Allergies and Food Intolerances

What is an Allergy?

An allergy is an abnormally heightened sensitivity to a substance (allergen) that is brought into contact with the body. Allergens contact the body either by ingestion in the intestine, the lungs or absorption through the skin.

There is such an incredible number of allergens that they are almost unlimited, they may be:-

drug induced
from pollen and molds
dandruff
bacteria
foods
smoke and pollution and the list goes on.

In some people these allergic reactions occur continuously.

By strengthening the body's metabolism, part or complete mitigation of a body's allergy caused hypersensitivity can occur. We therefore need to attack the cause of the allergies at their roots by:

Improving digestion
Balancing the resources of your body's immune system
Removing damage-causing agents such as free radicals

Below is in-depth information related to some different types of allergies. The best approach towards allergy reduction and better health is to consult with one of our naturopaths for investigation, indetification and treamtment of specific allergies.

Allergies - Undigested Protein

The protein we eat must be broken down in the gastrointestinal tract before being absorbed. Occasionally, protein chains manage to seep through the intestinal wall intact (leaky gut).

This allergic response can cause; reddening, swelling and flushing of the skin, this occurs when the protein comes into contact with highly sensitive tissue hormones called kinins. The kinins respond by tearing down the walls of neighbouring mast cells to release the substances contained inside such as: histamine; serotonin and heparin.

Histamine in particular, creates symptoms that range from mild fatigue, watery eyes, and blocked up nose to painful suppurating rashes and aching muscles. It may even lower your blood pressure; restrict the movement of blood or casue slower muscle contractions. This constrictive process often causes sore back muscles and the difficulty that asthmatics have in inhaling.

The inflammation that mast cells cause can be particularly harmful if it happens around the nerves. Kinin inflammation can even effect the brain, leading to headaches, migrane, nausea, lethargy, and in extreme cases schizophrenia.

Without adequate levels of digestive chemicals to break down into their constituent amino acids, the protein chains either sit in the intestines and putrefy or begin to seep through the intstinal wall (leaky gut). Once this happens they are quickly absorbed into the blood.

The blood's circulatory system distributes food so efficiently that the offending proteins that escape from the intestines will soon come into contact with the kinins, reacting almost anywhere in the body. As well as kinin and mast cell reactions, the intestinal wall itself often responds to contact with these renegade proteins by secreting an extra layer of mucous to protect itself, often leading to symptom's such as diarrhea.

Rather than supressing these allergic symptoms, the use of amino acids and co-factors work by attacking the cause of the allergies.

For most people, to prevent protein seepage into the blood, you may need to raise your stomach acid lelves, by intoducing supplements of glutamic acid, hydrochloric acid and histidine.

These amino acids stimulate stomach acid release and raise the levles of pepsin (stomach enzyme), which are needed to break down protein foods into chemical nutrients.

Glutamic acid also helps ease the stress on the pancreas, the gland that manufactures all the digestive enzymes. Two enzymes that are espically important - chymotrypsin and boxypeptase, reduce inflammation caused by the kinins.

So support your pancres by ensuring that it has all the necessary raw materials it needs to do its job (a full compliment of amino acids) or consider taking a supplement. Also, it may be worthwhile taking the amino acid phenylalanine, as it is the precursor or adrenaline and noradrenalin, which can help to stimulate your physical and metal being.