A study “Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-like Symptom Incidence and Duration in Children” published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that probiotics reduce symptoms and duration of colds and flu. The study involved 326 children ages 3-5 treated with either a placebo, a single or a combination of probiotics twice daily for 6 months. The probiotics used were Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, or L acidophilus NCFM in combination with Bifidobacteriumanimalis subsp lactis. Results indicated that the probiotics reduced the duration and incidence of fever, coughing, runny nose. The study concluded:

“Daily dietary probiotic supplementation for 6 months was a safe effective way to reduce fever, rhinorrhea, and cough incidence and duration and antibiotic prescription incidence, as well as the number of missed school days attributable to illness, for children 3 to 5 years of age.”

Researchers have also shown in some studies that probiotics can benefit those who are already ill with various conditions, and the bacteria are thought to boost the immune system’s response to invaders. In fact, one study carried out in Italy found that regular long-term intake of certain probiotics reduced the likelihood of respiratory infection during the cold season.

Before you were born, your GI tract was sterile. The moment after your birth, the formation of bacteria began in your gut. The first ones to settle in were the immune-building ones from breast milk (in most cases), increasing your level of health and favoring your survival. In a way, we spend the rest of our lives “trashing” our digestion with bad things — like poor diet and other lifestyle choices that cause the wrong kind of flora to flourish in your intestine.

Yet gut flora, the microorganisms living in your intestines, continually and dynamically affect your immune system. Good bacteria prevent the growth of less desirable ones by competing for both nutrition and attachment sites in the tissues of the colon.*

These organisms also aid digestion and nutrient absorption — another boost to overall health. That’s why keeping the right balance of bacteria becomes critical in support of your immune system.* BioVeda offers an easy way to restore 80% of your immune system*!  Introducing, SEVEN – Natural Probiotic.

What can SEVEN do for you?

• Maintain your ideal “good” to “bad” bacteria ratio by providing the optimal environment for the growth of good bacteria*
• Support your production of B vitamins, especially folic acid and biotin, and vitamin K*
• Promote mineral absorption*
• Aid your metabolism and the breakdown of toxins*
• Help you maintain appropriate bowel transit time*
• Support your immune system function by helping you remove toxins*
• Produce lactic acid for your support of digestive processes and co- lon pH balance*
• Help you maintain serum lipid and blood pressure levels in the healthy range*
• Support your normal immune response*
• Help promote your oral health*

We know that not all probiotics are created equal. A good probiotic supplement will contain millions and millions of live bacteria to bolster and replenish levels of the health promoting good bugs in your digestive tract. Once there, these probiotic reinforcements join forces with the existing friendly bacteria to help inhibit the growth of more harmful microbes.

This, in turn, will help improve the digestion and absorption of your food and stimulate and support the immune system all while providing our “BioCore” technology to help your body naturally produce “good bacteria” on its own again. While any honest healthcare professional will admit that no one probiotic is the solution for everyone, SEVEN our “Natural Probiotic” has impressed practitioners across the board.  Get yours today!

* These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Reference:

[International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Therapy and Toxicology, July, 2005]
[Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, Sept. 2008]
[Pediatrics, Aug, 2009]

- by Dr. Eric Herman, D.C.  BioVeda Health & Wellness Center of Bethlehem, PA

If you’re allergic to ragweed pollen, fall is most likely not your favorite season. “Depending on where you live, fall is ragweed time,” says Julie McNairn, MD, an allergist/immunologist in Cincinnati, Ohio. During this time, dry leaves, grass, and hay mold harbor allergens such as mold spores and pollen.

“Seasonal allergies,” adds Dr. McNairn, “vary. You may experience symptoms one year and not the next. It’s very unpredictable,” she says. “It is also really hard to say from year to year how the allergy season will be.”

Diagnosing Fall Allergies

Like most seasonal allergies, the symptoms of typical fall allergies usually include sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy and watery eyes. These symptoms can interfere with your daily activities, impairing your ability to perform at work or school.

Ragweed pollen is one of the most common reasons for fall seasonal allergy symptoms. A hardy plant, ragweed grows everywhere, but is particularly common in the Northeast, South, and Midwest regions of the United States. Peak ragweed season starts in mid-August and lasts through October.

Ragweed pollen also is known to cause a condition known as oral allergy syndrome (OAS). In OAS, you may experience itching in your mouth and throat, along with mild swelling, after you consume fresh fruits and vegetables such as banana, cucumber, melon, and zucchini.

