BASIC HEALTH IMPROVEMENT Part 4 - ALLERGY TESTING

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Chapter 1-4 of Healing Foods by Walter Last

Discover and overcome your food allergies and chemical sensitivities.

 

ALLERGY TESTING

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF1-4.html

 

Usually we are addicted to any daily-used food or substance to which we are

also allergic and vice versa. Initially when we eat allergenic food we

experience stimulation due to the release of adrenal stress hormones. However,

eventually the adrenal glands become exhausted and we develop a chronic

degenerative

disease and lack energy. In this book, the term 'food allergy' is used in a

rather general way to include not only genuine immunological reactions but also

food intolerances and chemical sensitivities.

 

Hans Selye was the first to describe the ALLERGY-STRESS MECHANISM. Initially

an environmental challenge such as an incompatible food or emotional stress

causes an ALARM REACTION. The adrenal glands release inflammatory hormones and

the sympathetic nervous system is over-stimulated. This may result in an acute

allergic reaction or a general inflammatory condition, hyper-excitability,

increased blood pressure, palpitation, aggressiveness, anxiety or anger and poor

digestion. This is the basis for the connection between junk food and

criminality.

 

If we continue eating the same problem food nearly every day or continue to

be plagued by stressful memories or conditions, then the stress becomes

permanent and the body adapts by releasing anti-inflammatory hormones. The

symptoms

of the alarm reaction with its inflammatory tendency subside. This is the

RESISTANCE PHASE, a state of adaptation with a hidden or masked allergy.

Commonly

the alarm reaction occurs in early childhood when we are first introduced to

wheat or cows' milk, maize or soymilk and then settles down to several decades

of hidden allergies with minimal symptoms.

 

However, eventually the capacity of the adrenal glands to produce sufficient

anti-inflammatory hormones becomes exhausted and we enter the EXHAUSTION PHASE

.. Now we have a maladaptation to allergens and emotional stress with chronic

and generalized inflammations. These may manifest as arthritis, cancer, heart

disease and any of the other diseases typical in our society. Finally even this

chronic inflammatory condition subsides, and we have the stage of advanced

old age with senility, debility and the final insensitive stages of degenerative

diseases.

 

 

THE ALLERGY-STRESS MECHANISM

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This shows us the requirements for genuine health improvement. By permanently

removing the offending problem food or emotional stress and at the same time

supporting the body with high-quality nutrition we slowly begin climbing back.

We leave the exhaustion phase and re-enter the resistance phase with a period

of quiet recovery and finally move back into the alarm phase with a series of

acute healing crises. At the end of this long healing process we may have

re-acquired the adrenal functions and disease-resistance that we had as a small

child before we started getting colds, allergic reactions and digestive upsets

due to problem foods.

 

Hans Selye was a professor of experimental medicine and surgery when he found

this stress mechanism in 1936. His pioneering book is called The Stress of

Life (McGraw-Hill). So far the medical profession has not yet grasped the

importance of his fundamental discovery for understanding the diseases of our

society, I assume because it is not profitable to do so. However, we know now

what

we need to do to heal ourselves.

 

 

 

Sometimes energetic individuals, often males with blue-white irises who

cannot relax, experience a prolonged period of lethargy when avoiding wheat or

gluten products. During this time the adrenal glands have time to recover.

Others

who are already closer to adrenal exhaustion feel much stronger as soon as

they avoid allergenic food.

 

Addictions and allergies are part of the stress syndrome. Prolonged severe

stress of any kind leads to adrenal exhaustion in the same way as an addictive

allergy. The only real solution lies in avoiding excessive stress factors such

as allergenic food, work pressures and so forth.

 

Discovering your allergies and addictions is an essential step in your

healing process. You may do this by adopting a five-day water fast or rice diet

as

described in the following pages.

 

After complete avoidance of an allergenic food and while reducing the overall

allergenic load from other influences at the same time, one usually becomes

hypersensitive to that food for a period lasting from a few weeks to several

months. After this the sensitivity to the offending food gradually declines. If

during the hypersensitive period you are occasionally exposed to the

allergenic food then an immediate strong reaction may be triggered resulting in

pain,

weakness, a rash or whatever its characteristic effect is on your body. If this

is done repeatedly but separated by at least four days between exposures,

this may delay the complete recovery but is not likely to result in serious

internal damage. However, such permanent damage will result if you use this food

so

frequently that you do not get an immediate reaction any more or only a much

weaker reaction than initially.

