After all, one in five adults suffers from environmental allergens, such as ragweed, cedar, and even the grass we walk on and the dust in our homes. And over one in ten of us has food allergies.

So allergies are just a normal part of life, right?

They don’t have to be.

In fact, your allergies aren’t typical. And if you’ve noticed they’re worse than they used to be, it’s likely a sign of your exposure to a dangerous and common heavy metal contaminant.

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Cadmium exposure is a common and growing concern

Cadmium is a common air pollutant emitted through industrial activities and combustion, posing health risks through inhalation. But more of us are exposed through the food we eat.

Cadmium “bioaccumulates” in the food chain, potentially leading to kidney, bone, and lung damage. Foods higher in cadmium include cereals, leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, potatoes, root vegetables, some seafood and organ meats.

Once it is inside your body, it sticks around…

According to Prosper Boyaka, professor and chair of veterinary biosciences at Ohio State University, “The problem is because cadmium doesn’t degrade easily – it has a half-life in the body of at least 15 years – if you are chronically exposed to low doses, it accumulates over time.”

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The cadmium/allergy connection

Professor Boyaka and his team of researchers set out to determine precisely how cadmium can affect us all and its connection to allergies.

In fact, thanks to previous research, the team already knew that children who have been exposed to heavy metals in toys (and even baby food) have a high susceptibility to asthma and allergic responses.

So, the team tested the cadmium/allergy connection in mice.

The researchers gave the mice a “subtoxic” dose of cadmium in drinking water for 28 days. Using a mouse model that simulates human genetic predisposition to an egg allergy, the team then exposed the mice to an egg protein to test their allergic response.

And sure enough…

Mice that drank water containing these so-called subtoxic doses of cadmium were then exposed to the allergen had a stronger allergic reaction than those protected from the heavy metal.

The cadmium-exposed mice experienced both high levels of inflammation and allergy symptoms due to two specific issues:

• First, the cadmium caused a high activation of antibodies (inflammatory molecules) in the gut.
• Second, it stimulated two enzymes that accelerate the degradation (breakdown) of vitamin D.

“Our hypothesis was that cadmium would change the microbe population in the gut because we know that dysbiosis, or a change in the microbiota, can drive allergic responses. And yes, giving those tiny, tiny doses of cadmium in the drinking water did change allergic sensitization,” Professor Boyaka said.

In other words, small doses of cadmium can cause this more intense allergic reaction to whatever your allergen is.

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How to avoid cadmium exposure and boost detox

 So, if cadmium exposure is common, how can you avoid exposure and rid your body of heavy metal built up over the years?

First, you should limit your exposure to foods at higher risk of cadmium accumulation by avoiding:

• Liver
• Kidney
• Oysters
• Scallops
• Mussels

Second, add foods that act as natural chelators, such as berries, grapes, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, chlorella, and curcumin, as well as nutrients like quercetin and selenium.

Third, take probiotics since these beneficial bacteria are an antidote for daily toxin exposure.

Finally, consider EDTA chelation therapy. It has long been used in cases of lead poisoning, but data from one study published in the National Library of Medicine demonstrated that it significantly increased urinary losses of lead, zinc, cadmium and calcium.

Sources:

EDTA chelation effects on urinary losses of cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, magnesium, and zinc – NIH

The path from pollutants in food to a heightened allergic response – EurekAlert!

Allergy Statistics in the US – Allergy and Asthma Network

Allergy Facts and Figures – Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

The post The heavy metal making your allergies worse appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Even when you don’t break out in hives or have any symptoms, your immune system could still be silently producing IgE antibodies — which are proteins produced by the immune system to protect the body from allergens.

That means if an adverse reaction like sneezing, swelling, pain, diarrhea or itchy skin doesn’t alert you that you’re allergic to certain foods, you’ll continue eating them and could experience atypical problems that might fly under the radar, like behavior and mood changes.

But new research shows that there’s an even greater danger caused by undiagnosed food allergies — one that could harm your heart on par with the effects of smoking…

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Discovery of the allergy-heart disease connection

It all started with a tick — but it certainly didn’t end there…

Researchers at the University of Virginia took note of an unusual food allergy that has a known link to heart disease.

Known as “red meat allergy,” it’s transmitted by the bite of the lone star tick, found throughout the United States.

Red meat allergy sensitizes people to alpha-gal, a sugar found in beef and pork. It can result in potentially deadly anaphylaxis just hours after eating affected meat.

It’s also linked to heart disease.

This made the researchers wonder whether other, more common food allergies could also harm the heart.

The biggest culprit

To answer that question, the UVA researchers reviewed data collected from 5,374 participants in the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES).

The team found that, among these participants, IgE antibodies to at least one food were associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular death.

This was particularly true for people sensitive to milk, but peanut and shrimp sensitization were also significant risk factors for cardiovascular death.

It’s important to note that the strongest link with cardiovascular death was not among people with known allergies to these foods, who avoided them since they caused allergic symptoms…

The strongest link was in people who had the antibodies but continued to consume these foods regularly — because they did not have typical allergic reaction symptoms.

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Mast cells at the heart of the problem

The researchers think that allergic antibodies to food may lead to the activation of mast cells, found in the skin and gut but also in cardiac blood vessels and heart tissue.

Persistent activation of mast cells could drive inflammation and contribute to plaque buildup in blood vessels, causing heart attacks or other heart damage.

But more research is needed. It’s also possible that the opposite is happening — that cardiovascular disease could increase the risk for food sensitization. In other words, heart disease could be increasing the risk for food allergies, rather than the other way around.

“This work raises the possibility that in the future a blood test could help provide personalized information about a heart-healthy diet, though before that could be recommended, we still have a lot of work to do to understand these findings,” says Dr. Jeffrey Wilson, an allergy and immunology expert at UV School of Medicine.

Stay tuned for more on this. But in the meantime, we know that the Mediterranean style of eating will work wonders for the heart.

Sources:

Allergic responses to common foods could significantly increase risk of heart disease, cardiovascular death — Science Daily

IgE to common food allergens is associated with cardiovascular mortality in the National Health and Examination Survey and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis — Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

What to Know About High Immunoglobulin (IgE) Levels — Verywell Health

People can have food sensitivities without noticeable symptoms – long-term consumption of food allergens may lead to behavior and mood changes — The Conversation

About the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey — CDC

The post Hidden food allergies and the link to heart damage appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And, if you do have any food allergies, you know that the only apparent solution is to stay away from these foods at all costs, or else face the uncomfortable or even deadly consequences.

But this can get tricky, especially when you’re faced with several food allergies at once and a dwindling list of foods you can actually eat.

If you’re one of the 15 million Americans dealing with this problem, you’ve probably already resigned yourself to a life of difficult and inconvenient food restrictions or uncomfortable allergy-related symptoms. But, you should know, that you don’t have to…

Because there are ways you can diminish, possibly eradicate, your food allergies…

In fact, researchers recently found a promising solution to food allergies in the sea: edible algae that have anti-allergy and anti-asthmatic properties.

This commercially available red algae, known as Gracilaria lemaneiformis, can counteract the negative effects that food allergens have on the immune system.

