Integrative Health Blog

One of the first health concerns that brings new mothers into the office is eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis. They typically try applying over-the-counter products including lotions, coconut oil, steroid cream, or some combination thereof, but often the scaly red skin induces panic that brings them in the door when all other efforts are exhausted. This can be a blessing in disguise because it often prompts the doctor to test for food allergies, environmental allergies, and infections that are common precipitating factors in eczema.

Why is the Skin Reacting? 

The clear tangible benefit to investigating these things further is that eliminating allergic triggers, clearing up infections, healing the gut, and desensitizing the body to the allergies produces a noticeable change in the outward appearance of the skin. A less obvious, but important, effect is that this provides the patient with added protection against more than multiple types of asthma and reduces the risk of allergic rhinitis and other allergy symptoms in the future.

Skin inflammation can set off an internal inflammatory cascade that can perpetuate further skin conditions and lead to several inflammation-based illnesses later in life.^{1, 2} 

Pathophysiology of Atopic Triad in Children 

Asthma, eczema, and allergies have very similar triggers and immune reactions.

Allergic asthma is the most common type of asthma, affecting half of asthmatic adults and about 80% of asthmatic children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, my asthmatic patients have been concerned about the increased susceptibility they may have to the virus due to the increased mucus production and respiratory impairment associated with asthma. I think it is important to discern what the causal factors are for the asthma to really alleviate the concern because causes of allergic asthma  reduced ACE2 expression and non-atopic asthma does not.  

The Role of the ACE2 Receptor

Fall is the season for mold allergies and seasonal mold allergies can be experienced from mid-August until mid-December. They may subside as the cold weather starts, or flare up when the weather is damp and rainy. And, a mold allergy can be year-round if you are continuously exposed to indoor mold. For people who are sensitive to  mold,  the Washington  D.C. region is  a problem  because the water level is high and this encourages mold growth. 

Sources of Mold

Only some types of mold spores actually cause mycotoxin illness- but a mold allergy can be tricky because mold is common and thrives in so many places.

Fall allergies start to appear in August as people start sneezing from ragweed and other weeds. A ragweed allergy is also known as hay fever, or seasonal allergic rhinitis. It is estimated that ragweed pollen allergy affects 23 million people.¹

The drier the weather, the worse the pollen count. But hot weather, high winds and heavy rains can also create a perfect growing environment for ragweed plants. Ragweed allergies usually peak in mid-September as one plant can produce one billion grains of pollen.

So, just when you want to enjoy an outdoor hike or plant some mums, ragweed allergy symptoms can make you miserable.

Symptoms of Ragweed Allergy

Throughout my years in practice, I have developed a method of eliciting a positive Lyme Disease diagnosis from a typically negative western blot in those I feel fit the picture of a Lyme sufferer.

These symptoms can include but are not limited to fatigue, joint pain, memory weakness, irritability, alopecia (hair loss), cognitive impairment, muscle weakness, anxiety, night sweats, neurological issues, sudden onset of allergies, depression, stomach pain, hormonal imbalance, tics and tremors, fevers, and the list goes on. These symptoms may be stand-alone issues but often overlap with many other disease states including co-infections of Lyme Disease.

I have countless patients who have come into the office with seemingly benign issues like alopecia or eczema and despite conventional interventions, they continue to struggle.

"I was skeptical about LDA treatment because it sounded too good to be true, but I was desperate when my allergy medication wasn't enough.  Two LDA shots into treatment and I haven't taken Allegra, Zyrtec or Benadryl since!  Cherry blossoms are in full bloom and my allergy medication and inhaler are still in my pocket! Haven't needed to pull them out and I can hardly believe it.  Thank you!"

The symptoms of a mold allergy are the same as with any type of respiratory allergy: sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes/nose/throat, nasal congestion, cough or post nasal drainage, headache, rash, even asthma. Only some types of mold spores actually cause a reaction but a mold allergy can be challenging because mold is common and thrives in so many places. A mold allergy can be year-round or flare up when the weather is damp and rainy or you are in a damp space.

What grows mold is moisture- but here are some other places to consider where you might see your mold allergy flare up:

When I first started practicing at NIHA, I had my own approach to treating allergies by healing “gut permeability”, repopulating the GI tract with good flora, reducing toxic load, and eliminating the allergenic triggers for a minimum of 3 months. This is very similar to the approach I was taught in naturopathic school. Soon after I started at NIHA, I began training with Dr. Barbara Solomon, who utilized oral immunotherapy for not only food allergies, but environmental allergies. When she retired I took over her practice, incorporating oral immunotherapy for allergy treatment into my wheelhouse.

As I began seeing more and more patients, I realized that there was often a disconnection in the nervous system’s communication with the immune system. In some cases, this was a matter of calming the immune system until the nervous system caught up with the use of oral immunotherapy and in other cases it was the nervous system that needed the calming.

Getting to the Root of Allergies

Adult stage deer ticks are the primary vectors for Lyme disease and become active every year after the first frost. They're not killed by freezing temperatures, and while other ticks enter a feeding diapause, or suspended development, as the day-lengths get shorter, deer ticks will be active any winter day that the ground is not snow-covered or frozen. For the winter of 2017, in Washington D.C.  and many other typically snow covered areas, the risk of coming into contact with these nasty disease vectors has been much higher as this February holds the record for the warmest February in D.C. history.

Allergy Symptoms Started in February

Not only is the DC/VA/MD area a hot spot for Lyme transmission, it is also a hot spot for seasonal allergies.

Ragweed, and the Ragweed Family

Fall allergies appear in August as people start sneezing from ragweed and other weeds. A ragweed allergy is also known as hay fever. The drier the weather, the worse the pollen count. Ragweed allergies usually peak in September as one plant can produce one billion grains of pollen!  So, just when you want to enjoy an outdoor hike or plant some mums, ragweed allergy symptoms can make you miserable. The symptoms of allergies include sneezing, itchy eyes/nose/throat, nasal congestion, post nasal drainage, headache, rash, even fatigue or lack of energy.

Some people with a ragweed allergy can also experience problems with certain foods or teas such as echinacea or chamomile.