 

Generally, however, it is essential to avoid the offending food as much as

possible for an extended period in order to heal yourself completely. Depending

on the severity of your initial symptoms or degenerative disease this may be

from a few months up to several years. However, how soon you can overcome your

allergic tendencies depends mainly on the overall effort that you put into a

comprehensive health improvement program.

 

TYPES OF ALLERGY

 

Depending on its severity and mode of manifestation, we may distinguish

between four types of allergy: addictive, cyclic, fixed and multiple allergies.

 

An addictive allergy induces us to eat our favorite food every day or we are

threatened with withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, we have a craving for a

certain food and eating or drinking it makes us feel better. The user usually is

not

aware of his or her addiction and for this reason this type of allergy is

also called hidden or masked allergy, corresponding to the period of adaptation.

 

In a cyclic allergy we have a reaction to a specific food only if it is eaten

in excess, either by eating large quantities of it at any one time or by

eating it on several successive days. In addition, a reaction to a cyclic

allergen

may be triggered by other adverse factors, especially by stress as from

emotional and mental problems or from environmental agents such as fumes,

tobacco

smoke and so on. Combining two different cyclic allergens in the same meal may

also cause a reaction due to the joint effects of both. Poor food combining or

a generally acid body condition may be further contributing factors.

 

If you realize that you have a cyclic allergy - the food agrees with you

sometimes but not always - then eat it only on a rotation basis, not more often

than once every four or five days. Fruits and the lactose content of dairy

products often belong to this category. They may not cause immediate reactions,

but

eating fruits on successive days may cause an increasing degree of

overacidity and skin problems in sensitive individuals, while an oversupply of

lactose

may lead to a build-up of mucus. Both, in turn, can trigger secondary symptoms

such as arthritic pains.

 

With a fixed allergy one reacts every time the offending food is eaten, no

matter how small the quantity. Fixed allergies, therefore, are non-adapted

allergies and thus easy to recognize. One soon becomes very efficient in

avoiding

offending items. Fortunately, only a small percentage of all allergies are of

the fixed variety, most of them are addictive or cyclic in nature.

 

With multiple allergies we react to a wide range of foods and chemicals and

quickly become allergic to any replacement foods. This is sometimes called

'being allergic to the twentieth century'. The main causes may be deficiencies

of

zinc, digestive enzymes and gastric acid, weak liver functions and bacterial

overgrowth of the digestive tract, often with systemic Candida infestation. The

solution is intestinal sanitation, a raw-food diet and a high intake of zinc

and sulfur compounds. Before testing for allergies by elimination sanitize the

intestines and correct indicated deficiencies by using multi-vitamins and

minerals.

 

We may also speak of a trigger allergy. Attacks of asthma or hay fever are

often triggered by inhaled substances such as pollen or house dust with residues

of the house-mite. However, such reactions would not occur if the mucous

membranes were not already hypersensitive because of underlying food allergies,

mucus congestion and antioxidant deficiencies. In a similar way food chemicals

may act as triggers for hyperactivity if the blood-sugar regulation is weak. A

hypersensitive skin reacts very strongly to insect bites because of its high

histamine levels due to underlying food allergy and overacidity. Removing the

triggers will help to some degree but the underlying health deterioration

continues and a new trigger may readily be adopted.

 

ELIMINATION TESTING

 

There are various forms of allergy testing, some more technical, others a

simple skin scratch method, muscle testing or pulse testing; none of these,

however, is as reliable as proper elimination testing, sometimes also called the

elimination diet.

 

For five days or longer you abstain from all commonly eaten food. During this

time you also try to minimize any other possible allergic influences such as

solvent or car exhaust fumes, house dust, molds, gas, cigarette smoke,

basically anything with strong or unusual smells.

 

Starting on the second day there may be more or less troublesome withdrawal

symptoms with cravings for the food or stimulant to which one is addicted, be

it alcohol, nicotine or other drugs. There may be headaches, dizziness,

weakness and other problems. On the fourth day these symptoms usually subside

and one

begins to feel much better. Often symptoms of long-standing diseases such as

arthritis, heart pain or schizophrenia disappear as well.