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In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Industry, mice that were given a compound from Gracilaria lemaneiformis, as well as a food allergen compound known to trigger an immune response in their body, experienced fewer allergy symptoms than mice that weren’t given the algae compound.

But this isn’t the first time that researchers have delved into the therapeutic potential of algae and other seaweeds to solve the problem of food allergies.

In previous studies, researchers identified a type of polysaccharide in certain seaweeds that eased allergy symptoms. This most recent research confirms that the polysaccharides in Gracilaria lemaneiformis have similar properties and therefore similar benefits.

This is great news for food allergy sufferers because the red algae that researchers studied is actually available for purchase as we speak. It’s already well-known for its immune-boosting properties, so it’s no surprise that it’s able to help your immune system overcome difficult food allergies as well.

Once you get your hands on some of this red algae and start the fight against your food allergies, you can also try other methods for helping your body overcome allergies…

For example, many chronic food allergy sufferers say that by healing their gut health (and getting rid of a leaky gut) they were able to overcome a long list of food allergies. The best way to restore your gut health is to pump up your probiotic intake through supplements and fermented foods and avoid sugar. So with a bit of red algae, a lot of probiotics and a lot less sugar, you could be on your way to a food allergy-free life.

Sources:

1. “Food Allergy Basics: Facts and Statistics.” Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). https://www.foodallergy.org. Retrieved June 1, 2016.

2. Qing-Mei Liu et al. “Anti-Food Allergic Activity of Sulfated Polysaccharide fromis Dependent on Immunosuppression and Inhibition of p38 MAPK.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2016).

The post Does the sea hold the solution to your food allergies? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For many, the cause of these changes can seem unpredictable and seem impossible to stop.

But the truth is, there are a number of common triggers that can make your IBS worse that, if you avoid, can make living with your condition much easier.

Here are the top four ways you could inadvertently trigger an IBS flare…

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#1 — Including FODMAPs in your diet

The majority of people with IBS find that certain foods simply disagree with them. The problem is that which foods produce the worst symptoms can vary widely between IBS sufferers.

However, some of the most common foods that can cause you trouble if you’re living with IBS fall under the FODMAPs umbrella. These are foods that are known for being difficult to digest and are not well absorbed. And those two issues together can lead to a buildup of gas and even fluid in your digestive system and the pain and bloating that seem to go hand in hand with IBS.

Foods to consider that could be on your “trigger list,” include:

• Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt thanks to their lactose composition
• Foods with high levels of fructose, from high-fructose corn syrup to fruits that you would think were good for you such as apples and watermelon
• Sweeteners such as xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol
• Fruits and veggies like apricots, cauliflower, peaches and avocados due to their polyol content
• Oligosaccharide rich foods such as legumes, onions, asparagus, broccoli and artichokes

Yes, a huge portion of that list would seem to be healthy but can actually be responsible for worsening your IBS issues.

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One more thing to be aware of when it comes to your diet…

Although they’re not actually on the FODMAPs list, both caffeine and alcohol can be an issue for people with IBS since according to the Mayo Clinic, they may cause bloating. Weirdly enough, however, this isn’t always the case since caffeine may also help IBS sufferers with constipation by stimulating a bowel movement.

This means that keeping track of how the foods and drinks you consume affect you is key.

#2 — Eating too quickly

In addition to what you eat, how you eat matters when IBS is part of your daily life.

In fact, eating too quickly can cause what’s known as aerophagia, which is a fancy way of saying that you’ve swallowed too much air. And when this happens, gas and bloating can be just a step behind.

For this same reason, chewing gum or even smoking can worsen your symptoms also.

#3 — Stressing out

If you have IBS, stress can do far more than just keep you up and night, worrying. It can also result in the activation of hormones that increase the motility of your gut.

And since people with IBS can experience this increased gut motility as pain, it’s easy to see why taking steps to ease and manage your stress could be beneficial.

That’s why it’s recommended that IBS patients spend time on self-care activities like meditation, yoga or simply taking a walk or relaxing in the bath.

#4 — Not getting enough sleep

Although the mechanism of action isn’t well understood, the research shows that lack of sleep or low quality sleep can have negative effects on your IBS issues.

In fact, a 2017 study found that poor sleep correlated with increased abdominal pain, GI issues and a higher number of days with IBS symptoms.

Researchers believe that the link may be due to the effect of poor sleep on your stress levels and the corresponding change in gut function.

Successful care for your IBS

Although it may seem like an IBS diagnosis means a lifetime of suffering, the truth is that by identifying your triggers and taking steps to avoid the things that worsen your symptoms, you can improve the function of your digestive tract and grab more symptom-free days.

One last note… because IBS often accompanies autoimmune disorders, be sure to explore all possibilities for other causes that can contribute to flares.

Sources:

1. Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diagnosis — Mayo Clinic
2. Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome — NIH
3. Effects of Disturbed Sleep on Gastrointestinal and Somatic Pain Symptoms in IBS — NCBI
4. Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Immune Fitness and Insomnia: Results from an Online Survey Among People Reporting Sleep Complaints — Springer Link
5. Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms and Causes — Mayo Clinic
6. The Role of Visceral Hypersensitivity in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Pharmacological Targets and Novel Treatments — NCBI
7. The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems — NCBI
8. Low-FODMAP Diet for Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome — NCBI
9. 7 Ways You Could Accidentally Be Making Your IBS Worse — Self
10. Common Triggers For IBS — Mercy Health

The post 4 things that trigger an IBS flare appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Like diarrhea, nausea, hives, vomiting, dizziness… or even anaphylaxis, a tightening of the airways that can be deadly. But what if, despite all your careful label reading, you’re still exposed to a food allergen because it’s not listed on the label?

That’s pretty much a food allergy sufferer’s worst nightmare. And unfortunately, it’s more likely to happen now since the FDA announced relaxed food labeling rules to keep packaged food in ample supply during the pandemic.

These new rules allow food manufacturers to swap out one ingredient for another without mentioning it on the label. Here’s everything you need to know about these new rules…

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A rundown of the FDA’s new food labeling rules

In an effort to give food manufacturers flexibility to make minor formulation changes during the pandemic, the FDA has decided that food manufacturers can change an ingredient in their products without mentioning the change on their label.

That means they don’t have to tell you everything that’s going into your food, which is alarming, to say the least. But there are a few rules they have to follow…

Ingredients they add to a product can’t have “any adverse health effect.” That rule covers the most common food allergens like gluten, eggs, tree nuts and soybeans. They can’t add those to a product without listing them on the label. But here’s the thing… not everyone’s food allergies fall under the “common” category.

Related: Does the sea hold the solution to your food allergies?

Some people have less common food allergies, like avocadoes, corn or mangoes. In fact, people can technically be allergic to any food. So, while this rule protects some people, it leaves a lot of other people in a sticky situation.

The ingredients manufacturers leave out or substitute also can’t make up more than 2 percent of the food product. But as any food allergy sufferer knows, 2 percent of an allergen is more than enough to trigger a reaction.

