Monthly Boost September 2006

I am just going to plunge right in and share more on the topic of allergies…..

Why are some people allergic and others not?
Now that is a question that is usually brushed off by the answer ‘it’s to do with genetics’. This is like saying ‘well Richard got distinctions in his exams and his best mate failed miserably because of genetics’ …hhhmmm

I am not saying that genetics MAY NOT have anything to do with allergies, but it may play a somewhat minor role. You just have to look at family members, not everyone in a family has allergies, right? By the way do keep in mind that I am broadly using the term ‘allergy’ which also encompasses ‘intolerances’ here for simplicity sake.

So, because mum is allergic to house dust mite it CAN increase the likelihood of the offspring having this allergy too, but in most cases this does not happen, at least not early on in life and IF it does develop it usually occurs later in life.

Same goes for any other allergy for example, hay fever, one can have hay fever even if the parents or grand parents do not display any hay fever symptoms whatsoever, so genetics is not entirely to blame. I could go on with example after example but I will not, as I am sure you get the ‘gist’.

So what are the other factors? You may be asking…well lets start with conception…the sperm fertilises the egg and 9 months later a miraculous new human being is birthed.

When looking at allergies, I would look into……

• If conception was not natural what intervention was involved?
• How did the pregnancy go? ..any complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes etc?
• What is the health of the parents like and their diet prior to conception and during pregnancy for mum?
• Do either parent have major dental work, including mercury fillings or root canals?
• What is pregnant mum-to-be’s job? What type of environment does she work in? Does she work in a basement, or do night shifts?, an air stewardess?...etc.

Once birthed this new baby is developing and growing in every way possible over the years.

Other factors post pregnancy, that are important when considering allergies include…..

The birth itself; Was it easy or traumatic? Was it fast or slow? Were there drugs involved to get the labour going or to ‘numb’ the birthing pain? How was mum post birth? Any post-natal depression, able to breast feed? How and what was the baby fed? Was the baby/child vaccinated?, Was the baby/child exposed to antibiotics/medications (including pain killers) on a regular basis?, Was the baby/child happy?.. etc. etc.

The questions are endless as you can see, but you may be asking ‘what on earth do these questions have to do with allergies?’

Considerably, A LOT! And this information gives me valuable insight into the case at hand.

In general the more ‘toxic’ an individual the more likely allergies will develop. Some of these toxins are already present in the sperm or egg even before conception, once pregnancy has been achieved the baby becomes a ‘dumping’ site for the mum. Sorry for the graphic description but this is the case and it is not addressed in traditional medicine.

Nowadays babies are born with high levels of mercury (even before they are vaccinated) which can be from the leaching mercury from the mother’s mercury fillings, the mother’s diet can increase the toxic load in the developing foetus, mum may be unhappy during her pregnancy or depressed (so called emotional toxins)…and so it goes…

The foetus who may now be an adult in some cases or child in others or even a baby can start to display allergy type symptoms. These symptoms have been listed in the previous newsletter. One of the earlier symptoms maybe intolerance to cow’s formula milk as well as soya formula milk. These symptoms can go onto manifest further as wheat intolerance, eczema, behavioural issues such as ADHD and autism.

However, it is usually the straw that breaks the camel’s back before 'major' symptoms are experienced. For example, as a baby or even as a child they maybe completely allergy free and ‘suddenly’ at 23 yrs of age they develop hay fever, then later dairy intolerance and later Chrone’s..see the pattern? I put the word suddenly in inverted commas, as it does not happen suddenly, but the individual may believe that this is the case..however, all this can be preceded by various symptoms, such as headaches here and there, indigestion, un-expressed grief etc and this can be ‘suppressed’ by pill popping, for example, reaching out for the headache pills or indigestion tablets, taking anti-depressants, etc All this can lead to ‘allergies’ as the individual becomes more and more toxic.

It may be that at 23 years of age the person was free from allergy symptoms, but finishing university and facing the world, looking for ‘THE’ job maybe the straw that breaks the camel’s back for this person, for another this may happen after child birth, before child birth all was ‘fine and dandy’ and then suddenly the mum has all sorts of allergies. For dad it may be the stress of supporting a growing family financially or 'over-dosing' on stimulants such as coffee and/or alcohol to keep everything 'above board' (all toxins to the body, mentally and/or physically).

There is not a set protocol for working with allergies or with people, we are all unique and our genetic code confirms that, we all have different life experiences, we all respond differently to various ‘stressors’, so why should your ‘treatment’ be the same as everyone else?

For me moving to New York City in the midst of winter was that straw! …now don’t get me wrong, I love that vibrant city but I am just sharing my experience here without ‘over-sharing’ if you know what I mean....BUT its not all doom and gloom, however, it does involve you taking action and responsibility rather than just giving that responsibility over to a pill or a 5 minute session with the local doc.

Why are allergies on the increase?
I am sure you can figure that out for your self now, but the basic answer is, we are more ‘toxic’ than ever. We have junk food at our finger tips, pharmacies/chemists on nearly every street corner with readily available drugs, stressful lifestyles, ‘drugged-up’ children, micro-waves, dental toxins, ‘lethal’ cosmetic products and so on

Can we prevent them?
Sure we can! This involves looking at the individuals, toxic load, detoxification capacity, and then deciding specific routes of ‘treatment’. This route of treatment may involve, a desensitisation programme, and/or detoxification, dietary changes, lifestyle changes, nutritional supplementation and/or herbal or homeopathic remedies, to name a few. The best place to start in life is pre-conceptually for your family and for yourself as soon as possible.

However, if you already have allergies then you have more reason to try and address the cause (sooner than later), so that you prevent that allergy from developing into something more progressive.

To great health!

Khush Mark