The Root of Your Seasonal Allergies

October 31, 2014

The Allergy Story

Doug experienced seasonal allergies for as long as he could remember. In reality he had always had some form of post nasal drip, but come fall in Austin he was miserable. He woke with his head in a fog, the sinus pressure at times felt unbearable, body aches prevailed and naturally it affected his mood, making him both irritable and a bit hopeless. Of course he had tried everything—or at least what most allergy sufferers in Austin have tried—acupuncture, a neti pod, herbs, and even rounds of antibiotics for reoccurring sinus infections. He finally resorted to taking his daily dose of Zyrtec, which still only minimized his symptoms.

It is important to note here that addressing chronic allergy symptoms in individuals at the peak of the season is challenging, and like all protocols, the success is very dependent on the compliance.

As I listened to Doug’s story and took his case history these things stood out:

  • He had suffered from frequent ENT infections as a child.
  • He experienced digestive difficulties that ranged from sluggish bowels to bloating and loose stools since his early twenties.
  • He often woke feeling exhausted and with aches in his joints.
  • While he had eliminated gluten from his diet, he still consumed dairy products.

These are the steps I believed we needed to take:

  1. Fix the output by supporting and cleaning out the digestive organs, including the liver.
  2. Improve the input by eliminating further inflammatory foods.
  3. Restore healthy gut bacteria.
  4. Give relief to his ears, nose, and eyes struggling with the secondary symptoms.

Here’s why:

The root of Doug’s problem was actually a bit of a distance from his sinuses. It originated in his digestive tract. I know that because when the bowels are not able to eliminate and clean the body at least twice a day with normal formed stools, the acid must go somewhere. Most often that is up in search of the next emergency exit—the sinus cavity.

Take a look here at our graphic and note that 40% of the lymph nodes are actually in this abdominal area and all the lymph fluid from the body’s clean-up process empties right here. If the elimination organs are compromised in any way, this creates quite a traffic jam of acidic waste. Your body is well designed and it compensates by employing emergency exits when the primary ones are slacking on the job. This scenario repeated day after day, year after year can create quite the chronic condition. Allergy season exacerbates a situation that is really going on all year long.

In Doug’s case, because we were in the midst of allergy season, I decided to address both the root and the secondary symptoms at the same time with these steps:

  • Improve the output with a gemmotherapy protocol supporting bowels and liver.
  • Remove dairy products from the diet.
  • Take a 14 day course of intensive probiotics followed by a daily dose throughout this season to re-establish good bacteria in the gut.
  • Offer an acute gemmotherapy formula for the sinus symptoms as needed.

Within the month Doug was symptom free—not only with his sinus symptoms but the body aches and foggy head as well. His improvement was so dramatic I actually did not see him for some time. When I did finally, he told me he continued to keep dairy and gluten out of his diet and hasn’t had an allergy symptom the past two seasons.

Though I might like to pat myself on the back for helping Doug, he really did the heavy lifting by being open to making the dietary changes needed. Not all of my clients have such immediate and lasting results. I’ve learned over time while following similar cases that homeopathy and gemmotherapy protocols open up the body to clean, but filling it back up with inflammatory foods leads to an endless battle of symptoms. If you are still struggling with yourself about dairy and its place in your diet, you’ll want to watch for my post about that next week.

image_pdfimage_print

Immunity matters!
Learn to support your health naturally with weekly tips
delivered straight to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

You may also be interested in:

Soy Sauce Noodles with Cabbage

By Lauren | March 17, 2023

Thank you, Hetty McKinnon, once again, for your inspiration. This is certainly one of those recipes that just writing it out prompts the desire to make it. So while you are reading, I will be serving myself.  Ingredients 12 ounces dried or fresh thin noodles ( I subbed in Jovial GF Spaghetti which worked well)…

Heidelberren Streuselkuchen

By Lauren | March 10, 2023

There was a chapter of my life when a freshly baked cake came out of my oven several times a week. We lived those days in Germany, I taught high school and often the first thing I did after arriving home was to gather ingredients and bake. At the time, our house was full, and…

Leek and Pea Pilaf

By Lauren | March 3, 2023

Ingredients 2 young tender leeks, washed and chopped fine, omitting the tougher green ends 8 ounces of frozen or fresh-shelled peas  2 TBL olive oil 1 TBL vegan butter 8 threads of good quality saffron allowed to “bloom” for 10 minutes in a few tablespoons of boiling water (this saffron by Kiva) is exceptional. 3-4 …

Frozen Mint Slices

By Lauren | February 24, 2023

So yummy.  This dessert will certainly have you sneaking back into the freezer for just one more bite.  We can thank Oh She Glows for this marvelous recipe and Tanya Renner for turning me on to it.  Ingredients THE FILLING: 3/4 cup (225 g) raw cashew butter* 1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup, room…

Spicy Samosa Wraps

By Lauren | February 10, 2023

A quick and easy weeknight meal prep ahead packed lunch.  Ingredients Samosa Potatoes: 1 tsp oil 1/4 tsp cumin seeds 1/4 tsp coriander seeds 1/2 serrano pepper, chopped or other hot or mild green chili pepper (optional) 1 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin, preferably roasted 1 tsp ground coriander 1/3 tsp…

Polenta Soup

By Lauren | January 27, 2023

Ingredients 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve 2 large shallots peeled and minced 1-2 tablespoon herbs de Provence 1⁄2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pinch of red chili flakes. 4 quarts veggie broth Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste 1 cup coarse stone ground yellow cornmeal 1 can rinsed and drained…

Roasted Spiced Cauliflower & Chickpeas

By Lauren | January 13, 2023

Here’s my take on another Melissa Clark recipe that will warm your heart and fill your tummy. There are a few steps to get these veggies to the oven, but then it’s pleasantly hands-off until dinner. I discovered that there is just enough baking time to get a short walk in before the winter sun…

White Bean, Kale and Tomato Soup

By Lauren | December 16, 2022

Just home from shopping at the local co-op, I needed a comforting soup that would come together quickly. This tomato-based beauty worked like a charm. The ingredients are all pantry staples, and a package of frozen spinach could easily sub in for the kale. Ingredients Olive oil 2 large shallots peeled and finely chopped 1…

On Demand Sourdough Flatbread

By Lauren | November 28, 2022

This final week of meal prep before our cross-country move was made all the easier with a large batch of this Sourdough Flatbread in the fridge.  If you’ve missed my sharing Aran Goyoaga’s sourdough starter,  here it is again. Start it on a Friday morning, and by Wednesday, you will be making bread.  Several things…

Mushroom and Walnut Bolognese

By Lauren | November 11, 2022

Adapted from Alexa Weibel’s Vegan Bolognese  Trust me on this, double this recipe because you will surely want more later in the week ahead.  Ingredients 1 cup (100 grams)  shelled gently chopped toasted walnuts  Kosher salt and black pepper 1.5 lbs fresh mushrooms (use a combination of shiitake and baby bella)  olive oil, plus more…

Gluten Free Sourdough Bread

By Lauren | November 4, 2022

There was something incredibly comforting about baking this in the midst of packing and listing our home for sale. In a week that felt like a tangle of loose ends, this loaf was solid and real. My wish is that this is the recipe that convinces you to keep a jar of sourdough starter in…

Minestrone Soup

By Lauren | October 28, 2022

Direct from Lauren’s kitchen to yours.   Ingredients Olive Oil 1 large late summer squash or zucchini- chopped in bite-sized pieces and oven roasted or sautéed in a pan until just tender but holding their shape well 1 onion peeled and chopped  1 large or four small sweet peppers seeded and chopped 2 heaping TBL…

Posted in

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.