Photo: Nomadic Lass
When you are allergic to something, your body reacts to it like it's a poison. When the rest of the world is happily eating peanut butter cups or running blithely next to six foot tall weeds- You're dying.
Why does your body do this? Your body is perceiving these things as threats. Your immune system is over reacting. Like I'd over react to anything! Oh, wait. Never mind. And once you've had a reaction to something your body arms itself to fight harder next time- read- bigger reaction.
In an effort to get beyond the "Just take a pill." philosophy of our medical norm- here are some other ideas to try.
Remove...
First you must know your allergies: foods, plants and environmental. Often your body can deal with one 'threat' but when many mount up, it just overwhelms you. Some of these things you can control and remove. (No, I'm not getting rid of my dog.) If you can reduce the things your body reacts to, then when you are bombarded with the things you cannot control, your body will deal better.
Removing dust and preventing mold may seem obvious- though we could all probably do a better job at it. Some you may not know are less obvious...
- Chemicals- Change what you clean with in your home. Make your own multipurpose cleaning solution with vinegar, dish soap and water. You can even make your own laundry detergent. It's very easy and this removes chemicals from sitting on your skin all day. Removing chemicals from your office and child's school can be harder but can still be done with some cajoling of the cleaning committee, once you know for sure it will help. Remove things you might inhale or touch first. The change may be huge. Wipe your desk area down to remove the harmful cleaners. You can keep a Tupperware container with homemade cleaning 'wipes' in your office or classroom. (1c warm water, 1/2 c white vinegar, 1T dishsoap, poured over folded paper towels)
- Clean- Your home and immediate office area. Invest in a lambswool duster. (even a little one for your office.) These types of dusters get in almost any area and really grab everything until you shake it out. I stick mine out the crack in the door and bang it on the outside of my house, so I don't breathe it in ;) Use a microfiber washable cleaning cloth for your wood floors (The best type of floors for allergies b.t.w.) Make sure when you clean with anything wet that it dries completely before you cover it or close it in.
- Beauty- Your body is absorbing all kinds of chemicals from your morning routine. It's attacking your system little by little. If you remove these harms then your immune system can relax a bit. When you run out of that shampoo go check http://www.ewg.org/skindeep before you buy another. Here's an overview http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/top-tips-for-safer-products/
- Food Allergies- A doctor can order a blood test for you to determine foods you may be allergic to and test the top offenders. You may also be suspicious of offenders if you start keeping a simple journal. Watch for side affects such as stomach aches, head aches, asthma, hives, arthritis, stomach pain, among others. When these symptoms appear, write what you've eaten for the last couple meals. Then see if you can notice a pattern. If you're suspicious a food is creating a problem remove it for four days then eat it alone on the fifth day. Dr. Null says most allergies will appear almost immediately from this challenge. Repetitive eating may also create intolerance's to foods, so change it up often. It's great from a nutritional standpoint too.
- Food Contaminants- Avoiding processed foods may also help your allergies because they can create poor cravings due to their lack of nutrition and may lead to a nutritional decline spiral and a poor immune system. Eating organic helps removes pesticides that build up in your blood stream. Also food grown organically enriches the soil and provides valuable micro-nutrients hard to get.
- The Great Outdoors- No I'm not suggesting that you lock yourself indoors. Sometimes this can make your allergies worse! (Air out that house, office and classroom.) You can help your allergies by removing weeds near your home, dirt that's close to your home and gets kicked up and sucked inside whenever it's windy, controlling moisture and drainage from your home, among other aggravants.
- Mercury- Ask your dentist if they are using mercury in your fillings. some people have no problems. Many go un-diagnosed for years. Better to just avoid this metal.
- Chlorine- This chemical cleans but never gets out of our ground water and can create lots of health problems to tax your system.
- Radon- This gas comes from the soil and can be dissipated quickly with a fan. If you have a basement or crawl with soil under it, install a fan for this purpose.
- Dry-Cleaning Chemicals- Use green cleaning or hang your cleaned clothes outside for a bit to let them air out when you get them home.
- Pesticides- are absorbed into your fat tissue and cause neurological disorders and kidney and liver problems. Save your system the extra problems and go organic.
- House Paint- Buy water based latex. You'll get fewer toxins in the air. Buy the one with the least volatile organic compounds too.
- Room Deodorizers- Please stop spraying that stuff! I can't breathe just thinking about it. While we're at it, remove the plug ins, and all the fake perfume scents that cover those awful smells. Use baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, use natural oils if you wish and you can always boil orange rinds or water with a couple drops of peppermint oil.
- Set a small jar with a few drops of your favorite essential oil mixed in on your counter.
- Open a window. Hey! There's an idea!
- Clean your light bulbs
- Clean your vent covers. Spray with your all-purpose vinegar cleaner, brush and dry.
- Set out a bowl of vinegar in the room overnight.
- make your own spray with lemon juice and a little baking soda. Spritz
Add...
Watch for the happier side of this coin in our next post.
sources:
-No More Allergies by: Dr. Gary Null (This is a great example of read with attention. Some of Dr. Nulls ideas seem far fetched but there is invaluable information and research in the book. So read, skim, note and re-read. Then compare it to other sources.)