The Top 5 Natural Allergy Fighters

October 17, 2011

DrAxe.com

By: Dr. Axe

1 in 5 people, or an estimated 50 million Americans sugger from all types of allergies, according to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America. The chances are high that you or someone you know suffers from an allergy of some kind. Most people who are struggling with an allergy go to the doctor to be treated and are routinely given pharmaceuticals from acetaminophens to antihistamines, both of which can aggravate the allergy symptoms it was given for.

What’s important to understand is when the body is trying to combat an allergic reaction to something, whether it is something as simple as a skin allergy like eczema or if it is something more complex like a food allergy it is because something is not right within your body therefore it cannot fight off the allergen by its own defenses, hence you get allergy symptoms.

When we take prescribed medications for allergies what happens is they disturb the natural process and PH balance of our body’s immune system so that we will always have to take a drug to alleviate the symptoms from whatever allergy we are suffering from. What’s more is all these allergy drugs and toxic creams do is alleviate/hide the symptoms but the problem gone awry in our body still exists. This is why it is so important that we give our body a break from toxic pharmaceuticals and provide it with the remedies that grow naturally in nature.

Besides watching what we eat, getting plenty of fresh air, and drinking plenty of pure water, there are natural remedies to many of the allergies that afflict us today. There is more good news: Caring for our bodies in the more natural way provides our body with what it needs to repair itself, bringing it back into balance so it can fight off the allergy we are suffering from.

1. Garlic

What’s so fantastic about garlic? Garlic is a natural antibiotic that wards off infections, viruses and even allergies. Eating or juicing two raw cloves of this powerful antioxidant literally keeps the doctor away! Some people go for the supplements because they don’t want to smell like garlic, but the supplements do not work as well as the real herb does, so don’t be deceived by this. Raw garlic eaten every day will fight off all types of allergies because it boosts your immune system immensely. Garlic is definitely the herb to live for since it truly helps us to breathe better and live healthier lives.

2. Lemons

As most of us know an alkaline body means better balance and immune function. Lemons and limes are excellent immune boosting little fruits and are used for various afflictions, including allergies. Both of these little fruits are loaded with Vitamin C and immune boosting antioxidants. Drinking lemon water throughout the day detoxifies the body and rids it of impurities.

Do not get confused with lemonade and lemon water, however. Lemonade made with refined sugar causes all kinds of skin problems as well as weight gain and low resistance to infections and allergies. Go for the pure lemon water without refined sugar. Healthful Food Tip: Mix the juice of one or two lemons or limes with olive oil to make a wonderful tasting dressing for salads and veggie sandwiches.

3. Raw Local Honey

Raw honey contains bee pollen, which is known to ward off infections, allergies, and boost immunity. If you suffer from seasonal allergies here is something to think about. The bees in your neighborhood are going from flower to flower collecting pollen that you are suffering from. It would make sense then that eating local RAW honey in your neighborhood made from those same flowers will build up your immunity to the pollen allergies where you live.

Getting stung by bees boosts immunity! Naturopaths have been using bee sting therapy with their patients for hundreds of years. According to Chronic Fatigue Treatments website bee sting or venom therapy is used to treat such conditions as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic pain, and rheumatic conditions. Some people allow themselves to get stung up to 20 times a day.

Researchers believe the substances melittin and apelin are the two major medicinal properties found in the venom. Melittin is a peptide found in bee venom that can stimulate the pituitary gland to release ACTH, this leads to the production of cortisol. Cortisol is a powerful hormone in our body which controls the immune system and our stress response.

4. Butterbur

In a study, published in the British Medical Journal, a group of Swiss researchers showed how just one tablet of butterbur taken four times daily was as effective as a popular antihistamine drug in controlling symptoms of hay fever — without the traditional symptom of drowsiness that sometimes occurs. In a second study, a group of British researchers found that butterbur worked effectively in relieving symptoms of grass allergies. Who needs drugs when you can find what you need naturally in nature?

Butterbur is a big leafy green plant native to Europe and has been used for generations to alleviate migraine headaches, stomach ulcers, coughs, allergies and asthma. It is available in extracts, teas, tablets and capsules. It is always best to use the product in its natural form so taking it as a tea or as an extract is the best way to use Butterbur for allergy symptoms.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar was used by Hippocrates, the father of medicine to treat numerous health conditions. Organic raw apple cider vinegar is used for numerous medicinal purposes such as boosting immunity, controlling weight and caring for the skin and hair; it promotes alkalinity and PH balance of the body, which is one reason why it works great as a natural remedy to ward off all types of allergies.

Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is unfiltered, unheated, unpasteurized and 5% acidity. ACV Contains the amazing Mother of Vinegar which occurs naturally as strand-like enzymes of connected protein molecules. If you take a good look at a jar of apple cider vinegar you will see little floating strands in the cider, this is the living enzymes that work to fight off infection and bring balance back to your body.

