Naturopathy: Not to be sneezed at by amber cowan

[Guest guest]

by amber cowan

Honey and acupuncture helped one hay fever sufferer to heal herself

 

 

 

For most of us, colds and congestion are common winter ailments, and there

are very few who escape the chilliest months without sniffles of some sort.

For French tutor Odile Williams, 47, though, they were a year-round fact of

life. “I would spend all day with a handkerchief in my hand,” she says. “I

had a runny nose, runny eyes and terrible headaches.”

Apart from suffering from perennial rhinitis, or year-round cold symptoms,

Williams was also allergic to house dust and cat hair. “We have two cats

that I refused to get rid of, so I felt permanently terrible.” Her symptoms,

however were worse during the summer months, when, like one in seven of us

according to the medical charity Allergy UK, the pleasing sensations of warm

breezes and freshly mown grass would leave her with bloodshot eyes, a

snuffly nose and a permanent feeling of tiredness.

 

 

Thousands of British people are allergic to the airborne substances such as

pollen and dust that get into the nose, the mouth and the eyes. Williams’s

allergies meant an uncomfortable choice between streaming sinuses or taking

antihistamines that left her in a drugged fug. “Even non-drowsy medication

would make me feel groggy,” she says. “My nose would clear up but it was

like swapping one handicap for another.”

After fifteen years of experimenting with over-the-counter remedies and

prescription nasal sprays, she first considered an alternative approach six

years ago when she visited Michael van Straten, a naturopath and

acupuncturist, for a back problem. Naturopathy is based on the belief that

the body will heal itself once its natural equilibrium is restored. Diet,

exercise, hydrotherapy and fresh air are used to treat everything from

allergies to arthritis and skin conditions. Van Straten noticed her

debilitating sniffles and suggested naturopathic remedies and a course of

acupuncture to help manage the symptoms.

“I’ve found that a combination of nutritional changes and acupuncture works

better than most things when it comes to treating hay fever,” says van

Straten, who has been practising for 40 years. “It doesn’t work for

everybody but it can be amazingly successful when it does.”

Williams began an intensive seven-week course, visiting van Straten, who is

based in Cheddington, Bedfordshire, twice a week for treatments. “The theory

of acupuncture is that it affects the flow of energy to the affected organs

and systems of the body,” he says. “We have millions of little hairs in the

nose that work in a waving motion, wafting mucus and detritus out of the

nasal passages. When someone has hay fever, these flows are either blocked

or overstimulated.

Acupuncture helps to stimulate the nerve supplies to the muscles that

control those hairs so that you loosen the sticky mucus and allow the body

to get rid of it.”

Although van Straten admits that he doesn’t know how it works

physiologically, Williams says that she noticed the results immediately.

“The effect was amazing. Lying down with the needles in, I could literally

feel the catarrh trickling away. Afterwards I would be aware of my sinuses

physically clearing.”

After the initial seven weeks, Williams needed top-up appointments only once

a month for the rest of the summer. To help lessen mucus production, van

Straten also recommended the naturopathic remedy of cutting out dairy

products for three months and he suggested that Williams eat two spoonfuls

of organic honey a day, produced by local bees. “Local bees collect pollen

from the same plants that trigger your allergies,” he says. “By giving your

body almost homoeopathic doses of these pollens, you are desensitising

yourself.”

Three years on, Williams no longer feels separation anxiety from her packet

of tissues and says that her allergies are no longer a problem. Van Straten

says: “Nobody but a lunatic would deny the benefits of the modern

pharmaceutical industry. But when there are safer alternatives, why use a

sledgehammer to crack a nut?”

What is it?

Naturopathy is based on the idea that you can heal your body by optimising

its natural equilibrium. Diet, exercise, fresh air, hydrotherapy and

relaxation techniques can all be used, and many naturopaths also employ the

complementary therapies of acupuncture, herbalism and homoeopathy.

SUITABLE FOR virtually all chronic diseases, particularly rheumatic and

arthritic conditions. Also good for allergies, hypertension and

stress-related conditions.

COST From between £35 and £100 for an initial consultation.

CONTACT the General Council and Register of Naturopaths: 01458 840072; www

naturopathy.org.uk

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8125-1439140,00.html