The FDA also says food manufacturers can’t change a product’s signature ingredients (like the raisins in raisin bread) and that the ingredients they leave out or swap out can’t change the nutrition of the product.

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But all that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of people with food allergies will be shopping blind in the coming months…

They won’t have any way to know for sure that the packaged food they purchase doesn’t contain the allergen they’re trying to avoid. This adds an extra layer of stress to an already stressful time. It also sets a dangerous precedent for future food labeling in this country.

“What scares me the most is that this temporary loosening of the laws will stick around for longer than should be permitted,” Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, author of Read It Before You Eat It — Taking You from Label to Table, told TODAY. “We don’t want the noise of politics to take precedence over the needs of people.”

How to protect yourself from hidden allergens

So, how do you protect yourself from hidden food allergens during this pandemic? Well, according to Taub-Dix, any food that directly states it’s free of an allergen on its packaging (gluten-free, shellfish-free, etc.) should be safe to eat. She also recommends contacting a manufacturer and asking them whether it contains an allergen if you ever feel uncertain about a particular product.

Dave Bloom, CEO of SnackSafely.com, told Today that he plans to only shop from manufacturers that have developed a partnership with his advocacy group and shown their commitment to transparency in allergen labeling. Here’s a list of those manufacturers.

Another way to reduce your risk of accidentally purchasing something that contains an allergen is to buy more whole foods and less packaged and processed foods. When you buy a tomato, chicken breast or whole oats, you know what you’re getting. That’ll make shopping less stressful… and makes you healthier as well.

Sources:

1. Relaxed food labeling rules from the FDA could spell danger for allergy sufferers — Today.
2. FDA Announces Temporary Flexibility Policy Regarding Certain Labeling Requirements for Foods for Humans During COVID-19 Pandemic — U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
3. Food Allergy — Mayo Clinic.
4. 8 Uncommon Food Allergies — Healthline.

The post Why the FDA’s new food labeling rules put allergy sufferers at risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Multiple sclerosis (MS).

For a long time, scientists suspected that MS was caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. But more recently we’ve learned that there’s a link between MS and several specific risk factors, like:

• High altitude
• Being a woman
• Smoking
• Low vitamin D levels
• Epstein Barr virus infection
• Teen obesity

Of course, there’s one suspected MS risk factor that’s always had a big question mark surrounding it — food allergies. There’s tons of anecdotal evidence connecting food allergies and MS symptoms…

People in online forums talk about how cutting out certain foods reduced or eliminated their MS symptoms.

Natural health gurus and nutritionists write blog posts, articles and books about the connection between food allergies, inflammation and autoimmune disorders like MS.

But there hasn’t been much scientific evidence proving this connection. Until now…

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People with food allergies have more MS flare-ups

A new study published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry found that people with MS and food allergies were more likely to have MS flare ups and visible disease activity in MRI scans.

The study included 1,349 adults with MS, 238 of whom also had a food allergy. Researchers examined how many relapses they had over the course of 16 years. They also looked at disease activity that showed up in MRI scans during that time and they asked participants how they felt during that time.

In the end, people who had known food allergies had 27 percent more MS flare-ups. People with food allergies were also twice as likely to have disease activity show up on an MRI than people without food allergies.

“Our findings suggest that MS patients with allergies have more active disease than those without, and that this effect is driven by food allergies,” the researchers wrote.

But why do food allergies drive MS symptoms? Does it all come down to inflammation like many health gurus say? Or is there another explanation?

Related: The subtle impact of allergies

Researchers think it could be inflammation. But it could also be gut bacteria….

Food allergies may affect the bacteria in your gut. And the bacteria in your gut can create neuroactive chemicals that impact your central nervous system.

Figuring out your food allergies

Here’s the thing about this study…

Researchers didn’t determine whether people who avoid foods they’re allergic to are healthier than people who don’t. But it’s scientifically proven that allergic reactions caused by food (or anything else, for that matter) trigger an inflammatory response in your body. And inflammation plays a humongous role in all autoimmune disorders including MS.

So, it stands to reason, that steering clear of foods you’re allergic to could improve your MS, not to mention your overall health.

If you have MS and you’ve never been tested for food allergies, give it a try. The most common food allergens are:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)
• Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)
• Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
• Soy
• Wheat

But technically, you can be allergic to any food. So, it makes sense to get a comprehensive food allergy test.

Some people also try an elimination diet, where they eliminate potential allergens and then slowly reintroduce these foods to see how they affect them.

If this sounds appealing to you, look into the Whole 30 diet. It’s a 30-day diet that can give you the real scoop on how your body is responding to different foods.

Sources:

1. Food allergies linked to increased disease activity in multiple sclerosis — ScienceDaily
2. Food allergies are associated with increased disease activity in multiple sclerosis — BMJ Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

The post 8 foods that could fuel MS flare-ups appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Especially if it’s a tick bite.

If you develop America’s silent plague — chronic Lyme disease — for example, you could suffer from symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, muscle pain, insomnia, neuropathy, depression, headaches and heart problems.

Of course, Lyme disease is far from the only disease transmitted by ticks. There’s also Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, Ehrlichia, Powassan disease, babesia and bartonella — all of which have their own set of life-altering symptoms.

But there’s one tick-borne disease that’s not only life-altering, it’s outright bizarre…

It’s called tick-induced mammalian meat allergy.  And, as the name suggests, it could keep you from enjoying a burger or steak any time soon…

What the heck is tick-induced mammalian meat allergy?

If you’ve never heard of tick-induced mammalian meat allergy, you’re not alone. That’s because it’s a relatively new phenomenon — the first reported case happened in 2007.

Since the disease is so new, there’s still a lot to learn about it. So far, scientists know that people who have been bitten by a tick in the last six months are developing meat allergies way more often than people who’ve never had a tick bite.

People who develop the allergy can’t eat meat without experiencing an allergic reaction a few hours later. That reaction could include symptoms like hives, skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, headaches, a runny nose and sneezing. Some people even go into anaphylactic shock, which can be deadly.

But the allergy only seems to be triggered by meat that comes from mammals — cows, pigs, lamb, goats, etc. That means chicken and fish are okay to eat. But dairy products can trigger the allergy in some people too. And so can food additives derived from meat, like gelatin.

Scientists also know that this tick-borne meat allergy is spreading across the U.S. at a rapid pace…

In fact, the disease is growing fastest in the United States and Australia. That’s because two tick species that transmit the disease have booming populations in these countries — the Lone Star tick in the U.S. and the Australian paralysis tick in Australia. The disease has also been reported in Europe, Asia, Central America and Africa.

Of course, even with all this knowledge about tick-induced mammalian meat allergy, you may still be wondering one important question… how in the world can a tick bite lead to a food allergy?

Well, it’s all related to how your immune system responds to a tick bite…

In the case of mammalian meat allergy, a tick bite causes your immune system to create an allergy antibody that’s triggered by a carbohydrate found in the flesh of mammals known as galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal). That means, every time you’re exposed to this carbohydrate, the allergy antibody releases histamines that produce allergy symptoms.

