed above and receiving no help from doctor after doctor. She had just taken medical leave from her work as a teacher because she could no longer stand for any period of time due to dizziness. With Michelle, we started with the clues and found our answers.
She had taken so many antibiotics she had serious yeast overgrowth and H. pylori bacteria in her gut. She also had “leaky gut” and reacted to many foods, including dairy and gluten. She had been exposed to toxins and had high levels of mercury and suffered from chronic sinus infections.
So we went to work cleaning up her imbalances using the Ayurvedic techniques of pancha karma and the 10 tips listed below.
At her next follow-up visit, I asked Michelle how she was doing, expecting her to say she felt a little better. I asked, "What about the fatigue?" She said she had great energy. What about the bloating and gas? Nope. What about the reflux? Gone. What about the sinuses and chronic phlegm? All clear. What about her memory and concentration and tingling? All better - AND she lost 15 pounds. Her new lab tests came back to normal. Her white cells increased and her immune markers calmed way down.
If you suffer from allergic symptoms and suspect or have been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, consider the following 10 Tips:
- Check for hidden infections -- yeast, viruses, bacteria, Lyme, etc.
- Check for hidden food allergens with IgG food testing or just try Fern Life Center’s elimination diet, which is designed to eliminate most food allergens.
- Have a week-long Pancha Karma treatment (available at Fern Life Center).
- Get checked for heavy metal toxicity. Mercury and other metals can cause autoimmunity.
- Fix your gut. This will require a complete stool analysis from a specialty lab that is rarely covered by insurance.
- Use nutrients such as fish oil, vitamin C, vitamin D, and probiotics to help calm your immune response naturally.
- Exercise regularly -- it's a natural anti-inflammatory.
- Practice deep relaxation like meditation, yoga, deep breathing, biofeedback, or massage, because stress worsens the immune response. (Check out our next Effortless Mind meditation course with Ajayan and for our new yoga schedule).
- Try NAET, the ultimate allergy elimination technique. NAET actually eliminates allergies for life and it doesn’t require shots or medications. Learn more on our web site.
10. Use the lens of Ayurveda and find out if you are a “pitta” type. Allergic reactions occur mostly in pitta aggravated people. Learn more about Ayurveda and try our dosha quiz at our web site.