 

If you still feel not right on the fifth day, it may be better to extend the

fast until you feel well. Chemicals and drugs, be they medical or

recreational, take much longer to clear from the body. It will greatly speed up

the

elimination and lessen discomfort during the fast if you take a strong laxative

on

the first morning of the fast, either an isotonic flush, a herbal laxative or a

tablespoon of Epsom salts in water. In addition drink a lot.

 

The most reliable fast is on pure water only, unchlorinated and unfluoridated

and not stored in plastic containers. In a less strict form it should be all

right to use diluted grass juice or weak, unsweetened herb tea of a variety

not habitually used. Insensitive individuals can become more balanced by having

a fast on diluted lemon juice, while sensitive individuals may use cooked

white or brown rice only, best unflavored, otherwise with a small amount of

olive

oil, herbs and possibly salt. If rice has been habitually eaten before, then

cooked millet may be used instead. Eat as much as you like and drink about 2

quarts of fluid daily.

 

If you fast on fluids, use another laxative on the last day of the fast,

normally the fifth day. On the morning of the sixth day eat cooked rice as the

first test meal, possibly lightly salted but with no other additions. Check your

pulse rate for a full minute before and 30 and 60 minutes after the meal.

Always test sitting in the same position and when the pulse rate is not

increased

from previous activity.

 

Before and after each test meal make the pulse tests and any other relevant

tests. If there is a reaction involving a combination of newly tested foods,

repeat testing with the individual food components at a later date. If the pulse

after a test meal is significantly higher than after the first test meal of

rice, then this indicates a possible allergy or incompatibility; the higher the

pulse rises after the meal the more likely is it that it is allergenic.

 

In addition make other tests relevant for your condition. If you have weak

eyesight you may check your reading ability with a wall chart; school children

may be tested for clarity of writing and speech. Check the range and pain level

of impaired joints or muscles, and watch out for any sign of bodily or

emotional discomfort. Keep a detailed diary of the pulse rates, measurements and

any

unusual happenings, feelings, discomfort and so on. Those with diabetes

should also test their blood-sugar level and those with hypertension preferably

check their blood pressure (you can easily buy a sphygmomanometer).

 

With each subsequent meal expand the basic rice meal with one or more

additions, such as oil and various vegetables. Test a sprout salad and then

other

basic foods. You may have four or five small meals a day. In the beginning test

mainly foods that you expect to be safe. Test suspected allergenic foods at the

last meal of the day so that you can sleep off any prolonged reactions. Use

such suspect foods only individually or with previously tested foods.

 

You may stop a strong reaction by taking 1 level teaspoon of sodium

bicarbonate (baking soda) or, better, 2 parts of baking soda with 1 part of

potassium

bicarbonate. Also take 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts or milk of magnesia as a

laxative if the reaction occurs soon after the meal. On a normal diet, however,

reactions may be delayed and manifest up to two days later.

 

Reactions can also be stopped using homeopathy. Liquefy a sample of the

allergenic food, dilute 1 part of it with 9 parts of water and shake in a bottle

or

jar about 40 times with a strong downward movement. Take again 1 part of this

with 9 parts of water and so forth until the dilution process has been done

four times in all. Then keep 1 teaspoonful of the last dilution for a few

minutes in the mouth before swallowing. Then make 2 more dilutions and also keep

a

teaspoonful of each of these in the mouth. Possibly take additional

teaspoonfuls of all or just the last dilution some time later if still required.

 

Test offending foods again three to six months later. Commonly small

infrequent amounts are then tolerated. Eat suspect or problem foods not more

than once

a week. If conditions deteriorate again after some time, return to testing or

adopt a safe low-allergy diet. The body can be made less sensitive to

allergic reactions by regularly using alkalizers (e.g. fruit acids neutralized

with

dolomite powder), MSM, a high intake of bioflavonoids and carotenes and

possibly digestive enzymes.

 

 

Chapter 1: BASIC HEALTH IMPROVEMENT

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF1-1.html

· The Road Towards Disease

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF1-1.html#disease

· The Road Towards Health

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF1-1.html#health

· Intestinal Sanitation

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF1-2.html

· Fasting and Cleansing

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF1-3.html

· Allergy Testing

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF1-4.html

· General Diet Rules

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF1-5.html