Much of what we have learned so far has focused on traditional therapies and treatments for allergies. Traditional treatments are a good start in the fight against allergies. There is a growing body of evidence and a growing community of practitioners however, focusing more on total body health and awareness, as well as allergy prevention.
Alternative or holistic medicine is a dynamic approach to healing that involves the mind, body and spirit. Many people find they rely more and more on holistic alternatives than traditional remedies to prevent allergies or treat allergies before they become severe.
In this section we will review the pros and cons of alternative therapies. Most people with sensitivities and mild allergies will benefit from the information in this section. If you have severe allergies, you will also benefit, but keep in mind if you have anaphylactic reactions to allergies your treatment choices may be limited to primarily traditional medical therapies. You may be able to consider, however, holistic or alternative therapies as adjunct therapy or as complementary therapy, so keep this in mind.
There are many types of alternative medicine available to consumers to treat many different disorders including allergies, asthma and more. Some of the more commonly known alternative therapies include:
We’ll go into a little more detail about some of the more commonly adopted alternative therapies used by patients with allergies, so you can decide whether complementary therapies may be suitable for your situation. When deciding to use any alternative therapy, including herbs or tinctures, it is important you talk with a trained specialist in herbal medicine and with your doctor, so you don’t take something that will conflict with any prescription medications you currently take.
Remember that herbs too are medicine, and they can have varying effects on people depending on the frequency of use and types of herbs used for treatment.
How effective complementary treatments will be for you may depend on how severe your symptoms are, your biochemistry and the types of therapies you consider. While many studies suggest alternative medicine is not helpful for allergies, an equal number suggest complementary therapies are very helpful for reducing allergies and allergic symptoms.
Currently, statistics derived from the National Institutes of Health and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of American acknowledge that almost half of the population at some point considers alternative medicine to treat allergies and other common health problems.
Roughly 40 percent of those have tried one or more types of alternative therapies, suggesting the trend toward alternative medicine is growing, and that people are willing to try just about anything to relieve their symptoms.
Many times, you’ll find if you talk to your doctor they may encourage you to give some alternative therapies a try, as long as you use caution. You should not for example, stop carrying around your emergency epinephrine kit because you decide you want to treat your allergies with alternative medicine.
You also don’t want to throw out your inhaler until you find an effective treatment or combination of treatments that works well for you. For many, this will involve a process of trial and error. What most people find is they can gradually reduce the amount of over-the-counter remedies they use for therapy by combining traditional healing with complementary medical practices.
If you want to try alternative medicine, your first step should be finding a board certified alternative medicine provider. You wouldn’t after all, consult with an allergist or M.D. without verifying their credentials, would you? (you shouldn’t). The same holds true for complementary practitioners.
You want to make sure you find someone to work with that has experience treating allergies and has a proper education. Also take into consideration most alternative therapies are not covered by insurance, though some limited services (like acupuncture and chiropractic therapy) are. So keep in mind you may have to pay for a large part of your alternative approaches out of pocket.
Sorting fact from fiction – Do your alternative therapies really work, or are they just a simple magician’s trick?
Many doctor’s and researchers claim that alternative therapies have a placebo affect, and do not really cure allergies, but work only because people “believe” they will work, thus they have what is called a “placebo” effect.
This is not a bad thing. If something improves, even if it is because you simply “think” it will work, then where is the harm in that? Much of modern medicine acknowledges the mind has a huge part in assessing how people conquer and overcome disease.
So if you “think” yourself to wellness by using alternative therapies, what harm can come of it as long as you get better? It is good to have healthy skepticism of anything you try, and you should throw out your prescription medicines immediately on trying natural therapy. Some traditional therapies take a while to work, and may start working about the same time you try a new therapy.
Still, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least try. As with anything, you should use alternative medicine cautiously, taking the time you need to investigate treatment choices thoroughly.
Herbs are a common “choice” treatment for allergy sufferers because they involve little effort and are easily incorporated into one’s diet. Keep in mind if you suffer from allergies and take other medications, they may interact with the herbs you try.
