The purpose of this article is to educate you on the origin and causes of allergies; including a look at some steps you can implement to alleviate them. In order to help yourself, you must first spend time researching and understanding the health issues that affect your life.

Secondly, you should research the alternatives available to find what may work best for your situation. We are uniquely created so what works for one may not work for another.

What are Allergies?

In its simplest form it is a hyper-reactivity to various components of the environment, including food and drink. You can also be allergic to chemicals, house dust, pollen, cats, and dogs, etc. Occasionally, there is someone who has extreme multiple allergies, but this is very rare.

What Causes Allergies?

Much ill-health, including allergies, is caused by a combination of an overload of toxic material accumulating in the body, and not enough essential nutrients that keep countless biochemical processes working smoothly.  Easily stated, the body is full of toxic waste and greatly lacking essential nutrients.  Thus creating imbalance.

When allergies are present, the liver is not able to keep up with its job of filtering out partly digestive food materials before they meet the immune system. The immune system is therefore constantly over-triggered. The person may feel exhausted because the body systems are over-worked. Low blood sugar attacks may be a problem, causing attacks of the symptoms.

Factors that always accompany chronic illness are: toxic accumulation, inadequacy of key nutrients, and loss of cell vitality. None of these things can be put right by taking either prescribed or over-the-counter drugs and remedies. These may suppress the symptoms that we experience, but do not put right the basic cause. They also add to the level of toxins already in our bodies and give our systems more work in breaking them down and getting rid of them.

What are the Most Common Allergens?

• Pollen from trees, grass and weeds. Allergies that occur in the spring (late April and May) are often due to tree pollen. Allergies that occur in the summer (late May to mid-July) are often due to grass pollen. Allergies that occur in the fall (late August to the first frost) are often due to ragweed.
• Mold. Mold is common where water tends to collect, such as shower curtains, window moldings and damp basements. It can also be found in rotting logs, hay, mulches, commercial peat moss, compost piles and leaf litter. This allergy is usually worse during humid and rainy weather.
• Animal Dander. The bits of skin and hair from animals are both allergens. You can be exposed to dander when handling an animal or from house dust that contains dander.
• Dust. Many allergens, including dust mites, are in dust. Dust mites are tiny living creatures found in bedding, mattresses, carpeting and upholstered furniture. They live on dead skin cells and other things found in house dust.

Common Symptoms of Allergies

• Runny Nose
• Watery Eyes
• Itchy Nose, Eyes, Throat, Roof of Mouth
• Sneezing
• Stuffy Nose
• Pressure in the Nose and Cheeks
• Ear Fullness and Popping
• Dark Circles Under the Eyes
• Hives

Things That Can Make Your Allergy Symptoms Worse

• Aerosol Sprays
• Air Pollution
• Cold Temperatures
• Humidity
• Irritating Fumes
• Tobacco Smoke
• Wind
• Wood Smoke

Tips on How to Avoid Common Allergens

Pollen from trees, grass and weeds: Shower or bathe before bedtime to wash off pollen in your hair and on your skin. Avoid going outside during the time of year when your allergies cause the most problems, especially on dry, windy days. Keep windows and doors shut at home and in your car, and use an air conditioner. Special air filters, such as HEPA and electrostatic filters, can help reduce allergens in the air.

Mold: Remove houseplants. Frequently clean shower curtains, bathroom windows, damp walls and indoor trashcans. In areas where mold has built up, use a mixture of water and chlorine bleach to kill it. Don’t carpet bathrooms or other damp rooms. Use mold-proof paint instead of wallpaper. Reduce the humidity in your home to 50% or less.

Pet Dander: If your allergies to dander (skin and hair from animals) are severe, you may need to give your pets away, or at least keep them outside.

