The Allergy Epidemic

Earl Mindell's Allergy Bible
by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.

IF YOU'RE READING THIS BOOK, CHANCES ARE THAT YOU or your loved ones suffer from allergies, asthma, or both.

And chances are, you think that it's impossible to get through a day without taking over-the-counter or prescription drugs, particularly during allergy season. Some of you may worry that you are becoming overly dependent on strong medicines. You may even have tried to incorporate alternative therapies, such as vitamins, herbs, and other supplements, into your treatment regimen, but when you went to the pharmacy or natural food store to purchase them, you were overwhelmed by the volume of products on the shelves, and you didn't know how to select the right ones. If you are already using alternative therapies, you may not be sure that you are using them correctly, or that you are taking the best supplements for your problem. I am writing this book for you.

I am a pharmacist, master herbalist, and longtime student of alternative medicine. I am not against drugs, but believe in using them only when absolutely necessary. I believe that many cases of allergy and asthma can be managed successfully by making changes in lifestyle and diet, and by the judicious use of natural supplements. It is my goal to help you live as full, healthy, and drug-free a life as possible. Many of you with mild allergic symptoms will find that by following the advice in this book, you will be able to significantly reduce your need for drugs, or may no longer require them. Those of you with more serious forms of allergy and asthma may still need conventional medication, but you should see an improvement in your symptoms. At the very least, you will be taking charge of your health, and doing positive things that will not only relieve your asthma and allergy, but reduce your risk of developing many chronic diseases.

I have a personal stake in this book. Both my wife and son suffer from severe allergies, which are now being successfully treated with supplements and other alternative therapies. I know that these remedies can work if you know how to use them safely and effectively.

You're Not Alone

First, I'd like to tell you a bit about what allergy is, and why it has become one of the fastest-growing epidemics in history. If you lived one hundred years ago, chances are you would not be allergic, and, in fact, there would be no need for this book! At the dawn of the twentieth century, allergy was a mysterious and rare condition that affected only a tiny minority of people. Just a few generations later, allergy has become as common as the common cold. Despite the growing attempts of health-care professionals to control the allergy epidemic, it's growing worse. About 30 percent of all adults and 40 percent of all children in the United States have hay fever, an allergy to plant pollen that torments sufferers from March through November. The incidence of asthma, a potentially serious lung condition most often triggered by allergy, has more than doubled since the 1980s, afflicting more than 15 million Americans.

About 5 percent of the population are allergic to common foods, such as peanuts, shellfish, milk, and even soy products. For some food allergy sufferers, exposure to even a microscopic amount of an offending substance can cause anaphylactic shock and even death.

Once rare, indoor allergies are on the rise, including allergies to dust mites, molds, and pets. No wonder! Today, people spend 90 percent of their time indoors. Allergies are rampant in the workplace. The proliferation of new chemicals and poorly ventilated “sick buildings” have triggered new allergies. A case in point: Nearly 12 percent of all medical workers who wear latex gloves (to prevent the spread of HIV and other infections) have developed serious allergies to latex!

New drugs are spawning new allergies. About 3 percent of all hospitalized patients will experience a severe allergic reaction to a new medication.

More than 50 million Americans are allergic to something. What exactly is allergy? And why is it on the rise? First, there are a great many misconceptions about allergy that I would like to clear up. The primary one is that most people confuse their symptoms with their allergies. For example, if you have a runny, itchy nose, you may think your allergy is related to your respiratory system. Or, if you have hives, you may think that you have a skin condition, or if you have food allergies, you may think that your symptoms are due to a weak gastrointestinal system. In reality, regardless of where or how allergies may strike, all allergies stem from one system-your immune system. If you have an allergy, you have an immune problem.

Allergy Is an Immune System Problem

An allergy is an overreaction of the body's immune system to a normally harmless substance, such as plant pollen, wheat, animal dander, or a chemical. The offending substance can be inhaled through the mouth or nose, or can be swallowed, or can make contact with the skin. Unlike infection, allergy is not contagious and is not spread from person to person.

Where is your immune system, and why is it allergy prone? Your immune system is unique in that it isn't quickly identified with a particular organ as, for example, your heart is linked to your cardiovascular system or your brain to your nervous system. That's because your immune system is not confined to any one site in the body- it is everywhere. Your immune system is an assortment of billions of specialized cells that protect your body in many different ways. Immune cells are in the skin, the lungs, the eyes, the nostrils, and the lining of internal organs, like your gut. An allergic reaction can strike at any of these points.

