Conceptualization of Allergy and Related Illnesses -- Causal Factors

One typically thinks of an allergy as an immune system response of the body to a foreign substance. Leaping to mind is the severe anaphylactic reaction that some people have to peanut or bee sting. This mechanistic view of allergy is not entirely wrong-minded but from the Alternative health standpoint it is decidedly misleading.

If we were to subscribe entirely to the mechanistic view of allergy then we would perceive the having of an allergy as being virtually a random affliction over which we have little or no control. It is our genes, we are told, that simply cannot tolerate the substance and our body is compelled to react. Rocks, after all, do not possess any allergies therefore the allergic condition must be genetic.

Standard treatments for allergy are either steroidal oriented (suppress the immune response) or stimulant oriented (enhance the bodies toxin removal ability). In either case the solution is to force the body into a mode that it cannot maintain indefinitely without resultant side-effects.

Holistically, the reference point upon which we stand and view allergies is slightly different. We tend to view the allergic response as the activation of a second line of defense having been activated because the first line of defense has been overwhelmed. Our treatment then is to adjust things such that the first line of defense regains its ability to deal with the allergens.

It is certainly true that some people are born with genetic shortcomings in their autoimmune system that effectively incapacitates their first line of dense and much of second line of defense. These people indeed have serious allergy problems. They are, however, a very, very small minority of that great mass of people out there who suffer from allergies -- the sufferers being an ever increasing proportion of the population. The mere fact that allergy sufferers are increasing at exploding rates and at ever younger ages tends to greatly discount Standard medicine’s genetic explanation of allergies.

In Alternative health we view allergies as being caused by an over-burden of toxins against our body’s defenses. Certainly, every person has different strengths of defense. Just as some people are heavier, or some are naturally stronger, or smarter, or have blacker hair, so too are we all different in the amount of toxin load our bodies can handle. This is small endorsement of the genetic-disposition theory of allergies, however.

In the holistic model (see the following diagram) we conceptualize toxins as entering the body, being processed or reacting within the body, and being eliminated by the body. To address the problem of allergies (and many other diseases), then, we can adopt one or all of three treatment objectives. We can reduce or stop the entry of toxins into the body. We can improve the natural, toxin-processing functions of the body. Or, we can enhance the toxin eliminating activities of the body.

Toxins themselves are a rather generic holistic concept. We assume in Alternative health that the body is only as healthy as the ingredients that enter it. Therefore, toxins are substances that get absorbed into the body and either are assimilated into body components or interfere with body functioning, or both. Modern plasticised cooking oils are a fine example as they are integrated into every cell of the body. Such fake fat molecules do not exist naturally in nature and, of course, cannot be expected to perform as well as natural fats upon which our bodies have evolved over millennia.

Sky-rocketing cancer rates, increasing allergy-type and immune-response illnesses, and inexplicable exponential rates of increase in childhood behavioural problems are all testaments to an ever increasing toxin load. Increasing toxin load is a sorry commentary on the price we pay for economic progress. In the Garden of Eden where no pollutants exist, there is no toxin-related disease (according to the holistic model, of course).

The approach we use to eliminate allergy then is to cleanse the body and environment of toxins. To reduce toxins entering the body we can, for example, avoid plastics coming in contact with our foods, drink clean water, and avoid vaccinations (they by-pass 3 levels of immunological defense!). To better enable our body’s to deal with toxins we can re-construct our bodies with better qualities of foods, improve upon our positive attitudes (be happy) and spiritual nature, and we can use health-promoting herbs in a positive and non-poisoning manner. To enhance the elimination of toxins from the body we can improve or accelerate the four natural pathways of toxin elimination: lungs, bowel, skin, and kidneys.

Any therapy which can be conceived of as having a positive impact upon our defense systems is viable and constructive in Alternative health. This explains the myriad of holistic practitioners and treatments available in our society. A simple massage, a spiritual renewal, positive encouragements, increased self-assurance, meditation, healthful medicinal herbs, certified organic foods, ... the list is endless; all can potentially work toward improved health. Improved health is, by definition, reduced disease.

Holistic treatments for allergy are very effective. Due to the great preponderance of allergy sufferers out there it is fairly safe to say that most of us know of at least one former allergy sufferer who has turned to Alternative health and is better for it.

Healer J. Mark Taylor, Medical Herbalist

5, 1922 - 9 Avenue SE.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0V2