In addition to ragweed pollen, pollen from other plants, trees, and grass can trigger allergies in the fall. If you’re allergic, mold can also lead to a reaction during the autumn months. “Molds can be both indoor and outdoor,” says McNairn. “The only time you really get rid of the mold [outside] is if you have a lot of snow on the ground,” she says.

Tips for Managing Fall Allergies

To reduce your exposure to fall allergens such as mold and pollen, McNairn suggests the following:

• Use a dehumidifier, an electric appliance that can decrease humidity in your house, to keep the relative humidity in your home at less than 50 percent.
• Ask someone who is not allergic to clean visible mold with a diluted bleach solution.
• Regularly clean room humidifiers, because they are prone to developing mold.
• Have someone who is not allergic do yard work (raking leaves, mowing the lawn), or wear a facemask and goggles if you must do it yourself.
• Keep the windows shut and the air conditioner running when ragweed pollen levels are high.
• Shower after being outdoors and avoid taking your dirty clothes and shoes into the bedroom, to keep the room as pollen-free as possible.

Alternative Treatments

Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy or NSRT provides a novel and unique approach to wellness that is based on proven, accepted science, allowing patients who generally have very few if any treatment options to experience symptomatic relief. Our technology and science are based on these four facts:

1. Stress causes or exacerbates most health related conditions. “According to The American Medical Association (AMA), stress is the cause of 80 to 85 percent of all human illness and disease. Every week, 95 million Americans suffer some kind of stress-related symptom for which they take medication. “
2. A general reduction of stress levels can significantly decrease symptoms of many conditions.
3. The brain creates associations between stressful events and substances which are often times inappropriate and subsequently lead to a host of chronic and acute conditions. As an example, “Allergies are abnormal or inappropriate reactions of the nervous system that occur in response to otherwise harmless substances.” – Alternative Medicine Encyclopedia
4. If these associations can be broken, by introducing a positive stimulus in conjunction with the specific stress inducing substance… symptoms can be reduced or eliminated.

Stress is the key word. Our technology measures stress levels in the Autonomic Nervous System, Identifies substances that cause stress levels to rise, and couples these environmental stressors with a positive stimulus which in this case is the release of endorphins and enkephalins triggered by nerve bundle stimulation during light therapy. Endorphins and enkephalins are the body’s natural sedative and pain killer which upon release calm the nervous system breaking the previous negative association and replacing it with a neutral association. The net result is the positive conditioning or successful neurological relaxation training of the ANS (Autonomic Nervous System) to no longer respond in a stressful manner during real world substance exposure.

Why is that so important? Well, the stress response is the first step in the cascade of events that end up with sneezing, sniffling, sinus pressure, gas, bloating, diarrhea, itching, welting and burning skin irritations, wheezing and difficulty breathing. These are all symptomatic expressions the body uses to expel toxins or substances it believes are harmful to the body through the nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, integumentary (The skin) and musculo-skeletal systems.

All of these conditions can be described as being kicked off with an Autonomic Nervous System Mediated Response. NSRT (Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy) is very effective at alleviating or eliminating the triggers that lead to these symptoms.

Our devices are not meant to diagnose or treat any specific condition. The benefits of reducing stress on the nervous system however, and reducing or eliminating autonomic nervous system mediated responses can have wide reaching positive effects on a number of symptoms and conditions that previously had limited therapeutic options.

The benefits of NSRT are further magnified due to the fact that our procedure is fast, highly accurate in substance specific assessment, non-invasive, painless and effective. NSRT requires no drugs, no needles and no dietary restrictions making NSRT a safe and holistic alternative for patient care.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is highly effective in the treatment of allergies and fully capable of stimulating the organism to heal to the point of complete relief from all allergy symptoms.

Many of us have suffered from allergies at one time in our life, and usually the best treatment offered was symptomatic relief through avoidance of the allergen or through medication. Homeopathy, on the other hand, addresses the cause of the sensitivity to allergens at the deepest possible level; avoiding the allergen (the substance responsible for the allergic response) or resorting to suppression of symptoms through ongoing symptomatic treatment becomes unnecessary once this sensitivity has been eliminated.

An Allergist is the medical specialist that commonly uses small doses of an allergen in order to desensitize a person to that allergen. This concept of using small doses of what might cause a problem in order to help prevent or heal the person is an ancient observation of healers/physicians all over the world, and it is the basis for a type of natural medicine called homeopathy.