Dust: You can reduce dust mites by the following tips:
• Remove drapes, feather pillows, upholstered furniture, non-washable comforters and soft toys.
• Replace carpets with linoleum or wood. Polished floors are best.
• Mop the floor often with a damp mop and wipe surfaces with a damp cloth.
• Vacuum regularly with a machine that has a high-efficiency particulate air filter. Vacuum soft furniture and curtains as well as floors.
• Install an air cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate or electrostatic filter.
• Wash carpets and upholstery with special cleaners, such as benzyl benzoate or tannic acid spray.
• Wash all bedding in hot water (hotter than 130°F) every 7 to 10 days.
• Don’t use mattress pads/cover mattress and pillows with plastic covers.
• Lower the humidity in your home.

No such thing as an allergy? Sources: Dr. Joel Robbins, MD and Dr. Gary Young, ND
Dr. Joel Robbins, MD, is quoted in “Back to the Garden” regarding his thoughts about food allergies, which he calls a digestive problem. Paraphrased: “When foods are broken down to their most basic components, there are no known allergies to anything.

Why are people reacting to foods? Foods are not thoroughly digested. They are broken down into small enough particles that can be absorbed, but the body can’t utilize them. They get into the blood stream.

If the liver is in ‘good’ shape, it will grab them and eliminate them. No symptoms. If the liver is backed up, the body will have to use a less efficient system to deal with this foreign substance. Antibodies will ‘run, grab them, and go for an available exit.’ These exits are generally the sinuses (sinus problems or hay fever), lungs (asthma or respiratory problems), or skin (causing rashes, eczema or skin conditions).”

Dr Gary Young, ND, in a lecture at Level II training, in October 2000, discussed allergies in general. He said that allergies are not a disease, but rather a dysfunction caused by overloaded receptor sites. Petrochemicals and other toxins are absorbed into the different organs of the body. They interfere with the body’s ability to function properly. They prevent the body from processing and adequately breaking down and eliminating these pollutants. As a result allergy symptoms can result, or specific organs may develop other problems, or even cancer.

Utilizing Essential Oils & Supplements to Address Allergies

Ultimately, we should start with the sinuses and end with the liver to effectively address allergies, adding essential oils to our daily life like Lemongrass for mold/fungal issues. Diffusing therapeutic-grade essential oils in the home releases oxygenating molecules into the atmosphere.

This increases the ozone and negative ions, which inhibit bacterial growth, preventing and destroying existing odors from mold, cigarettes, animals, etc. Diffusing also removes dust particles and chemicals out of the air, cleansing the 12-million receptor sites located through our nasal passages. YL’s cold air diffuser creates a highly effective air filtration system for the home and office.

Cleansing the digestive track is another effective method to consider when addressing allergies. This can help release toxic chemicals from your organs and tissues.  There are a number of great cleansing products on the market today.

Digestive enzymes and nutritional supplements can help foods digest properly and build your immune system with products such as YL digestive enzymes, Life 5 Probiotic, MultiGreens, and NingXia Red Wolfberry Juice.

While all of these things are helpful the most effective method I have discovered is saturating the body with key vitamins and minerals.  I like fast results so if you follow suit with that read on.

The most effective method to address allergies is Vitamin C Therapy to bowel tolerance – safe, simple, and effective.  Most people are highly deficient in Vitamin C, a natural antihistamine and antitoxin due to their diets and lifestyles.   Is it any wonder with our food sources that our bodies would be deficient?  Of course not.

For further information on Vitamin C Therapy go to: doctoryourself.com where Andrew Saul will explain it in great detail.  He also has incredible heath information on this site.

I myself have experienced great results from taking large amounts of Vitamin C for my allergies.  And the results are quickly realized.  It is phenomenal.   Try it you will like it.   And so it is…

Connie

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Hypothyroidism is a common health condition affecting millions of men and women (particularly women) that is frequently overlooked in our health care system. Approximately 40 percent of the U.S. population suffers from this disorder to some degree, and also tend to suffer hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

The thyroid gland is located in the neck just below the Adam’s apple and is in charge of producing hormones that regulate a person’s metabolic rate. In essence, the thyroid is the energy gland of the human body acting as the body’s gas pedal. An overactive or hyperthyroid causes the body’s systems to run too hot and too fast. An under-active or hypothyroid causes the body’s systems to run too cold and too slow.

