Guest guest Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Hello Mara,I am fairly new to the group and will get around to a proper intro later, but meanwhile... My son developed wicked allergies 4 years ago (he was 11) in the spring. He was having digestive problems as well (since he was 6), and things were generally so stressful here that we didn't put 2+2 together--we just thought he had a bad cold, another problem in a long line of problems. But we figured it out and that year his pediatrician prescribed allergy medication, eye drops, an inhaler, the works--he hated the meds and nothing helped at all and he missed a lot of school. The following year we tried natural remedies, and again nothing helped and again he missed a ton of school. Both years he suffered horribly--couldn't go outside, couldn't ride in the car with the window down, massively stuffed up, trouble breathing, red, itchy eyes--symptoms were so bad he couldn't sleep at night, and during the day he just laid on the sofa and watched TV. The only places he got relief were in a swimming pool, store or theater. That summer he saw an allergist and determined which things were causing the trouble--grass, weeds, dogs, cats and one dust mite. The main allergen is grass. After suffering through the 2nd spring/summer he started getting the shots in the fall. The next spring (3rd) he was shockingly better. I couldn't believe it. He only used Claritin during the worst part of the season and not every day. He did not need to use the eye drops or inhaler. The only other thing he did was to use a netti pot--and very rarely. (Teenagers...) He was outdoors a lot with very few symptoms. He even took PE during summer school.Recently we saw his naturopathic doctor and he said that my son would benefit from a grain free diet--that allergies indicate a problem with ALL grains, and that gluten was the "mother" of all grains. So it looks like SCD is the right diet for allergies!Just some background--before he was an N.D. he was a biochemist and research scientist. He now mainly does work with cancer patients and also does studies regarding gluten and the effects on thyroid, etc. In a nutshell, he says that gluten causes malabsorbtion and advises his patients to go gluten free. He then runs a test to see if they are absorbing after going GF. He doesn't usually run food allergy tests because the tests don't always indicate that gluten is a problem and that other food allergies usually resolve after going GF and the patient starts absorbing.When I told the N.D. that my son was getting allergy shots he gently warned against them because he says they mess up the immune system.This warning has given me pause as I don't want to cause any more stress on his immune system, but when I look at the alternative with the horrible symptoms he suffers with (in addition to his digestive troubles) and based on the HUGE success of the shots, I feel this is definitely the best route. This year, my son has been suffering so much with digestive problems (IBS-C) that he has been unable to go out of the house to get the shots. He has also been out of school for most of the year. I sure hope he experiences some improvement soon. Another note, we have a border collie (Molly) and although my son is allergic to dogs, this does not seem to pose a problem for him. During the years before he got the shots, Molly would go outside, come back in and my son would flip out because she was covered in grass and weed pollen. She was a carrier and it was a huge problem. Before we understood what was going on we took a day trip with them in the car. What a horrible day that was. But now, he has no problem with her at all.I have a friend who has asthma, allergies, and so does her teenage son. They both started allergy shots at the same time as my son and they are thrilled with the results.I hope this helps. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TDate: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:28:45 -0400To: <BTVC-SCD >Subject: Allergy shots So I went to the allergist - an extremely Western Med conventional one -and apparently I reacted to a bunch of stuff and she suggested I getallergy shots.Has anyone here had allergy shots and do they help or cause other problems?You seem to need a whole lot of them and I'm suspicious. She's the kind of doctor who wants to load you up with drugs and gives outall these samples - and part of my brain is like, yay! free drugs. And thenafter that, the more critical faculty finally awakes and says - um, maybeI don't want to start up on all of these things. Yeah, just maybe. Anyway, I'm having some allergies this spring - it's supposed to be a badyear for it because of the wonky weather - but they are not so bad, but Isuppose some of these things could be internal reactions. So it's possibleI could feel better. But I am not at all sure. Anyway, advice anyone? Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 no worries re:the name! & true that--they are all practicing! & my boss even admits he's still learning ( after 15 years of practicing!) & he sometimes gets " stumped " by a patient ( ie: tries everything, to no avail!) there is so much about the complexities of the miraculous human body that we haven't figured out yet!! Interesting that I am quite similar to your son in that I also have thyroid issues ( as well as airborne allergies, copious food allergies & celiac/ibs/constipation!) My ND had me on time-release t3 which worked great for about 7 months --then my hair started faling out!! ( lost my previousely bushy eyebrows almost completely!!) ...so now am on l-tyrosine & selenium as thyroid support ...who knows how long before that gives me grief lol ...apparently my immune system has ADD! all part of the journey i guess! I hope your son heals more completely than I have ...my 2 kids have healed very well -- i think kids are more resilient than 40+ folk like me! > > > That summer he saw an allergist and determined which things were causing the trouble--grass, weeds, dogs, cats and one dust mite. The main allergen is grass. > > > > After suffering through the 2nd spring/summer he started getting the shots in the fall. The next spring (3rd) he was shockingly better. I couldn't believe it. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 My allergist wants me to get the shots too, but for now, the time commitment is just too much. I think it was twice a week for 3 months, and then once a week thereafter. Zyrtec and eating local honey keeps my allergies under control, so for now, I'll just stick with those. Holly Crohn's SCD 12/01/08 > > So I went to the allergist - an extremely Western Med conventional one - > and apparently I reacted to a bunch of stuff and she suggested I get > allergy shots. > > Has anyone here had allergy shots and do they help or cause other problems? > You seem to need a whole lot of them and I'm suspicious. > > She's the kind of doctor who wants to load you up with drugs and gives out > all these samples - and part of my brain is like, yay! free drugs. And then > after that, the more critical faculty finally awakes and says - um, maybe > I don't want to start up on all of these things. Yeah, just maybe. > > Anyway, I'm having some allergies this spring - it's supposed to be a bad > year for it because of the wonky weather - but they are not so bad, but I > suppose some of these things could be internal reactions. So it's possible > I could feel better. But I am not at all sure. > > Anyway, advice anyone? > > Mara > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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