Gerald, age 42, came into the office recently complaining of hayfever and recurrent sinusitis that is getting worse over the last few years. The symptoms bother him for the month of May and June and he is tired of taking anti-histamines and feeling generally run down because of it. He has just purchased a new property with a large yard and he wants to enjoy it!

This is a very common story with people having regional allergies that either get worse or better depending on the locale. He had recently moved from Alberta and had less trouble there!

The first thing I do with folks like this is recommend anti-histamine like remedies that are effective in getting people off the "drugs". These include large doses of vitamin C, quercitin and herbs such as stinging nettle. The key word here is dosages. Many times people are taking the right remedy but not in the correct dosage and if this doesn't work, the other problem might be the strength or quality of other remedy. The second thing I do is look at the underlying cause which is often a yeast or fungal over growth in the sinuses. More and more EENT specialists are seeing this as a primary causation of chronic sinusitis. Getting the person off sugar, yeasted breads and fermented foods such as alcohol, gives the "yeast killers" a chance to clear up the mucous membranes. Common yeast killers include grapefruit seed extract, oregano oil and garlic. When the "fungas" overgrowth is controlled in the intestinal tract, the fungas overgrowth in the sinuses is also improved! The third thing I do is look for "food sensitivities". These are foods that once eliminated give the body a chance to heal and once healed then they can be re-introduced in smaller quantities. This differs in "food allergy" where the true sense of the word "allergy" means a lifelong reaction to the food and therefore it must be avoided for life. This is common as in the case of a "nut allergy" for instance. There are some foods that even though they are classified as sensitivities, the person is well advised to avoid them for life.

Electrodermal testing is a common way that Europeans have used over the last 3 decades to help identify indications of a "food sensitivity". This means that acupuncture points on the hands are used to identify the reaction to food and environmental substances. This type of testing is performed as an ancillary test to aid the naturopathic physician in identifying causes of health problems and is by no means definitive, but serves as a very useful tool. The diagnostic device that I am currently using in my practice for this purpose is the Mora III machine, developed over 20 years ago in Germany and is still used today! The fourth thing I do is boost the overall immune system by treating the adrenal glands. Often these glands are run down in allergic cases and their "batteries" need recharging.

George was "sensitive" to over 10 different foods including cow's milk, wheat and soy, as identified by the electrodermal testing. Along with avoiding these foods, he did a candida program and took remedies to boost his immune system. We were able to assist him very nicely through the allergy season. He also avoids wheat and dairy on an ongoing basis, especially having read my recent newsletter (May June 2006) on the terrible effects of wheat on the nervous and digestive system. Year after year his allergies improve rather than get worse because he understands the underlying causes that will aggravate him.