Protect yourself from tick-induced mammalian meat allergy

If you already have mammalian meat allergy, your safest option is to avoid meat that comes from mammals. Although, depending on how severe your allergy is, you may choose to eat meat on occasion. People who get a mild case of hives from eating meat, for example, may choose to eat a burger here and there, while people who have an anaphylactic reaction to meat need to avoid it at all costs.

But there is some good news…

Researchers suspect mammalian meat allergy could go away over time if you’re not exposed to any more tick bites. Other allergies have been known to go into remission over time, and there’s been at least one study where this has happened for people with tick-induced mammalian meat allergy too. But if you have a severe allergy, don’t test this theory out for yourself unless you’re working with a trusted health professional.

For the rest of us, prevention is the best medicine. That means you need to do everything you can to keep yourself from getting a tick bite in the first place. Start by:

• Spraying yourself with a natural tick repellent before going outdoors. You can buy them online or in most health food stores.
• Not walking through densely wooded areas with tall grasses.
• Walking on marked trails and not venturing off into brushy areas.
• Wearing light colored clothes so you can spot ticks right away.
• Wearing long sleeves and pants to prevent ticks from attaching to your skin.
• Doing a full-body tick check on yourself and your pets every time you’re outdoors.
• Putting your clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes after spending time in tick-heavy areas.
• Taking a shower after spending time in tick heavy areas.

And there’s one other important point to remember… not everyone who gets a tick bite develops this disease or any tick-borne disease, for that matter. A lot of it has to do with having a healthy immune system. So, do everything you can now to make sure your immune system is in tip-top shape. That way it can handle foreign invaders that come its way, tick-borne or otherwise.

Sources:

1. “Chronic Lyme Disease.” LymeDisease.org. https://www.lymedisease.org. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

2. “Tickborne Diseases of the United States.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

3. “Tick bites that trigger severe meat allergy on rise around the world.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

4. “Meat Allergy.” American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://acaai.org. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

5. van Nunen. “Tick-induced allergies: mammalian meat allergy, tick anaphylaxis and their significance.” Asia Pacific Allergy Journal. Jan 2015; 5(1): 3–16.

6. “Alpha-Gal Basics.” Alpha-Gal Allergy Awareness. http://alpha-gal.org. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

7. “Preventing tick bites.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

The post The little bug causing a big scary meat allergy appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But if you have joint pain, or get headaches in the afternoon, or you have some brain fog and can’t quite remember things sometimes … even if you just get irritable for no reason, it could be food allergies.

Of course, it can get much worse. Because there can be things on your food, not just in it, that can sicken you.

A case study reported in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), details a severe allergic reaction experienced by a 10 year-old girl who ate a piece of blueberry pie, even though she isn’t allergic to blueberries.

The problem occurred because blueberries (and other non-organic fruits) are often treated with streptomycin. It’s an antibiotic drug given to humans, but is also used on fruit to stop the growth of algae, fungae and bacteria.

The girl who suffered the allergic reaction (an anaphylactic reaction) had asthma and hay fever as well as problems with penicillin and milk. Her reaction was linked to streptomycin residues in the blueberries.

Close to 17 percent of the food we eat is imported from foreign countries. Many of these, like China, don’t have very stringent supervision of food production. So who knows what’s used on, or resides on, imported foods?

Non-organic food sold in the supermarket can be doused with a long list of pesticides, fumigants and other chemicals that can cause allergic responses. Organic food is not allowed to be treated with those substances.

But that will only help reduce the incidence of allergic reactions to what’s on your food. What if you’re sensitive to other foods? Or hidden food colorings or other chemicals?

One of the best ways to fight allergies and help power up immune function is to take in more of a group of nutrients that disappearing from today’s food (which may be why more people seem to have food allergies in the first place.)

They’re essential, and powerful. You may even call them “supernutrients.” They’re PUFAs or polyunsaturated fatty acids. You probably know them as omega-3 fatty acids.

In one study, researchers reviewed 10 clinical trials and found that omega-3s may reduce the risk of food allergies by almost 50 percent.

You need at least 1 gram of PUFAs a day, but 3 grams a day is best for allergy reduction

Wild fish is still a good source, as are walnuts, butternuts and grape leaves. But they’ve been stripped out of processed foods, and there’s not much in farmed fish

So you might want to supplement. And for best absorption, krill oil may be the best way to go. Krill has all three omega-3 fats, and delivers them faster and more completely to the places that need it most to help your immune system defeat allergies.

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For those facing leaky gut syndrome and the food sensitivities that fire it, the first step towards regaining good health is identifying the foods that are causing the problem and eliminating them.

The usual suspects

By now, we all know at least one person who has reduced or eliminated gluten from their diet. Gluten is a protein found in certain grains, such as wheat, rye and barley, and can generate significant inflammatory reactions and sensitivities. Dairy can also be problematic, as some people have trouble digesting the proteins in milk, cheese, etc. (However, it’s important to note that because it’s fermented, yogurt is an exception.)

Other common problem foods include:

• Chocolate
• Corn (including anything with high fructose corn syrup)
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Shellfish
• Sugar and other sweetener
• Soy

Prescription drugs, alcohol and caffeine can also cause problems. Stress can be a contributing factor, as inflammatory stress hormones worsen any existing problem.

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Eliminate trigger foods, eliminate symptoms

With so many different foods putting us at risk, figuring out which ones are damaging the gut can be tricky. There are a variety of lab tests that can help us figure out which foods are the culprits. But before you start performing labs, I recommend trying an elimination diet.

It’s a pretty simple process: First, eliminate all common suspect foods for 2-3 weeks and see whether those changes reduce symptoms. Keep in mind, your symptoms may worsen in the first few days of eliminating problem foods. Give yourself at least 2 weeks to reset your digestive system, emphasizing green vegetables, high fiber foods, soups and plenty of fluids to help flush things out. After 2-3 weeks, you can begin to add each suspect food back to your diet, one at a time every few days, and monitor your reactions. If your symptoms reappear, you know the most recently introduced food is likely causing the problem.

The healing process for leaky gut

Eliminating food(s) that your body finds problematic is an important start. But you still need to actively heal the gut. There are a number of supplements that can help.

Probiotic foods, such as yogurt, kefir and kimchee can help restore probiotic bacteria and keep your gut flora in balance. I also recommend foods that are high in omega-3s, such as salmon, chia and flax seeds. These can reduce overall inflammation. Bone broth from organic meats and grass fed beef is also a recommended adjunct for healing the digestive lining.

Digestive enzymes also support intestinal healing. Alpha-galactosidase, protease, amylase and lipase break down food and aid nutrient absorption. The mineral zinc is necessary to support immunity but it can also boost digestive health and may even decrease intestinal permeability. L glutamine is also an effective supplement that can help repair the digestive tract.

It’s important to restore digestive function and nutrient absorption, and also alleviate indigestion, constipation, nausea and discomfort.

Because food sensitivities trigger such vague symptoms, people often just learn to live with them. This is both unnecessary and dangerous. By making the effort to identify and eliminate problem foods, we can take a big step towards restoring digestive health and overall wellness.

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In a short time, we get relief.