It is therefore not surprising that one of the three physicians who founded the American Academy of Allergy was a San Francisco homeopathic physician, Dr. Grant L. Selfridge. [2] Another small and forgotten footnote in medical history involves a homeopathic physician from Scotland, C.H. Blackley, who in 1871 was the first physician to identify pollen as the cause of hay fever. [3]

The truth is that allergies can be permanently overcome. The body is incredibly made and has all the mechanisms built within that allow us to attain and maintain great health. Our innate healing abilities are so powerful that we naturally overcome the majority of problems we encounter in life.

“Think about this for a minute – what if headaches didn’t come and go, they just came and stayed? Or, imagine if you still had every cut, scrape and injury you had ever gotten – you would be a mess. Obviously, you naturally recover from many conditions because your body has internal healing capabilities”.

Symptoms are often mistaken as the cause of the problem, when really they are caused by the problem. Treating a symptom instead of a root cause is like turning off a fire alarm instead of putting out the fire. Take headaches for example. Say you choose to use aspirin or ibuprofen to control the symptoms. Time and time again, you must take these pills (why do you think you get so many aspirin in a bottle?). In most cases, the underlying cause of the headache is not changing and therefore the headaches keep coming back! Wouldn’t you rather target the underlying cause and stop the headaches from returning at all?

Do you think that taking various over-the-counter drug products for symptoms is the best way to deal with allergies? Why use temporary solutions over and over again? Your immune system needs to be normalized and strengthened so you do not have to live with allergy symptoms.

Do you know about the possible side effects of antihistamines and decongestants, the primary ingredients in many over-the-counter allergy medications? Many allergy products can cause nervousness, insomnia, dry mouth, negative reactions to other substances, stomach upset and over-sensitivity to sunlight. Additionally, many of these products will cause a rebound effect, a worsening of symptoms when the drug is discontinued. Homeopathy helps your body naturally overcome allergy symptoms with no side effects, while you stay fresh and alert.

Homeopathy is the purest form of natural medicine I have found. With over 200 years of clinical use, there are no negative side effects, no known reactions with other drugs, no contraindications for use and no addictive or habit forming properties. These outstanding results are unprecedented in the history of medicine.

Homeopathic medicines have become the first of all the natural remedies to be registered by the FDA as a drug product. Homeopathy offers a safe, natural solution backed by science, clinical experience, FDA registration and, most importantly, the tests of time.

Homeopathy is designed to work very quickly. Most people will notice initial results as early as 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Others may see results in a few minutes to a few days. Others experience a sense of lightness, accompanied by an emotional release. The corresponding sense of well being or an increase in overall energy, alertness and awareness indicates the healing response is taking place within you. Another positive sign of the healing response being activated is that you will require less and less of this natural medicine as time goes on, not more and more.

Homeopathic natural medicines are powerful. Homeopathy can be safely and effectively combined with nutritional and herbal products, as well as conventional drugs and procedures. The end results of using an all-natural approach are well worth it! Natural relief is a far healthier and often permanent solution.

Homeopathy is a very individualized healing art. A single remedy for one person with allergies may not be the same as that needed for another. Treating 10 people with allergy symptoms may require just as many different homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathy offers formulas designed to strengthen you from the inside by activating your body’s natural response system to stimulate its ability to heal itself. This approach offers relief of allergy symptoms, while formulas which work specifically on the immune system may even prevent future allergic reactions. A second approach in homeopathy acclimates you for the outside by providing homeopathic preparations of the specific weeds, grasses, trees, molds and pollens found in your geographic region. Over time, your body becomes less sensitive to the exposure of these allergens, reducing the severity and frequency allergic reactions. Using both of these approaches together provide the most complete approach to allergy correction.

This contemporary homeopathic approach is the only treatment method besides immunotherapy or allergy tests and shots that offer a chance for lasting relief or potential cure from allergies. Obviously, homeopathy offers the simplest, safest, and less costly and time-invested approach. Homeopathic allergy relief is applicable to anyone with allergies and should be the practical first choice for allergy care and correction.

[1] Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America

[2] Cohen SG. The American Academy of Allergy: a historical review. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1979;64: 332-333.

[3] Reilly D, Taylor MA, McSharry C, Aitchison T. Is homoeopathy a placebo response? Controlled trial of homoeopath ic potency, with pollen in hayfever as model. Lancet October 18, 1986; ii: 881-886.

Dr. Craig Burns, D.C., A BioVeda Health and Wellness Center in East Centennial

Question: Can a pet allergy be eliminated once and for all?

