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Allergies are the body's reaction to irritants and organisms not meant to be inside the body.
It reacts to these foreign substances by producing histamines. The eyes water, the nose runs, the sinuses swell (because there
is an accumulation of mucous buildup which increases pressure in the sinus area), and there can be coughing and sneezing.
These are the normal first reactions of the body in its attempt to eject the foreign substances. It also has other
approaches, such as raising the temperature ([usually in the case of living organisms which invade], and which we know as
fever), and the last line of defense is a direct assault on the invading organisms or substances in which it breaks the foreign
substance down chemically (requiring an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals to be present in the body), and sends the
body's defense systems (we know as white blood cells, macrophages, lymph (to carry away matter), and others, all of which
are also dependent on the body's nutrition).
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| A Novel Idea: Why Not Heal Disease Instead of Just Treating it? |
| Antihistamines |
| Antihistamines, as their name states, work to block the action of histamine production
by the body. This unfortunately works against the body's own system, which produces histamines to 'flush' the irritants from
the body. Taking over-the-counter or prescription allergy medication to block the normal bodily processes seems to solve the
problem, because the symptoms cease, but the relief is temporary and a dependency on these medications to block the actions
of the body develops. What follows is an endless cycle of allergy medication with its accompanying side effects. This approach
to medicine is known as treating the symptoms, not the disease, and oddly enough it has become an end unto itself. Most people
would agree however that it is much better to actually solve the problem and rid oneself of allergies. |
| Allergens |
| The substances which cause allergic reactions in the body, known as allergens,
are often environmental pollutants that are inhaled, but they can also be (usually synthetic chemical)substances which we
absorb through the skin, as in certain creams, lotions, or sprays, or that we ingest in the form of chemical additives principally,
which are placed in foodstuffs and OTC (Over-The-Counter) or prescription medications. |
| Detoxification |
| One of the reasons that many people seem to be on an endless allergy rollercoaster
has to do with deficiencies in the body of the vitamins and minerals needed to interact with, and eliminate the allergens,
in order to detoxify itself. In the process of neutralizing and flushing irritants from the body, these vitamins and minerals
are constantly being drawn from. They are essential in detoxification, as well as in maintenance of bodily functions. There
is a chain of events however, that affects the availability of these vitamins and minerals, as we will presently see. |
 The Real Allergens
A bit of reflection on the present situation in which certain organizations and individuals
have attempted to convince people that their allergies are due to Nature, will reveal the absurdity of this idea. It simply
goes against the laws of physics to propose that man in general has become allergic to his natural environment (though we
do see extreme cases of children who must live in bubbles, but this is principally due to almost non-existant immune systems,
a topic to be examined ahead in Healthglimpses). Many people go through life with no allergies whatsoever, while others live
an entire lifetime with them, and there are those who would seek to blame genetics for this, being the current trend in science.
The real source of the allergens producing this epidemic are the environmental pollutants which 'hitchhike' on the pollen
of plants. In other words the microscopic particles of carbon, sulphur, asbestos, and dozens of other contaminants released
through man's daily activites, fall and cling to trees and plants which release their pollen at different times of the year.
(Check that piece of furniture or knick-knack that you haven't dusted for a month, and run your finger across it to collect
some of the very same chemical contaminants being referred to.) These pollutants are inhaled along with the pollen from the
plants and trees. The net result of course, is the same; allergies.
It is important to make the distinction however, that by and large it is not man's natural
environment causing the allergic response, but rather the pollutants he has created. This is the exact opposite of what the
television commercials would have us believe, in their attempt to promote products which basically stop the body's natural
histamine production response. As you can see, this treats the symptoms, but does nothing to resolve the root problem, which
is a lack of sufficient vitamins and minerals for the process of detoxification of allergens (toxins). To spend an entire
lifetime treating the symptoms of allergies is very miserable for the sufferer, and very profitable for the manufacturer of
the commercial allergy products. Is it not more logical from the sufferer's standpoint to solve the problem, rather than to
continue to treat it?
 Allergens and Chemical Sensitivity
Once the body has reached a level of saturation of chemical pollutants that it
has not been able to detoxify and eliminate properly, they accumulate in the body, causing further allergies; a sort of chain
reaction. It is at this point that one begins to develop further sensitivities to food, drink, etc. This is known as the spreading
phenomenon, and even common household chemicals can become part of the equation, setting off new allergic reactions. The OTC
and prescription medications used to treat allergies can also become part of the problem, because they are not working to
solve the problem, but rather to mask the symptoms; they are suppressing the body's natural response. Plus, they are contributing
their own assortment of petrochemical derivatives to further compound the problem.
 Nutritional Deficiencies
Nutritional deficiencies in the food supply are a direct result of modern food
processing techniques, which remove most of the nutritional value from food we consume (You will notice there are many foods
that are fortified, to replace the depleted nutrients. Only a small amount of nutrients are replaced, however.) To further
compound this situation, present agricultural practices by large agribusiness conglomerates which produce most of the food
in industrialized countries fail to rotate crops adequately, and in many cases they practice monocropping, both activities
conducive to depletion of minerals in the soil. In addition, fields are not left fallow after years of repeated planting and
harvesting, which means the soil is not able to regain the more than 60 minerals which are drawn from it by the plants we
consume. In other words, the plants exhaust the nutrient supply in the soil. To force plant growth in exhausted soil, agribusiness
replaces 3 of the 60-some minerals depleted; they use a substance called NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium).
 Soil Erosion
To go from allergies to soil erosion seems like a wide leap, but in reality it
provides us with the opportunity to reflect upon the interrelatedness of human activities and health. As if the above-mentioned
factors weren't enough, private farmers and agribusiness farming in some cases continue to follow the very same practices
which led to the Great Depression of the 1930s in The United States. The soil erosion which results from harvesting practices
that completely strip the land of crops and roots, leaving exposed, bare soil, causes the fertile topsoil little by little
to be washed away with the rainfall, carried to lakes, rivers, and the oceans. (Take note next time you drive past a farming
area.) It is also carried away by the wind, as occurred in the Dust Bowl phenomenon of this era. "It is perhaps fitting to
recall the essence of the celebrated phrase, "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history, are doomed to repeat its mistakes."
 Supplements
Given the aforementioned facts, it is reasonable then, to consider taking vitamin and
mineral supplements, to ensure that the body is provided with the nutrients needed to detoxify itself, and for the correct
functioning of all body systems (See Healthglimpses, Supplements page.). In a world where crops were rotated properly, land
were not continuously used to the point of exhaustion, and food processing did not deplete nutrition, supplements would probably
not be as important a consideration. However, modern societies have become more and more removed from whole, unprocessed food,
grown with sound agricultural principles. This explains why in less developed countries, which utilize farming practices developed
over thousands of years, (albeit what some would call primitive practices), and which are more closely in harmony with the
laws of Nature, the degenerative disease (cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease) rate is considerably lower.
 Auhor's Conclusion
We must get back to basic sound practices of agriculture, which mean:
1. More food grown and consumed locally. This will mean lower prices, due to lower
costs of transportation, fewer chemicals used for preservation, and less irradiation of food, which is used to slow spoilage
(and which also creates radioactive [radiolytic] substances which are carcinogenic.
2. Moving away from synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and back to organic farming.
It is absolutely idiotic to poison the plants we eat with pesticides and the soil we grow food in with harsh synthetic
chemicals.
3.More local people involved in local communities worldwide in agriculture. This will
ceate millions of more jobs worldwide, where presently the unemployment rate is astronmical in many countries.
People involved in agriculture will at the very least be providing food for themselves, which is at present not the case for
millions of people.
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