More About Allergies

Here are some more thoughts about allergies that I hope will be helpful. 

Allergies in combinations:

I learned that I could be allergic to combinations of things. 

Sometimes it's combinations of foods. Potatoes by themselves might be fine, but potatoes with tomatoes, not so fine. Beef may good, but beef with broccoli, not so good. 

Sometimes it's foods & the environment. For many years I had an egg--oak allergy. I reacted to eggs when the oak trees were pollinating. 

Sometimes it's something I'm detoxing and a food. When I was detoxing the prednisone I took years ago, it made me react to certain foods that normally I was ok with. 

To discover allergic combinations use detective skills and pay attention, not just to what you're eating, but also to what's going on around you and in your body.

Watch for patterns:

Sometimes allergies can be trigged by certain patterns or habits in your life. For instance, when I used to eat sugar or dairy, it made me more apt to react to other things. Once I figured this out, I knew to either avoid the sugar and dairy or to be prepared that when I ate them, I would probably have allergies to other things.

For some people having a lack of sleep can trigger more allergic reactions. Being dehydrated is also a common trigger, as well excess stress. If you watch you can probably figure out what patterns may increase or worsen your allergies. 

Chronic or hidden allergies: 

These are allergies to things that you're exposed to on a regular basis. Many times people eat the same foods every day. They have general symptoms they can't explain. But they don't have an immediate or severe reaction to anything they eat. However, because they ingest the allergic foods every day, they have an ongoing reaction that causes the general symptoms. 

(Note: The same can be true of any personal care or home product you use regularly. You may be allergic to it without realizing.)

A good way to discover these chronic allergies is to change your diet for at least 10 days, eating completely different foods or ones you rarely eat. This gives the body time to clear itself from the foods you eat regularly (such as dairy, wheat, sugar, corn, eggs, potatoes, etc.) that might be a chronic allergic exposure. After the 10 days, add back in the foods you regularly eat - one at a time. When you expose yourself to each food again, after the body has been away from it, it usually will cause a reaction if you're allergic to that food. (In this case I'm talking about real foods, not man-made foods. Canned, packaged and processed foods are full of chemicals and additives that are bad for the body. If you have symptoms after eating them, it's probably not an allergy so much as the natural consequences of eating things we weren't intended to ingest.) 

Also, remember again the allergic combination possibility. Sometimes people don't feel better by simply eliminating dairy, but if they avoid dairy and sugar, or dairy and wheat, then they see changes. That's why it's important to change your diet to foods you rarely eat for those first 10 days, then gradually add back the other foods one at a time. 

This chronic allergy can happen with any foods, even "healthy" ones like oranges, lettuce, etc. Sometimes a hidden allergy to one or more foods is responsible for many unexplained symptoms. Experimenting with your diet can help you identify which foods you're allergic to and which ones are actually good fuel for your body. (Each person's body is unique, so no one diet works for everyone. Some people feel better when eating all raw veggies, others need cooked veggies; some do better with high protein diets, others with high fat; etc.) I encourage you to find what works best for your body.

Spreading allergies:

It seems that once your immune system begins to struggle and allergies appear, if you don't take effective measures, then the allergies often spread. 

In other words, you may start out with an allergy to eggs. This is a warning sign from your body. If you do nothing, then before you know it, you may be allergic to potatoes, trees, dogs, etc. Your body is trying to get your attention, and it will continue to send more warning signals until you do something to address the problem. 

So don't ignore those allergies! Receive them as a message from your body and take effective action.

Well, I have a few more thoughts to share, but this post is already rather long, so I'll save them for next week. =)