Focus in Practice
September 2005
By Gayatri Makhjani
These alternative therapies will rid you of your dreaded allergies for good.
o Sarah, a woman in her 50s, was allergic to sugar since childhood. When treated for sugar through a technique called Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET), she cleared her physical and chemical allergy, but her emotional allergy remained the same and her hypoglycaemic reaction was exaggerated. She recalled that as a child she was restricted from eating sugar, for fear of it being bad for health. One day, her friend gave her a box full of chocolate bars. As soon as the friend left the home, her mother flushed the box of chocolates down the toilet before Sarah even had a chance to eat one. She cried for hours. Her mother did not explain her behaviour, and it remained an unhealed wound in her heart and brain. Ever since, for 48 years, Sarah was allergic to sugar. It was only after being treated through NAET, that she has fully recovered.
o Mohan, a corporate officer, relied on several allopathic medicines including Allergen to rid him of his severe skin allergies. He had to barely venture out into the sun, and his skin would break into itchy rashes. Furthermore, his internal organs would clog up, and suffocation would often take the better of him. His allergy made life in Mumbai difficult and he decided to experiment with past life therapy. Within a few months of therapy, the root cause of his allergy was identified as a previous death in Africa in a volcanic explosion. Remarkably, his skin still retained the pain of lava, and therefore consistently reacted to hot and humid conditions. Once the cause was identified, however, regression therapy did away with his allergy forever.
o Anisha’s childhood had been bombarded with steroids and inhalers, to cure her asthma. Her early childhood witnessed a series of skin allergies that eventually manifested themselves in the form of asthma. Desperately seeking a cure, she stumbled upon homoeopathy. With a little control on her diet and exercise, and regular homeopathic medicine carefully consumed over a period of two years, her asthma miraculously vanished!
If you find yourself constantly dealing with a niggling cold or rash, you are most definitely not alone! Diverse environmental conditions across regions bring with them an abundance of allergic reactions, stemming from varied substances and circumstances. But are you satisfied with believing that the only way to prevent an allergy is avoidance? Delve into a plethora of alternative therapies that seek to get rid of that allergy once and for all.
What is an Allergy?
An allergy is an indication of disharmony caused by dietetic errors and a faulty style of living. The word ‘allergy’ means an altered or abnormal tissue reaction after exposure to an antigen (also called an allergen). It is essentially an inappropriate or exaggerated reaction of the immune system to substances that cause no symptoms in most people.
Substances vary: allergies arise from pollen, dust, cosmetics, and animal hair to poisonous plants, serums, vaccines and drugs as well as physical agents such as heat, cold, sunlight and also a variety of foods. Oranges, milk, eggs, wheat, seafood, chocolates, soy and peanuts are commonly known foods that cause allergies. Excessive consumption of refined and processed foods as well as emotional and psychological stress can also cause allergies. Allergic symptoms are manifested in assorted forms such as recurring headaches, migraines, dizziness, irritability, nervousness, depression, neuralgia, conjunctivitis, eczema, hay fever, stuffy or runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting, asthma, shortness of breath and swelling of the face and eyes.
Eating Right
Most allergic reactions arise as a result of basic errors in diet, the prolonged consumption of preserved foods, refined food and excessive oil and spices. While several allergies arise from food alone, certain foods possess effective anti-allergic properties. Sufficient intakes of vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid or a month’s dosage of vitamin E, helps build up the body’s immune system. Bananas eaten regularly effectively keep skin rashes away!
Drink Up
The ever-popular salt-in-lukewarm-water gargle helps cleanse the system and thus keeps allergies away. For those not allergic to citrus, a daily glass of lime squeezed in lukewarm water and sweetened with a teaspoon of honey doubles up as an antitoxic and anti-allergic agent. Juice fasts, characterized by vegetable juices in the form of carrot juice or a combination of beet and cucumber juice enables a speedy recovery from allergic reactions. But topping the list is Dr Hemant Pathak’s simple allergy protection concoction. Five drops of castor oil in half a cup of any fruit or vegetable juice, or plain water taken on an empty stomach in the morning is beneficial for allergies of the intestinal tract, skin, and nasal passages.
Emotional Freedom Technique
In several cases, allergic symptoms disappear within a few minutes of applying the Emotional Freedom Technique. Principled on the belief that ‘the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system,’ the technique revolves around the profound effects of the body’s subtle energies. These subtle energies lead to emotional upsets as well as manifest themselves in a wide range of physical symptoms. Says EMT practitioner Nita Pandya, ‘EMT is highly effective in curing patients from allergies caused by chemicals and food. It especially helps asthmatic patients.’ For example, a man allergic to cocoa was identified as associating chocolate with love, and since the person had problems with love, he was allergic to chocolates. EMT helps trace these associations, and rid the person of these allergies. Regression or past life therapy induced through feeling-sense-awareness also brings about remarkable results in curing patients of asthma and skin allergies.
