Though allergies are very common nowadays, few know how to identify their root causes and even fewer know how to eliminate them permanently. In this article, we bring an entirely new perspective to healing allergies the natural way by simply healing your diet.
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food
You may not realize it easily, but the food that you eat every day could be slowly corrupting your health and lead to an allergic response. The number one reason for this is that toxic foods are hard to spot.
People who have allergies commonly suffer from either Asthma or Eczema. For example, spring and summers are unbearable for many with sniffling, scratchy throat, coughing, itchy eyes, etc. They end up taking antihistamines and steroid inhalers on those high pollen count days just to be able to breathe easily. Sure enough, that takes care to some extent, but next summer comes and again all the sneezing continues. Then, it is just another vicious cycle of taking medications on and on, without putting an end to your problem.
However, the good news is that you can kick your allergies to the curb for the good. Simple diet modifications with natural medication can heal your allergies permanently. Read on to learn how you can heal your diet to heal your allergies:
The Science Behind Allergies
Allergy is nothing but a malfunction of the immune system. When allergens get into the body, it senses it as a foreign invader. The next step is the production of antibodies as an attempt to protect you against these deemed pathogens or invaders. When this happens, the mast cells break open to release inflammatory substances like histamine.
This, in turn, causes the mucous membranes to swell and release in the affected body parts. A runny nose, watery eyes, shortness of breath and itchy or dry skin may all be the signs of the mast cells reacting to the allergens.
Steps to Healing Allergies the Natural Way
1. Stop Wheat, Dairy and Refined Sugars
Taking antihistamines will not help you in any way, it just stops the response to the particular allergen. But it is still going to bother you the next time you come in contact with it again. The most basic thing that you need to do to curb allergies is to avoid the main allergens – wheat, dairy, and refined sugars.
You need to eliminate these three top food triggers from your diet for at least 2 months in order to start noticing a change. This is because the antibodies that are made by the immune system when it reacts to this food take around 2 months to turn over. So, you need to be patient so that you get the full effect of eliminating them.
2. Then, What do I Eat?
If this is your reaction now, do not freak out! You can do this. It just needs planning, little grocery shopping and taking a few extra minutes to prepare the food.
Why should you stop eating wheat?
Today’s wheat is hybridized and consists of a complex gluten structure that only an iron-cast gut can break down. Years before there was nothing called as gluten intolerance because the yesteryear’s wheat possessed a fragile gluten structure that was easy to break down.
Man ’s first wheat was known as Einkorn Wheat which literally means “single grain”. With the great starvation crisis and the need for crops to yield higher capacities, wheat was hybridized. But nobody is aware of its ill-effects on the body.
As an alternative to wheat, you can opt for other grains like millets, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, sourdough bread, and even einkorn wheat flour if it is hard for you to be away from wheat.
What about Milk and Sugar
As an alternative to regular milk, try coconut milk, almond milk, and cashew cream. You can even have milk and milk products of A2 variety. A2 milk is better digested and absorbed by the body.
And, as an alternative to refined sugars, opt for natural sweeteners like palm sugar, honey or maple syrup.
3. Heal your Gut Flora
The normal human microbiome is composed of a diverse array of good bacteria that is essential for the nutrients to be absorbed in the blood. Unfavorable lifestyle factors lead to lack of these microbial covering in the intestine. Without these bacteria, your gut will not be able to break down food effectively and will eventually lead to a malfunction in the immune system.
Not enough beneficial bacteria in the gut means your the immune system will be unable to distinguish friend from foe. This will lead to the dreaded immune system overreactions known as allergies.
Re-inoculate your gut by introducing probiotics in your diet. Also, you can try aloe vera juice or the herb called Slippery Elm to coat, soothe and heal the gut flora naturally. The connection between your gut and allergies might not seem so obvious, but it is essential to healing your gut to put an end to your allergies permanently.
4. Assess the Food you Take
Awaken the doctor inside you. After you eat food, rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 with regards to how you feel after eating. Do you feel bloated or you want to go back to bed – that’s a 1. Else if your stomach is feeling good and you feel energized then it’s a 10.
By doing this you can identify if the food is causing inflammation or doing good to you and consume it safely. Once you are through eliminating the wheat, dairy, and sugar from your diet for two months, you can re-introduce those foods slowly, but cautiously and then rate it again to see how well your body is taking it.
There is more to allergies than you think. It goes beyond than just identifying the basic triggers like dust, pollen, cats or certain food. The missing link to your allergies lies in your gut and how strong it is. By stopping wheat, sugar, and dairy for 2 months and healing the gut, your body will come under the right balance that will curb any type of allergies. Give it a try, persevere and experience it for yourself!