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7 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Allergies

Dec 21st, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

This is the first of a series of articles full of useful tips to help relieve your child’s allergies.

Part 1: Clear the Air In Your Home

Air quality inside many homes is often even worse than outside. The average home contains toxic fumes from gas stoves or heating, varnishes, carpeting, plastics, perfumes, air fresheners, household cleaners, disinfectants and chlorinated water, all of which can cause respiratory and nasal allergies, especially in children, whose nasal and respiratory passages are smaller and not fully matured. Mold can also cause a range of troublesome, often serious reactions, including decline in mental function, chronic flu-like symptoms, or neurological problems. Cigarette smoke increases risk of childhood asthma, sensitizes children to airborne allergens like cat dander and dust mites, and also leads to food allergies (study by Swedish Karolinska Institute published in medical journal, Thorax).

Irritants from outside such as pollen and pollutants and irritants from outside get inside the home, carried on our hair, clothing, shoes, or pets. Environmental pollutants such as traffic exhaust and pesticides used by most city councils come in through our windows and doors. Germany’s Helmholtz Research Centre for Environment and Healthpublished in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, June 15, 2008). found that children living less than 50 metres from a major road had a 50% higher risk of allergies, eczema and allergies than children living farther away (

All these irritants can be trapped inside the home, leading to higher, more harmful concentrations and poor air quality. No wonder so many children are affected!

To clear the air in your home, you can:

Get an air purifier (such as the HEPA filter) to filter out airborne allergens.
Avoid chemical cleaners, including many so-called ‘green cleaners’, and use white vinegar and baking soda instead. With a little muscle, they serve the purpose very well.
Reduce dust collectors in your home – Furry toys, frills, cushions, carpeting, fancy drapery and too much clutter are dust traps. Get rid of them or keep them to minimum, especially in bedrooms. Wash curtains and bedding weekly in hot water. Dust and vaccum weekly (being careful not to stir up dust).
Get a chlorine filter on showerhead or bath taps. When heated, chlorine releases toxic fumes, and easily enters through the skin.
Filter pollutants from heavy nearby traffic with a high hedge of low-allergen shrubs or lots of trees.
Leave outer clothing and shoes outside the door when entering the house, and wipe down pets before they enter, especially in pollen season.
Don’t use plastics, kitchenware, toys, or furnishings that have a noticeable smell. The smell means the item is releasing fumes, carrying chemical molecules into the air where your family breathes them in.

In part 2, you get practical tips to detoxify your child and your child's environment. Toxins are a major cause of allergies and other diseases.

Your Health Journey Starts Here!

Nov 23rd, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

As a health practitioner with enormous faith in the body’s natural ability to maintain and heal itself, I am still surprised to find how many people don’t recognise illness or unwellness in its early stages, when the problems are small and easily taken care of. Instead, they wait until their condition interferes with their lifestyle, or causes significant distress, then rush to the health practitioner looking for answers.

Most people, including most doctors, only pay attention to health after illness has set in. This is really the worst time to do it, because by that time, many things have gone wrong inside the body. By the time they get your attention, symptoms can occur far away from the source of the problem, so you might, for example, get heart palpitations when the real problem is infection deep within your gums.

To know that you are not healthy, you must first have an idea of what it is to be healthy.

So what is health?

Health is a state of homeostasis or balance. Changes occur in the body as part of everyday life, then things settle down. Tissues are damaged or worn out, and are repaired or replaced. Hormones and other chemicals are rushed to parts of the body where they are needed, then they are eliminated safely when they have done their work. The body corrects or eliminates some problems with a temporary fever, inflammation or brief illness, then brings itself back to a healthful condition. All this happens quite naturally in a healthy body, without any conscious effort on your part. In an unhealthy body, the balance is not restored, and small changes grow into problems.

A healthy body can easily recover from negative influences, such as stress, illness or normal amounts of toxins. If your body is not able to regain its balance or cope with outside influences, the result is illness or disease. Sometimes, the body eventually recovers without assistance, though soemetimes, even a healthy body needs our assistance to bring it back into balance. An unhealthy body, on the other hand, will not bounce back or recover on its own.

Health is a state of balance between body and mind.Your thoughts and feelings have a profound effect on your physical health, and the other way around. If the mind is out of balance – too stressed, overly negative, or carrying harmful beliefs (such as ‘I’m a sickly person’, ‘Illness is an inevitable part of aging’, or ‘I don’tdeserve happiness’) – then the body falls out of balance, and illness occurs. If you are often unhappy, depressed, anxious or angry, you can be sure that either something is out of balance in your body, or soon will be, so you should seek help.

What Must You Do to Be Healthy?

