Allergies & Addictions Overview

Everything the body does is a chemical reaction—food is the raw material.

Definition: altered reaction to otherwise innocuous substances
Practical definition: warning system that something is wrong with digestion or detox

There are two basic mechanisms causing these altered reactions.
  • Immune reaction: The job of the immune system is to identify incoming substances as “friend” or “foe”. An allergen is coded as a foreign invader rather than “friend”, and the body mounts an attack against that invader using immunoglobulins called IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, IgM. Conventional medicine only considers the IgE cell-mediated antigen/antibody response an allergy (because that’s all they could measure when it was discovered decades ago), but all cause altered reactivity, the classical definition of an allergy.
  • Intolerance due to intestinal problems, missing enzymes, blood type-food interaction, etc.
Symptoms & Effects why anything can be an allergic reaction

Reactions can strike any—and multiple—parts of the body: if it can cause a rash or death, it can cause anything in between (from daily ailments & vanities to disease).
  • Physical symptoms
    • Immediate symptoms are the body’s attempt to expel the invader: sneezing, tearing, coughing, rash, diarrhea
    • Cascading effects are the result of histamines: swelling (including brain), fatigue, headaches, stiffness and painful joints and muscles, and dozens of others
  • Mental/behavioral symptoms: addictions (drugs, alcohol, nicotine, food), depression, hyperactivity, cognitive dysfunction, poor memory & concentration, mood swings, abusive & criminal behavior
  • Cascading effects are the root cause of or major contributor to most other chronic illnesses and fatigue.
  • Inflammation
    		•
  • Immune over-reactivity
    		•  cause other disorders, both physical & psychological
  • Nutritional deficiencies
    		•
Types of allergies why we often don’t recognize them
  • Infrequent contact: both the cause & effect is obvious to all
    • Immediate reaction: IgE mediated—symptoms are obvious within minutes
  • Frequent contact: cause & effect is masked and variable
    • Delayed: IgG mediated—symptoms don’t appear until hours to days later
    • Thermal: symptoms occur after ingested food is followed by cold, heat or light
    • Hidden: effects, pathology or damage is evident, but there are no obvious symptoms—cravings/addictions and the most obvious clue to the problem
How allergies function why they’re confusing & why we crave what we’re allergic to

  • Total load & overload The first confusing aspect of allergies is that you may react to a food or substance one time but not another. This is because it depends on the Total Load of stresses the body is subjected to at that particular time: you may react to say, wheat, if you have an infection and an emotional stress going on, but not react when you’re on vacation. Using the analogy of overflowing rain barrel, you’ll only react when the rain barrel overflows, but not when it’s only half full.
  • Stimulation-withdrawal The second confusing aspect of allergies, is that often the allergen makes us feel better. That’s because the first part of an allergic reaction is stimulation—both physical and emotional—which is always followed by withdrawal, also physical and emotional. For example, anaphylactic shock is a very just fast & extreme stimulation when the immune system chemicals are coursing through the body, followed by an equally fast and extreme withdrawal which may end in death. Alcohol and drug addictions are examples of an immediate stimulation in which one feels good, followed by physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms, and the addict re-ingests the substance to stop the discomfort and pain of withdrawal. Food addictions operate just like drug and alcohol addictions: we crave those foods we’re allergic to in order to stop the discomfort of withdrawal. Alcoholics are in fact allergic to the grain/fruit of their preferred beverage. And usually the process is unconscious. We just arrange to eat our “usual” stuff; allergic foods make us feel better temporarily.
  • Adaptation & Addiction: General Adaptation Syndrome. In the 1950’s Dr. Hans Seyle identified a 3 stage model of stress & chronic illness which explains why allergies are often hidden. There is an 1) immediate acute reaction, followed by a 2) suppression of reactive symptoms and adaptation, which may last years, ending in 3) maladaptation and pathology. Smoking is a classic analogy: all first-time smokers, even the Marlboro Man has immediate reactions of sneezing, tearing, coughing, dizziness. Over time symptoms disappear: as the body adapt it stops telling us it doesn’t like it if we’re not going to pay attention to its messages. In a similar way, we adapt to food allergens.

    Most common food allergens why our favorite foods are allergens

    The main culprits are foods most commonly appearing in the American diet: eaten regularly and in most prepared products, we have constant exposure to them.

