It seems that allergies are as common as ants on the sidewalk–everyone has at least one. They range from mild to ones that can cause anaphylactic shock. But why is this so? Surely our environment has fueled a wide list of allergies, but are there methods that can help you to overcome them so you are able to minimize the use of drugs, allergy shots or even holistic treatments?
The first approach we have to oversensitivity to foods, airborne allergens and other substances of course is avoidance. But what if a person is allergic to most foods and a huge list of airborne substances–then we have a real problem! An allergic reaction to anything is the immune system in motion. When the immune system is always reacting, it puts a great strain on the body’s resources for maintaining good health.
There is great hope in improving the body’s sensitivities by going to the source of the problem, which is often the digestive tract. Because of our poor food supply and incorrect high-fiber/low-fat health dictates, many people are suffering from a condition called “leaky gut.” Leaky gut is a result of intestinal damage from poor gut flora–usually a candida overgrowth. When the intestinal tract becomes weakened, it can become inflamed and proteins can escape into the blood system. This causes an immune response–so that the next time your body comes in contact with that substance–even if it is a healthy food–it will cause the same immune response. When the digestive tract is inflamed, the entire body can become ultra-sensitive to many other things such as airborne substances.
Foods that help to heal the digestive tract are nutrient-dense foods from pastured animals, wild caught fish and organic sources:
- bone-broth soups
- cultured drinks and foods like whole-fat kefir and yogurt, homemade sauerkraut, pickled beets, beet kvass and kombucha
- traditional fats like raw butter, coconut oil, and lard
- Meats, poultry, eggs and wild caught fish
- Fermented cod liver oil and butter oil (see Green Pasture’s Blue Ice Royal Butter Oil / Fermented Cod Liver Oil Blend – CINNAMON GEL
-or if you prefer capsules- Blue Ice Royal Butter Oil / Fermented Cod Liver Oil Blend – 120 CAPSULES
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Another help to improving allergies is heavy metal detoxification. Carefully removing mercury amalgam fillings with a biological dentist and working with an experienced holistic health practitioner who understands how to gently detox heavy metals can also enhance the blocks to overcoming allergies (see www.wholenutritionist.com and www.radicalmedicine.com).
Healing the digestive tract and removing heavy metals is an exciting step to recovering from allergies. For more information on building health and healing with nutrient-dense foods see Performance without Pain and our new e-book on healing acid reflux.
Best in health,
Kathryne Pirtle