Ayurveda
Extensive ayurvedic treatment helps cure allergies, albeit slowly. Suniram, amrutraj, King tonic, twachashudhi and sukanti tablets are ayurvedic medicines that help reduce heat, purify the blood and balance the pitta. Says Dr Rajeshri Mehta, ‘The panchkarma or the purification process, which is 20 days long, is also highly effective. The process begins with petering down the diet to a mere khichdi and vegetable meal, whilst abstaining from wheat. Simultaneously, neem massages with mahatiktghrut and balada oil help cure the body of any external manifestations of the allergy. The patient maintains the diet and is continuously treated with ayurvedic medicinal herbs and massages through the treatment until all the toxins accumulated in the tissues are transmitted to the stomach. The toxins are then flushed out of the system. Most often, after this, the person is rid of the allergy, once and for all.’
Homeopathy
Individual treatment based on distinct characteristics and behavioral patterns is characteristic of homeopathic care. Homeopathy deals with minute details, seeks to find out the history and the root cause, as well as the varied reactions, to come up with distinct treatment for each individual. Says Mumbai-based homeopath, Dr Farokh J. Master, ‘Allergies arise from a number of causes. Largely, they stem from an inherent weakness in the genetic structure. Allergies also arise from excessive use of cosmetics and antibiotics without essential reason. Another known allergen is vaccination, especially soon after a child’s birth. In a number of newly-borns, vaccination leads to atopic eczema characterized by severe rashes in the folds of the skin. These skin allergies, most often, lead to asthma in the long run. Effective treatment leads to a permanent cure in as little as two to three years as in the case of one Mumbai student who has finally been cured of asthma after enduring it for over three years.’ Thus, initially, to get rid of the allergy, it would be essential to avoid these substances wholly. After effective treatment and building up the immune system, these substances will not provoke an allergy due to increased resistance.
Rhythmic Breathing
Human beings are born with a natural rhythmic breath that follows a certain rhythm in nature; through practicing rhythmic breathing, an individual can become attuned to the rhythm of the universe. In his teachings, Shri S. N. Tavariaji, recommends three-step rhythmic breathing so as to enjoy good physical, emotional, mental and psychic health. Simple do-it-at-home exercises are prescribed to help enjoy the benefits of rhythmic breathing.
The technique ensures that the chest and abdomen are raised and lowered together equally and the breath is full from the neck to the navel, i.e. the upper, middle, and lower abdomen are filled to normal capacity. Lastly, it is essential to work on the rhythm; the exact rhythm is to count 1-2-3 while inhaling and 5-6 while exhaling. In the initial stages, to establish rhythm, the breath may be more forceful. Once the technique is mastered, however, the volume of breath will settle to normalcy. For a cure for asthma, take deep and fast breaths at the speed of 36 breaths per minute, while placing both hands on the chest. It restricts air to the chest/lung area. If practiced regularly for a time period of not more than three minutes, it helps cure asthmatic patients.
Another exercise would be five short, quick inhalations, totaling one full breath, followed by one forceful exhalation through the mouth emptying the lungs completely. Perfected through practice, this exercise helps improve the blood circulation by getting rid of blockages and ridding the system of several skin allergies.
Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques
A non-invasive, drug-free, natural solution to eliminate allergies of all types and intensities using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing and treatment procedures from acupuncture/acupressure, allopathy, chiropractic, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines of medicine, NAET stands as an interesting new healing option. Developed by Dr Devi S. Nambudripad in November 1983, it treats one allergen at a time; moving on from basic to the more complicated. Basic essential nutrients are treated during the first few visits itself, while the more complicated chemical, environmental, vaccination and immunization allergies follow. The duration of the treatment varies; a person with mild to moderate amount of allergies may take about 15-20 office visits to desensitize 15-20 food and environmental allergens. The treatment has been known to successfully eliminate adverse reactions to egg, milk, mushrooms, shellfish, latex, grass, ragweed, flowers, perfume, animal dander, make-up, chemicals, cigarette smoke, pathogens, heat, cold and other environmental agents. Established across the world, it is best done by contacting a practitioner through the website,
www.naet.com.
Rev up your Lifestyle
While the above therapies, if practiced with patience are bound to lead to remarkable results, maintaining a healthy lifestyle merely adds to their success. Freedom from stress, regular exercise, meditation and mind control help keep allergies away.
Yogic practices like yogamudra and anuloma-viloma pranayama are also beneficial in the treatment of an allergy. Living in a clean dust-free environment, maintaining a healthy diet and leading a simple uncomplicated life are essentials. All of this, and you’re sure to wake up one morning to find yourself allergy-free, without even having had a chance to say goodbye!