The job of the immune system is to protect the body from toxins and pathogens that could cause disease. Your immune cells are supposed to distinguish between benign substances and foreign substances that can do the body significant harm. In the case of allergy, your immune cells get confused.

When your immune cells are exposed to a foreign substance, called an antigen, such as a bacterium or virus, they produce specific proteins called antibodies (or immunoglobulins), which tag the protein so that other immune cells know that they should attack it. Once an antibody is produced against a particular antigen, the immune cells are forever on guard against that antigen. The next time you are exposed to that antigen, your body will attack it. That's why once you get chicken pox or measles you don't get it again, because your body is ready to pounce the minute it reappears.

The antibody/antigen response works really well when dealing with real enemies, like the chicken pox virus, but if you're allergic, it works against you. In the case of allergy, your immune cells produce antibodies against substances that mean you no harm. In fact, it's your body's reaction to the substance that is causing you trouble, not the substance itself. For example, if you're allergic to pollen, every time you are exposed to pollen, your immune system begins producing a particular antibody called IgE, which is involved in all allergic reactions. IgE stimulates special cells called mast cells to release histamine, a chemical that is important for digestion and the dilation of small blood vessels, but that in excess can cause allergic symptoms. The release of histamine is what causes your runny nose, itchy, watery eyes, and general feelings of misery (it also stimulates pain receptors). But your allergic reaction doesn't end there. During an allergic attack, your immune system revs up production of other cells called leukotrienes and prostaglandins and other allergy mediators, which cause inflammation. Constant exposure to inflammation can cause damage to healthy tissues and organs, and in fact, can do particular harm to your lungs in the case of asthma. To add to your woes, inflammation promotes the formation of troublesome chemicals in the body called free radicals, which can cause further damage throughout your body.

Although we often say allergy and asthma in the same breath, they are not the same problem. Although it may be triggered by an allergy, asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the respiratory system. It is characterized by obstructed airways caused when bronchial tubes become inflamed, constricted, and clogged with mucus. During an asthma attack, the airways can become so constricted that the sufferer is literally gasping for breath. Although it can be managed successfully, asthma can be life-threatening, and medical attention is always required. As noted earlier, an asthma attack can be caused by an allergen, like pollen, or it can be triggered by exercise, cold air, or chemicals such as cigarette smoke or pollution, or by an allergic reaction to a food additive.

What Allergy Is Not

There's another misconception about allergy that I would like to clear up-an allergy is not an intolerance. For example, millions of people, myself included, cannot tolerate dairy products because we lack an enzyme to digest it properly. The condition is called lactose intolerance. Millions more can't eat grains because they cannot digest a protein in most grains called gluten-the condition is called gluten intolerance. Although the symptoms may be similar, neither of these problems is a true allergy. In reality, an allergy is a very specific immune reaction involving production of the IgE antibody.

Although most allergies are not life-threatening, allergy is not a trivial problem. First and foremost, allergies can make people miserable. In fact, allergic symptoms account for 3.8 million missed work and school days each year. And allergies exact a steep financial toll on the economy. We spend $4.5 billion annually in doctors' visits and medication. In addition, allergies may threaten our health in ways that are not quite fully understood. For example, some studies suggest that unrecognized food allergies may be linked to numerous medical conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (chronic bronchitis and emphysema), rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune cells attack the joints, Attention Deficit Disorder in children, and even migraine headaches. Allergic rhinitis (a fancy name for the stuffy, itchy nose caused by hay fever) is a leading cause of recurrent sinusitis or sinus infections, an inflammation of the sinus membranes that plagues tens of millions of people and often leads to sinus surgery, which often doesn't solve the problem. I'm not telling you this to scare you, but to show you why it's important to get your allergies under control.

Why the Increase in Allergy?

Although there is no doubt that the incidence of allergy is increasing dramatically, the nature of allergies remains a medical mystery. No one knows why some people get allergies and other people don't. Genetics clearly plays a role. Some allergies, especially food allergies, tend to run in families. If you have one allergic parent, you stand a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing an allergy, but not necessarily the same allergy as your parent. If you have two allergic parents, there's up to a 75 percent chance that you too will be allergic to something.

Genetics alone, however, cannot explain the rapid and unprecedented increase in allergy over the past hundred years. Our genes haven't changed, yet our susceptibility to allergy has increased. Scientists blame the allergy epidemic on everything from changing weather trends due to global warming, which increases exposure to pollen, to air pollution, which weakens the respiratory system, to the dumping of thousands of chemical additives into the food supply, which poses a serious challenge to the immune system. The true cause of the increase in allergy is probably a combination of several factors.