Answer: Yes, but research is showing that conventional medical treatment may not be the best approach.

It is true; the incidence of pet allergies is on the rise, as is the incidence of pet allergy related asthma conditions. Therefore, the questions we must ask ourselves are: should we be concerned, why are these conditions getting worse and not better, and what can we do about it?

How Do Most Pet Allergies Work?

Pet allergies typically occur when your immune system overreacts to certain animal proteins contained in the urine or saliva. This reaction can trigger inflammation in the lining of the nasal passages (allergic rhinitis), causing sneezing,  runny nose and other signs and symptoms usually associated with hay fever. For some people, a pet allergy may be the primary cause of inflammation and contraction of airways of the lungs (asthma), resulting in wheezing, shortness of breath and other breathing difficulties.

What is the Research Telling Us?

New research from the U.S. National Institutes of Health shows that cats are the single biggest trigger for asthma, causing reactions in 29.3% of asthmatics. A Swedish study, meantime, found 40% of kids with asthma reacted to cats, 34% to dogs, and 28% to horses. For the kids who got runny noses and itchy eyes, 49% reacted to cats, 33% to dogs, and 37% to horses.

Dr. Jeffrey Davidson, an allergist in San Francisco and a clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco, says it’s fair to expect that as the incidence of allergic disease grows, so does the number of people reacting to animals. And while cat allergies are by far the most prevalent, people can be sensitized to any animals with feathers and fur, including dogs, guinea pigs, mice, birds, and ferrets.

What is Considered Traditional Treatment?

The traditional solution to pet allergies is to avoid contact with cats or dogs. Keep the pets out of the house, and avoid visiting people with pets. Avoiding cats and dogs may seem easy, but in reality, avoiding all people who have a cat or a dog makes an avoidance strategy nearly impossible.

You’d be surprised to know how many people, with non-life-threatening allergies, live with pets despite having allergies to them! However, in many cases the situation is much worse: people are forced to live on medications that help manage their symptoms, or worse yet, are forced to get rid of their beloved pet forever.

For many of us our pets are like our children and we cannot imagine a life without them. So what should we do in a case where our “furry” children make us miserable? Perhaps, it is time to find a better way to understand and treat these symptoms?

Is There a Better Solution to Pet Allergies?

Yes, a new solution is emerging, and boy is it long overdue!

There is a group of trusted and well respected health care practitioners that have a new and improved way of looking at, and addressing pet allergies. A BioVeda Health and Wellness Practitioner is a type of health care provider that is equipped to offer real, long lasting relief.

In short, the BioVeda Wellness Practitioner is focused on the #1 factor missing in most other forms of treatment for pet allergies:

Instead of trying to control the symptoms, the concern is trying to control the cause of the symptoms, the over active immune system or hypersensitive stress response.

Does this sound like a more logical, more direct approach to treating the patient and not just the symptom? You bet it does.

As a BioVeda Wellness Practitioner, we are seeing success where other treatments have failed. To their surprise, the patients we are treating are astounded by what we are doing for them, and so thankful it brings many to tears. Now, that’s real health care!

Contact a BioVeda Health & Wellness practitioner to learn more!

- Guest Columnist, Liz Hopwood, BioVeda Health and Wellness Center

Do you have itchy, red, watery eyes or a stuffy nose? It’s allergy season again and most likely you or someone you know has allergies. This is something I personally have to deal with each year.  I love spring time and being outdoors but pollen drives me back inside when least desired.  Our immune system is in overdrive and what we are really suffering from is hay fever!  Hay fever usually refers to allergic reactions to outdoor airborne materials such as pollens and molds.  Hay Fever is caused by many different types of pollen. In this article we are going to discuss three of the most common types: Ragweed, Grass, and Birch.

Allergy problems typically begin midsummer when the pollen grains are released by mature flowers. The release of pollen is said to be the densest in rural areas right after dawn.  In urban areas, this peak is reached between 10am-3pm. The pollen grains have a capacity to travel great distances and have been found 400 miles out in the ocean.

Researchers are finding that vegetables and fruits contain the very same proteins as tree, grass and weed pollen, which are called profilins. When a child or adult eats an offending food, the body’s immune system responds as if it were actually ingesting pollen.

Ragweed grows throughout the United States and prefers dry, sandy soils located. Symptoms include eye irritation, runny nose, stuffy nose, puffy eyes, sneezing, itchy nose and throat. For those with severe allergies, asthma attacks, chronic sinusitis, headaches and impaired sleep are symptoms. If you are allergic to ragweed, you could also have reactions to cantaloupe, banana, sunflower seeds, zucchini and cucumber.