The best way to use apple cider vinegar for your allergies is on a consistent basis. Mix 1 tablespoon ACV with 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/2 tablespoon raw bees honey and drink three times a day. Let it go to work in your body. It may take several weeks before you see any positive results. Be patient as this mixture of natural ingredients begins to balance out your GI tract and build up your natural defenses to fight off all types of allergies.

Click here for the full report from Dr. Axe

FDA Pulls 500 Cold Medicines From the Market

March 3rd, 2011

WebMD

By: Denise Mann

The FDA today announced steps to remove more than 500 prescription cold, cough, and allergy products from the market because of potential safety concerns.

The FDA asked companies to stop manufacturing the 500 products within 90 days and stop shipping them within 180 days. Some manufacturers must stop making and shipping their products immediately, the FDA warns.

There are no data on how often these now-banned medications are prescribed today, but many doctors may be unaware that they contain unapproved ingredients because these drugs are listed in the Physicians’ Desk Reference and may be advertised in medical journals.

Questions on Drug Safety

The FDA does not know if these prescription drugs are safe or not largely because they were grandfathered in before changes to the FDA’s drug approval process were enacted.

“We don’t know what they are, whether they work properly, or how they are made,” said Deborah M. Autor, director of the FDA’s Office of Compliance at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) in Silver Spring, Md., during a teleconference. “The problem is that we don’t know what the problem is.”

For example, some of these cough, cold, and allergy drugs are labeled as “time-release.” These are complicated to manufacture, and the FDA has not reviewed whether the active ingredient is released in a consistent matter over a period of time, she says. “They may be released too slowly, too quickly, or not at all.”

Kids Under Age 2

Others contain an “irrational” combination of the same types of products, such as two or more antihistamines, and some are inappropriately labeled for use by infants and young children, she says. Many contain the same ingredients as the over-the-counter cough and cold products that are no longer supposed to be used in kids under 2.

Yolandra Hancock, MD, a pediatrician at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., praises the FDA’s move.

“The new FDA decision supports modern-day pediatric practice to avoid cough syrups in children under 2 because they do more harm than good,” she says. Some may slow down breathing, and others decrease cough and allow mucus to sit in the chest, where it can cause other problems such as lung infection, she says.

“I fully support the FDA’s move in controlling access to these medications in children; it is highly appropriate and long overdue,” she says.

As to the risks these drugs pose, “for the most part, [these adverse reactions] are not serious,” says Charles E. Lee, MD, medical officer of the division of new drugs and labeling compliance at the CDER.

After the FDA crackdown on the use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicine in children younger than 2, the number of emergency room visits for adverse events decreased by 50%, he says.

“We also know that 15% of these events came from prescription cough, cold, and allergy products and included sedation/drowsiness and irritability,” Lee says.

Click here for the full report from WebMD

New Treatments for Arthritis: Bee Stings

March 15, 2010

Natural News

By E. Huff

A bee sting is an unpleasant experience that undoubtedly everyone would choose to avoid if given the choice. However a growing number of people are choosing to be stung by bees in an alternative form of illness treatment called apitherapy. Apitherapy contends that bee venom holds therapeutic value in treating serious illness and that it is a viable alternative to dangerous pharmaceutical drugs that often do not work and have harmful side effects.

Apitherapy, a traditional folk remedy that has been used in many other countries for centuries, takes advantage of the healing power contained in honeybee venom which helps to alleviate serious conditions like multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and lupus. According to 51-year-old Reyah Carlson of Vermont, a proponent of apitherapy, bee venom helped to treat her Lyme Disease.

Carlson recently spoke at the North American Beekeepers Conference in Orlando where she spoke of the benefits of apitherapy. She regularly travels around the world telling people about the alternative treatment and informing them about how it works to treat disease.

Bee venom contains about 40 different healing components, one of which is melittin, a compound identified in a 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts study as an anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic element. According to Carlson, melittin and the other components work together to boost immunity and quicken the healing process.

Besides the two percent of the U.S. population that is allergic to bees, most people stand to benefit from apitherapy treatment. While it may not necessarily cure all conditions, the venom can at least keep diseases at bay without imposing harmful side effects like drugs do. Aside from the temporary pain of the sting itself, there are virtually no other negative side effects from apitherapy.

Many medical professional refuse to acknowledge the benefits of apitherapy. Despite the roughly 65,000 Americans who use and benefit from bee sting therapy, the medical establishment largely rejects it as a viable treatment option. According to Carlson, many doctors believe it is dangerous and could kill people.

Because reactions from bee stings can vary from person to person, Carlson always carries around antihistamines for minor reactions as well as epinephrine for those who may go into anaphylactic shock. Typically no severe reaction should happen in a healthy person who is not allergic to bee stings, but Carlson keeps a safety kit on hand as a precautionary measure and advises others who use or administer the therapy to do so as well.

Click here for the full report