Increased exposure to chemicals is high on my list of probable culprits. The amount of new chemicals introduced into the environment is mind boggling. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in just one year (1994), more than 2.2 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the environment in the United States. What happens when those chemicals enter our bodies? The body has an elaborate system to detoxify dangerous chemicals, but the body can become overwhelmed, which will have a negative impact on every system, including the immune system. In fact, some scientists speculate that the constant exposure to toxins can shift the immune system into overdrive, triggering allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases.

Moreover, because a disproportionate number of affluent people suffer from allergies, many researchers believe that the same practices that have dramatically extended life span, such as improved hygiene and childhood vaccinations, may inadvertently have disrupted normal immune function so that immune cells overreact to normally harmless substances.

Overexposure to antibiotics is another potential allergy trigger. If overused, antibiotics may harm immune function, interfering with the ability of immune cells to communicate with each other, which can lead to the kind of confusion that results in cells attacking harmless substances. In addition, antibiotics not only kill bad bacteria, they kill good bacteria that live in the intestines and help to normalize immune function. Many studies have shown that people with autoimmune diseases (in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the tissues of the body) typically have low levels of good bacteria in their gut.

Allergy Treatments

The allergy epidemic has spawned a multi-billion-dollar industry consisting of drugs, supplements, and other cutting-edge products designed to control allergy symptoms. The standard treatments for allergy-allergy shots and antihistamine medications and nasal sprays-do work, but only up to a point. As any allergy sufferer knows, these treatments have their downside. First, many commonly used antihistamines can have nasty side effects such as dry mouth and heart palpitations, and may not be safe for people with heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes. The primary problem with antihistamines, however, is that they make users sleepy and less alert. In fact, a recent study reported in Annals of Internal Medicine noted that one common over-the-counter antihistamine, Benadryl, so seriously impaired the ability of drivers to operate a car that the drivers might as well have been driving drunk. Although the newest generation of allergy drugs, such as Claritin and Allegra, are less likely to cause drowsiness, they are expensive, are not covered by many health plans, and have side effects-such as dizziness and sleep disorders- of their own.

Allergy shots or immunotherapy work well for many but not all people. Allergy shots are given primarily for airborne allergies, such as pollen. Each treatment entails injecting a tiny amount of the allergen under the skin-not enough to cause an allergic response, but enough to alert the immune system that something new is being introduced into the body. Eventually, over time, the body should become desensitized to the allergen so that it no longer responds by attacking it. Allergy shots have their downside, though. They are expensive and inconvenient, because they must be administered by a doctor and may require several years to take full effect.

Asthma and severe allergies are often treated with steroids in the form of inhalers or nose sprays, and are sometimes even taken internally in serious cases. Although they are great at relieving symptoms, at least for a while, long-term use of steroids can have particularly nasty side effects, including dampened immune function, which increases your susceptibility to infection, thinning bones, and even memory loss.

My problem with all of these conventional therapies is that they are all geared to treating symptoms, but they do not get to the underlying problem causing the allergy in the first place. The natural approach in treating allergy and asthma is different and, in my experience, more effective in the long run. Although we recognize that controlling symptoms is important, we also feel that it is of equal importance to create an environment in the body that makes it allergy resistant. By that I mean that our goal is to relieve symptoms and reduce exposure to toxins that weaken immune function while at the same time bolstering the immune system so that it is less likely to succumb to allergy.

I'm not saying that you should throw away your medicine, not at all! But it is my hope that in time, you will need to use it less and less, and that eventually, you will be able to control your symptoms with simple, natural therapies that do not have side effects and, in fact, often have many other benefits in addition to controlling allergy.

The Alternatives

More and more, allergy sufferers are rejecting the notion that they must take strong drugs to control their symptoms and are turning to alternative methods to treat and, more important, prevent their symptoms. They are spending millions of dollars on antiallergy supplements, including herbal remedies such as quercetin, stinging nettles, and MSM. These supplements do not have the same nasty side effects as conventional drugs, yet they are surprisingly effective.

