I almost died at 16.....
Spring is a heavenly time for a lot of us, with flowers and birds returning to brighten and wake up the landscape with sound and color.
But for some of us with seasonal allergies, asthma and hay fever, springtime is a living hell!
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, spring has arrived, and with it comes tons of pollen from all sorts of different flowering plants, bushes, and trees.
One (or more) of these types of pollen can be the bane of seasonal allergy sufferers. Some of the symptoms may include:
Runny nose
Sneezing
Clogged sinuses
Post-nasal drip
Fatigue
Ear pain
Watery, red, or puffy eyes
Coughing
Headache
Excessive phlegm and throat-clearing
And it’s not just limited to this: there can be worse symptoms or complications to come out of seasonal allergies. And they are far from fun! This was me, I had a far worse run of it….
My Story…..
As a kid growing up in South Florida I was fortunate enough to play baseball and golf daily. What most people dont know is that golf courses and athletic fields are sprayed heavily with chemicals to make them look so beautiful all the time, along with all the grasses, flowers, trees and pollen that come with the surrounding areas. So as I played daily (sometimes golf in the morning and baseball in the afternoon or night) I would be exposed to exponential amounts of 1. chemicals 2. pollen 3. grasses 4. trees and more! It got to a point to where when I was running my conditioning I would have trouble breathing.
So where did I go? My family doctor of course. I went in and said I had trouble breathing while I was running and playing sports. So what did he diagnose it as? Thats right, exercise induced asthma! And what did he put me on? Thats right, prescriptions! He gave me an albuterol inhaler and said to use it as needed when I felt I couldn’t breathe, he also put me on a nasal inhaler called Nasonex and at the time an allergy prescription (now over the counter).
So I did as he told and used as needed. Sometimes over 140 times in a day. But was that right? Was that the answer? I was listening but it was the WRONG INFORMATION! By doing as I was told I got rushed to the emergency room one day after using my inhaler too much, almost putting my body into cardiac arrest and coming to near death!
An overdose of albuterol can be fatal. Thank goodness the medics figured out what was going on!
We think that by getting a prescription and doing as directed that the answer lays in the bottle, when in actually it NEVER DOES! We have to understand this concept The Body will never heal from the outside in, the body only HEALS from Above, Down, Inside, Out! This means that the body was created by God to be PERFECT, to know what it needs to do at every second of the day. You have a fever? Thats the body heating up to kill whatever bacteria or virus you have inside, its perfect! You are sneezing? Thats the body clearing out an irritant in the nasal passage, perfect! But we always want to go against this and stop it all so we feel “comfortable”. In turn shutting down our body and making ourselves sicker day by day. The answer is never to go against the will of the body but to facilitate it to work more efficiently. The body needs no help, just no interference. This is an amazing principle.
So come to find out I didnt really have exercise induced asthma, I simply had what we called “a reactive airway”. Meaning that all the chemicals, pollens, allergens etc were entering my airways and my body was trying to shut it down and by me taking the medications they would open me back up, allowing MORE of the chemicals, MORE of the pollen, MORE of the trees in to my body to make me sicker and worse. No wonder I was getting worse and not better, I was working against the will of my body not with it.
It wasn’t until one of my best friends fathers, who was a Chiropractor, offered to help fix my damaged low back. He said the nerves coming out of my low back were being pinched and creating the pain I was having in my low back but not only that, I had pinched nerves in my mid back and neck that went in to my lungs and airway that was causing my allergies and asthma. What did I say to the fact that he told me a “pinched nerve” was causing my asthma and allergies? Yup, those that know me-I said “Just fix my low back snake charmer”. Because I had no clue how a pinched nerve would cause asthma and allergies!
But this is where I started my journey on true health and healing that forever changed my life and that of tens of thousands of patients that I have helped throughout my career. Imagine if I cut the nerve going to the heart, what happens to that nerve? It dies! each and every time! But what if we put 50% pressure on that nerve that goes in to the heart? It doesn’t die right away, but it dies over……time. And thats how the body shuts down at a faster rate! But remember this, its never one thing that fixes our sickness or makes us sick for that fact. Its ALWAYS multifactorial. The reason I got better faster, and the same reason our diehard patients do as well, is because we go all in. Food, nervous system, exercise, detox and mindset! So I got rid of all the inflammatory foods, inflammatory medication, etc and my body healed at a much faster rate!
What are some natural options for immediate relief?
Spring allergies (also called hay fever) can interfere with your mood, your energy, and even your work and personal life if they bog you down too much. Some of the most common spring pollen allergies include a lot of trees like oak, elm, cedar, pine and poplars— though grass and flowers can be culprits, too.
While nature can be the cause, it can also be the cure—or at the very least, it can help. What are some natural home remedies you can try before you move on to the “big-gun” therapies?
People with allergies may find relief by using natural plant extracts and foods that act as antihistamines.