But sometimes, digestive discomfort doesn’t ease up. In fact, more and more people today are suffering from chronic, long-term digestive problems that force them to endure ongoing pain, discomfort, irregular bowel movements and other difficulties. Unlike occasional indigestion, these chronic digestive troubles appear to defy conventional treatments.

However, all is not lost. Today, there are a number of safe and effective integrative therapies available that can help repair and rebuild the digestive system. From time-honored botanicals and targeted nutrients to specialized enzymes and probiotics, these and other adjuncts help improve not only digestive function but overall health and vitality.

“Health begins in the colon”

Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying, “Death begins in the colon.” In integrative medicine, we often say instead, “Health begins in the colon.” These sentiments reflect age-old principles held by traditional medical systems from around the world, which position digestive health as the key to longevity and vitality. A large and fast-growing body of published data has substantiated this critical link, demonstrating the direct relationships between digestion and cognitive health, immune response, hormone balance and more. So when we experience persistent gut symptoms, we must take action.

One of the first steps in repairing digestive health is to look at what it is exactly we’re trying to digest. Because in many cases, digestive difficulties and other ongoing health issues are a direct result of inflammatory reactions to common trigger foods, such as gluten, corn, eggs or dairy. These inflammatory responses, termed “food sensitivities,” may not cause full-blown allergic reactions, but they nevertheless trigger fiery flare-ups that damage the digestive wall over time, leading to what’s called leaky gut syndrome.

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Gas, stomach upset, loose bowels, stomach cramps, headache and fatigue. These are all symptoms of a problem more common than you may think: Gluten intolerance. It’s often linked to autoimmune issues. Instead of the body digesting the protein, it treats gluten as an… MORE⟩⟩

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Food sensitivities and leaky gut syndrome

Food sensitivities are problematic because they can be difficult to diagnose. Consider the array of potential symptoms: rashes, diarrhea, constipation, achy joints, exhaustion, asthma, sinusitis, migraines and depression. Any one of these issues could be caused by a dozen or more different conditions.

A closer look at the biology behind food sensitivities gives us more insight into the issue. Food sensitivities are akin to an autoimmune response, with the immune system treating certain food items as foreign invaders. As the immune response continues, the small intestine becomes inflamed, and over time, the chronic inflammation makes the intestinal lining more porous. Sometimes these cells can no longer form an effective barrier between the gut and the bloodstream. When that happens, undigested proteins, pathogens and molecules that would normally stay isolated in the gut, leak into the blood and act as antigens that create an abnormal immune response.

This is leaky gut syndrome, and it can affect numerous organs and systems throughout the body. With the immune system on constant alert and chronic inflammation setting fires in the gut, the body becomes vulnerable to allergies, autoimmune conditions and many other degenerative issues related to chronic inflammation. Without intervention, the problem usually gets worse.

The post Leaky gut syndrome: How illness starts in the gut and overtakes the body appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Quite often I’ll have a patient who suffers with classic allergy symptoms. Even after checking for animal dander, grasses, insects, mites, molds, trees, and weeds common to this area, they still can have all normal lab tests in the face of ongoing symptoms.

Similarly, you cannot conclusively rule out food allergy with testing in all cases. In cases like these, you have to resort to the ‘gold standard test’ which is an elimination diet. That means eliminating all problem foods and then reintroducing them back into your diet, one group at a time, to zero in the true culprit.

Elimination Diets

Let me explain three basic types of elimination diet and how to re-introduce foods so you can perform them yourself and get on the road to feeling better.

Liquid cleanse elimination diet

Since the best elimination diet removes the largest number of foods before you re-introduce foods one type at a time, I recommend beginning with a liquid cleanse for the first 3-7 days followed by juicing and only those foods allowed (see “What’s left” below). It’s the best way to get your symptoms cleared up before you re-introduce foods.

Liquid cleanse choices range from fresh vegetable and fruit juicing (easiest) to the Lemonade Cleanse (a bit more difficult) to water only (most difficult). Take a look at these and decide if you can give them a try.

But if you’re not ready to jump into a cleanse, consider either a traditional or modified elimination diet. I’ll detail both below, as well as guide you through what you can eat during an elimination diet, and how to go about reintroducing food groups — this is a very important step — after eliminating them.

Traditional elimination diet

Completely avoid the following foods for 21 days before reintroducing:

• gluten (wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, and possibly oats), and corn
• dairy (cow’s milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice cream)
• margarine, hydrogenated oils, mayonnaise, processed spreads
• soy (tofu, tempeh, soybeans, soy milk)
• nuts, coffee beans/lentils
• nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant); citrus fruits
• eggs; shellfish; pork (bacon); beef; chicken; processed meat (hotdogs, sausage)
• processed, refined sugars of all types and artificial sweeteners (if unusually sweet, you know it’s in there)

If the traditional elimination diet seems to difficult, or if you have some inkling that your allergy may be caused by one or two of the most prevalent culprit foods — gluten and diary — you could try the modified elimination diet.

Modified elimination diet

As a third alternative you could eliminate one of these for 21 days and re-introduce it. Then repeat this pattern with the other one. This is called a modified elimination diet. This diet removes dairy or gluten, plus any other food that you know you crave and eat often:

• Dairy: milk, butter, sour cream, ice cream, yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese
• Gluten: all foods (bread, pasta, cereals, etc.) that contain wheat, spelt, kamut, oats, rye, barley, or malt

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What’s left to eat while I’m on an elimination diet?

If you are doing a traditional elimination diet, this still leaves a bunch of foods you can eat:

• Grains: brown rice, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, and gluten-free flour products
• Vegetables: most all types of vegetables including potatoes
• Fruits: most all fruits
• Meats such as organic, hormone free turkey, lamb, and mercury-free fish
• Oils and fats: avocados, olive oil, flaxseed oil, and coconut oil
• Use many herbs and spices in your hot meals and salads
• Drink lots of herbal teas, water, vegetable milks, fresh juiced fruits and veggies

How to reintroduce foods

At the end of 21 days of elimination, reintroduce one food group for just one day, every three days, watching carefully for symptoms to return. Start with a small amount in the morning and watch for symptoms. If none, then eat two larger portions of that food group for lunch and again dinner.

After one day of eating the new food, remove it, and wait for two days to see if you notice the symptoms. If you find no problem with a certain food group, then plan to add it back into your diet at the end of the challenge period — after you have tested all the other food groups first one at a time. Plan for this process to take approximately five to six weeks. You will learn a lot about which foods affect your health.

Symptoms to watch for when reintroducing foods include fatigue, skin rash, joint pain, headaches, bloating or bowel symptoms, brain fog, sinus congestion/runny nose, insomnia, or any other chronic symptom you recognize that doesn’t make you feel well.

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Supplements that help reduce allergies

Digestive health is as important as eliminating culprit foods. Here are important supplements that aim to do this, which reduce allergies by improving the “leaky gut” condition responsible for so much of chronic disease states. If you decide to try any of these, add them after you’ve fully completed one of the elimination diets — not prior to or during.

