Allergies
Complementary treatments for allergies
At the Centre, we use a lot of different techniques to help this group of conditions – including:
Clinical Ecology / Environmental Medicine This looks at the various factors in our environment that can provoke allergic and other reactions in the body:
Airbornes – these are substances present in the air which can provoke an allergic response. Apart from pollens, common airborne allergens include house dust mite, feathers and moulds. The ideal treatment is to avoid these triggers by adjusting the environment but this is not always possible so we use a range of desensitisation techniques.
Food Allergy – we are often asked to test for food allergy and this can be done with a blood test which identifies antibodies which have been produced by the body to allergens which are the triggers to food allergies. Desensitisation techniques can help
Food Intolerance – or food sensitivity involves a known reaction to food but one which is not apparently thought of as being allergic. The sorts of problems that come under the general heading of food intolerance include specific food reactions causing conditions such as migraine, irritable bowel and eczema. There is good evidence to sustain the use of dietary exclusion in these conditions for many sufferers, but no agreed mechanism through which the diet may be triggering or causing these illnesses.
Classical Homeopathy – after taking a careful history, a potentised remedy is chosen to match the specific symptoms of the patient. This stimulates a healing response which settles the symptoms down and promotes well-being in the patient. Other more sophisticated approaches involve the use of a “constitutional remedy” or a “miasmatic remedy” which can be particularly helpful in long-standing cases.
Isopathy – this uses a remedy made from the actual substance which has been identified as the trigger for the symptoms.
Complex Homeopathy – this involves measuring the patient using an electroacupuncture machine which helps to identify which group of low potency remedies would best suit the particular patient.
Neutralisation – this involves the use of specific desensitising drops made from the trigger substance. A specific dilution is able to “switch off” the allergy and treatment involves taking drops on the tongue twice daily through the season. This is different to homeopathy and Isopathy as the remedies are just diluted and not “succussed”
Enzyme Potentiated Desensitisation – This is a technique that involves minute doses of various allergens with an enzyme that makes the body “see” these allergic triggers in a less aggressive way. Repeated injections carried out intermittently (every 2 or 3 months) over a year may help to desensitise people with allergies or intolerances. Clinical response is usually slow and cumulative.
Nutrition – Sometimes conditions such as irritable bowel may lead to inadequate absorption of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Nutritional deficiencies caused by inadequate diet or the inflammation associated with the allergic process may amplify allergic reactions. For instance low zinc may be caused by an inflammatory process while at the same time zinc deficiency can cause symptoms of tiredness and increased inflammation. Therefore an assessment of nutritional status in allergic conditions is important and appropriate supplements need to be prescribed
