The Allergy and Asthma Cure
A Complete 8-Step Nutritional Program
By Fred Pescatore
John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0-471-21468-X
Chapter One
Understanding and
Diagnosing Allergies
Jeffrey, a thirty-five-year-old man, came to see me because he had
severe seasonal allergies. They were worse in the spring and fall. He
had a high-powered job and was unable to perform well at those
times. He had marked difficulty breathing and often ended up with
chest colds and on oral steroid medications. He felt he had no choice
because it was the only way he could breathe. In addition, he was on
two different asthma medications, including an inhaled steroid. It got
so bad during allergy season that he was using medications around
the clock. He was very worried.
Jeffrey was very concerned that his allergies were slowly getting
worse over time. And he couldn't understand why his asthma suddenly
seemed to be getting worse. He had had asthma since he was a
child and allergies since he was a teenager, and he thought he knew
how to handle these conditions. He felt they were now out of control,
and he was angry and ready to get to the bottom of these problems.
I performed a food sensitivity test, and I tested for candida antibodies,
among other, more routine blood tests. I found he had many
food sensitivities-almost more than I had ever seen, and his candida
antibodies were very high. I explained that anyone who used steroids,
especially oral ones, would have a high candida level. I was also certain
that he had a condition called leaky gut evidenced by his many
food sensitivities.
I explained to him that asthma and allergies were very tightly connected.
That would explain why his allergies triggered the worsening
of his asthma symptoms. To treat his allergies and his asthma, we
eliminated from his diet the candida and foods to which he was sensitive,
and placed him on an oral supplement program. By the fall, he
was symptom-free and made it though that first season without any
problems. He never needed to be on oral steroids, and his breathing
had never been better. After that first true test, we then decreased the
amounts of all of his other medications, and he made it symptom-free
through the next spring, his first without drugs. He was thrilled, and
he continues to do well to this day.
The food sensitivity test and the candida test, along with an oral
nutritional supplement program, are the cornerstones of my cure.
However, before we get to that, let's examine what allergies and
asthma really are.
How Allergy Works
An allergy can be broadly defined as an abnormal, adverse, physical
reaction of the body to certain substances known as allergens. It is
usually referred to as a hypersensitive state because those who suffer
from an allergy usually react to quantities of the allergen that leave
most people unharmed.
The process of how this allergen can cause a problem in the body
involves the immune system. Most allergic individuals will develop
an excess of the antibody IgE when exposed to an allergen. The IgE
antibodies then attach to mast cells (a component of your immune
system), and the mast cells cause histamines and leukotrienes to be
released from certain other cells, causing the disturbing allergic reactions.
This is your immune system doing its job, but in this case, it
overreacts.
Allergy attacks also may occur through a non-IgE-mediated
response. This mechanism is less clear from a scientific point of view,
but no less irritating. The food sensitivity test measures sensitivities
not related to IgE. Candida antibodies do not measure the IgE
response. Certain bacteria or foods can create antigen-antibody complexes
that lodge themselves in the lungs in this instance, and cause
chronic inflammation, without involving IgE at all.
I mention this because most of the commonly available allergy
tests search for an IgE response. If the traditional tests are negative,
your doctor will tell you that you don't have any allergies. This is not
necessarily true.
Allergy Types
There are almost as many types of allergies as there are allergy sufferers.
They are usually classified according to what causes them, or
the symptoms they cause. Allergens may cause a reaction in several
ways: inhalation, injection, ingestion, or through skin contact. Allergic
reactions can involve any part of the body but most frequently
affect the nose, eyes, lungs, and skin.
Allergies That Are Defined by What Causes Them
1. Inhalant allergy, such as from pollen or dust
2. Infectious allergy, with symptoms made worse by a cold or flu
3. Insect allergy, usually from the bite of a particular insect
4. Drug allergy, which can be quite serious and may result in
anaphylaxis-a life-threatening condition
5. Physical agent allergy, such as an allergy to cold, heat, or
exercise
6. Contact allergy, such as to latex, household chemicals, or
newsprint
7. Food allergy, including anything that you could ingest that is
not a poison; it is different from a food sensitivity. Food allergies
are generally severe and will cause a noticeable reaction
Allergies That Are Defined by Their Symptoms
1. Allergic rhinitis or hay fever, the most common form of
allergy
2. Eczema
3. Hives, also known as chronic urticaria
4. Skin rashes, including rashes that are not included in any other
grouping
5. Rosacea
6. Anaphylactic shock
For the majority of the listed allergies, with the exception of anaphylactic
shock, drug allergy, and true food allergy, I have been able
to help patients achieve close to total resolution of their symptoms
through the program outlined in this book.
