Allergy-Proof Your Life. Michelle Schoffro Cook

the list of side effects can be worse than the condition itself. Most people don’t realize there are many natural options to alleviating allergies, including ones that are far superior to the drug options. Many doctors could recommend natural options, but few even know which ones to prescribe. Sadly, most medical doctors still don’t receive any training in the use of food as medicine, herbal medicine, or nutrient supplementation. And as drug companies continue to market drugs as the exclusive options for people suffering from allergies, physicians continue to prescribe them in droves.

      Before we discuss the options available to you, let’s first consider: What exactly are allergies? According to the Oxford Dictionary, allergies are “a damaging immune response by the body to a substance, especially pollen, fur, a particular food, or dust, to which it has become hypersensitive.”3 But what causes the immune response to go haywire? Even as scientists continue to search for causal factors, there are numerous reasons that have been found, including a leaky gut, nutritional deficiencies, low-grade inflammation in the gut or throughout the body, and excessive sugar and dairy consumption, to name a few.

      Our Standard American Diet (SAD) seems to contribute to the prevalence of allergies; switching to a low-allergen, mucusless, and clean diet seems to dramatically transform allergies in many people. I’ve witnessed this result personally with countless patients, some of whose stories I will share in this book.

      Nutrient deficiencies also seem to contribute to weakened systems in the body and to allergy symptoms, and they may actually be a major factor in whether allergies occur at all.

      Poor gut health—including microbial imbalances, insufficient allergy-reducing probiotics, inflammation, and a leaky gut—also seems to play a significant role in allergies.

      Excessive stress, insufficient activity, and energy blockages throughout the body can also contribute to weakness and susceptibility to allergies in many people.

      But it is insufficient to simply know the factors that play a role in causing allergies; you also need to know how to address them. A diagnosis by your doctor and a prescription for pharmaceutical drugs or allergy shots is also insufficient, as none of these options tell you why you’re suffering from allergies in the first place. You need to get to the bottom of your allergies so you can correct the imbalances involved with causing them and, ultimately, reverse them in part or altogether.

      Allergy-Proof Your Life: Natural Remedies for Allergies That Work! offers you an opportunity to discover your body’s potential underlying weaknesses—such as nutritional deficiencies, bodily imbalances, and lifestyle choices—so you can get to the bottom of what’s causing the allergies in your body—and get rid of them! Addressing the root causes of allergies is much more effective than taking a drug-based Band-Aid approach that merely lessens symptoms and worsens health in the long term.

      When it comes to allergies, what your doctor doesn’t know is hurting you. Allergy-Proof Your Life works by resetting your natural body chemistry and addressing the underlying causal factors for allergies instead of the medical approach to reducing symptoms at a high cost to the body. As you will soon discover, cutting-edge research shows that low-grade inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, a leaky or inflamed gut, and an inflammatory diet puts you at risk of experiencing allergies or aggravating existing allergies.

      In Allergy-Proof Your Life, I will reveal how you can eat to beat inflammation, identify foods that contribute to environmental and seasonal allergies and foods that heal them, reverse nutritional deficiencies, and heal the gut imbalances that are frequently at the root of allergies. Sadly, that’s probably not something your doctor has ever told you.

      You’ll find dozens of cutting-edge, scientifically proven natural therapies and remedies for allergies that have never before been compiled into a single book and many of which are virtually unknown—the product of my twenty-five years of research and experience in the natural health field. I am a registered nutritionist, board-certified doctor of natural medicine, certified herbalist, doctor of acupuncture, and the author of nineteen other natural health books. I spend almost every day researching the best proven natural medicines to help people overcome illnesses they may believe are incurable. My quest to offer the best healing advice for the treatment of allergies and other health problems has led me to research new and advanced natural treatments, including potent phytonutrients—plant nutrients—that combat symptoms, enzyme therapy to address inflammation and allergy symptoms, and orthomolecular therapy that addresses the causal factors of the condition. My clients and readers alike regularly share their successes in transforming their health and improving their quality of life.

      I compiled this information into one book in my quest to empower you to take charge of your life and to put health and healing information into a practical, do-it-yourself format that is easy to follow and use. It is my hope that you will experience a health transformation.

      In chapter 1, you’ll learn more about the medical view of allergies as compared to a holistic one and explore some of the dangers of common allergy medications. Chapter 1 also examines the most common medications for allergies, including antihistamines, decongestants, and corticosteroids, along with the serious side effects of each. It explains why these drugs are high risk and low reward. I explore the limitations of taking a drug-based approach to allergies and why this approach won’t work in the long run. I introduce the value of a holistic approach to allergies and its benefits. In chapter 2, you’ll discover the most common foods that cause or worsen allergies and aggravate sinus, skin, respiratory, or other symptoms as well foods that contain natural antihistamine compounds that you can add to your diet to help boost your body’s innate healing capacity. You’ll also learn about the sugar and dairy connection to allergies along with the best carbs to eat. You’ll discover the best antiallergy foods that can help you on your path to health. You’ll explore my antiallergy diet that I developed over more than two decades and working with thousands of clients. In chapter 3, you’ll uncover a little-known nutritional cause of allergies and how correcting the gut’s link to allergy symptoms not only can have a huge impact on symptoms but may also even halt the condition in its tracks. It explains how correcting bacterial imbalances and a leaky gut can stop allergies in their tracks. This chapter tells you how to benefit from the exciting but little-known research. In chapter 4, you’ll discover the enzymes that literally dissolve mucus and quell inflammation. Exciting research shows that systemic enzyme therapy is the natural medicine of the future when it comes to many conditions, including allergies. This chapter will detail the most exciting research, explain what it means for you, and guide you to incorporate this newfound enzyme therapy knowledge with great healing results. In chapter 5, you’ll learn about natural medicines that work to reverse allergies and their many symptoms—from specific nutrients like quercetin and herbs like perilla or butterbur, among others. You’ll learn about the best nutrients, what works, what works but only in specific instances, what doesn’t work, and how to benefit from some of the popular natural remedies that have been found to be effective against allergies as well as many other botanical and nutritional remedies. I guide you on selecting the best remedies for you and instructs you on the dose to take and the way to take them for the best results. In chapter 6, you’ll discover the many great acupressure points that have been proven effective for alleviating the symptoms of allergies. Regardless of whether you’re suffering from congestion, sneezing, sinus swelling, or other allergic symptoms, you’ll learn how to use the healing power in your fingertips to stop suffering! If you think aromatherapy is just about baths and spa treatments, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn in chapter 7 that a form of medical aromatherapy, which goes well beyond the bath and beauty industry’s interpretation of this science, is showing huge promise against allergy symptoms. Medical aromatherapy—a scientific approach to aromatherapy that uses the potent natural chemical constituents found in key essential oils—has been proven to have potent antihistamine effects, encourage drainage of the sinuses, boost energy, and more. You’ll discover the best essential oils for allergies and learn how to use them for maximum relief. In chapter 8, you’ll learn about other therapies and natural approaches to allergies that will improve your quality of life. You’ll also learn how exposure to certain household and body care products may unwittingly be aggravating your allergies, worsening your breathing, or contributing