Grass pollen allergies are more difficult to determine. Some of the symptoms of grass allergy are: breathing disorders, sneezing, congestion, constant dry cough, sore throat. If you have a grass allergy you could also have reactions to peaches, celery, melons, tomatoes and oranges.

Birch trees release pollen between March and May each year. If you have hay fever you will most likely experience the worst symptoms in April. Symptoms include eye irritation, runny nose, stuffy nose, puffy eyes, sneezing, and inflamed, itchy nose and throat. If you have severe allergies you could experience , asthma attacks, chronic sinusitis, headaches and impaired sleep are symptoms. If you are allergic to birch trees you could also have reactions to apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums, nectarines, kiwi, carrots, celery, potatoes, peppers, parsley, coriander, walnuts, almonds, walnuts.

Who wants to stay inside during the most beautiful time of the year? I certainly do not!   BioVeda Health and Wellness Center can help. Contact a BioVeda Health and Wellness Center near you to learn how the BAX 3000 and the BAX AURA can help you or someone you love during hay fever and pollen season!  You could be back outside and enjoying the beautiful weather!

-By Dr. Craig Burns, A BioVeda Health and Wellness Center in East Centennial, CO

People with allergies know that the sniffling and the sneezing is “part of the deal” when it comes to having allergies. But, what many people with symptoms like sinus and migraine headaches, fatigue, depression, skin and digestive issues don’t know is that they might have allergies too! And, the allergic reaction may actually be the root cause of their condition, which is why treatment methods in the past have failed to produce great results.

Although not everyone agrees that conditions like Chronic Fatigue, IBS, and migraine headaches have any connection to allergies, it is true in many cases. New research is pointing to the idea that allergic reactions or chemical hypersensitivities may be at the root of these and other common conditions.

CFS and Fatigue Issues

Leo Galland, MD, director of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine in New York City and author of “Power Healing” point out that people with CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and similar conditions exhibit an over reactive immune system. “I believe that being an allergic individual predisposes you to chronic fatigue syndrome,” says Galland. “Chronic fatigue syndrome seems to be associated with an over-reactivity of certain parts of the immune system, which is similar to what we see in people with allergies.” He goes on further to say, “Mold allergy is an important cause of fatigue and muscle aches. A significant proportion of people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia have mold sensitivity.”

So, if allergies are in fact part of the cause of CFS, then wouldn’t it make sense to make it part of the cure as well? Should you run out to the pharmacy and stock up on allergy medication to cure your fatigue problem? No! Instead, someone with CFS and similar fatigue issues would be wise to consult with a BioVeda Health and Wellness practitioner. These health experts are widely versed and well trained in the detection of “hidden” allergies and always take a more holistic, more cause focused approach to eliminating the symptoms and strengthening the body.

Depression and Mood Issues

Scientists are now discovering that mood and behavior is closely linked to the presence of allergies, even the difficult to detect “hidden” allergies. Again, chemical hypersensitivities cause stress on the main frame computer in the body, the nervous system. When this system is stressed out and under performing any number of symptoms can arise. And worse yet, many doctors do not give credit to this cause and effect relationship, which therefore leads to misdiagnosis and overuse of prescription and over the counter medications to manage the “in-curable” symptoms.

Many doctors are behind the times. There is a good deal of evidence pointing to direct biochemical processes connecting hypersensitivities, aka allergies with mood and behavior problems like depression, ADD, ADHD, etc. Even recently posted articles are saying that the only thing to do is treat the depression with antidepressants and the allergies with shots or antihistamines. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Again, someone with mood and behavior issues would be wise to consult with a BioVeda Health and Wellness practitioner. These health experts will first look for any “hidden” allergies before suggesting medications. And, they always take a more holistic, more cause focused approach.

Sinus and Migraine Headaches

There is definitely a connection between sinus and migraine headaches according to Dennis Gersten, MD, who practices psychiatry and nutritional medicine in Solana Beach, CA, and is the author of “Are You Getting Enlightened or Losing Your Mind?” Unlike tension headaches, which are usually due to other non-allergy related forms of stress, sinus and migraine headaches often times have a chemical trigger, aka allergic response.

When you breathe in an allergen it can trigger a reaction, says Harold Nelson, MD, senior staff physician at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. Researchers believe that certain cells in the immune system can become hypersensitive and when triggered will cause the release of chemicals that cause swelling of blood vessels, which in turn can trigger the headache.