Allergic Rhinitis or Hay Fever
Although the name may be a misnomer since this rarely produces a
fever and hay has nothing to do with it, hay fever affects millions of
people. Most people are allergic to pollens, and that is why the symptoms
are seasonal. The most common offenders are trees, grasses, and
ragweed. The timing of the symptoms is variable due to where you
live. Other common offenders are weeds, dust mites, and mold
spores.
The symptoms of allergic rhinitis can make us very uncomfortable.
Nasal congestion is usually the most troubling of the symptoms-it
can affect our speech and give us a dry mouth. Other symptoms
include a runny nose, and swelling and inflammation of the mucus
membranes. This inflammation causes sneezing, itchy eyes, itchy and
scratchy throat, and loss of smell and taste, all of which can make life
miserable for a hay fever sufferer. Most people also get a clear mucus
drainage that leads them to blow their nose all day and to get a red
nose from the irritation.
Allergic rhinitis symptoms also include the following characteristics:
intermittent symptoms that are either seasonal, food-related,
environmental, or emotionally triggered
symptoms are relieved with antihistamines, food elimination,
environmental elimination, or stress reduction techniques
symptoms are persistent or perennial
postnasal drip, sore throat, cough, hoarseness, wheezing or
difficulty breathing, and/or skin rash
dark circles under the eyes
symptoms are usually preceded by a personal or family history
of allergies, eczema, or asthma
Eczema
This is one of the most common skin conditions. Eczema as an infant
is a strong indicator of asthma risk as a child or an adult. Not all
eczema sufferers as infants will go on to suffer from asthma, but
almost all asthma sufferers will have had eczema when they were
infants. How many of you right now are wondering if you had eczema
when you were a baby? Call your mom and ask her.
Eczema is a rash that is most often accompanied by severe itching.
It usually begins within the first year of life as a facial rash. Recently,
I have been seeing this in adults with no history of having had it.
When it begins in adults, the lesions can appear anywhere, but most
occur on the insides of the elbows, and on the backs of the knees,
neck, ankles, wrists, and hands. Contact eczema occurs when you
touch something you are allergic to.
Food Allergy
There are many foods that can cause true allergies. These can be life-threatening
and are quite common. A food allergy occurs through an
IgE-mediated response similar to what I have previously described.
The most common symptoms of a food allergy are vomiting; stomach
pain; asthma attack; breathing difficulties; headaches; joint swelling
and pain; hives; itchiness; diarrhea; and, in the worst cases, anaphylaxis.
Some minor food allergy symptoms can be a tingling sensation
in the mouth or a swelling of the tongue.
Some people are so allergic to certain foods that they will get a reaction
if the food is simply in the room, or if their skin comes into contact
with the food. Sometimes patients may even have reactions to food
residue on restaurant tables and chairs. Ninety percent of all food allergies
are to milk, peanuts, soy, eggs, nuts such as cashews, almonds, or
walnuts (peanuts are actually legumes), shellfish, fish, or wheat.
Peanuts, fish, shellfish, and nuts usually cause the most severe reactions.
Peanut allergies are increasingly common, and this is especially
important in school-age children because peanuts are in so many
foods. It is not just the peanut itself that can cause the allergy but also
peanut oil, peanut sauce, and anything that contains peanuts. Peanut
oil is so commonly used that it may be one of the ingredients in your
food, so check labels. Peanut allergies are usually so severe that if a
pot had peanut oil in it prior to your use, a reaction may occur. Peanut
allergies are very common, and the reactions tend to be the most
severe. Peanuts are responsible for 63 percent of all food-allergy-related
deaths.
For this type of severe food allergy, I recommend three things:
1. Prepare for an emergency. Should a situation arise where the
allergy occurs, you and/or your child should know immediately
what to do. In the case of a young child, let the school or sitter
know exactly what to do and send written instructions with the
child so there is no confusion.
