Allergies -James A. Duke, Ph.D.

[Guest guest]

Allergies - James A. Duke, Ph.D.

 

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/41/7.cfm

 

If you've ever had a sneezing fit in the midst of housecleaning, you

probably blamed it on all that stirred-up dust. But an allergist or

immunologist would disagree. It's not the dust that causes the

sneezing, they've found.

 

It's your body's reaction, and the chemicals it releases,

that prompt your sneezing. It's true that some people are more

sensitive than others to the dust, dust mites and mold spores that float through

the air. But that just means that their bodies go a little overboard in the

process of reacting to the free-floating invaders.

 

Stress, Dust and Annoyance

 

Allergies are abnormal reactions to everyday substances. They are

caused by the immune system's overreaction to histamine, a chemical that the

body releases to fight microbial invaders. But in allergies, the invaders are

not viruses or bacteria. They are harmless substances: pollens, dust, mold

spores or harmless microscopic bugs called dust mites that live in carpets,

clothing and bedding.

 

Hay fever, one of the most common allergies, is triggered by

pollens. Ragweed pollen reportedly accounts for about 75 percent of cases of

hay fever in the United States. Some 25 to 30 million Americans suffer from hay

fever every year. Another 12 million are allergic to things other than pollen

(bee stings or certain foods or drugs).

 

Standard medical treatment for allergies involves taking

decongestants and antihistamines. Decongestants open clogged nasal passages and

have drying action. Antihistamines suppress the body's release of histamine.

 

In severe cases, doctors prescribe immunotherapy, popularly known as

allergy shots. The shots contain tiny quantities of the substances

(allergens) to which the person is sensitive. Over time, with

exposure

to slowly increasing amounts of allergen, the body becomes

desensitized and stops reacting with allergy symptoms.

 

Decongestants, antihistamines and allergy shots work well for some

people, but I'm not a big fan of them. These approaches treat only

the symptoms of allergies, not the cause, which is a confused immune

system.

 

 

Decongestants can cause insomnia and raise blood pressure.

Antihistamines may cause drowsiness. Both may lose effectiveness

after a while. They also interfere with--and according to some experts,

weaken--the immune system. Allergy shots don't work for everyone,

and when they do, they often involve years of treatment.

 

Allergy Emergency

 

Writing about herbal treatments for allergies reminds me of a woman

I met in the early 1970s. She was an attractive, energetic young lady from the

Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. She came out to my

office in Beltsville, Maryland, one December to borrow a lengthy

report that I'd prepared on the poppy plant. We discussed collaborating on a

revised version of the report and then parted, assuming that we'd

talk again after Christmas. But I never saw her again.

 

This woman, I later learned, died from a very rare allergic reaction

to peanuts. (On average, two people each year are known to die from

this allergy.) Knowing that she was deathly allergic to peanuts, the

woman had always shunned them. But, I was told, she inadvertently ate one

Christmas cookie that contained powdered peanuts, and that was enough to kill

her.

 

Such fatal reactions are not what most of us refer to when we say

" allergy. " More often, allergic reactions are merely annoying. They

involve things like sneezing, itching, watery eyes and hives.

 

Allergic reactions that are life-threatening, on the other hand, are

in a class by themselves. The medical name for this kind of allergic

reaction is anaphylaxis.

 

If an allergic reaction is a firecracker, then anaphylaxis is a

stick of dynamite. Everyone should be aware of what an anaphylatic allergic

reaction is, because a person who is having this kind of reaction

must receive medical treatment within about a half-hour.

 

Anaphylaxis develops suddenly shortly after ingestion of a substance

that a person is extremely allergic to. Symptoms include difficulty

breathing, collapse and convulsions. If these develop, call 911

immediately, and say " Suspected anaphylaxis. " In fact, if you know

that

you're severely allergic, you might want to discuss injectable

epinephrine with your doctor. She might agree that it would be a

good idea for you to have this emergency treatment on hand.

 

 

 

 

Green Pharmacy for Allergies

 

You won't be surprised to learn that I prefer " greener, " more

natural

approaches. Some of these approaches help with allergy symptoms.

Here

are the helpful herbs.

 

Garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (A. cepa). These may be beneficial

because of the high concentrations of compounds such as quercetin

found

in these plants. These compounds retard inflammatory reactions. If

you

have allergies, I'd suggest adding generous amounts of these foods

to

your menu.