If you want to achieve glowing health with energy to spare, and maintain your vitality and wellbeing well into old age, you and your health practitioner must do three things:

1. Recognise unwellness and identify just what is preventing you from healing naturally

2. Remove the obstacles to your healing that so your body can get back onto its natural healing path

3. Maintain health by supporting and strengthening your body’s natural healing and recovery processes, and protect it from harmful influences.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But even the first step can be quite a challenge.

For one thing, illness and dis-ease can arise from many different causes, and those causes are often hidden, or may seem to have nothing at all to do with your problems. Even after a diagnosis is made, it often requires great persistence, open-mindedness, and good powers of observation to finally pinpoint just what’s causing the problems.

For example, allergies and sensitivities can go unrecognized for decades of a person’s life because no one has recognized the link between symptoms such as irritability, digestive problems, or immune malfunction, and food or chemical allergies. The implications of this can be enormous.

On the other hand, it may only take the decision to find out what’s wrong to open your eyes to problems that you never noticed or just accepted as part of life or growing older, such as sudden mood swings, bloating, or aches and pains.

Start From Here…..Where is Here?

To begin the wellness journey, you must know where you are at now (experiencing symptoms of unwellness), and where you want to be (without those symptoms and feeling radiantly healthy). In other words, before you actually begin the wellness journey, you must first identify your starting point and your destination. The destination may change over time, but without a clear sense of direction and a target, you and your health practitioner might as well be shooting in the dark.

This preliminary stage can require a lot of patience. The symptoms that force you to seek professional help are often just the tail end of the development of illness, which could have been going on for years, unnoticed. People can be very astute concerning their own health, but for persistent problems, it usually takes the help of an experienced health practitioner to uncover the real, and often, multiple causes. A good practitioner will draw on the patient’s own observations and history as well as testing and other diagnostic tools.

For example, even if you already know you have allergies, you will need testing to identify exactly what substances are causing your allergic reactions. I find that many people are allergic or sensitive to more substances that they realise because many allergies are ‘hidden’. That is, the symptoms can occur many hours or even days after contact with the allergenic food, chemical or substance, so the person never associates the allergen with the symptom. Many food allergies are of this kind.

Once you know where you are now, your course of action will depend largely on your chosen destination: whether you just want to relieve your symptoms or correct the underlying causes, or also build future resistance to disease and illness, or achieve the kind of health that also prolongs youthfulness, enhances your natural beauty, and gives you loads of energy to live a full, active, joyful life.

At the Renew You Centre for Wellbeing and Longevity, we believe that you, not your health practitioner, should choose your destination. We’ll do all we can to help you get there. All we ask is that once you and your practitioner have agreed on your health goals, you take the steps needed to get you there. That takes a commitment to yourself. Aren’t you worth it?

For more information about Renew-You’s totally natural health programs and services, visit www.renewyoujourney.com or email info@rycentre.com.

To read more on allergies, visit www.freefromallergies.com

The Two Main Causes of Allergy

Nov 23rd, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

Have you ever wondered why we are witnessing epidemic increases in allergies, poor health and chronic medical conditions? After years of clinical practice and research, I am convinced that there are two main reasons for this: chronic stress and toxic overload.

Nowadays we are faced with an increasing amount of stress in our lives. From unresolved past issues, to the fast-paced technological pressures of 21^st century living, financial challenges, work stresses, family pressures and relationship problems, we are increasingly required to cope with so many more demands in our lives. To make things worse, our bodies are exposed to an increasing barrage of toxic chemicals, poisons, pesticides, pollutants, and electromagnetic pollution found in our water supplies, food, personal care products and the air we breathe. It is no surprise that we are experiencing worsening ill-health today.

All these challenges stress our bodies every day, forcing our bodies into constant fight-or-flight mode. This means that our growth systems and immune systems are shut down as our bodies assume an almost chronic state of emergency. The body is over-taxed, and no longer able to heal itself and do the daily repairs it was designed to do. No wonder so many of us develop allergies!

Allergy Is the Result, Not the Cause

There is never just one cause of allergy. Rather, it is the result of pre-existing problems and a stressed immune system. A healthy person with a healthy immune system does not develop allergies. Once it begins, though, the allergy cycle just gets worse. Continuous exposure to the allergen will lead to chronic inflammation, which further stresses the immune system that is already struggling to defend the body. The end result? A cycle of inflammation, damaged tissues, further weakening of the immune system, and a host of health problems. Now, the body’s energy is directed away from healing processes to defense.

Any healing that fails to address these two powerful influences on our health - toxins and stress – will not have lasting results. Or even if the current condition is improved through good nutrition, accumulating toxins and chronic stress will still continue to erode the person’s health and disrupt normal, health promoting biological and neurological processes. Sooner or later, the effects will be felt as new symptoms emerge, warning the person once again that the body-mind is out of balance and on a downward spiral to illness.