2. Very careful shopping. Read food labels very carefully. Know
what is in everything that you buy or that your child is buying at
school or in a store. If you don't know what is in a particular item
and the school or store can't tell you, do not buy it. Always carry
a snack for yourself or your child in case there is nothing else
available. This especially holds true for airline travel. Never get
caught unprepared.
3. Carry an Epi-pen. This is a disposable cartridge that carries the
drug epinephrine. Learn how to use it, and teach anyone, including
your child, in its proper use. This is something you get a prescription
for from your doctor.
Diagnosing Your Allergies
Since allergies play such a significant role in lost productivity,
increased healthcare costs, and simply making your life miserable, it
is important to determine which allergens are responsible for specific
diseases, so the proper medical decisions can be made. Allergy testing
has serious limitations, and the diagnosis of an allergy to a specific
allergen cannot be made on the basis of testing alone. Your history is
just as critical to the diagnosis. The basic conventional forms of
allergy testing include percutaneous testing, intradermal testing, in
vitro antibody testing, and delayed hypersensitivity testing.
Percutaneous Testing
This is the skin prick testing most of us are familiar with. The basic
mechanism behind skin testing is the interaction of the injected allergen
with specific IgE antibodies on the surface of your skin mast cells.
This injection will trigger the release of histamine and the formation
of a wheal and flare at the site. A wheal is the swelling you see; a flare
is the redness. This reaction usually will occur within fifteen minutes
after the allergen is introduced. This test remains the primary diagnostic
procedure to determine the cause of allergies in this country.
Most practitioners perform this test on the back of the forearm, the
upper arm, or the upper back. The upper back is by far the most sensitive
but is not used as often. Certain guidelines should be followed
to ensure that the test is done properly. For example, each allergen
must be a certain distance apart, never done near the wrist or the
elbow, and skin testing should never be performed on sites of active
skin flare-ups such as dermatitis or hives.
Your doctor should use both positive and negative controls. A negative
control tests the diluent that the allergen is in, to make sure you
are not allergic to that rather than to the allergen. A positive control is
usually histamine itself, to ensure that your body's immune system is
giving an adequate response.
The prick test can be performed in patients as young as one month
of age, although this is quite rarely done. Allergen skin reactions start to
decline in adults after one's twenties, due to decreased skin reactivity to
histamine and lower IgE levels. Therefore, if you are older than this
when this test is done, you may get many false negative results.
This test is also limited because it measures only a clinically
immediate IgE hypersensitivity. If you do not have an IgE-mediated
allergy, the test will be negative, and your doctor will tell you that you
are not allergic to a certain substance. The test is also dependent on
the person performing the test. Such factors as the exact amount of
allergen used, the depth and force of the needle, the duration of force,
the angle of application, and the stability of the allergen extracts are
all variables that can cloud interpretation of the test.
Use of antihistamines should be stopped twenty-four to seventy-two
hours prior to taking these tests; use of tricyclic antidepressants
and benzodiazepines (Valium and similar substances) need to be
stopped for seven to fourteen days beforehand; use of systemic corticosteroids
and topical steroids should be stopped up to three weeks
prior to any testing. It is believed that nonsteroidal medications such
as ibuprofen do not interfere, but I always advise my patients to stop
use of these as well. You do not want anything to interfere with the
accuracy of your test results. It is better to get a proper test result than
one that does not give you the correct information.
Intradermal Testing
This is used when skin prick testing is not deemed sensitive enough to
detect the cause of an allergic reaction. This is usually what happens
when a patient tests negative on a prick test but has a strong clinical history
of symptoms triggered by exposure to a specific allergen.
Continues...
Excerpted from The Allergy and Asthma Cure
by Fred Pescatore Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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FRED PESCATORE, M.D., M.P.H., is the head of the Centers for Integrative and Complementary Medicine with offices in New York and Dallas. Formerly the Associate Medical Director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine, Dr. Pescatore is the author of Wiley’s Thin For Good and Feed Your Kids Well. The founder of the Dr. Pescatore’s Thin For Good Weight Loss Centers, Dr. Pescatore lectures across North America and Asia and has appeared on The View, AM Canada, Weekend Today, and many other national television and radio shows.