 

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). The leaf extract of the stately ginkgo tree

contains several unique substances (ginkgolides) that interfere with

the

action of a chemical that the body produces--platelet-activating

factor,

or PAF. PAF plays a key role in triggering allergies, asthma and

inflammation. My own allergies have never been severe enough to make

me

reach for ginkgo, but if they got bad, I would probably try it. You

can

try 60 to 240 milligrams of standardized extract a day, but don't go

any

higher than that. In large amounts, ginkgo may cause diarrhea,

irritability and restlessness.

 

stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). Some good research shows that

nettle

preparations may effectively treat allergic nasal symptoms. Every

spring, visitors to my herb garden dig up roots from my nettle patch

to

treat their hay fever. We shouldn't be surprised that nettle does,

in

fact, help relieve allergy symptoms. For centuries, cultures around

the

world have used this herb to treat nasal and respiratory troubles:

coughs, runny nose, chest congestion, asthma, whooping cough and

even

tuberculosis. At a Columbia University Workshop on Botanical

Medicine

for Physicians, herb advocate Andrew Weil, M.D., professor at the

University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and author of

Natural Health, Natural Medicine, said that he knew of nothing so

dramatic as the allergy (hay fever) relief afforded by freeze-dried

nettle

leaves.

 

Camomile (Matricaria recutita). Aromatherapists, especially in

Europe,

recommend massaging with camomile preparations to treat skin

allergies

such as hives and itching. That sounds reasonable to me. There are

compounds in this herb that have significant anti-inflammatory and

anti-allergic properties. You can buy camomile essential oil and

creams

containing camomile at many natural food stores.

 

If you have hay fever, you should use camomile oil and herbal

products

cautiously, however. Camomile is a member of the ragweed family, and

in

some people, it might trigger allergic reactions. (Documented cases

are

extremely rare.) The first time you use camomile, watch your

reaction.

If it seems to help, go ahead and use it. But if it seems to make

the

itching worse, simply discontinue use. (For other herbs that can

help

relieve the itch associated with skin allergies, see Hives on page

261.)

 

 

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium). Feverfew is best known these days

for

its proven effectiveness in treating migraine headaches. But this

herb

may also help relieve allergies. If you use it, take capsules or

some

other commercial preparation. I've tasted the leaves, and the

experience

is not pleasant. If I developed sufficiently annoying allergy

symptoms

and had no other medication, I would likely use feverfew.

 

Pregnant women should not take feverfew because of a remote

possibility

that it might trigger miscarriage. And women who are nursing should

not

use it because of the possibility of passing the herb to infants via

milk. Finally, long-term users often report a mild tranquilizing or

sedative effect, which may be welcome or unwelcome, depending on

your

temperament.

 

Horseradish (Amoracia rusticana). There's nothing like a bite of

fresh

horseradish (or a spoonful of prepared horseradish dressing) to

clear

the sinuses. Or if you like Japanese food, try Japanese horseradish,

called wasabi. This recommendation comes from the good book, Natural

Health Secrets from around the World by Glenn W. Geelhoed, M.D.,

professor of surgery at George Washington University in Washington,

D.C., and Robert D. Willix, M.D., a cardiac surgeon and sports

medicine

specialist in Boca Raton, Florida. They report that " a daily dosage

is

necessary only until the symptoms of your allergy subside.

Thereafter,

you need only a few teaspoons of horseradish each month to prevent

another allergy attack. "

 

I enjoy horseradish as a spice, so I would not hesitate to try it

for

allergy relief. You should be aware that while horseradish is hot,

wasabi is even hotter. If you don't enjoy hot, spicy food, you'd

best

opt for a different treatment.

 

Vitamin C. Not too long ago, C. Leigh Broadhurst, Ph.D., stopped by

my

office to talk about allergies. Dr. Broadhurst is geochemist with

expertise in nutritional medicine. At the time of our conversation,

he

was working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

To prevent and treat allergies, Dr. Broadhurst recommends taking

1,000

milligrams of vitamin C with bioflavonoids three times a day. This

sounds fine to me. One review of some 40 vitamin C studies showed

that

people who took vitamin C regularly had fewer allergy problems,

respiratory infections and asthma attacks. Vitamin C is a powerful

natural antihistamine with no known side effects, except diarrhea.

Some

people develop diarrhea after taking as little as 1,200 milligrams

of

vitamin C a day, but this is rare. If you'd like to try this

therapy,

cut back on the amount of vitamin C if you develop diarrhea.

 

Don't confine yourself to supplements, either. Plants that are rich

in

vitamin C include Chinese bitter melon, bell peppers, cayenne

pepper,

pokeweed shoots, guava and watercress.

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/