Allergies – A Naturopath Approach
“Oh, it’s just allergies.” I think I hear this phrase in my office and community about eight times/day. No one wants to admit to being sick, myself included. And probably it IS an allergic reaction. The big question is “to what am I allergic?” The allergy tests performed by many allergy specialists will confirm mites, dust, pollen, and dander. Great! All the things we cannot control unless we were to live in outer space! What I have come to understand is that those of us sensitive to elements in the environment, are more sensitive because of our internal milieu within. What do I mean? Within our bodies, we may have 70 trillion cells and 140 trillion microbes taking up dwelling space. The opportunity and challenge we have, is to ensure that the useful, beneficial microbial inhabitant out number – by far – the invading, unwanted microbes. Not an easy task. To complicate it further, the “bad” bugs live off of the unhealthy cells and waste in the body; and then they leave their waste in your body! Yuck! and Yes, it is true – half of the stool weight is the waste produced by the microbes inhabiting within. Many of the symptoms that we express as allergy-like are natural attempts to rid the body, the sinus’s, and lungs of toxins that they are needing to release. What can we do? Probiotics are useful, however, the questions that may arise are “which one?, how long?, how often? Probiotics must be selected in accordance to what microbial challenges the body is handling. And, are there viral components, parasitic, or bacterial that we must contend with as well.
The solution I have come up with to be rid of these un-wanted bugs, is to strengthen my immune system and by taking care of what I put into my body. Even herbs and supplements can interfere in our detoxification capacity, if not chosen correctly. I am also implementing our newest modality – Ozone Inhalation Therapy. These treatments assist the body’s ability to utilize oxygen, breath deeper and kill off bacteria, virus’s and mold that have invaded the mucus membranes and sinus’s. Sometimes a patient mentions that the ozone is an irritant, and that is true. The irritant properties actually cause the mucus membranes to release bacteria, candida and virus’s and expel them through the lymphatic system. The effect can be a release of sticky mucus that may well have been in the body for weeks, months and often years.
At 58 years old, I am excited to take this allergy/sinus challenge on, and see how much more magnificent I can feel. Would you like to join me?
-Dr. Diana Joy Ostroff