• Digestive enzymes at the start of each meal reduce allergy triggers at the intestinal wall. They reduce food nutrients down to the size that the small intestine can easily absorb. Bromelain (papaya enzyme) can be used as a digestive enzyme that has anti-allergy benefits.
• Betaine HCL taken with meals also boosts the digestive process. Watch out for an acid feeling if you have a sensitive stomach which can occur at first, but resolves.
• Pro-biotics are the healthy bacteria you need in your intestinal tract to balance your intestinal flora and secrete butyrate (which aids in keeping “leaky gut” damage to a minimum). Take these between meals twice a day.
• Alkaline minerals are useful as co-enzymes in metabolic reactions and to promote alkalinity with foods that are overly acid-forming in today’s diet.
• L-Glutamine at 1000mg three times daily is proven to aid in healing the intestinal lining cells. ^[1]
• Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid formed naturally by the fermentative action of microflora bacteria on high fiber food in the human intestinal system. Butyrate is not common in health food stores, however, and may need to be ordered or purchased online.
• Lectin neutralizers. Lectins are a class of proteins found in many popular foods that are known to trigger unhealthy immune responses in your weakest body tissue ^[2]. The natural substances such as okra, D-mannose, sodium alginate and bladder wrack bind and neutralize lectins and also encourage healthy probiotic bacteria growth ^{[3] [4]}

With all these tools for allergy elimination, you are bound to reverse your symptoms and prevent chronic disease.

To healing and feeling great,

Michael Cutler, M.D.
Easy Health Options

[1] Basivireddy J, Jacob M, Balasubramanian KA. Oral glutamine attenuates indomethacin-induced small intestinal damage. Clin Sci (Lond). 2004 Sep;107(3):281-9.
[2] Pierini Carolyn M. Lectins: Their Damaging Role in Intestinal Health, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Weight Loss. Vitamin Research News. 2007;21(1):1-4
[3] Anderson DM, Brydon WG, Eastwood MA, Sedgwick DM. Dietary effects of sodium alginate in humans. Food Addit Contam. 1991;8:237-248.
[4] Zapopozhets TS, Besednova NN, Loenko luN. Antibacterial and immunomodulating activity of fucoidin. Antibiot Khimioter. 1995;40:9-13.

The post Digging deeper at the root of what’s making you sick appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For example, you may eat something you’re sensitive to and have a reaction as long as 3 days after consuming it. Or it may just add to ongoing chronic inflammation causing your symptoms. Headaches, sinus infections, fatigue, irritability, depressed mood, asthma, arthritis, eczema, obesity…and the list goes on and on. Such was my case with my newly discovered bread (wheat flour) allergy I mentioned in my previous article.

Doesn’t it make you wonder why 75% of all healthcare costs in America are still being spent on chronic disease? It’s because we have not been looking to causes and ways to prevent or reverse illness. Instead we are focused on treating illness (with a prescription drug or surgery). Wouldn’t you like to find the root of your chronic problem? It is estimated that 95 percent of us have food sensitivity.

If you have never been tested for a link between what you eat and how you feel, then please consider what I’m telling you: food intolerances (a.k.a. food sensitivities) trigger a wide range of chronic symptoms, and you will likely not even realize it. It could be well worth it to have a comprehensive food allergy testing from a reliable lab. Two commercial labs I have chosen to use for my patients are Genova Diagnostics (www.gdx.net) and Immunolabs (www.immunolabs.com). But if you have a doctor you trust, you could talk to him or her about the tests I’ll describe here.

IgG food allergy tests

Immunoglobulins are the microscopic antibody proteins of your immune system. When you ingest, inhale, or absorb (via skin) something that is unhealthy for your body, your immunoglobulins will react in an attempt to protect you. The result is inflammation somewhere in your body tissues. The main immunoglobulin (Ig) in your blood is IgG (and IgG subtypes). Therefore, food allergy blood tests detect your IgG antibody response to various foods. They use the modern process known as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

What foods do they test for? Basic testing will check for your reaction to common food categories such as milk, corn, wheat, eggs, and foods processed with molds. If you are found to have antibodies to certain food types, you can then exclude these from your diet and watch your symptoms fade away over 4 to 6 weeks.

More in-depth testing, such as Genova’s IgG4 antibodies food allergy test checks for “delayed” food reactions known to worsen many health conditions. This profile done from just a drop of blood (instead of tube of blood obtained by venipuncture) measures IgG4 antibodies of these 30 common foods:

The Immunolabs BloodPrint is similar but even more extensive. Because every food you eat has its own unique set of natural (or man-made) chemicals, you will react differently to each food you consume. Immunolabs claims that 95 percent of subjects tested show a positive reaction to one or more foods they are consuming on a regular basis. These can even be nutritious foods such as corn, soy (these two are very likely to be genetically modified by-the-way), egg whites, green pepper, whey, or even chicken. This is to say, the foods you test positive for are very likely causing chronic low-grade health problems—and you don’t even realize they are contributing to you illness.

Here is what they test for in their 88-item food allergy BloodPrint test:

However, if your test is negative does this prove the foods tested are not involved in causing your chronic symptoms? No, and let me tell you why.

It’s because sometimes more subtle reactions occur to foods which do not cause your immune system to produce antibodies. Antibodies are generally produced only when the allergy is prominent. It will take food elimination to identify these.

In my next article I’ll take up elimination diets and other safe and inexpensive allergy treatment methods. I’ll also look at several other allergic causes of chronic illness and how to test for them too.

To healing and feeling great,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources
Allergix® IgG4 Food Antibodies — Bloodspot 30 — Genova Diagnostics
Bloodprint diagnostic testing and nutritional program — Immuno Laboratories

The post Food allergy testing could relieve your health woes appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Every illness has more than one cause — you just have to discover them. And that discovery could be the key to your renewed health and vitality and the end of annoying, sometimes debilitating chronic symptoms.

For years I’ve believed that allergies are the cause of chronic symptoms. I call it immune hypersensitivity — the major hidden culprit of nearly all chronic diseases. This past month I discovered how powerful — and subtle — allergic causes are when I cured my rosacea by going off bread.

In this and subsequent articles we’ll get to the bottom of allergic causes of chronic illness. With just a little guidance, you’ll be able test for your own allergy triggers and discover how to eliminate them — all for the sake a feeling better and enjoying great health.

Idiopathic illness

In your search to cure your chronic symptom or illness, I’ll bet your doctor has done several tests trying to detect and characterize your illness. Few tests, however, look for real underlying causes so that you can actually cure your illness. Instead, you were likely given a prescription medication to treat your symptoms.

In contrast, consider my personal experience. I have been to dermatologists, estheticians, and even sought online advice seeking an effective treatment for my dandruff and rosacea (face rash) of more than 25 years.

Medicated shampoos did not work for the dandruff. And my face was always pink with very inflamed skin. Sometimes my forehead and cheeks peeled fully on a weekly basis. Emollients and antibiotics did not work for my rosacea. Only steroid creams or prednisone pills (which are not safe for long-term use) could suppress the inflammation I suffered. Nothing came close to curing it, although I did improve greatly when using a probiotic blend two years ago.

What food do I love and eat most? You guessed it…bread! I loved bread—dearly!