The western medical approach is to suppress the immune system response or to medicate the symptom. On the other hand, a BioVeda Health and Wellness practitioner would focus on correcting the abnormal immune response at the root level. Instead of suppressing the body, they would focus on eliminating the weakness and ultimately strengthen the body. In the end, if the cause is never addressed the patient will never get better. And, we all know how that story ends.

What Does All This Mean?

When the immune system and other parts of the central nervous system are overridden by chemical stressors in the environment they have a tendency to over react on a frequent basis. This over reaction is better known as a symptom. And, these symptoms are not limited to just runny noses, coughing or sneezing.

It would appear that “hidden” allergy problems and conditions like CFS, Depression, Sinus and Migraine Headaches are more related than we think. In fact, some researchers say that even more symptoms are caused by “hidden” chemical sensitivities like IBS and digestive issues as well as various skin conditions.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Like with most things in life there is a choice to be made. We can continue suppressing the body, medicating and neglecting the root cause of symptoms and condition or we can do something different. We can focus on the cause of the condition and proceed accordingly. This is way of thinking is certainly more natural and holistic. After all, how many people out there need to be misdiagnosed and mistreated before we realize that working with the body is always better than working against it?

Instead of ignoring the problem, medicating the symptom, or practicing avoidance… spread the word… there is a way to detect these “hidden” allergies and chemical sensitivities. With a new understanding combined with new technology, patients can be more optimistic than ever before.

-By Dr. Craig Burns, D.C, A Bioveda Health and Wellness Center in East Centennial

Runny noses and persistent post-nasal drips are the result of the body’s response to a simple component of a food or pollen molecule – a phenolic.  Substance intolerance shows up in many forms besides the common allergic symptoms of swelling, itching, and run-amuck mucous. For instance, it is not uncommon for practitioners to have patients report that “chocolates give them headaches”, “tomatoes cause joint pain”, their “tongue swells up”, or they “develop blisters when they eat nuts”, and they get “severe diarrhea from oranges”. Other allergic reactions to phenolics can include nausea, fatigue, depression, irritability, insomnia, trouble concentrating, muscle ache, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and a host of other unexplained and difficult-to-treat symptoms and disease complexes.  To this amazingly diverse list of afflictions, you can add autism, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia, insomnia, bedwetting, respiratory allergies, headaches, abdominal pains; and asthma in children, as well as in adults; migraine, colitis, hypertension, menstrual disorders, dermatological problems including eczema, and arrhythmias.

Don’t confuse what we’re talking about with “cure-all.” What is given here is a very brief introduction to a discipline of diagnosis and treatment that most allergy sufferers and even most allergists are unaware of. Which are the Real Allergens? It is time to rethink allergies. Maybe the more universal cause of allergies is a set of chemical compounds, more simple than proteins, called phenolics or aromatics. Unfortunately, many researchers holding to the concept of proteins as allergens have largely ignored the work done on phenolics.

Some studies over the past decade suggest that more attention should be focused on aromatic organic chemical compounds found in most foods, pollens, and other organic materials. Since many of these aromatic chemicals are related to phenol, they are called phenolics as a class of physiological substances. Most perfumes, many cooking odors, and many other chemical smells are phenolic compounds, as is everything from the purple color of a grape (malvin) to the spicy taste and smell of cinnamon (cinnamic aldehyde). There are thousands of different phenolic compounds that a person could be allergic or hypersensitive to and not even know it, which is why it is so difficult to address using conventional methods.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of treatment techniques for asthma and allergies do not even consider phenolic sensitivity as a possible factor. Could this be why many forms of allergy treatment do not work? A substantial step forward in understanding allergies is taken by considering the part phenolic compounds have in the plant and animal kingdoms and in human body chemistry. This is especially true of food allergies. Many clinicians dismiss phenolics outright while others are searching for new ways to look at the chemical arena of allergies. Attempting to address allergies without addressing phenolic sensitivity is ridiculous.  How a person develops this condition is complicated. Just know that to test and treat allergy symptoms appropriately this information can not be ignored, but often times it is!

Science is pointing to the fact that phenolics are the cause of a substantial number – if not most allergic responses. Fortunately, there is new technology that can accurately test and treat for phenolic sensitivity. And, given the complexity of the topic I consider it nothing short of a revolutionary breakthrough!

