Allergy testing....

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leavinglasvegas
leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
in Chit-Chat
I'm looking for opinions on this stuff. Here are my thoughts and reasonings.....

It seems obvious that if you inject or scratch common allergens or foreign substances onto your skin that there will be some sort of reaction. I already know from previous allergy tests that I am allergic to everything they test for. Including horses and cockroaches. As if I sleep with my pet horse and play with cockroaches all day.........

My 10 year old daughter and I have already had food allergy testing, via blood tests, which I found extremely helpful. However, I'm debating the other testing. There are things in nature that cannot be completely avoided. I don't see how injecting us with them will make it any better. I will refuse the stupid shots anyways. Its a vaccine, which I'm not a fan of. And its twice per week, which is a bit ridiculous in my opinion. We already know that if the house gets dusty, we get sneezy. No need to bill the insurance for that genius discovery, right? Personally, I think we should just keep the house clean and pay attention to our bodies. But I'm not a doctor.

Anyways, the ENT and allergist are very serious about this testing, and I find it rather comedic. I've lived 31 years allergic to many outdoor/indoor elements. I'm not going to submit to a lifetime of shots and pills. I don't even feel like I have any allergies on a daily basis. I'm most certainly not going to put my daughter through any of that unless I can see solid proof that it really is neccessary. Perhaps if she cleaned her room like I tell her too she wouldn't be sneezy, period.

On the other hand, this testing came up because of some swollen glands and tonsills. Before he takes out her tonsills, he wants to see if it is allergies that are causing these problems. In that case, I suppose he would treat the allergies as opposed to removing her tonsills. I can respect that to a point. I'm not really down with the allergy treatment. There has to be a better way than shots and antihistimines. I don't want her to have surgery, of course. I'm torn.

If I'm going to deny treatment, I want to be solid in my decision, especially if I'm going to have to debate this with them. I just want to be fully informed. My doctor is very much into allergy treatment and is very educated, I don't doubt his ability at all. I just prefer more natural treatments and he is more conventional. Though they do give out alot of those neti pots and advocate clean eating......

Thoughts? Any scientific studies for or against would be apperciated too.

Replies

  • smwulf
    smwulf Posts: 5
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    Hey - I have lots of allergies and my toddler now has them too unfortunately. Try to locate a chiropractor or wellness center in your area that does the BAX 3000 treatments - it's a laser technology - no shots, no drugs. It's supposed to reset your body so that you're no longer allergic to certain things. Now - I have done a few treatments, not all, and it has helped me. For my toddler though, they can't treat directly since you have to sit still so we tried to treat him THROUGH me and I don't think that worked that well.
    http://www.bax3000locator.com/

    I would not do the shots. I'm not vaccinating - so I know how you feel! But see if you can try this - it's worth a shot! It eliminates it forever! I've seen the results in other people too - people with severe eczema, migraines, and other health issues.

    Good luck - allergies stink...

    Stacy
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    I don't have scientific proof. But I have personal history with this.

    I too have been tested using the scratch tests (many moons ago) and they found that I'm allergic to everything, but especially cats, horses and CHOCOLATE! Heartache of heartaches. My house is known as the zoo. I have two cats and two dogs. I know that I'm allergic to cats and dogs, but on average, don't feel symptoms in my house. We have an air purifier, hardwood and keep the house as dust free as possible. If I go to someone else's house and play with their dog/cat, I feel symptoms. I think our bodies build up antibodies to the specific allergens in the house down to the specific source. So I'm not terribly worried about it.

    However, I've had bronchitis twice this year that they've linked to chronic sinusitis. The sinusitis has been linked to allergies outside the home (both during particularly bad experiences of grass & trees - there was something going on outside) I have an allergy test scheduled for this week and I think I'm going to opt for the shots. It's part of my decision to be a pet owner - it's not something I'm willing to budge on this time, so the shots will be how I cope. I do think having the pets in the home reduces my overall tolerance to allergens (so I'd have less problems with trees and grasses, etc. if I didn't have pets) but I also know that my worst allergy times were when I had no pets in the home (didn't build up any tolerance) so it's a trade off that I've decided on. I take my allergy meds daily and am able to function normally - but with precautions.

    Having allergies though, or so I've been told, causes inflammation in the body. Inflammation in the body causes water retention. So allergies will affect the amount of weight you're able to lose. The histamines cause all kinds of craziness in our bodies.
  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
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    My friend did a natural treatment and I just text her to find out what it is. Will post when she answers!
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Hey - I have lots of allergies and my toddler now has them too unfortunately. Try to locate a chiropractor or wellness center in your area that does the BAX 3000 treatments - it's a laser technology - no shots, no drugs. It's supposed to reset your body so that you're no longer allergic to certain things. Now - I have done a few treatments, not all, and it has helped me. For my toddler though, they can't treat directly since you have to sit still so we tried to treat him THROUGH me and I don't think that worked that well.
    http://www.bax3000locator.com/

    I'm going to have to see if my chiropractor has heard of this...I was just there last night.
  • sandylouwho
    sandylouwho Posts: 31
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    I've had a variety of food and environmental allergies and asthma throughout my life. When I was kid, I was taking allergy shots - and they did NOTHING. As I got older, I switched to more natural testing and solutions, and they have worked much better. I'm basically allergy and asthma free now.

