Posted on Mon, May 18, 2009
By Dr. Barbara Solomon
Are you taking allergy medication and still suffering from sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes?
About 15% of the population suffers from seasonal allergies. For many people, over the counter medications will work and get them through a few weeks of itchy eyes, runny nose, congestion and headaches. Others need prescription medication and a more comprehensive allergy treatment program to get them through the allergy season.
Allergy shots can desensitize you to offending allergens, providing symptom relief, but skin testing can be invasive and ineffective in indentifying problems. Allergy serum drops can provide the same symptom relief in a less invasive manner. After complete allergy testing, a holistic or integrative doctor can provide serum drops for you to use sublingually (under the tongue). As with shots, serum drops desensitize your body to allergens over time, providing relief from your symptoms. Working with an integrative doctor to find the right dosage and titration is important to your success.
A holistic desensitization treatment is effective for many health concerns beyond seasonal airborne allergies. It has been used to identify and treat food allergies, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis, migraine headaches, eczema, asthma, allergy-related fatigue and sinus headaches. It is a potential treatment for allergic aspects of recurrent vaginitis, arthritis, depression and anxiety, gastro-esophageal reflux and obesity. A study was conducted showing a high percentage of improvement with allergy treatment for these conditions.
You may want to consider complementary therapy in addition to your regular allergy regimen.
Holistic and integrative doctors treat the whole person. Therefore treatment often includes safe, effective complementary therapies along with allergy shots or serum drops. One of these is Allergy Elimination Technique (AET), a biofeedback technique which calms the autonomic nervous system. Allergens such as pollen, dust or grass stimulate the autonomic nervous system, causing it to hyper react, generating sometimes crippling allergy symptoms. Gently and in a non-invasive manner, AET desensitizes the body to allergens. Most people describe the biofeedback technique as pleasant and calming.
Consistent with the philosophy of integrative medicine, the use of shots or serum drops along with AET or other complementary therapies will treat the whole body holistically in a way that helps to address the root cause of the problem.
About the Author:
Barbara Solomon MD has been practicing medicine for over 40 years and is considered a pioneer in environmental medicine and holistic allergy treatment.
Posted on Tue, May 05, 2009
By Dr. Paul Beals
The recent outbreak of swine flu has alarmed people across the nation. What should you do? From a holistic doctor's perspective, you should always be mindful of your health and the actions you take to promote daily healthy living.
Holistic and integrative doctors treat the whole body and therefore take a integrated approach to healthy living and treatment of disease. To live a healthier life and avoid outbreaks such as swine flu, colds, and virus there are some natural health guidelines that can help:
COMMON SENSE HYGIENE
Wash your hands! Use hot water and a simple soap. Flu and cold germs can be transmitted via germs on hands, doorknobs, computer keyboards, etc. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Swine flu is transmitted via respiratory fluids from coughing and sneezing, so wash up if you are exposed to someone.
SUPPORT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
A healthy immune system is what keeps you from NOT getting the flu to begin with. Support your immune system with a nutritious diet, detoxification, proper supplementation, exercise, and proper sleep.
Nutritious diet- Support the immune system with healthy, nutrient dense foods, good fats, vitamin rich vegetables and fruit, lean meat and fish and other whole foods. Eliminate sugar and chemical products such as soda, sugar substitutes, processed foods, white flour and hydrogenated fats which may have a negative effect on your mood and body.
Detoxify the body- To enhance the immune system you need to detoxify the liver and bowel. This is accomplished by restoring the natural flora of the digestive system with probiotics, taken as supplements or as fortified unsweetened yogurt. Restore omega 3's by taking fish oil, krill, or flaxseed oil, the good fats. Eat garlic regularly, as it works like a natural antibiotic. Detecting and eliminating heavy metals, allergies, food sensitivities, and chronic infections will enhance healing of the gut, which in turn helps support a healthy immune system.
Proper Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation- Deficiencies must first be detected from blood work then corrected with IV or oral supplementation. Vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, vitamin D, and B complex will all help to protect us from illness.
LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO ENHANCE WELLNESS
Holistic medicine embraces the mind, body and spirit approach to wellness. Make positive changes to your lifestyle to stay healthy. Quit smoking and make daily exercise a habit. Reduce stress by getting enough sleep, exercise, meditation, nature walks, and positive family support. Making small steps to embrace wellness can pay off with a stronger immune system and therefore, less illness.