Allergies on the Rise

When I was a kid, very few people had allergies, and even then it was only for a few weeks in the Spring when the pollen started to bloom. These days, it is rare to find anyone who doesn’t have allergies of one kind or another. More and more people are being diagnosed with allergies; and at earlier ages, than ever before in history. It is not just that we have better methods to track and diagnose allergies; insurance claims are way up, with significantly higher numbers of people making routine visits to the doctor for allergy treatments.

This increase is so profound, that our society has actually begun to cater to allergy sufferers on a professional level. There are now daily publications announcing pollen counts, and allergen forecasts to help many plan their day. Hotels have even started promoting premium rooms that are guaranteed to be allergen free for those who simply can’t make it through the day without some sort of anti-allergy assistance. These allergen free rooms can cost between $50 and $250 more than a standard room rate simply because there is a market that will support it, and these numbers are climbing all the time. Allergies and their symptoms have become so severe that supporters of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) have successfully lobbied to get allergies classified as a handicap, and listed on the ADA’s list of recognized limitations, found in Section 504. Legally speaking, handicapped people are defined as;

“…someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or is regarded as having such impairments.”

Because breathing, eating, working and going to school are "major life activities" asthma and allergies are still considered disabilities under the ADA, even if symptoms are controlled by medication.

A study published in the journal ‘Pediatrics’, in June of 2011 shows that 6 million children; or 2 out of every 8 children counted; suffer from food allergies alone. They have found that at least 8% of American children suffer from at least one kind of food allergy, and four out of ten of them will have severe or even fatal reactions. This was far more than was previously believed. The symptoms these kids suffer from will include skin rashes, wheezing, difficult breathing and low blood pressure. These types of health issues were rarely seen before World War II, and increased with frequency alongside the increased consumption of processed foods. All this- despite all the improved environmentalist interventions and achievements.

While medication has the ability to control the signs and symptoms for allergies, especially in an emergency situation, the body will eventually build up a resistance to these drugs so that sooner or later they will stop working, and leave the patient more susceptible to allergies than they were before. The patient will then have to move on to try something new and typically something with a greater possibility of side effects. What most people are not aware of is that hundreds of allergy medications are recalled every year because of the negative effects of long term use.

In March of 2010, MSNBC printed an article by Rachael Radner showing how allergies are steadily on the rise in the US, with as many as 2 to 5 times the number of people seeking help, compared to just 30 years ago. Experts are blaming allergies on everything from global warming, to an environment that is too clean; or one that is too dirty, the ozone layer, even El Nino is still suspect even after all these years.

Every cause is considered;

except the diet.

Like all metabolic diseases, reoccurring allergies will respond to diet and nutrition far better than they will to the synthetic drugs in the long run. Drugs will provide an immediate relief, but only by altering the diet will sufferers be able to find long term relief or permanent recovery, without side effects. Often times these dietary changes are little more than the addition of a few things to the diet, and not a completely new menu. Once people understand how their body works, and what it needs to combat a foreign allergen, they can start to build up a resistance to allergens, no matter what triggered them, without side effects, and with lasting change.

Learn how to stop allergies from ever getting started- www.Nutritional-Therapy.us/Allergies