I had suspected this could be part of my problem for years, but couldn’t bear the thought of eliminating bread from my diet…until 6 weeks ago.

The first two weeks off bread were the most difficult, but certainly something anyone could do. In four weeks off bread my skin became 95 percent healed. Now my normal brown skin tone from my youth has returned and I love it! My scalp and face skin is no longer flaking off continuously. I can use almost any cleanser or emollient and my face will not react because the cause of the inflammation is gone.

So there you have it! I eliminated wheat flour (bread, pasta, processed cereals, cakes, cookies, etc.) and this is the only change I made. My “idiopathic” condition has now been cured. And you can do the same to get to the real root of yours as well.

What symptoms to look for

An immune hypersensitivity (allergy) that causes a chronic inflammation is much more subtle than the classic allergic rhinitis symptoms of runny/stuffy nose, itchy eyes, or sneezing that you would expect from pollen allergy.

Chronic inflammation involves pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as the interleukins (IL-1, IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and others. They cause symptoms such as:

• Joint/nerve pain
• Skin rashes
• Asthma
• Headaches
• Dementia
• Hormone imbalances
• Hypertension
• Stomach acid
• Intestinal disorders
• Fatigue
• Depression or anxiety
• Obesity

You may also want to take an honest look at any intestinal symptoms you may have, since food hypersensitivity is related to gut inflammation. Bloating, indigestion, and gas are easy signs of gut dysbiosis (unhealthy intestinal bacteria overgrowth) and also leaky gut syndrome, an extremely common condition in which large unwanted proteins from food seep into your bloodstream through the small intestinal wall, causing immune hypersensitivity.

What could you be allergic to?

Sooner or later you should be asking yourself, “What are the most likely allergic causes for my chronic symptoms or illness?” Consider all that you breathe, put on your skin, or ingest.

What you ingest daily is by far the largest potential cause here. These foods and liquids go directly to your small intestine, and then most of it gets injected directly into your blood stream. Therefore, you must first consider what food sensitivity you could have that may be a hidden cause of disease.

This leads to a few more food related questions. What proportion of your diet is inflammatory food such as processed sugar, trans-fats, processed grains, or chemical additives, dyes, and preservatives? All of these promote chronic inflammation.

And, what proportion are fats from processed seed oils (e.g. safflower, soy, sunflower)? Processed oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids. A high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is inflammatory. Furthermore, fat that gets highly heated turn into trans-fatty acid, and these trans-fats are now known to greatly increase heart disease.

Contrariwise, what proportion of your food is fatty fish, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables? A perfect example of an anti-inflammation diet is the Mediterranean diet, characterized by a high consumption of fresh and cooked vegetables and olive oil, and moderate consumption of [animal and vegetable] protein.

These are just a few ways to help you discover if a food allergy is the hidden cause for chronic symptoms and disease. In my next article I’ll explore more on this subject, including the best tests available to detect food allergies and treatment.

To feeling healthy and happy,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

The post Lock down the triggers aiming to make you sick appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Allergies are now an all-year affliction. We have toxic molds, pests, food allergies, pet allergies … even our genes can trigger reactions to allergens.

New research from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study also shows that when infants are exposed to traffic pollution they are more susceptible to developing allergies.

And these days, what babies aren’t exposed? They all ride in cars, or get walked down streets in a stroller … it’s inevitable.

Of course, springtime is still a severe season for the one out of seven of us who start to have our noses clog with painful sinusitis as plants fill the air with their allergens.

The good news is, help is available: Natural therapies not only offer long-term support for sinuses and against allergies, and they can improve your overall health, too.

While chronic sinus problems may not seem like a serious health threat, they can indicate imbalances in other systems such as digestion and immunity. Sinus infections may also cause symptoms like chronic headaches, abdominal pain and menstrual problems.

Allergies and digestion: Dairy and gluten

It may seem like a stretch to link allergies with digestion, but they are very closely connected.

One common source of allergies is intestinal inflammation which allows large molecules to pass through the gut wall, entering the circulation. When the immune system identifies these foreign molecules, an immune attack is launched.

This allergic reaction initiates an inflammatory process that can significantly affect the sinuses. Two dietary sources known to cause sinus congestion and allergies in many people are dairy products and gluten (found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt and kamut).

By avoiding these two food groups, allergy-prone individuals can find significant relief from acute and chronic sinus problems.

The sinus situation

Sinusitis is a bit different. The warm, moist environment of the nasal passages, is a perfect environment for pathogens to thrive. Often, the progression to chronic sinusitis involves the presence of these bugs, which are usually embedded in their own protective biofilm coating, making treatment even more difficult.

The holistic treatment of chronic sinusitis requires a dynamic approach that addresses allergies, the digestive system, dental health, immune support, circulation and drainage. Key components include gentle detoxification, herbs and botanicals, diet, acupuncture, nutrients, and homeopathic remedies. These natural therapies can offer long-term support for sinuses while improving overall health in the process.

Circulation and drainage

Promoting healthy circulation helps to drain the sinuses and relieve chronic inflammation. Effective therapies that help promote circulation and drainage of the sinuses include:

• Infrared sauna: An infrared sauna gives off therapeutic infrared heat that can be absorbed by the body, promoting blood flow in general, and circulation in the sinuses. Not to mention that sweating is your body’s natural way to expel toxins. A timely sauna can get rid of accumulated environmental toxicant buildup and stave off allergic reactions.

• Neural therapy: For more severe sinus conditions, I often use neural therapy in my clinical practice that involves injecting the tonsils and sinuses with homeopathic remedies and an anesthetic. From my experience as a holistic medical doctor, it is apparent that many emotions are stored in the sinuses. My patients often report a major release of grief, sadness and trauma in conjunction with sinus drainage.

• Cranialsacral therapy: Cranialsacral therapy can help improve sinus conditions by creating more space between the cranial bones, promoting normal drainage and relieving sinus pressure.

• Neti pot: Irrigating the sinuses with a traditional Ayurvedic neti pot is a simple way to promote drainage. A 5 percent salt solution may be used, or tea tree oil may be added to the water. Another option is to add powdered extracts of Hydrastis canadensis, Berberis vulgaris or Berberis aquifolium. These herbs contain berberine, a plant alkaloid with antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. For complete instructions on safe use of a Neti pot, go here.

Foods and nutrients to the rescue

Improving diet by emphasizing nutrient-dense, anti-allergy foods — such as brightly colored fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and lean protein — can help reduce allergic reactions while improving other areas of health.

A variety of herbs and supplements can be useful in reducing allergic reactions, decreasing inflammation, boosting immunity and helping to thin and expel mucous in chronic sinusitis.

• Vitamin C has antihistamine, anti-inflammation and immunity-boosting properties.

• Zinc is a nutrient that is necessary for optimal immune function; a deficiency can impair immunity and increase inflammation.

• Quercetin and hesperidin are plant nutrients that inhibit inflammation-producing enzymes and reduce the release of histamine from immune cells.

• Bromelain, a pineapple enzyme, has anti-inflammatory properties and helps thin and expel mucous. Clinical trials have shown that bromelain helps reduce inflammation of the nasal mucosa in acute sinusitis patients.

