Natural Allergy TreatmentsAllergies are caused by an imbalance in immune system function which causes your immune system to overreact to certain triggers. Because allergies are caused by your own immune system being out of balance, the only long-term solutions and natural treatments that will last must involve bringing the immune system back into balance and reducing immune system inflammation. The following recommendations have proved to be effective for a variety of allergies such as skin allergies (like eczema), food allergies, and hay fever and other autoimmune diseases and immune system disorders such as psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, allergies, asthma, and more.There are a number of ways to help bring your immune system back into balance, reduce inflammation, and naturally treat allergies.1. Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetablesThousands of studies have shown that eating fruits and vegetables reduces oxidative stress which invariably reduces damage to the immune system. Fruits and vegetables help balance the immune system. This is one of the reasons why people who eat more fruits and vegetables are less likely to develop diseases like cancer, heart disease, and many others. Many studies have shown that eating fruits and vegetables reduces your risk for asthma and allergies.Furthermore, fruits and vegetables are anti-inflammatory. Eating fruits and vegetables (and berries) is one of the most important things you can do to reduce inflammation.Since most people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables and won’t even if they know it will eliminate their allergies or other chronic diseases, I recommend taking a well-researched whole food fruit and vegetable concentrate. We have seen numerous people reduce their allergies using these concentrated fruit and vegetable powders and eating more fruits and vegetables.2. Avoid All Dairy Products (Sorry cheese-lovers!)Dairy products contain a protein called casein. Casein has been shown to be incredibly harmful to the human immune system and has been shown in countless studies to increase allergies, asthma, respiratory infections, and autoimmune disorders. In fact, most people find that simply taking dairy out of their diets has helped them eliminate their food allergies and other allergies.Much more information about casein and dairy protein can be found in The China Study, the landmark book written by T. Colin Campbell.3. Add Omega-3 Fats to your DietOmega-3 fats are essential to good health and proper immune system functioning. Omega-3 fats are the anti-inflammatory fats. Omega-6 fats are the pro-inflammatory fats. Researchers have found that the ideal balance for human nutrition is a 1:1 ratio of Omega-3 fats to Omega-6 fats. In America, our ratio is closer to 1:45! Studies have shown that omega-3 fats can reduce our risk for allergies and asthma.This incredible imbalance in the right fats in our diets causes our immune systems to be extra inflammatory and out of balance. This immune system imbalance causes immune disorders like allergies, eczema, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, and many others.There are two very easy ways to add more Omega-3 fats to your diets – with whole flax seeds or with flax seed oil. You can buy them at your local health food store or order them online.4. Get Enough Vitamin D Every dayVitamin D is necessary for proper immune system function. Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin, it’s a hormone and it effects so many parts of your body. Even though the RDA for Vitamin D is 200 IU, you need significantly more for ideal health – between 4,000 and 6,000 IU daily. You can’t get enough Vitamin D every day just by eating foods or taking a multivitamin. Unless you get 30 minutes or more of excellent sun exposure on your whole body every day, you should be taking a high-quality Vitamin D supplement.For more information about Vitamin D, check out the Vitamin D Council.5. Avoid Refined Sugar and Processed Foods Refined sugar is incredibly damaging to the human immune system and has been proven increase allergies, asthma, and other diseases. Several studies have shown sugar can actually cause food allergies and respiratory infections. For more information about sugar, I recommend Dr. Mercola’s article 76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health.Likewise, processed foods are also damaging to the immune system and often contain many chemicals like refined sugar, hydrogenated oils, and other ingredients and food additives which are damaging to the immune system. Furthermore, because processed foods are either cooked, pasteurized, or chemically changed in some other way, they often contain very little if any nutritional value. And remember, nutritional value is what you need to improve your immune system and naturally treat allergies (that’s why eating a variety of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables is so effective in treating allergies).6. Chiropractic Treatments Help AllergiesMy chiropractor, Dr. Robert Schiffman, has sent me numerous case studies and research articles about chiropractic through his newsletter. The clinical research I’ve seen has shown that chiropractic treatments can be effective in reducing allergies and are an extremely safe allergy treatment method.On May 7, 2009 a story was run by an ABC affiliate which featured help for allergies through chiropractic care. Jami Lynn Lilly suffered from allergies during the Spring allergy seasons in Missouri. Her allergies produced sinus problems and watery eyes. Jami said, “I get really bad sinus infectors, for weeks I just look like I’m bawling all the time.”Jami reported dramatic improvements in her allergy symptoms after her first chiropractic adjustment. She said, “He adjusted me one time for it [allergies], two three days my nose just drained and then I was fine after that.”Jami finally decided to go to a chiropractor for her problem. After her first visit she reported improvement. She described the experience by saying, “He adjusted me one time for it, two three days my nose just drained and then I was fine after that.”Jami’s chiropractor, Dr. Baca, said during the interview, “If there’s an allergy floating around out there, what makes one person susceptible to it, when it doesn’t make all of us susceptible?” The answer, he said, is “Your nervous system controls every aspect of your body, including your immune system… If one of the vertebrae on your spine is out of place, it could be putting pressure or irritating one of your nerves. Maybe the nerve that controls your sinuses, your head, your throat, or your immune system.” When this happens, your immune system may get out of balance and can subject you to allergies.Another case study comes from a 7 year old boy whose case was documented in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal, and Family Health. The boy’s parents explained that their son had been suffering from asthma, allergies, and chronic colds since he was 5 and had been taking the medication Alavert daily for allergies and Albuterol for asthma as needed. He also required nebulizer treatments for his asthmatic episodes. On top of that, steroid injections were used regularly! Because of his allergies, asthma, and chronic colds, he missed 1-2 days of school per month and had monthly visits with a medical doctor for his various health problems.When he went to a chiropractor, the examination showed multiple postural abnormalities and changes in the boy’s ranges of spinal motion. The boy received 3 chiropractic adjustments per week for the first month. Within two weeks, the child was no longer dependent on his prescription medication for allergies. His parents also said that his frequency and severity of asthma attacks had improved and nebulizer treatments were no longer necessary. Within 3 months of the first chiropractic treatment, the mother reported that all of the boy’s initial complaints were successfully addressed without any adverse reactions.Natural Allergy TreatmentsSo there you have it – six natural methods to balance your immune system, reduce inflammation, and get rid of your allergies forever. Some of natural allergy treatments may work for you and some may not. Of course, every human body is different and unique, and there are so many factors which can affect your immune system and cause allergies. So I do not know which of these natural allergy treatments will work for you…But I do know this – If you do all of these things – eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, remove all dairy products from your diet, add more Omega-3s to your diet to get closer to the 1:1 fat ratio, get enough Vitamin D every day, avoid refined sugar and processed foods, and receive proper chiropractic care, your immune system will be happier and you will may finally get some allergy relief.As Dr. Candace Corson says, “There is no disease which cannot be helped or improved by good nutrition.”
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