Allergy sufferers are also investing in household products such as high-tech vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, antiallergy laundry detergents, and bedding designed to “allergy proof ” their homes, their workplaces, and even their cars! They are turning to drug-free treatments, such as acupuncture, hypnosis, homeopathy, and other forms of alternative therapy. Unfortunately, for most people, finding the right alternative allergy treatment is a hit or miss proposition. There are few sources of solid information about which of these products and treatments actually work and which are just a waste of money. Nor do people fully understand how to use these products effectively. In the pages of this book, you will find the answers to your questions about allergy control products and other alternative remedies. You will learn about the best methods of controlling your indoor allergies, outdoor allergies, food allergies, and skin allergies.

My goal is to empower you with the solid, up-to-date, scientifically based information you need to successfully manage your allergy symptoms on their own, or enhance the treatment you are receiving from doctors. As every allergy sufferer knows, allergy can have a significant impact on your lifestyle. It can limit your activities outdoors, make you cautious about eating out, and even make you think twice about visiting friends and family. In some cases, it can even limit your choice of occupation. I am writing this book to help allergy sufferers live as full and unrestricted lives as possible, and to be as drug-free as possible.

Should You Be Tested?

You sneeze every time you're near a cat; your throat gets itchy after you eat a peanut; or your eyes start to tear every May at the start of hay fever season. Sometimes figuring out whether you are allergic to something is a “no brainer,” but sometimes, it can be trickier. You may have symptoms but not know the cause, especially if you're allergic to something like dust mites (microscopic bugs in dust) and mold, which can strike at any time of the year.

If you have allergic symptoms, talk to your doctor or natural healer. Your M.D. may refer you to an allergist, a board-certified specialist in the treatment of allergy. If you go this route, I recommend that you see someone who is nutritionally oriented, and who is willing to incorporate treatments other than drugs into your therapy. Some people may choose to be treated by a naturopathic physician (ND) who is trained in both conventional and alternative therapies. Some of you may be fortunate enough to be seeing a complementary physician, an M.D. who uses both conventional and alternative therapies when appropriate.

Simply by taking a good medical history, you and your doctor may get to the root of the problem. For example, if your symptoms get worse on weekends after an afternoon of gardening, it's pretty obvious that you probably have a pollen allergy. If your symptoms get worse in the winter, it's a good sign that you may have a dust and mold allergy.

Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you may need to identify the precise problem so that you can treat it. If you're just using general allergy medication (such as an antihistamine or a decongestant) it's less important to know the precise allergen, but if you're going to undergo immunotherapy (allergy shots), your doctor needs to know the exact antigen. Some allergies, especially food allergies, can be life-threatening. Therefore, if you have a potentially serious food allergy-for example, if you're allergic to peanuts or dairy products-you may need to go to great lengths to avoid these foods. You may not even be able to be in the same room with people eating them! But before you turn your life upside down to accommodate an allergy, you should know for sure that it's absolutely necessary.

Allergy testing can provide some concrete answers. There are two kinds of allergy tests that are performed at a doctor's office-the skin test and the blood test. Most allergists use a simple skin test to determine if you are allergic. A diluted extract of the allergen (pollen, dust mite, mold, or food) is either applied to a tiny scratch on your skin (the prick test) or injected into the top layer of skin (the intracutaneous test), usually on the back or arm. If you are allergic to the substance, the area exposed to the allergen will become red and irritated, forming a welt or wheal. Irritation is a sign that your body has produced IgE antibody to the antigen, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the particular substance is causing your problem. The downside of skin testing is that if you are highly allergic to a substance, if you are exposed to even a minute quantity of it, in rare cases, it could trigger anaphylactic shock and even death. This is particularly true for food allergies. Although this is rare, it is a risk. Also, if you are prone to eczema and other skin rashes, the test results may not be as accurate because your skin is easily irritated.

Blood testing (known as radioallergosorbent test or RAST) is another option. A blood sample is taken from the patient and checked for IgE antibodies to the particular antigen. It is not as accurate as skin testing, but it poses no risk because the patient is never directly exposed to the antigen.

Not everyone needs to undergo allergy testing. If your symptoms are mild and consistent, and you're pretty certain what's causing them, you can begin an allergy desensitization program on your own, that is, avoid the allergy and take steps to allergy proof your home or work area. If you have severe and chronic symptoms and you're not sure what's causing them, I think it's a good idea to undergo the appropriate allergy testing. However, I recommend that you see a nutritionally oriented physician who is willing to explore all treatment options, not just one who writes a prescription and sends you on your way.

The third kind of allergy test-the food elimination test-may be performed at home in most cases.