    Dairy, especially cow’s milk In any form and any amount, even very small amounts added to prepared products such as soups, frozen dinners, etc. And all products they appear in: cheese, bread, pasta, tortillas, corn syrup, tofu, soy sauce, cookies, candy, pop, etc., etc.
    Wheat
    Corn
    Soy
    Sugar
    Eggs

    How to detect self-testing

    1. Muscle test: it is an allergen if the indicator muscle goes weak. Always verify on the P6 acupoint since the body can mask a true weakness (i.e. lie) on a simple muscle test.
    2. Pulse test: take your pulse, eat a single, pure food, re-take your pulse in ½ hour—it is an allergen if your pulse changes ± 10 points or more.
    3. Elimination diet: once you identify a suspected allergen by the previous two methods, the definitive test is to avoid it totally for 4 days, then ingest—you’re allergic if symptoms appear shortly after ingestion. Avoidance unmasks allergy, but results can be confusing due to total load or synergistic foods, foods that cause problems only when combined or altered—a pizza, for example, that combines several common allergens and adds heat.

    Elements of Addiction why mere avoidance isn’t enough

    Addiction is a behavioral response to a combination of physiological problems. Effective management/cure of addictions requires addressing most—or best—all of these elements.
    • Allergy to substances one craves or is addicted to: grain, grape, nicotine, sugar, hemp, poppy, etc. Addictions are first and foremost allergies. The other components evolve from that. Managing the critical allergens can greatly reduce cravings.
    • Hypoglycemia. Most have a problem with glucose regulation. Our brains must have a constant supply of glucose but that’s the first place affected when blood sugar gets low. Alcohol and sugar rush to the brain immediately, followed by another low creating a cycle of addiction. Managing glucose levels via diet can greatly reduce cravings.
    • Nutritional deficiencies. Because of poor diet and/or digestive problems, most have deficiencies, especially when demand goes up significantly during stress and illness in:
      • B vitamins: required for the nerves, brain, GI tract, & all cellular functions
      • Glutamine: required for firing synapses in brain’s “pleasure center, preferred fuel for cells in the intestine, prevents and repairs mucosal damage.
      • Minerals, especially zinc & magnesium: required for all metabolic & cellular functions
    • Cortical hyperarousal: most have excess theta brainwaves, the busy to hyperactive frequencies and reduced alpha/theta brainwaves, the calming ones.
    • Psychological blockages are always a component, and although not causative, must be addressed. ThoughtField Therapy is one of the most effective methods.
    • Energy blockages Chinese medicine note specific addiction/allergy points on the body and the ear that are out-of-balance with addictions and allergies. Balancing these points can reduce cravings and relieve symptoms of withdrawal.
    Causes of allergies why there’s no single, simple cure

    • Genetics: allergic predisposition and blood type intolerances
    • Immune error and constant exposure: simple frequency allows immune system errors to spread via classical conditioning, rather like Pavlov’s dogs salivating at the sound of a bell: The immune system, in what may have started as a genetic allergy to peanuts, one day miscodes the bystander wheat in the bread as a “enemy” while it’s busy fighting peanuts. Or it may code strawberry as enemy if you’re eating one when an emotional or physical trauma occurs.
    • Disturbance foci/fields: chronic sub-symptomatic inflammations (dental, chronic inflammations, and scars).
    • Dysbiosis/Leaky gut: vicious cycle of damaged intestinal flora and mucous membranes.
      • Modern medicine: excess antibiotics, steroids, birth control pills, aspirin, NSAIDs (non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs), anti-acids, cytotoxic drugs, narcotics
      • Poor diet leads to nutritional imbalances & excess dietary histamines. Histamines, almost exclusively via diet: animal proteins, fish, shellfish, tomatoes. Primary allergens are proteins—all others are secondary. Usually develops during infancy, when fed foreign animal protein (cow’s mild, eggs or nuts), because of inadequate levels of sIgA in the cells lining the intestinal tracts—cells which prevent the absorption of large particles that may be allergenic.
      • Hyperacidity: usually diet-based, i.e. too little vegetables & fruits, excess sugar, grain, alcohol, proteins, but can be also due to high stress. Impairs digestion.
      • Lowered HCL (cold foods, inadequate chewing, anti-acids, low thyroid, aging), leads to lowered pancreatic enzymes and lowered pH levels/bicarbonate in small intestine, which impairs digestion.
      • Heavy metal/chemical pollution: often from dental materials: steals receptor sites, invites critters to eat toxins.
    Treatment of allergies you CAN do it yourself

    There is no simple, single cure, & different protocols target different causes.
    • Avoidance is the first line of defense and the best management tool.
    • Desensitization techniques can be effective for genetics and immune system errors, but do not work for those caused by intestinal problems and toxicity, the most common cause of allergies today. Major ones are Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization, now banned by the FDA, available only in Canada. Various energy techniques can be helpful at least temporarily, but time-consuming and expensive. “Cure Your Own Allergies” by Health Kinesiology is equally effective, and you can do it yourself for free.
    • The 4 “R” approach to leaky gut and intestinal problems developed by Functional Medicine physicians is the most, perhaps only, effective protocol. See my workshop.
    • © 2002 Marel Norwood, PhD • Stress Solutions