Eczema, asthma, runny nose, nose congestion and sinus – these are common allergic reactions that many children and adults struggle with on a regular basis, some for many years or even a lifetime.

Perhaps you, or your child, have food allergies, or you’re sensitive to dust and dust mites or your pet. You know it from experience, or you may have done skin prick tests at the doctor.

Doctors have told you that allergies can’t be cured, only the symptoms managed. And you’ve been sent home with anti-histamine or steroid creams.

The prescriptions do bring sufficient relief and that’s enough for you. Or perhaps they don’t, or your condition has worsened rather than improved, or you’re concerned about regular use of steroids and drugs.

Alternatives To Steroids And Antihistamines

You might be interested to know there are alternatives to conventional medicine. There are treatment options that many have found them to be not only effective in bringing relief, without the use of anti-histamines or steroids, but also in addressing the underlying conditions and eventually eliminating the cause of the allergies.

• Homeopathy

A holistic system of medicine that uses minute traces of substances to treat health conditions. Treatment is customized for every individual, based on the patient’s specific health profile and current symptoms, and is adjusted over time as his/her condition changes and improves.

Homeopathic medicines consist of very small pellets, small pills or liquid drops, and are safe and easily consumed by children, even infants.

They are safe for use alongside conventional medicines. For allergies, a homeopath may work on ‘detoxing’ organs in the body, such as the liver, restoring balance and healthy function to the digestive system, in addition to treating skin (e.g. eczema) and respiratory (e.g. chronic runny nose) symptoms. It often takes several months before symptoms are completely resolved.

• Naturopathy

Like homeopaths, naturopathic physicians look at the whole body’s health. They focus on tracing the underlying cause, sometimes making use of lab-based tests to diagnose and uncover factors such as gastrointestinal disorders or infections, environmental issues, genetic make-up, etc.

Their treatments are based on and support the body’s natural ability to heal. Many naturopaths, though not all, are multi-disciplinary. They employ a variety of what is called ‘modalities’ – homeopathy, TCM herbs, massages, and acupressure, to name a few.

Naturopathic treatment plans may include herbal tinctures (extracts of herbs), homeopathics, dietary measures, lifestyle changes, and pharmaceutical-grade supplements, among many others.

• Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Treatment (NAET)

NAET was named after Dr Devi Nambudripad, who pioneered and developed this framework of medicine. It combines principles of kinesiology, Western and eastern medicine, chiropractic and nutrition.

NAET defines an allergy as any kind of adverse reaction in a body to a substance, not just a protein-based, IgE-mediated response as defined by Western allergy medicine.

In spite of the name, NAET’s focus is more holistic than merely treating individual allergies. It is based on the TCM theory of the meridian systems and takes into account the energy state of the whole body as well as its individual organs.

Diagnosis is non-invasive and accomplished through muscle-testing, i.e. the patient holds a glass vial or jar containing the suspected allergen while the practitioner tests the patient’s muscle strength. Even babies and small children can be tested and treated with ease and without discomfort, through the parent acting as a surrogate.

Unlike conventional solutions like anti-histamines and steroids, these treatments can be very expensive. They involve addressing underlying conditions and rely on the body’s natural healing processes, which take time and repeated treatments, leading to costs that add up. But their advantage over mainstream medicine treatments is that they truly treat the underlying cause, not just the symptoms.

Once your body’s been supported to heal with the allergies resolved, you will no longer need to rely on regular use of pills and creams. For many who have struggled with allergies severe enough to affect qualify of life to a significant degree, these options may be worth pursuing.

By Sara Rognstad.

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