Allergies and sensitivities are becoming more and more commonplace.
The most basic way to describe an allergy/ sensitivity is that is an abnormal response of the immune system to a particular substance/s.
This response can be triggered by a myriad of different potential toxins, but they can be generally placed into four main categories :
Inhalant – pollens, grasses, house dust mite, animal dander, feathers etc
Ingested – food such as dairy, gluten, fish, nuts, citrus fruit, strawberries, wine, beer etc
Chemical – household cleaners, chlorine in water, food preservatives, beauty products etc
Stings – bee, wasp, mosquito bites etc
Allergy testing
I use a simplified form of muscle response testing to ascertain which substances may be an allergen.
This method is totally painless and safe. It does not involve needles, removing clothes, or anything which would cause distress.
It involves the testee sitting in a chair, placing their left arm in a particular position and holding individual testing samples of various allergens next to their stomach. The tester then applies gentle pressure on the arm and the reaction of the testee’s arm will give a clear indication if they are responding adversely or not to the substance in the sample.
Babies and small children are “surrogate” tested by using the response of a parent’s arm whilst holding the child.
Allergy Desensitisation
There is some choice when it comes to testing for allergies and sensitivities, however what is less available are solutions to the response. In the case of food sensitivities, it is possible to stop eating the specific foods that are causing a problem but with something like hay fever one cannot completely avoid exposure to pollens or grasses.
The British Institute for Allergy and Environmental therapy, located in Ffynnonwen Wales, is an invaluable resource for homeopathic desensitising remedies. I have been using them, for the most part, with great success for a number of years and I find they enable some people to be free of what was once, a limiting health problem.
They come in the form of easy to take drops which are generally taken alongside other immune boosting remedies or dietary /lifestyle changes.
I am a full member of the British Institute for Allergy and Environmental Therapy http://www.allergy.org.uk/