    I would recommend finding a naturopath or other practitioner in your area who does Vega allergy testing (http://www.naturaltherapycenter.com/main.php?name=index_42b634b5). It's a non-invasive test that checks your body's electrical reaction to different substances. My toddler has serious food allergies, and this system indicated his allergies just as well, if not better, than regular skin-prick testing. Plus it's pain-free!

    As for remedies, I would again recommend finding a naturopath. They would be able to offer you homeopathic (which I follow) or other remedies if you prefer. They can help you figure out the best course of action for your needs and comfort level. Good luck!
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    When I was tested as a teen, they told me I was deathly allergic to cats. I'm not kidding about the deathly part. They were very serious and told me I need to avoid cats at all costs. Scared the crap out of me, because all my friends had cats. I LOVE cats. Yes, when I visited or went to sleepovers my eyes sometimes swelled shut, lol, but I never died like they said I would. I was like 15 or 16, how do I avoid cats for the rest of my life when everyone I know has one?

    Then a few years later (maybe 7) I got a cat for my daughter and had no problems. In that same year I had another allergy test. I tested positive for everything yet again.... except cats. Go figure. They told me cats would kill me and here I am, alive a few years later, and I own a cat. Actually after 2 litters, we had up to 13 cats in the house at a time. Never felt a sniffle.

    The way they explained that was to tell me that allergens can change over time. So this is the type of thing that makes me feel like the whole process is overkill. How do you know the shots are working or the body is just changing? It doesn't seem logical to me.

    I'm going to check into the laser thing. I also know a lady who is studying to be a natropath. She says there are supplements you can take to eliminate allergies. I'm not convinced on any of it, to be honest. But I'd rather have options. Thank you for the link.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    My friend did a natural treatment and I just text her to find out what it is. Will post when she answers!

    I'd love to know. The lady I know who is studying to be a natropath said that there are certain supplements that you need to saturate your body with and then reintroduce the allergen. We were talking about food though. She gave me a list of things to take to eliminate my wheat allergy, and I have been doing it. So we'll see if it works. Its nothing outrageous either, so it's not at all inconvenient.

    I'd love to hear other natural remedies.
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Bumping this because they would be great options. I went to a naturopath a few years ago, which is why I know my histamine levels are high. He gave me a few pieces of bad advice and I lost faith in the practice, so I never really got into the histamine issues with him.

    Might have to look someone up locally again (I've moved since)
  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
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    My friend got back to me (that was record time for her-I was hoping it wouldn't be days!!). It's called NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique). From what she has said in the past, I think it's a combination of Eastern and Western medicine. Good luck! I, too am a big time allergy sufferer!
  • Crysta1976
    Crysta1976 Posts: 184 Member
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    Allergies suck! As I sit here sniffling and sneezing, dealing with a summertime cold, and looking at the inflammation of where my tonsils used to be... I kind of wish I could just get a quick shot and keep them away. At the same time, I'm not keen on the idea of submitting myself to a constant drug. I would much rather have a naturopathic/homeopathic remedy. Living in Michigan, wellness centers and naturopathic doctors are hard to come by. And when you can find one, they are SO expensive! I don't have insurance, and many companies don't cover "alternative medicine" anyway.

    I have always been allergic to animals (especially cats and rabbits), dust, grass, the sun, chocolate...most fruits. The list goes on and on and on. Some of the allergies I have had since childhood, some I have outgrown and some I have obtained over recent years. I believe in order for testing to be accurate, you would have to do it every few years. But, as for my child...I would rather subject them to a day of itching and low grade fever for the test, than let them be miserable everyday while figuring it out over time. I say this as somebody who didn't get the testing before it was "too late". If you know early, there are ways to introduce the triggers to grow immunities, or at least tolerance. It's just easier to do on kids than adults.

    I wouldn't want my child to have surgery. But it's much easier on a 10 yr old, than it was at 27! Every doctor will back that up. If there was an alternative to surgery, I would most certainly look into it!!!

    I'm going to ask my chiropractor about the lazer thing too. Sounds interesting!!! Or perhaps, invest in acupuncture again. A little uncomfortable at times, but better than feeling miserable for months at a time!

    Good luck, Holly! I hope you get it all figured out for her soon...poor girl! =)

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