The thyroid also controls other vital functions in the body such as digestion, circulation, immune function, hormone balance, and emotions. The thyroid gland is actually controlled by the pituitary gland, the master gland, that signals the thyroid when to produce thyroid hormone. The pituitary gland is then directed by chemical signals sent by the hypothalamus gland which monitors hormone levels in the blood stream.

So a lack of thyroid hormone does not always mean that the thyroid is not working properly. Proper functions of the pituitary and hypothalamus must also be taken into consideration because all of these glands were designed to function systematically. The pituitary and hypothalamus glands may be malfunctioning because of their failure to release sufficient hormones that in turn affects the signals sent to the thyroid to produce its hormones.

In cases where thyroid hormone deficiency is caused by a malfunctioning pituitary or hypothalamus, better results may be achieved by using natural supplements or therapeutic-grade essential oils that stimulate the pituitary or hypothalamus, such as Ultra Young or Cedarwood made by Young Living Essential Oils.

One of the most common causes of low thyroid function is radiation treatments for an overactive thyroid. Next, fluoride and chlorine are highly toxic substances that compete with the iodine needed for thyroid hormone metabolism and can greatly impede healthy thyroid function.

Toxic overload including heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and others can also be primary causes of hypothyroidism and need to be cleansed out of the body.

One of the most effective forms I have ever encountered to detoxify toxins out of the body are the LifeWave Energy Patches. Hands down, they win my vote for cleansing and rebuilding the body at the cellular level. Check out my articles on this site for further information.

The following symptoms occur with Hypothyroidism:

• Fatigue/weakness • Impaired memory • Swelling around eyes, face or legs
• Yeast infections (Candida) • Emotional instability • Sensation of cold
• Low immune function • Depression • Recurring infections
• Weight gain or loss • Heart palpitations • Muscle or joint pain
• Constipation • Nervousness • Difficulty swallowing

Fatigue is one of the most common reasons for visits to primary care doctors, but the risk factors of having a poorly active thyroid are varied. Several factors are specific to women only including: auto immune disease, post-partum depression, infertility, multiple miscarriages, and PMS.

The effects of low thyroid and low body temperature can be devastating because for every one degree of decrease in body temperature the base metabolic rate decreases by approximately 6%.

It is not uncommon for a person to have an average temperature that is two to four degrees below normal, this correlates to a 12%-24% reduction in overall metabolism. No wonder people with low thyroid function feel tired and depressed and are consistently challenged with their weight.

Millions of Americans are living with hypothyroid but are unaware of it due to a lack of knowledge and inadequate testing procedures. And for those who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism most patients receive inadequate treatment or treatment that causes other health issues.

Diagnosing low thyroid using the most common medical test offered is often ineffective. Although there are numerous lab values that can be used to evaluate thyroid function, many physicians use only one lab test for diagnosis: thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Many patients with 8 out of 10 low thyroid symptoms are told that their thyroid is not the cause of their symptoms because their TSH level reads in the normal range set as the guide for diagnosing hypothyroidism.

Even though TSH is the most commonly used method to diagnose low thyroid, having normal TSH levels does not automatically rule out hypothyroidism. In addition to the TSH test, a more complete thyroid panel should also include free T3, free T4, and possibly TPO antibodies, and reverse T3.

Although these are the best tests to evaluate thyroid function through traditional medicine, they are often not performed because they are more expensive than the common tests and may not be covered by your insurance companies. If you are experiencing low thyroid symptoms consider being tested by a skilled physician, requesting a complete thyroid panel for proper diagnosis.

