There are various ways to tackle many of the allergic disturbances. First, the allergens must be identified. This is a difficult but not impossible task. Second, once they are identified, they should be avoided. Third, and most important, general health and resistance should be built up to establish immunity to them.
There are two methods of detecting disturbing foods. The first method is the trial-and-error elimination diet. This automatically eliminates many hazards and foods. Keep to organic, untreated, unprocessed foods as far as possible, and you will eliminate another set of hazards such as pesticides, various sprays and other poisons.
After having eliminated as many disturbing factors as possible, a self-searchshould be carried out to ascertain any suspicious symptoms from foods. It is advisable to try an elimination diet, excluding suspected foods for two weeks until the cause is detected.
Occasionally, by changing the brand or the type, you can find a food substitute that does not upset you. For example, chocolate upsets many, so try carob, which tastes the same but has not been found disturbing.
Another way to detect the cause of allergy is by Dr. Coca’s “pulse test”. The method is as follows : check your pulse before a meal. Then limiting that meal to one food only, wait for half an hour after eating and take your pulse again. A slight increase is considered normal, even up to 16 extra beats.
If your pulse does not rise above 84, you may be allergy-free. But if your pulse rises beyond that point, and remains high an hour after the meal, you have found your food allergy. The best way, however, to prevent or overcome allergies is to strengthen the overall physical resistance so as not to fall an easy prey to every allergen that comes along.
To start with, the patient should fast on fresh fruit juices for four or five days. Repeated short juice fasts are likely to result in better tolerance to previous allergies. After the fruit juice fast, the patient can take a mono diet of vegetables or fruits such as carrots, grapes or apples, for one week.
After that one more food is added to the mono diet. A week later the third food is added and so on. After four weeks, the protein foods can be introduced, one at a time. In case an allergic reaction to a newly introduced food is noticed, it should be discontinued and a new food tried. In this way all real allergens can be eventually eliminated from the diet.
The body requires a large alkaline reserve for its daily activity. The problem of acid formation throughout the day from wrong foods, fatigue, mental stress and lack of sleep can be met by the competency of the alkaline reserves.
Boosting the normal body reserve of alkalines by liberal use of alkaline forming foods is essential for those suffering from allergies.
The foods which should be excluded from the diet are tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol, sugar, sweets and foods containing sugar, refined cereals, meats, fish, chicken, tobacco, milk, cheese, butter, smoked, salted and pickled foods and foods containing any chemical additives, preservatives and flavoring.
These foods cause either toxic accumulations, overstimulation of the adrenal glands, strain on the pancreatic enzyme production or disturb the blood sugar balance.
For preventive purposes, the entire C complex vitamins – known as the bioflavonoids, are recommended. They gradually strengthen cell permeability to help immunise the body from various allergies, especially hay fever. Often the addition of B5 or pantothenic acid brings great relief to allergy sufferers.
Multiple allergies may result from poor adrenal gland functioning. In such cases liberal amounts of pantothenic acid helps cure them, although the recovery will take several weeks. An adequate intake of vitamin E is also beneficial as this vitamin possesses effective anti-allergic properties, as some studies have shown.
TREATMENT CHART FOR ALLERGIES – A – DIET
I. Fresh fruit juices for three to five days.
II. After the fruit juices, adopt a mono diet of vegetables or fruits like carrots, grapes or apples, for one week.
III. Therefore, add one more food to mono diet. A week later, add the third food and so on.
IV. After four weeks, the protein foods can be introduced, one at a time.
NOTE:
(1) In case of an allergic reaction to a newly introduced food, it should be discontinued and a new food tried. So as to eventually eliminate all real allergens.
(2) Make liberal use of alkaline-forming foods such as fresh fruits, fruit juices and raw vegetables.
AVOID: Tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, chocolate, cola drinks, sugar, sweets and other sugary foods, refined and processed foods, flesh foods and pickles.
B – OTHER MEASURES
1. Regular exercise and yoga asanas.
2. Relaxation and meditation.