You should always contact a qualified healthcare provider before you try herbs to treat your allergies or prevent symptoms from flaring up. Remember Step 1. Some of the more common herbs used to treat allergies include:
Most herbs come in the form of capsules or tea. You can also sometimes find dried herb in some natural health food stores. As some herbs are bitter, you may find you need to take your tea with a bit of honey or a splash of lemon. The simple act of drinking hot tea with lemon may make you feel better, whether the herb works or not.
Homeopathy is another common natural treatment. This is one of the more benign forms of treatment that is least likely to result in health problems, so it may be worth a try. Homeopathy is based on the idea that like treats like; homeopaths generally use substances that contain a microscopic amount of a substance that would normally cause a condition, on the idea that it will actually stimulate the body’s immune system to treat the condition or symptom. Kind of like a vaccine might provide protection by introducing small amounts of a killed or weakened irritant. Here are some common homeopathic remedies offered to patients with allergies.
If you want to try homeopathic remedies, your best bet is to consult with a trained homeopath. Most will work with a person to match a remedy to a person’s individual constitution and symptoms. It can be hard to try to match up the right personality, constitution and symptoms with the proper remedy. You may also find this a bit confusing or just too unusual, but remember, when you are suffering from allergies, sometimes trying something new is better than suffering.
There are many other natural treatments a holistic practitioner may recommend to help reduce the amount of suffering you experience from allergies. One technique is the “allergy desensitization technique.” Typically this works as follows: (1) a doctor identifies the sensitivity you have to a particular irritant or substance, (2) the provider uses applied kinesiology to confirm this sensitivity, and (3) the provider reprograms the body to reduce the allergic response to the allergen and help reduce symptoms produced from exposure to the known allergen.
How does the provider reprogram the body? This can be done in many different ways, though it is unlikely a healthcare provider will be able to completely eliminate your sensitivity to a known allergen. This technique may however, alleviate many of your most prevailing symptoms.
Most healthcare providers use a combination of techniques including acupuncture, homeopathy and supplementation to help desensitize you to a known allergen. The practitioner may also work with you to help boost your immune system so you are better able to fight off infection and eradicate some sensitivities to known irritants.
There is some controversy among researchers as to whether desensitization is effective for eliminating allergy symptoms. As with anything however, desensitization is worth a try. There are several studies that have examined the effectiveness of desensitization for anaphylactic reactions in patients, including those that are hypersensitive to latex.
Many of these, including studies published by the International Anesthesia Research Society, provide hope that desensitization may be effective for reducing some of the severe symptoms associated with an allergic response. Of course, if you do happen to become successfully “de” sensitized, you will likely still have to avoid over exposure to the irritant that causes your allergies. Anything you repeatedly expose the body to with time is likely to cause a resurgence of symptoms.
Most people find that complementary alternative medicine (CAM for short) works well in conjunction with traditional remedies or treatments for allergies. If you have a desire to use less conventional approaches, make sure you seek the care and advice of a licensed, qualified healthcare practitioner.
If you do use adjunct therapy in addition to traditional allergy treatments, you’ll want to do so safely, so you don’t take any supplements or herbs that may interact with over-the-counter or prescription medications. Remember that self-medicating is not a very practical or safe approach to alleviating your allergy symptoms.
Many people find they have to try a few different approaches to alternative treatments before they find the one that works best for them. This makes sense, because everyone is different, and everyone’s reasons for reacting to a particular irritant are not always the same. Just as someone may find Claritin very helpful for reducing their allergy symptoms, another may find it ineffective.
The key to successful reduction in symptoms is to try a few things out and see which work best for you. If you can find natural therapies that help alleviate your symptoms, use them safely, as you would any traditional therapy.
Now that you have a solid background in treating allergies from a traditional and alternative healing approach, it’s time to review some commonly asked questions about allergies. In the next section, we’ll try to answer some of the more common and challenging questions people have about allergies.
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