If you suspect that a particular food is causing your problem, you eliminate it from your diet for a few days, then reintroduce it and see if your symptoms return.

Proceed with caution! This test is not a good idea for people with severe allergies because of the risk of anaphylactic shock. In fact, in some cases, this test may be performed in a hospital should the patient require immediate care.

Is It a Cold or an Allergy?

Only time will tell! At least at first, it can be very difficult to distinguish between a cold and an allergy. Although both begin with an itchy, runny nose and even a scratchy throat, they don't end up the same way, and here are some tips on how to tell the two apart.

Check your tissues! If you have an allergy, your nasal secretions are thin and clear. If you have a cold, your nasal secretions are thicker, and may change color to green or yellow, signifying an infection. A true cold should last between seven and ten days, with symptoms improving by around day five or so. An allergy can go on indefinitely, with no improvement. If you have low-grade fever, you probably have a cold.

If you seem to develop a cold during the same time each year, it could be a sign of a seasonal allergy. If you have a seasonal allergy, your symptoms will get worse outdoors.

Even if it's not hay fever season, you could still be having an allergic reaction to an indoor allergen, such as dust, mold, or a pet.

If symptoms do not end after two weeks, and you're still miserable, whether you have a cold or an allergy, check with your physician. (Of course, if you suddenly feel very sick or spike a high fever, call your M.D. immediately.)

Allergy testing can determine whether you have an allergy, and what you are allergic to. Laughter: The Best Medicine?

Are your allergies acting up? According to a Japanese researcher, a good laugh may be just what the doctor ordered! A Kyoto allergist studied twenty-six people with atopic dermatitis, or skin hives triggered by allergens such as pet dander, dust, and pollen. After seeing a video of Modern Times, a hilarious film starring Charlie Chaplin, patients experienced significantly less allergic response on a standard skin test than before watching the movie. Why? The researcher speculates that laughter is a great stress reliever, and it is well known that stress can alter normal immune function. This is one treatment that is absolutely safe for everyone, and there no negative side effects. See if it works for you!

Are We Too Clean?

It's called the Hygiene Hypothesis. Some scientists believe that the exponential increase in the incidence of allergy in the past century is due in part to our obsession with cleanliness! Here's why. Before the twentieth century, when most people lived on farms or in rural settings, toddlers used to crawl around on dirt floors or in backyards that were teeming with microorganisms, in sharp contrast to the antiseptic, scrubbed-down nurseries of today.

Although the mere thought of babies eating dirt would send most modern parents into a tizzy, the fact is, many researchers believe that dirt contains beneficial bacteria that are meant to work in synergy with the immune system. In addition, the early and chronic exposure to both friendly and unfriendly bacteria taught young immune systems how to distinguish between friend and foe. Since young immune systems can no longer learn these valuable lessons from firsthand experience, they are not as able to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys and become allergy prone. (I'm not suggesting that we feed babies dirt-there are cleaner ways of restoring good bacteria in our bodies.)

We compound this problem by giving young children antibiotics, especially when they don't really need them. Antibiotics not only kill off both good and bad bacteria, but if given too often, may hamper normal immune function.

Some critics of modern medicine contend that childhood vaccinations against diseases such as measles, mumps, whooping cough, and chicken pox are also responsible for the increase in allergy. They claim that by vaccinating children, we are denying their immune systems the experience of battling illness and are creating “bored” immune cells that later attack nonthreatening substances. In addition, vaccinations may overstimulate particular immune cells responsible for allergy. This is a hotly debated topic among scientists, but the fact of the matter is, before vaccinations, death from childhood diseases was commonplace. Today, it is rare for children to die in infancy or early childhood. To me, if the price of preventing a crippling disease such as polio is hay fever later in life, so be it!

Concerned parents can protect their children against too much modern interference by giving them antibiotics only when absolutely necessary, and by not routinely using antibacterial products, such as soaps or cleaning supplies, in their homes. These products were meant to be used in hospitals to protect workers against serious infections like staph, not for casual use. The overuse of these products may in the long run have a harmful effect on immune function, contributing to problems such as allergy and autoimmune disease. Nor will these products keep us safe from infectious disease. Ironically, the more these products are used, the greater the risk of developing antibiotic-resistant infections that can be life-threatening.

Copyright © 2003 by Earl Mindell R.Ph., Ph.D., and Carol Colman

About the Author

For the last thirty years Dr. Mindell has researched and studied the nutrients your body needs on a daily basis to function at its best and maintain optimal health.