As you can see, many factors contribute to allergy, including toxin overload and stress. These two factors alone can place such a burden on the immune system that it finally goes a little crazy and begins to over-react to ordinarily harmless substances. If the problem is compounded by infections, medications, nutrient deficiencies or digestive problems, well, the poor immune system doesn’t stand a chance.

Even if allergies are treated, if your body is still struggling to cope with toxins and chronic stress, you may not get the lasting relief you want, or you can get new allergies …or even an autoimmune disorder…down the track. That's why detoxification and emotional work should be key elements in any allergy program that aims to treat allergies in the long term.

Allergies Can Make You Fat

Nov 17th, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

If you can’t budge extra weight, or find yourself gaining weight no matter what you do, it could because of inflammation due to allergies and toxins…and your allergy medicines may just be aggravating the situation. This is the conclusion from two studies proving that toxicity and inflammation from food allergies are major underlying causes of obesity and illness.

The first study reported in 'Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes' in December 2007 found that obesity is caused by allergies, not the other way around, as was previously assumed. A second study published in ‘Diabetes' in July 2007, reported that leaky gut was responsible for triggering a system-wide immune response that caused inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation leads to insulin resistance, resulting in higher insulin levels that cause you to store more fat (and lead to heart disease).

Leaky gut is a condition where the gut lining is damaged by irritation and inflammation, allowing particles to escape from the gut into the blood stream. The immune system responds to the perceived threat with inflammation, which can result in allergies. Common causes of leaky gut are medications such as antibiotics, steriods, anti-inflammatories, and acid blockers; foods high in fats, sugars and refined carbohydrates; digestive problems; alcohol; stress, and toxins, including food additives and pesticides.

The leaky gut-inflammation-weight gain pattern is a common factor in allergies and can lead to a vicious circle of increasing inflammation, worsening allergies, and spreading symptoms as the immune system struggles to cope.

Below is a testimonial from a client who asked that her name be withheld. I include it here because it illustrates the often complex link between inflammation, insulin resistance and allergies.

I had hidden sensitivities and allergies to many foods, including sugar and insulin. I followed the programme… and with the right nutrition, allergy reprogramming, emotional support, my sugar levels just kept dropping consistently, and I lost weight and felt so much better in myself with a few months. In fact, the weight just fell off me – I didn’t even have to try, and my health and energy overall has so much improved. I lost about 20kgs without trying“.

When your allergies are treated, inflammation subsides, normalizing your insulin levels. Not only can the weight start to drop off; you can also prevent heart disease from hyperinsulism. However, if the gut is not healed, inflammation is always a distinct possibility, and can lead to more allergies or other immune problems …and weight gain….down the track.

Foods that Actually Help Shed Excess Weight

Nov 17th, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

Going hungry because you're trying to lose weight? Statistically, that makes you much more likely to get off track and start eating more than you should. Eating less will certainly help you lose weight, but you don't have to go hungry. Instead, eat more of the foods that actually help flush fat and toxins from your body, and clean your cells. These include dark green vegetables, dark leafy greens (eg. turnip greens, radish leaves, dandelion leaves, swiss chard, bok choy etc), squash, carrots, sea vegetables, onions, green onions, and fresh herbs. Eat as many of these as you can raw. Raw plant foods are rich in enzymes, little proteins that help digestion and help remove toxins.

Also eat high quality protein with every meal…small quantities of lean meat, fish, eggs, tofu.

Here is a simple recipe from a Master of Medical Qi Gong Therapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine, who uses food as a key element in his healing programs. He says this recipe helps prevent fat from accumulating in the body. He also uses it to lower cholesterol and treat hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and edema, and to help clear congestion.

Kelp Egg Drop Soup

Serves 3

1 cup of soaked kelp (dried kelp soaked in water) ½ cup fresh coriander

2 eggs 3 teaspoons of green onion pieces

1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce

7 cups of chicken broth ½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white cooking wine 1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup cooked white rice

Cut the kelp into short strips (approx 2 x 3 cm)

Roughly cut the coriander

Beat the eggs well

Heat sesame oil in wok or deep pan over medium heat; slide in green onions and stir fry for 10 seconds

Add in soy sauce

Pour in broth and bring to a boil

Add kelp and salt

Add cooked white rice and coriander, and bring to boil

Add in whipped eggs and mix well

Sprinkle on cooking wine and pepper

Remove from heat and serve.

Reply re allergy-emotions-hormones connections

Oct 22nd, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

Hello Elizabeth. I may not have made myself quite clear. I do not say that symptoms of hormonal change are emotional and not physical. Of course they are physical, just as hormones are physical entities. But our emotions CAN be affected by hormonal changes..and that's in both men and women, so I do not agree that to say so is at all sexist. PMS is just one example of this (or do you think that's all in the head?). And there is enough research to show that emotions can worsen allergies…again in both men and women(eg. recent press release from Ohio State University on 11 Aug 2008 reporting on study showing that 'Stress, Anxiety Can Make Allergy Attacks Even More Miserable, Last Longer"). It is not easy, probably impossible, to isolate precise causes of worsening allergies during menstruation, but it would also be negligent to ignore possible emotional factors.