By, Dr. Craig Burns, A BioVeda Health and Wellness Center in East Centennial

Studies show that Americans are frustrated and concerned about the accelerating allergy epidemic.  As the allergy season begins its approach, long standing allergy sufferers begin to wonder, “Will my symptoms be worse this year than they were last year?”

A new survey shows that 60% of spring time allergy sufferers are having very limited success in treating their itchy eyes, scratchy throat, runny nose, and congestion problems. In fact, most people with spring time allergies will be forced to miss work due to the severity of seasonal symptoms. In addition, symptoms seem to be increasing year after year despite the efforts of Western Medicine.

Perhaps, the question we really must be asking is, “What can we do differently to make this year better than the last?”   What is everyone else doing, and does it work?

The results showed avoidance was the most popular type of treatment tried (74%), followed by over-the-counter medicines (70%) and prescription drugs (59%). Survey correspondents claimed that none of the main strategies for controlling symptoms were as effective as they hoped for; including over-the-counter medications, prescription medication and avoidance strategies.

Basically, everyone is trying the Western Medical Approach, but with very little success. This approach is so widely advertised and promoted by the AMA, that people keep trying the same thing, expecting a different result. Remember, Albert Einstein referred to this way of thinking and behaving as “insanity”! Isn’t it time dor a different approach? As the number of people that suffer from allergy and asthma increases year after year, one must wonder… isn’t it time for a different approach?

People with seasonal allergies would be wise to consider the following questions:

1. Do we really want to go through life avoiding pollen, grass, trees, etc – is that really how we are meant to live?
2. Do we feel comfortable with the idea of taking allergy medications for the rest of our lives with no real end in sight?
3. Is avoiding a problem any kind of real solution?
4. Can we ever really “cure a problem” if we never focus on the actual cause of the problem?
5. What are the side effects and unforeseen consequences of a life long subscription to the Western Medical approach?
6. And, is there a better way?

If you have allergies and want to find your way out of the Western Medical maze and find permanent relief once and for all contact us.

-Dr. Jeffery Linder, A BioVeda Health and Wellness Center in Bryant Park NY

By reducing the substance induced stress, the Bioveda BAX3000 may result in the improvement of the nervous system function.  As a result, the function of the immune system is dramatically increased.

Another way to improve immune system function is through food.  According to the April 2010 edition of Muscle and Fitness magazine, Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, explains that “Active bodies are under increased stress form exercise, and can benefit form certain supplements and nutrients.” Also according to the same editions Muscle and Fitness article, Andrea Platzman, MS, RD, CDN, LDN says “While there are certainly no guarantees in the crapshoot of wellness, including these 19 foods and supplements in your diet could be your best shot at avoiding a runny nose and serious downtime from training.”

The following are foods and supplements that have been shown to strengthen the immune system:

Foods:
1. Yogurt
2. Fatty fish – mackerel, salmon, and sardines
3. Garlic
4. Honey
5. Oysters
6. Tea
7. Grapefruit
8. Red meat
9. Mushrooms
10. Nuts and Seeds

Supplements:
1. Probiotics
2. Astragalus root
3. Glutamine
4. N-acetylcysteine
5. Whey Protein
6. Carnitine
7. Zinc
8. Magnesium
9. Vitamin C

– by Dr. Waterman, BioVeda Health and Wellness Center of San Ramon, CA

Does your child hate drinking cow’s milk? Does he often complains of stomach aches or skin rashes after drinking cow’s milk? If yes, then your child most likely is not throwing a tantrum but is suffering from milk allergy. Allergies from milk and dairy products are more common among children as compared to adults. Estimates suggest that 2 to 5 % of infants are allergic to milk. 80% of these children will “outgrow” the milk allergy by the age of 6. Still, it leaves a considerable percentage of children who carry their milk allergy into adult hood without finding allergy relief.

Cause

An allergy is caused when the immune system reacts inappropriately to a substance. The immune system performs the function of recognizing foreign proteins (antigens) present in the body (primarily when food is consumed) and forms antibodies called Immuno-Globulins. When the IG’s come across antigens, these antibodies fight them, leading to destruction of that specific microorganism. In those with allergies, the immune system misbehaves by forming antibodies or markers against safe protein substances by misidentifying them as harmful and marking them for destruction.

Those allergic to milk are actually allergic to many proteins present in cow’s milk. The two main components of milk proteins are Casein and Whey. 80% of the protein in milk consists of casein and the rest is accounted for by Whey. The immune system considers these milk proteins to be dangerous foreign elements, and initializes a series of reactions to remove them out of the body.

