How to Desensitise Allergies & Hay Fever Naturally

Here in Perth the annual hay fever allergy season is fast approaching. Most of our rain falls in winter, and this year we experienced a record final month. So we expect to be busy in the next few months and over summer with cases of rhinitis, asthma and dermatitis triggered by pollen and plants.

At Cottesloe Naturopathic Clinic we are already seeing many cases of allergic rhinitis, or hay fever as it is better known. Our focus is to provide immediate relief and fix the problem for good if possible.

Hay fever and spring plant reactions are very easy to  treat with homeopathy, supported by naturopathic advice. The response to treatment is usually swift, and given a few months of treatment the problem is often solved. There are no side effects, unlike drug treatment for this problem. On the contrary, the patient often feels better in themselves, with more energy and mental clarity.

Firstly, we can give homeopathic remedies for the acute situation, to instantly relieve the distress. After that, we aim to boost the immune system. But it’s more than that. Our goal is to restore the restore the body to health at the deepest levels. To do this, we supply “constitutional treatment”. This involves understanding and treating the person at a deep level.

Finally, and to finish off the case, we may give a remedy for natural allergy desensitisation. This is not necessary in all cases.

Although triggered by environment and lifestyle factors, a genetic or constitutional weakness underlies hay fever and other allergies. A constitutional remedy modifies that genetic expression, sometimes with the help of remedies that are “anti-miasmatic.” We will explain these terms below. Through these processes, we desensitise allergies in a general way.

As well, we have developed a protocol of allergy desensitisation for specific allergies. In this blog post we will cover how we do this individually, and provide some tips for home use.

We say “desensitise”, because that is the general terminology that is understood by the layman. They just want to be rid of the problem. But in fact that is a misnomer.

The specific desensitisation is just the final prong in a three tiered attack. In our approach, we aim to remove the reason for any allergy in the first place. So it is more than desensitising alone. Otherwise some other allergy will simply take its place.

For further insight on our approach, you may also visit our other pages on hay fever and sinus and asthma and allergies and spring hay fever in Perth.

Allergy Symptoms & Triggers

Typical symptoms include sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes. Often there is itching of the face, nose and eyes, and occasionally itching of the ears, throat and palate. Asthmatic symptoms may also complicate the picture: difficulty breathing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

Grass pollen including ryegrass are the most typical offenders in spring. Daisies, jasmine, bottlebrush and ragweed are other problem plants. As well as upper respiratory symptoms, there may be skin reactions with hives, rashes, blisters and contact dermatitis. Many natives cause problems here, including grevillea.

Of course, there are food allergies to consider. This is a more complex issue. That especially applies to anaphylactic reactions. Much of what we say will apply to food allergy and sensitivity, but respiratory allergies are quicker and easier to deal with. So will focus on them more specifically in this article. You may visit our allergy page for more information on food allergies.

Acute Remedies & Treatment for Hay Fever & Dermatitis

It takes time to desensitise allergies. Thankfully, there are homeopathic remedies that will eliminate the symptoms instantly, at least as well as conventional drugs. The difference is though, there are absolutely no side effects! In most cases, one dose a day is sufficient. At the most, two or three doses a day will completely keep symptoms at bay on the days of highest pollen count.

We choose the homeopathic remedy needed in each case based on the exact symptom picture. Often there is a combination of symptoms, so we need to look at the balance. But in general, remedies like Sabadilla and Allium cepa cover excessive sneezing. Arundo, Wyethia, Ambrosia and Phleum relieve itching of face, ears, eyes, nose and throat. In watery eyes, Euphrasia and Allium cepa can help. Where there is difficulty breathing and asthmatic symptoms, there are indications for remedies like Phleum, Naphthalinum and Kali carbonicum.

In cases with sinus complications, with symptoms of pressure, swelling and obstruction of the nose and thick mucus we need different remedies. Here there are indications for remedies like Kali bichromicum, Sanguinaria, Silica and Sticta pulmonaria.

Where contact dermatitis, particularly with plants is an issue, we look at remedies like Rhus toxicodendron, Anagalis, Apis, Bovista and Anacardium. We choose which remedy is needed based on the specific symptom picture that each suits, and select the potency according to the severity of symptoms.

Although immediate and successful in action, these acute remedies are not lasting in effect or curative by themselves. However, they are the first stage in a combination that works towards the desensitisation of specific allergies.

