Frequently Asked Questions - Allergies
What are allergies?
From a Western medical perspective, an allergy is an overreaction by the immune system. From a holistic perspective rooted in Oriental Medical principles, from an allergy is a condition of unusual sensitivity to one or more substances that may be harmless to the majority of individuals. In the allergic person, the allergen is viewed by the brain as a threat to the body's well-being, causing blockages to the flow of energy though the body.
How does an allergy affect my body?
When contact is made with an allergen, it causes blockages in the energy pathways called meridians. An allergy disrupts the normal flow of energy through the body's electrical circuits, causing interference in communication between the brain and body via the nervous system. This blocked energy flow is the first step in a chain of events which can develop into an allergic response and a diminished state of health in one or more organ systems.
How do I find and treat my allergies?
Conventional Western medicine has several methods for testing allergies. These include the "Intra-dermal test," "Patch test", "Scratch test", and various blood tests such as the "RAST test" and the "ELISA test." These can identify dozens of allergens from one test or from one blood sample. The standard treatment is drug therapy using allergy shots - antihistamines or steroids - to control allergic symptoms. Unfortunately, this does not correct the underlying problem, and often the allergy sufferer experiences serious long term side effects.
The most effective treatment option until now has been complete avoidance of the offending allergen(s). This can be difficult and in some cases impossible. Now, however, there is an alternative: AOT®, Dr. Bruce's Allergy Overload Technique.
You say I am allergic to X, but I've tried not eating it/wearing it and it didn't make any difference. Could you be wrong?
Dr. Bruce could have made a mistake in his testing. But it is also likely that when you removed X, you replaced it with something else you are allergic to. For example, one client stopped drinking milk and drank orange juice instead. But he was also allergic to oranges, so his eczema didn't get any better.
How can I be allergic to perfume, when I don't wear any?
Even if you don't wear perfumes yourself, other people do, and many household and personal care products are perfumed. Even products without any apparent perfume may contain some fragrance to disguise the unpleasant smell of an active ingredient.
I've bought a non-allergenic product, so that can't be a problem, can it?
Sadly there are no safe foods or products. Some are less likely to be problems than others, but I've had an asthmatic who was allergic to non-biological washing powder but fine on the biological ones, a child who became hyperactive eating carrots, including organic ones, a migraine sufferer who reacted to decaffeinated coffee but not to regular coffee, and a child with eczema who was allergic to cotton, but fine with synthetic materials.
What's the difference between allergy and intolerance?
If a person has an allergy, they will react to even the smallest amount of a substance, but intolerance is related to the quantity of the item the person encounters - you only have a reaction when you exceed your tolerance level. We all have tolerance levels, but if our tolerance level for oranges is 20 a day, we probably won't ever have a problem with them. Tolerance levels are not fixed. They go up and down according to how stressed you are. The more stressed you are, the lower your tolerance for everything.
Sometimes I can eat X and I am OK, and sometimes it gives me a reaction. Why?
There are several possibilities. It could be that you're not really allergic to X. Perhaps you are allergic to a pesticide that's often used on it - you'd only react when it had been sprayed with that pesticide. Similarly some people react to food molds, and there may be mold on the food long before it's visible to the naked eye. Often it is a question of tolerance. For example, if your tolerance were for a small orange, you'd only have a reaction when you had a big orange, or when you had a small orange plus some marmalade in quick succession.
Sugar is interesting. There are two types of sugar - cane and beet. Manufacturers will often not specify on the package which sugar they are using because they want to use whichever is cheaper at the time. So if you were allergic to cane sugar, you'd only react when the manufacturer used cane sugar in the product.
The doctor's test doesn't agree with your testing. Who's right?
We could both be wrong, or both partly right. I often find I don't agree with medical allergy testing. At the end of the day the real test is whether you get better after treatment.
You say I'm allergic to X, but I always feel better when I eat it, so that can't be right, can it?
One of the strange things about allergies is that people often become addicted to the thing they are allergic to. Not having it means you suffer from withdrawal symptoms, so that when eat it again you feel better. You associate the good feelings with the food — similar to a drug addict!
You say I'm allergic to X. Will I have to avoid it for ever?
No! With AOT® there is no need for avoidance. This is one of the main benefits of AOT®!
Why have I developed allergies?
It's difficult to say exactly. There are several possibilities. Allergies run in some families. Stress can play its part too. Sometimes particular traumatic events can explain a particular allergy..It's also been suggested that if you're kept away from dirt and animals as a baby, you're more likely to develop allergies. Infections and vaccinations have also been linked to the start of allergies.
You say I'm allergic to wheat, but I don't eat much bread, so that can't be right, can it?
Wheat is in all sorts of foods besides bread - pasta, pizzas, cracjersm cookies, cakes etc. and it's used by manufacturers as a thickener.
I get side effects to my medication, can you help with that?
In my experience a lot of side effects are actually allergic reactions, so I may be able to help.
Are allergies on the rise?
I think the answer to this has to be 'yes'. Thirty years ago allergies in children were very rare. I think doctors are more willing today to diagnose some diseases such as asthma, but even so everything points to allergies being on the rise.