ALLERGIES – PART III

When people think of allergies, they most often think of hay fever.  Allergies to our environment are quite difficult in trying to avoid its exposure.  Let’s face it, grass, trees and pollen are everywhere!  What many people don’t know, though, is that environmental allergies are often created secondarily to, or potentiated by food sensitivities.  If we can discover which foods we may react to, and cut back on our consumption of those foods, many times our environmental allergies will subside to one degree or another.  This approach holds true to the cumulative effect of stress upon our bodies.  The less we’re exposed to, the better we can handle the remaining allergic stressors.  Seeking out specific food hypersensitivities can help diminish overall allergic reactions. 

At home, by eliminating and then reintroducing a food, you can gain a keener insight into your digestive ability.  One of the most common problematic foods is milk, and lactose intolerance.  It can trigger asthma, earaches, headaches, muscle fatigue, sinusitis, and gastrointestinal problems, especially in children because they all usually drink so much of it.  A balanced diet can often easily supply a sufficient amount of calcium needs, even without milk and dairy products.  Try green vegetables, tofu, seafood, almonds and other nuts, and legumes as substitutes.  Milk is a great source of nutrition unless you’re allergic to it, then it’s a great source of problems.  Other foods (often associated with ear aches) are wheat, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, and sometimes soy products, all good foods for most, but not all of us.  Arthritis pain can be enhanced by food allergies, including milk, even coffee.  Dr. Spock has even joined with other physicians in questioning the value of milk for children!  (Allergies – Part IV next week)

(Dr. Richard Hanson, chiropractor in Jamestown, New York, can be reached at (716)664-0445.  Most major insurances are now being accepted.)