Understanding Allergies

In the allergic person, the brain views an
allergen as a threat to the body’s well-being

Categories of Allergens

by
Devi S. Nambudripad, M.D. (WI), D.C., L.Ac., Ph.D. (Acu.)

1. Inhalants
The energy of the allergen tends its arrays into the body through respiratory tract or breathing, for example: perfume, gasoline, cooking smell, formaldehyde grasses, and pollens. etc. The adverse energy of the allergen can cause allergic reactions in the respiratory tract as well as other parts of the body. Example: smell from a new wall paint causing sciatic neuralgia radiating into the knee and ankle, or wall paint smells causing abdominal cramps.

2. Ingestant
The adverse energy of the substance that one eats (allergen enters into the body through digestive tract as foods, drinks, medications, vitamins, etc.) can cause allergic reactions in various parts of the body. Even though the allergen is ingested, the energy blockage travels through 12 meridians and the weakest part (tissue and organs) in the body gets affected first, for e.g. eating a piece of chocolate catching general headaches, migraine, cough, flu like symptom, sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma knee pain or diarrhea, etc. If it is not taken care of immediately, other tissues and organs will support the weak area and eventually the whole body will be affected.

3. Contactant
The adverse energy of the substance enters into the body by touching, or being within the electromagnetic field of-the allergen (allergen enters into the body through skin surface. For example; coming in contact with the item as in daily worn clothes, cosmetics, skin creams, furniture, books, work materials, plastics, utensils, bed, linen, school materials, shampoo, soap, detergents, fabric softeners, toys, etc.) can cause allergic reactions in various parts of the body. Even though the allergen is contacted at skin surface, the weakest part (tissue and organs) in the body gets affected first, for e.g. sciatic pain, migraine, cough, flu like symptoms, sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma, pain in the abdomen, depression, anger, insomnia, etc. (if it is not taken care of immediately, other tissues and organs will support the weak area and eventually the whole body of ill be affected.

4. Injectant
Allergens are injected into the skin, muscles, joints, and blood vessels in the form of various serums, antitoxins, vaccines, childhood immunizations, insect bites, animal bites, and drugs. Even though the allergen is injected, the weakest part (tissue and organs) in the body gets affected first, for example, fever, learning disability, dyslexia, ADD, Autism, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, flu like symptoms, asthma, etc. lf it is not taken care of immediately, other tissues and organs will support the weak area and eventually the whole body will be affected and disease can become chronic.

5. Infectant
Infectants are allergens that produce their effect by causing sensitivity to all infectious agents, such as bacteria, virus or fungus. For example, an allergic reaction results when tuberculin bacterium is introduced as part of a diagnostic test to determine a patient's sensitivity or reaction to it. A typical reaction to the tuberculin test may be seen as an infectious eruption under the skin. This type of reaction may occur with a skin patch or scratch tests performed in the normal course of allergy testing in the traditional western medical approach. The injected sites can become infectious, causing the bacteria to travel into the blood stream and allowing it to enter certain tissues in the body. They hide in the tissue causing subclinical infections and frequent bacterial infections like arthritis, cough, bronchitis, pneumonia, eczema, dermatitis, Autism, ADHD, colitis, celiac disease. diabetes, etc., for years to come.

6. Physical agents
Sensitive people can react to various physical agents like cold, heat, dryness, dampness, humidity, cold mist or fog, radiation, etc., and can cause real illness in people. For example, pain in the leg, chest pain, migraine, weight gain, colds and flu's, arthritis, abdominal cramps, asthma, pain in the ears, etc. lf it is not taken care of immediately, other tissues and organs will support the weak area and eventually the whole body will be affected.

7. Genetic Factors
Most people inherit the allergic tendency from their parents or grandparents. Allergies may also skip generations or can be manifested differently in parents and their children. Discovery of possible tendencies toward allergies carried over from parents and grandparents to children opens a large door to achieving optimum health, for example, pain in the lower back, heart problems, mitral valve prolapse, migraines, asthma, deafness, arthritis, etc., could be due to the toxins passed on to the child from the parent(s) (mother or father or both) who suffered streptococcal infection or malaria before the child was born. If it could be traced to the source and treated with NAET the present manifestations could be reduced and/or eliminated.

8. Molds and fungi
Molds and fungi are in a category by themselves because of the numerous avenues through which they can come into contact with people in everyday life. They can be ingested, inhaled, touched. or even injected as in the case of penicillin. These allergens also affect the weakest part (tissue and organs) in the body and spreads through the rest of the body and cause various local and systemic reactions, for example, headaches, migraines, cough, flu like symptoms, sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma, yeast like symptoms, fatigue, insomnia, constipation, diarrhea, etc. lf it is not taken care of immediately, other tissues and organs will support the weak area and eventually the whole body will be affected.

9. Emotional Factors
Many times, the origin of physical symptoms can be traced back to some unresolved emotional trauma. Each cell in the body has the capability to respond physically, physiologically, and psychologically to our daily activities. When there is a disruption of the energy flow in the meridians, energy blockages can occur causing various emotional symptoms and related physical and physiological symptoms in the weakest tissue in the body, for example, headaches, migraines, cough, flu like symptoms, sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma, itching, manic depressive disorders, anger, fibromyalgia, uterine bleeding, bladder irritation, bladder infections, fatigue, insomnia, constipation, diarrhea. Insomnia, etc. lf it is not taken care of immediately, other tissues and organs will support the weak area and eventually the whole body will be affected.

Food Allergy Characteristics

Food allergy is a complex issue. It is not just a yes or no situation. Various types of food reactions have been described, including the following:

a. Fixed Allergy - A person with a fixed food allergy will react to that substance each time they come into contact with it, often even with a very tiny exposure. It doesn't matter how long it has been since the last exposure, re-exposure will still produce a reaction.

b. Cumulative Allergy - A person with a cumulative allergy to foods will only react to a specific food when they ingest enough of it to exceed their allergy threshold for that specific food. It may take a substantial amount of that food to evoke a reaction. A specific food may be tolerated just fine one day, but if ingested the next day will likely produce a significant reaction.

c. Variable allergy - A person with variable allergies may react at certain times when eating a food, but tolerate it well on other occasions. Some people react to specific foods when certain pollens are in the air, but not at other times. This may represent a complex cumulative response to common antigenic material in several foods, or a reaction to a combination of a food and a pollen. Some women react adversely to certain foods during a particular phase of the menstrual cycle, or during pregnancy. In most cases, the reason for the variability is not clear.