• Jin Yin Hua and Lian Qiao are two Chinese herbal combinations that can reduce inflammation and increase immune response.

My best advice is not to wait for allergy season to begin your anti-allergy program … because there is no “allergy season” anymore. Allergies can pop up anytime from anywhere in today’s world.

By balancing your system year-round with the right healthy foods, supplements and stress-relief practices, you can optimize immunity and reduce or eliminate allergic reactions for long-term energy and vitality.

For more practical information on all-natural remedies, visit http://www.dreliaz.org/.

The post Natural help for today’s all-year allergy afflictions appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

These tips can help you avoid the pitfalls of poor gut health and guide you to some testing to zero in on the source of your problem.

Measure important nutrients

Testing your blood for key nutrients can guide you with your nutritional goals, which translates into healing from chronic illness and preventing further illness from developing. Below are some measurements you should consider.

Omega oils: You can have your omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids measured in your blood. Optimal and most anti-inflammatory is to consume these essential fatty acids from your food (or supplementation) close to a ratio of 1:1 (omega-3: omega-6). The same company can usually also measure EPA, DHA, and Arachidonic Acid. Quest lab performs this test.

Vitamins, minerals, iron: serum Folate (Vitamin B9), cobalamin (Vitamin B12), red blood cell Magnesium, Ferritin (iron storage), and Total Iron can be tested from your blood. Quest lab performs this test.

More comprehensive analyses of vitamins, minerals and key antioxidants are available through Spectracell Laboratories.

Organic Amino Acids

Testing your urine for metabolites of key amino acids will tell you more about your nutritional status and your gut health. These can give important clues to causes of illness such as chronic fatigue, mood disorders, headaches, arthritis, muscle aches, digestive problems, and more. For example, Genova Diagnostics tests 46 key organic acids that have specific relationship to:

• GI function: malabsorption and unbalanced gut bacteria
• Cell and mitochondria energy: metabolism of glucose, fats, cholesterol, and Coenzyme Q10 production (the key anti-oxidant generator of energy in cells)
• Neurotransmitters: metabolites of epinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin
• Vitamin and mineral cofactor levels: uncover deficiencies of Vitamin B6, B12, C, magnesium, copper, iron, and some key amino acids.

Another resource is Great Plains Laboratory.

Food sensitivity

So you think you know what a food “allergy” is, right? You’re probably thinking of the immediate hypersensitivity IgE (immunoglobulin E) type reaction of histamine release, causing itching, runny/stuffy nose, or sneezing. The skin-scratch test looks for these.

In contrast, there is a more prevalent yet subtle condition: the IgG delayed-type reaction, measured by sensitive Enzyme-Linked-Immnosorbent Assay (ELISA) technology. ^{[1] [2]} When IgG antibodies are formed to specific food proteins you get symptoms starting hours to days after eating the offending food. Approximately six months ago I wrote how bread (gluten protein) is the cause of my long-standing face rash, dandruff, and back pain, an example of an IgG reaction.

The most common offending foods are milk, corn, wheat, egg, and certain foods processed with molds (fruit juices, black tea, breads).

What kinds of symptoms could be from delayed-type food allergy?

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Asthma
• Eczema, hives
• Migraines
• Sinusitis
• Neurological disorders, autism, AD(H)D, movement disorders, epilepsy
• Gastrointestinal disorders: Colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, cystic fibrosis

IgG food sensitivity testing helps uncover food reactions that are contributing to symptoms or any chronic illness, whether they are physical or mental. If you can remove highly reactive foods from your diet you can heal your symptoms. I did…by eliminating bread from my diet.

Candida albicans

Taking antibiotics, oral contraceptives, anti-inflammatory corticosteroids, chemotherapy or other immune-depressant medications greatly increase your susceptibility to Candida overgrowth in your gut. We know that Candida-specific immunoglobulins are found in all individuals tested.  When Candida albicans mutates from its yeast form to its fungal form it can grow out of balance, producing toxins that damage your gut lining, known as “leaky gut syndrome,” and causing an inflammatory immune system response. Illnesses known to be linked to Candida overgrowth are depression, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, and autism. Therefore, if you test for IgG Candida antibodies ^[3] at more than the 97.5^th percentile then you have Candida yeast overgrowth.

Asian Food Allergy

If you frequently consume Asian foods common to China, Japan, and Korea you can look into IgG testing ^[4] for miso, Shiitake mushroom, those common spices and seafood. This could uncover causes of symptoms such as headaches, IBS, fatigue, abdominal pain, skin rash, hair loss, arthritis, acne, thyroid disorders, or vitamin deficiency.

Digestive enzyme function

Pancreatic Elastase 1 (PE-1) can be measured ^[5] from your blood or stool which will evaluate your digestive enzyme function of the organ that produces these: your pancreas. Low levels of PE-1 indicate pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, which is associated with several gut-related illnesses. Consider this test if you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (especially diarrhea-predominant IBS), unexplained weight loss, mal-digestion, abdominal pain, or low bone density.

Gut inflammation

Fecal Calprotectin ^[6] is a marker of gut inflammation. It is produced by white blood cells (a.k.a. neutrophils) in your gut and can quantify the amount of inflammation present. It is used to differentiate between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), also known as Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease.

Gut bacteria health

I previously wrote about SIBO, the all-too-common Small Bowel Intestinal Overgrowth, so you may already the importance of healthy gut bacteria. For that we test for hydrogen or methane gas produced after consumption of glucose or lactulose. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Now you should know that intestinal bacterial diversity (many different strains of bacteria) and bacterial abundance have been shown to be other ways to determine your gut health. The more diverse and abundant your gut bacteria are, the easier you can handle infections and dietary changes. This is implicated in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease, obesity, mental disorders, and allergies. Genova Diagnostics performs a “Microbial Ecology Profile.” ^[10]

Treatment to improve gut health

In addition to consuming nutrient-rich food, building health gut lining with probiotics, and intestinal cleansing from time to time, you may still need a prescription antibiotic to clean out unhealthy gut bacteria overgrowth. These specific antibiotics are Rifaximin or Metronidazole. ^[11]

To feeling good with optimal health,

Michael Cutler, M.D.
Easy Health Options

[1] https://www.gdx.net/product/igg-food-antibodies-food-sensitivity-test-blood
[2] http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home/eng/whatisigg.asp#Food
[3] http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home/eng/food_allergy_igg.asp
[4] http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/German/TestPage/food_allergy_igg.asp
[5] https://www.gdx.net/meded/educational-modules/gi-university/digestion-and-absorption
[6] https://www.gdx.net/product/calprotectin-ibs-ibd-test-stool
[7] https://www.gdx.net/product/bacterial-overgrowth-of-the-small-intestine-sibo-test
[8] http://www.siboinfo.com/testing.html
[9] http://www.gastrolab.com.au/hydrogen-methane-breath-testing-at-gastrolab.html
[10] https://www.gdx.net/product/gi-effects-microbial-ecology-profile
[11] Pimental M. Review of rifaximin as treatment for SIBO and IBS. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2009 Mar;18(3):349-58.

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