Allergy and the Pill

Oct 22nd, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

Yes, Sleepy Me. I do suggest that you be tested for allergies. You can be allergic to the pill or something in it, and it is most probably having adverse effects on your hormones. Many women react badly to the pill, yet continue taking it because they think their symptoms are fairly normal. So you are wise to take your symptoms seriously. Allergies affect every part of your body, including your hormones and other body chemicals (which can affect your heart and other organs), and your nervous system (hence the anxiety and depression).

Standard tests are known to be unreliable, and often fail to pick up allergies. That's one reason that many people present with serious allergies later in life…because their existing allergies were not recognized and were untreated, which can result in worsening allergies. At my clinics, we test for allergies with an advanced resonance testing technology from Germany, which can test up to 250 allergies at one time from a sample of your hair. No scratches or needles, and it's very fast.

If you would like to book an appointment at one of our clinics, you can phone our freecall number: 1300 853 006 or phone: 5564 7667 (Ashmore) or 3366 8955 (Ashgrove). We can help you find a safe, natural solution to your issues with the pill, and any underlying problems that could be affecting your health.

Tired? Achey? Your Filters May be Clogged

Oct 19th, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

Toxins are a major cause of health problems and disease. Normally, our bodies can safely neutralize and/or eliminate toxins through natural metabolic processes, but in our increasingly toxic world, we are under constant seige from toxins. If we are not eating enough of the foods or drinking enough of the pure water our bodies need to flush out toxins, or eating too much junk food or fatty, sugary, processed foods, toxins can easily accumulate in our tissues and cause all sorts of health issues. Also, medication, stress and infection can add to our toxic load, until the body can no longer cope. The body's natural filters (gut, liver, kidney, lymph) can become clogged, and eventually, stop working properly.

Signs That Your Filters Are Not Working Properly

Because the body’s filters interact with all your body systems, clogged filters can create all kinds of symptoms. That's why I always suspect toxic overload when a person comes to me with mysterious, chronic or recurring symptoms affecting different parts of the body. For example, if a client comes to me complaining of frequent sinus congestion, aching muscles, and painful swelling in her joints, I can usually tell that one or more of her filters is not working properly. Her sinus may be telling me that the digestive filter (the first one in the sequence) is faulty. Her muscle aches and pains are advising me that the second filter, the Liver, is finding it hard to do its job. Finally, aches and swelling at her joints warn us that her last filter, the Kidney, is not performing at its best.

If you frequently experience any of these symptoms, then one or more of your filters is probably clogged:

hay fever or sinus problems
unexplained pains, muscle aches, cramps
persistent fogginess or gloominess
stomach problems
headaches
frequent illness and/or slow recovery from illness
inflammation and swelling
frequent nausea
lethargy or lack of energy
sallow skin and dry or oily hair
weak, ridged nails
excessive mucous production.

It's time to get your filters cleaned so that your immune system and other systems can function properly to keep you healthy and repair daily wear and tear instead of struggling with toxins. Talk to your health practitioner, or do it yourself. You can find lots of detox info on the net, or if you don't like research, there's my 'The Complete Detox in 7 Days and Beyond' available on www.renewyoujourney.com. Once you experience the benefits of detoxification, you'll want to make it a regular part of your health routine.

Stomach Pains or Bowel Problems? It could be Allergies

Oct 19th, 2008 by Dr Dzung Price

Here's an interesting bit of news for those of you with bowel problems. A new study from Rush University Medical Centre, Chicago, found patients with allergic eczema were almost 4 time more likely to also have irritable bowel sydrome (IBS). And IBS was 2.67 times higher in hayfever. IBS or spastic colon is the most common of the bowel disorders, and can cause abdominal pain, constipation or diarreah.

According to the researchers, AE (allergic eczema) in early childhood is so stronglyassociated with gastrointestinal problems and food allergy in early childhood (this is also my experience) that the presence of allergic eczema can help identify children likely to develop gut problems. An earlier report in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (Jan 2007) suggested a link between Asthma and Irritable Bowel Syndrome as well.

I’m not at all surprised . Many patients with allergies have gut problems, including ‘Leaky Gut’, a condition where the gut lining is damaged, allowing undigested food, bacteria and toxins to escape into the blood stream before they are properly processed. Trying to cope with these invaders, the immune system can be overstressed, and can become hypersensitive, leading to allergies. On the other hand, if you’ve already got allergies, gut problems can only make them worse.

That’s why a key element of the BioFAST allergy program used at my clinics is gut healing.

If you’re experiencing digestive or bowel problems, you should get yourself tested for possible allergies or food intolerances before looking for other causes.