Constitutional Homeopathy to Boost Immunity in Allergies

Constitutional treatment is the first step in helping fix allergies for good. To be completely successful, we need to combine this with the acute treatment, a healthy lifestyle and diet. The final icing on the cake is the specific allergy desensitising, as described further down. But first we will describe what constitutional homeopathy is.

In taking a homeopathic case, we go through everything about a person. We ask questions related to every system of the body, from head to toe. Small, subtle things are taken into account. We note things like energy levels and energy patterns. Also, symptoms related to personality, temperaments, life events and response to stress, sleep patterns and dreams are recorded.

We choose a constitutional remedy based on that information. The understanding is that the life force of the body reveals the underlying imbalance in its subtle pattern of symptoms. The choice is a remedy that resonates with that imbalance on all levels. This then provides the necessary information to the life force to begin to heal that imbalance.

Please visit our pages Homeopathy Explained and Patient Information for a fuller outline of this process.

So far, in looking at how to desensitise allergies we have looked at the acute level and the chronic constitutional level. Now we will look at modifying the inherited weakness underlying the allergic tendency.

Genetic Factors in Allergies

Genetic factors play a role in the development of the so-called called atopic diseases. These have a shared underlying problem with the immune system. The main feature is the development of a particular immune response (IgE) to things that are normally harmless. Childhood atopic disease includes atopic dermatitis or eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and food allergy.

To fully desensitise these allergies we must modify this inherited weakness. It was once thought that genes were destiny. Now it is apparent that, although genes cannot be changed, we can change the way the genes express. Epigenetics, essentially, affects how genes are read by cells, and subsequently how they produce proteins.

These modifications can pass through up to fourteen generations. So the lifestyle and diet, and the diseases experienced by our forebears will modify their epigenetics, turning genes on or off. We then inherit these influences, which we may liken to the operating software to the genetic hardware.

The constitutional treatment will have a positive effect on this epigenetic expression. So will our lifestyle and diet, which we will help you with at our clinic. But homeopathy also has specific treatments, known as anti-miasmatic remedies, that work directly on modifying genetic expression, as well as the influence from diseases and drug treatment in our own past history.

As well as the classical miasms, we believe that any strong disease, emotional stress or toxic influence that the body never fully recovers from will produce a miasmatic taint. This affects the epigenetic expression and triggers and reinforces allergies.

Medorrhinum, Tuberculinum and Psorinum are specific anti-miasmatic remedies that may be indicated in hay fever and allergies. These are “nosodes” or remedies produced from the energetic print of diseases. Homeopaths find that the imprint of these disease can pass through the generations.

But diseases in the patient’s own past history may also form a block to treatment, that can be removed by giving the homeopathic nosode of that specific disease. If the person has never fully recovered from something like glandular fever, then the homeopathic remedy or nosode from that can form part of their treatment plan.

Other useful nosodes that can modify the epigenetic effect in allergies include the Bowel Nosodes of Drs Bach and Paterson. These remedies have a specific influence on the gut and improve the bowel flora, which is a vital part of immune function.

Specific Natural Allergy Desensitisation Protocol

We have developed a special program of homeopathic allergy desensitising over 30 years. The idea is similar to the orthodox desensitisation using injections or sublingual drops.

There are several main differences however.

Firstly, our remedies are homeopathic. They sublingual, taken under the tongue daily by the patient. This means they contain only information and no traces of the original substance. Unlike the orthodox procedure, they have no side effects. Patients also tell us they are far more successful than conventional desensitising.

They also work much more quickly. We get virtually instant results anyway through our holistic approach. That is because we give acute remedies, constitutional treatment, ant-miasmatic remedies, and dietary and lifestyle advice. That is on top of the desensitising procedure.

So our approach is holistic. It works not just in reducing the sensitivity to that specific allergen, but addresses the reason for the allergy in the first place.

The conventional approach to desensitise allergies can take a year or two, and even then may not be successful. Moreover, it is suppressive. It weakens the immune system and makes other allergies more likely.

We can also produce an allergy to a specific sample of allergen. If the patient is sensitive to a pet – cat,dog, horse, bird or whatever – the patient can bring with them a small sample of the animal’s hair, fur or feather. We can make up a desensitising remedy in a few minutes. The same applies to a plant or pollen, if identified.

We give these desensitising remedies in ascending or descending homeopathic potency, depending on response. The potencies are adjusted at monthly visits over several months. This is in conjunction with the acute and the constitutional and anti-miasmatic treatment.

In most cases it only takes a few months of treatment to produce lasting results.

For more information or to book a consultation, please contact us.

 

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