An effective and free method to detect low thyroid function is to measure your basal body temperature at home using a mercury thermometer. However, mercury thermometers have now been removed from the market and replaced with non-mercury digital thermometers. Regardless, many people have found the digital thermometers to still be effective in detecting low thyroid function as a first step. And considering the significant amount of misdiagnosed thyroid tests from traditional medical testing what do you have to lose by using this method.

To check your thyroid function using the Barnes Basal Temperature Test:

• Shake a thermometer (preferably the old fashioned kind with mercury) and leave on the bedside table
within easy reach prior to going to sleep.

• Immediately upon awakening in the morning, remain lying down, inserting the thermometer snugly
into the armpit, lying quietly for ten minutes. This is a good time to reflect on things you appreciate in
your life starting with yourself!

• Less time is required for a digital thermometer. It will beep upon completion of reading your body
temperature.

• The temperature reading should range between 97.8º to 98.2° F (36.5 to 36.7° C). Temperatures below
97.8º generally indicate hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) and temperatures above 98.2 generally
indicate hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid function) which is far rarer.

• Repeat this test for seven consecutive days and once more after a week.

NOTE: Women will obtain the most accurate readings when not menstruating or on the second and third day of menstruation. People with Type A blood tend to have weaker thyroid function.

Once a diagnosis is made, the conventional treatment of hypothyroidism is to prescribe synthetic thyroid medications to bring the TSH level back into a normal range. Many patients have found this approach to be highly ineffective and to actually cause additional health problems.

A more effective approach is to start with eating healthier and leading a more active lifestyle. And consider taking a natural supplement such as Thyromin, from Young Living, vs. medication. Thyromin contains a combination of specially selected glandular nutrients, herbs, amino acids, minerals and therapeutic-grade essential oils designed to nourish, rebuild, and balance the thyroid and metabolism, thus reducing fatigue.

Many people have experienced great success by using this product. For additional information simply leave me an e-mail and I’ll respond to it or you can click on the Young Living link located on the lower right side.  Remember, your health is your responsibility and also a form of loving yourself! And so it is…

Here’s to your health!

Connie

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Numerous people have told me they simply don’t like drinking water. They find water boring and tasteless, thus have never developed a habit of drinking it on a daily basis or ever for that matter.

I understand and can agree that water isn’t bursting with flavor and it actually wasn’t meant to. However, we were meant to drink it daily to maintain an optimum state of well-being. This is because our bodies are made up of approximatley 78% water at the cellular level and drinking water helps flush out the harmful toxins that accumulate in our organs and tissues.

The fact is many people don’t like water because they are used to drinking beverages loaded with sugar, carbonation and added flavors consisting of chemicals. As a society we have moved away from natural means of staying healthy. And these unhealthy beverages prove that.

Ingesting at least (8) 12 ounce glasses of purified water daily is highly suggested to flush harmful toxins out of your body. FYI – Toxins will store themselves throughout the body if not allowed to flush through the digestive tract. And if you’re not flushing toxins out you are literally becoming a toxic storage facility for them. And at times toxins become so built up they find a way out and usually smell awful much like an out house does.

To change your feelings towards drinking water I am sharing a wonderful way I discovered at a spa in California to add natural taste that will burst in your mouth and leave you feeling totally refreshed. So here it is:

• Slice one organic lemon
• 4 slices of an organic cucumber
• Add to 2 quarts of purified water, preferably in a glass container
• Let sit for an hour or two and drink one delicious glass at a time
• Make sure to drink it all that day or at least the next morning to keep it fresh

I guarantee you will love the taste of this water! And the great thing is that by adding lemons and cucumber slices together the water becomes very alkalizing to your body which increases your well-being with every glass you drink. I also like using this method to remind myself of how much water I have actually drank that day. When the container is empty I have completed my water intake for the day.

This recipe has convinced even the toughest of people who originally didn’t like drinking water, into drinking it and liking to drink it. So now they drink it daily! Try it you will like it…. And I would enjoy hearing your comments after you try it.

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