Thank you for your interest in the Natural Medicine approach to treating disease and healthy living! Caring Medical is currently a full time Prolotherapy doctor's office, headed by Ross Hauser, MD and we are blessed to fill the needs of patients seeking an alternative to surgery. We are accepting new patients and athletes suffering from chronic pain, sports injuries, and arthritis for treatment with Prolotherapy. Due to this large demand in Prolotherapy, we are not currently accepting new patients for natural medicine conditions, this includes autoimmune conditions, weight loss, menopause, hormones, or cancer. Through the years, we have seen so many lives turn around for the better with some of the methods discussed on this page, and encourage you to seek a Natural Medicine practitioner at www.acam.org.
The Response of Traditional Medicine
Because allergic reactions cause histamine to be released in the body, resulting in fluid leakage, modern medicine typically treats allergies with an antihistamine medication, or corticosteroid. The problem with this approach is the myriad of side effects that these pharmaceuticals cause, such as osteoporosis, leaky gut syndrome, thin skin and immune deficiency. Plus they don't reverse the underlying condition.
Another traditional medical practice is to desensitize a patient to an allergen. This is achieved by testing for sensitivities and then injecting low dosages of the offending allergen(s) in order help the body create a blocking antibody. Serious reactions can result from this approach, however, as illustrated in a case study of a young boy needing hospitalization as a result of such injections.
Caring Medical's Natural Medicine Approach to Allergies
Allergies occur because the body is mounting an exaggerated response to an allergen. Cortisol, a hormone secreted by the adrenal gland, can stop this reaction. However, a person with low levels of this hormone due to adrenal insufficiency may be predisposed to develop chemical sensitivities, as well as inhalant and food allergies. Successful allergy treatment begins with strengthening the adrenal gland, as well as decreasing exposure to the offending allergen(s).
The first step in treating allergies is to address any weakness in the adrenal gland. Treatment of adrenal insufficiency begins with reducing stress. Natural herbs are also used, including Asian and Siberian ginseng, ashwagandha, astragalus and licorice root. Eliminating caffeine, alcohol, sugar, fruit juices and fruits, refined grains, and sugars, along with adding sufficient protein and fresh vegetables to the diet, such as in the Hauser Lion or Otter Diet Type® may also be recommended. Natural hormones also may be prescribed and may provide a simple solution to resting the adrenal (or "stress") gland.
How Allergies Develop
A large part of a body's immune system operates in the intestine walls, thus, our diet can have a major influence on maintaining a healthy immune system. Most people have food allergies because they were exposed too early as an infant to foods their digestive tract was not prepared to handle. By simply eliminating these foods from their diets, people can experience relief not only from food allergies but from other allergies as well.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), like over-the-counter pain medications and antibiotics, can also lead to food allergies, as well as a host of other problems — the biggest of which is Leaky Gut Syndrome. The irony of this condition is that when a person eats what he is allergic to, such as milk, he may use pain medication to alleviate the symptoms, unknowingly making the condition worse. A number of natural anti-inflammatory medications and natural antibiotics are available to help break this cycle, including ashwagandha, De Yeast and Echinacea Extract.
How Allergies Are Identified
Traditional allopathic allergists utilize scratch and prick tests on the skin to depict inhalant allergies to antigens such as pollens, molds, and perennials. These methods are safe and multiple antigens can be tested at one time, however, they only give subjective qualitative measures, fail to detect minor allergies and often give false positive results (irritation of skin rather than allergic reaction). Plus, food and chemical allergy testing is regularly ignored.
We realize the importance of inhalant allergies but also take into account the seriousness of various chemical exposures and possible food allergies. Food allergies can produce a multitude of symptoms and conditions, which result from an allergen and an antibody interacting and irritating the affected tissue. If the tissue is in the intestines then irritable bowel syndrome with its alternating constipation/diarrhea will result. If the affected tissue is the swelling of the nasal lining then runny nose and sinusitis can result.
An immediate cause-and-effect relationship with food allergies may often occur, however people may also experience delayed reactions, up to several days after the offending food is eaten. In such cases, diagnostic testing must be done using the food allergy blood test.
How Allergies Can Be Treated Naturally
Allergic symptoms are treated with natural remedies that include herbal products such as stinging nettles, licorice root and grape seed extract, and homeopathic nasal sprays like Lufeel Nasal Spray or Euphorbium Nasal Spray. Because most allergens enter through the nose, a procedure known as facial dipping is often recommended. This involves dipping the face in an iodine or hydrogen peroxide based solution to clean the nose where allergens may be stored. Breathing a few drops of tea tree oil in boiling water may also be used to remove allergens and infectious agents harbored in the respiratory tract.
Commonly identified allergenic foods on the blood test are cow's milk, wheat, gluten, and eggs. Obviously these are commonly consumed foods in many people's diets. Meeting with our registered dietitian for a consultation will get you on the right path. She will help you figure out practical substitutions for these foods so that you can continue to enjoy the meals that you like eating. Getting Hauser Diet Typing® in addition to blood allergy testing will help you determine exactly how you should eat so that you know whether your body functions best eating more protein and fat or if your body requires more of a vegetarian-based diet. If you have not done Hauser Diet Typing, you should!
Our Hauser Diet® Natural Medicine Program This program is designed for the person who has a chronic condition such as allergies and is ready to take a serious step in getting to the root cause of their condition. Ross Hauser, MD and Marion Hauser, MS, RD have developed this program over years of experience in both the traditional and natural medicine fields. There are three programs and each is priced as a package. As a New Patient, the individual tests and consultations each play a significant role in the program. In other words, we use the minimum number of tests that will tell us the maximum amount of information, to help you attain optimum health. That is what the Hauser Diet® Natural Medicine Program is all about. Some individuals may require additional laboratory tests, but most just need the program as discussed here.
Good Candidates for our Natural Medicine Program include patients who want to seriously utilize the principles of the Hauser Diet®, are motivated to make necessary lifestyle modifications, are willing to start an aggressive herbal program, and in some cases take natural hormone replacement, or do other natural medicine modalities as needed.
In summary, correcting the underlying adrenal insufficiency and eliminating allergenic foods in the diet makes for an excellent long-term prognosis for people with allergies to live an allergy-free life.
If you are interested in more information about our natural medicine program, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hauser, please contact Caring Medical at 708-848-7789 or online using our contact form.
