Allergies:  What is really bothering you?
By Clark Zimmerman, LAc.

A lot of people are mystified by their allergies.  When I ask patients about their allergies, I often hear stories of congestion and irritation of varying degrees caused by hay fever, pet dander, food sensitivities, mold in the house, etc.  But often times they are puzzled by the nature of the issue, and therefore have little direction for how to change the situation.

Allergies can effect so many things in the body.  They can create symptoms in the skin, digestive system, immune function, ears, eyes and respiratory system.  Though it usually involves doing some detective work, with dedication and direction there is a lot that can be done to treat allergies.  The first step in treatment is to identify the problem.  You begin with the most obvious things, examining your environment.  Do you live in a moldy house, do you live with pets, are you being exposed to toxic things in your home or work place?  If something is bothering you, then you need to avoid or limit your exposure to the allergen.  This sounds like common sense, but we often can overlook things that are in our environment.  Just as our surroundings can contribute to allergies, foods can too.  Many people find that working with their diet can drastically improve chronic health problems.  Foods that are common allergens include gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, and sugar.  There are several ways to diagnose a food allergy.  These include:  blood tests, muscle testing, skin tests, elimination diets, and cleanses.