Natural Antihistamines
Antihistamines are substances that block histamine activity in the body. Histamine is a protein that triggers allergy symptoms, such as sneezing, itchy eyes, and a scratchy throat.
Over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription antihistamine medications can cause side effects, and let’s face it, who wants to take drugs?
Here are five of best natural antihistamines, and the science behind them.
Vitamin C - boosts the immune system. It also acts as a natural antihistamine. Oxidative stress plays a key role in allergic diseases. As vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, it may act as a treatment for allergies.
A study done in 2000, suggests taking 2 grams (g) of vitamin C daily to act as an antihistamine. Researchers also observed that high doses of intravenous vitamin C reduced allergy symptoms. They also reported that a deficiency in vitamin C might lead to allergy-related diseases.
Butterbur - is a plant extract from a shrub that grows in Asia, Europe, and some parts of North America. People often use butterbur to treat migraines and hay fever.
Most people tolerate butterbur well, just make sure to get extracts of butterbur that do not contain alkaloids. Beware, if you have sensitivities to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, or daisies, as Butterbur is not for you; try something else.
Bromelain - is an enzyme found in the core and juice of pineapples and is a popular natural remedy for swelling or inflammation, especially of the sinuses and following injury or surgery. Bromelain can reduce allergic sensitization and allergic airway disease thanks to its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties.
In some people, oral supplementation of bromelain may cause reactions such as changes in menstruation, digestive upset or increased heart rate.
Quercetin - is an antioxidant flavonoid found in many plants and foods. Research reports that quercetin can have anti-allergic and antihistamine properties, and that quercetin could reduce the respiratory effects of allergies by lowering airway inflammation.
Quercetin is naturally present in many foods including: apples, berries, black and green teas, broccoli, grapes, peppers, red onions and red wine. However, taking supplements of quercetin will work better in the treatment of allergies than eating foods that contain it. This is because foods contain significantly lower levels of the flavonoid. Quercetin is generally safe for most people. Very high doses, especially when taken long-term, may cause kidney damage.
Locally produced honey - which contains local plant pollens to which a person would be allergic, is the preferred type of honey for allergies. It makes sense that consuming honey that contains pollen to which a person is allergic would improve allergies, much like how sublingual immunotherapy (allergy drops taken under the tongue) works. Eating local honey means that there may be enough pollen to create a natural body response to stimulate the immune system.
Allergy Avoidance
Allergy avoidance is typically the first line of defense against symptoms. Try to identify the allergen, which might be pollen, pet dander, or mold spores, and reduce exposure to it as much as possible. Stay inside, wipe off and wash your hands. Two suggestions that almost always give immediate relief are:
Sinus rinses
Give those sinuses a gentle rinse, which is also called “nasal irrigation.” I highly recommend the Neti pot method filled with warm water and salt. Neti pot kits are easy to find and buy just about anywhere – just follow the directions!
Facial steams and Showers
Bring a pot of clean distilled water to boil, and then turn it to low just below a simmer. Inhale the steam— and you can even put in herbs that open up those tubes, like eucalyptus, thyme, peppermint, or even rosemary. Or even easier: just take a shower or a bath…. the steam itself works wonders!
What did I do to finally stop my allergy symptoms?
I know as a previous allergy sufferer you are looking for that “magic bullet”, the one thing you can do to cure your allergies, but fortunately everyone is different (thank goodness we aren’t a bunch of clones walking around) and there are several options, or combinations of things, you can do to cure your allergy problem.
I attended a seminar in Dallas to learn more about Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation (UVBI) therapy for patients with systemic infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria who had run out of drug options. After watching and learning about the results, including patients at risk of death from sepsis, I made the decision to bring this therapy to my practice.
In 2017, after (36) rounds of UVBI treatments over a period of nine weeks, my allergy symptoms were gone. Over the past (3) years, if I felt any scratchy throat symptoms, I would do a few treatments and all would be back to normal. This year, I’ve already scheduled a proactive treatment to keep myself running full stride without any interferences.
We have patients that after only one UVBI treatment, their allergy symptoms have been gone completely for two years. Of course, keep in mind, none have been just getting UVBI treatments alone for their allergies. All these patients come in for their regular chiropractic adjustments, keep to an organic healthy food diet, and exercise. They are doing their part in keeping their immune systems as healthy as possible. With the help of UVBI treatments, it’s a full-spectrum, pro-active, healthy approach to winning over allergies.
I was living proof that natural healing could cure the root cause of my illnesses. This became my calling, to become a doctor and help others, by healing through naturopathic medicine.
Over time, with a change of scenery, a doctorate health education, and a greater focus on my nutrition and overall health, I hardly ever experience a single symptom related to seasonal allergies.
I hope today’s newsletter has you excited and hopeful about enjoying Spring and Summer outside this year. Whether you use some of the natural Antihistamines described above, or come into the clinic for (UVBI) therapy, we hope you will be able to enjoy the fellowship and peace of being outside in nature without your allergies taking control of your life.