Symptoms

Milk and dairy allergy symptoms include:

* Skin Reactions: These include hives, eczema, red rashes, swelling of lips, face, tongue, mouth or throat.
* Intestinal and Stomach Reactions: These symptoms include stomach ache, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea and bloating.
* Misc. Symptoms: Besides above mentioned specific symptoms, there are other symptoms like excessive sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, increased coughing, sneezing, decreased brain function, and decreased immune health.

What is disturbing is that none of the above symptoms can confirm milk allergy. The only way to ascertain a milk allergy is to closely monitor the diet and subsequent reactions.

Treatment

Unfortunately, there is no allopathic cure to properly treat milk allergy. Allopathic medication too fails to provide any cure. The problem is the fact that milk and dairy products are an integral part of the diet. Be it adult or children, milk is fundamental to every diet. The only sure shot method is to avoid the allergen, which in this case are milk and other dairy products. However, it is not easy as a major portion of diet comes from dairy products especially milk.

- by Dr. Gary Douglas

This article discusses pollen and allergy season and ways to ease your symptoms, like sneezing,  naturally.

10 Ways to Ease Your Allergies Naturally

While the flowers and warmer temps are welcome signs of spring, sneezing, stuffy noses and watery eyes are mainstays of the season you could probably do without. Yes, pollen and all of their allergy-aggravating friends are back! Try these simple, natural ways to leave allergies—and all the runny noses, dry eyes and wheezing—in the dust.

Fight back with folic acid!

People with high levels of folic acid experience fewer allergies, according to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Folic acid may help regulate the immune system’s response to allergens. Eating more whole-grain breads and legumes, both great sources of the nutrient, may help you tuck away those tissues.

Make a clean sweep

Once a week, scrub down the house with hypoallergenic, fragrance-free cleaners and wash your bed sheets in hot water (130 degrees) to kill dust mites and banish pollen. Be sure to choose impenetrable mattress, pillow and comforter covers. Finally, make sure your vacuum has a HEPA filter, which will trap dust and pollen. Choose one labeled “true” or “absolute” to get the job done right.

Know when to expect sneezing

Track pollen counts at Pollen.com and plan on closing your windows and turning on your air conditioner or dehumidifier to keep out allergens when numbers are skyrocketing. On windy days, or a few days following high winds, pollen count is high because pollen has been spread throughout the air, and mold spore counts can be high after a heavy rain. You may want to consider moving your jog from the park to the gym on those days.

Kick off your shoes

Your treads can track in pollen, grass, mold and other allergens, so check them at your door when you come home. You’ll also have much less dirt in the house!

Wipe down your dog

Lucky may be cute and loving, but he is also a host for allergy inducers like pollen, which you breathe right in when you pat, hug and play with him. After a walk or backyard playtime, wipe down your “best” friend with a damp towel before letting him in the house, You’ll both be healthier for it!

Work out at dusk, not dawn

Morning dampness increases mold counts in the air and early afternoon temperatures cause plants to open up and release more pollen, so the best time for hitting the park is at dusk rather than during daylight hours.

Spice things up

Wasabi and cayenne pepper can cause your nose to run, which, while annoying, serves to flush out allergens. Turmeric acts as a natural inflammatory, stifling allergy symptoms. Have an extra smidge of the green stuff with your sushi to say “bye-bye” to sinus aggravation this time of year, and be free with the cayenne pepper in chicken dishes and turmeric in curry dishes. The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon, sardines, herring, cod and mackerel also have anti-inflammatory powers. Eat up, and breathe easier, too.

Pick up a neti pot

Allergists say the small gadget, which resembles Aladdin’s lamp, is a great way to clear out pollen particles. To use it, fill it with lukewarm, lightly salted water. Tilt your head to one side and slowly pour the water into the higher nostril; breathe through your mouth as the water travels back out the opposite nostril. It may not be pretty, but neither are watery eyes and red noses! Find one at your local health food store or pharmacy, and use it over the kitchen sink or tub to prevent a mess.

Stay sneeze-free

Feel tip-top when you travel by choosing a hypoallergenic hotel room free of up to 98% of bacteria and cleared of allergens from all surfaces, fabrics and airflow. Find allergy-free accommodations at PureRoom.com.

Pucker up

Kissing for half an hour may provide relief from hay fever, a study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research showed. Whatever the reason, grab your sweetie and give those allergies the kiss-off!

Information Credited to: Lucy Danziger, Happier, Healthier You