You see the commercials all the time—how a certain over-the-counter or prescription drug will allow you to live allergy-free with cats, dogs, dust, pollen, whatever.
Since I live with two cats, one dog, a ton of dander, dust, animal hair and you name it, I was certain something out there would help my recurring ear infections and sinusitis.
Sure enough, my doctor prescribed everything from three separate antibiotic treatments to steroids, not to mention Singulair, Allergan, Pseudoephedrine, Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray and NeilMed Sinus Rinse—many all at the same time.
After six months, my right ear is still plugged, and I've suffered sufficient post nasal drip to sink a frigate.
Desperately seeking a new route, I decided to look into homeopathic remedies. Granted, I'm just at the beginning stages, so I'll have to get back to you with definitive results. But what I learned at a number of health food and nutrition stores made a lot of sense.
Mary McGee, 26, who holds forth in the vitamin department at the new Sprouts on Hawthorne Boulevard, shares my hypersensitivity to cats—at least she did. She also happened to be the most articulate when it came to explaining the genesis of such allergies and ways to address them.
Therein lay the problem. My allergy to cats and dogs may actually have little to do with cats and dogs, she said.
"A lot of times allergies to food [often dairy or gluten] lower the immune system, and you become allergic to pets, dust and other things as a result," McGee said. "If you knock out food, the other stuff goes away."
Although finding the true culprit may involve a food elimination diet for many (including me), McGee, who once suffered swollen eyes, nasal congestion, wheezing and rashes when anywhere near a cat, overcame the problem when she boosted her immune system via supplements, including probiotics and enzymes.
If you suspect an underlying food allergy, she said, the trick is to keep a food diary (where you write down what, when and where you eat), and then start cutting out the food types.
If it's dairy, then cheese and milk products are out; if it's gluten, say goodbye to pasta, bread and cereals for a period of weeks. Eggs, corn, soy, peanuts, food coloring, coffee and chocolate are other common allergens. For some lucky people, the foods can be added back after a period of avoidance, say six to 12 months.
Once the offending food is pinpointed and eliminated, "there should be a big difference in energy," McGee said. Joint pain, headache and fatigue will be gone.
Transferred from the Irvine Sprouts to the Redondo Beach branch when the store opened in May, McGee undergoes regular training by nutritionists and various supplement companies that offer seminars, she said. But her knowledge is clearly underscored by personal trial and error.
As she is six months pregnant with her first baby, she stays rigorously aware of what supplements she consumes: a prenatal multivitamin, Omega fish oil, B-complex and 5,000 units of D3. "Few people get enough D3," she said, a benefit of sunshine that stimulates the immune system and bone health. "It takes 12 hours for the D3 to penetrate the skin after being in the sun. Most people shower it off."
Just as important to McGee are probiotics. When it comes to differentiating among the endless shelves of products at Sprouts, McGee knows her way. Heading to a cooler, she selected Ultimate Flora Critical Care Probiotic by Renew Life ($31.95).
Probiotics keep a healthy amount of good bacteria in the gut and help with digestion, McGee said. They are said to control food allergies by aiding the intestinal tract in controlling the absorption of allergens and by changing immune-system responses to foods.
"When I first started taking [Ultimate Flora], I took it everyday," she said. "Each capsule contains 50 billion active cultures and 10 different strains of probiotics. Every strain works for something different; some work in small intestine, some in the large." She now takes it less often.
Along with keeping track of the expiration date, it is important to look for "delayed release," McGee said. "Otherwise your stomach can break it down before it gets to the intestines, where it needs to be."
There are numerous of other probiotics, including Bio-K Plus, a small yogurt-like liquid to be taken for six days every month. "That also has active cultures," McGee said, and is often prescribed in hospitals.
"Everyone has a certain amount of probiotics [bacteria] in their body," she said. But simply taking antibiotics can kill both good and bad bacteria "and that has to be replaced."
Another favorite topic of hers is digestive enzymes, which reduce allergy symptoms triggered by undigested food, particularly protein, McGee said. Enzymes help break down the protein into sizes too small to cause allergic reactions.
"If you feel bloated or have acid reflux, you probably don’t have enough enzymes to break down food," she explained. Enzymedica Digest Gold ($23.95) "is the best enzyme I've ever tried … and works fast, within 10 or 15 minutes." She takes two or three tablets after meals. "I carry it in my purse everywhere."
There are many other good enzyme products, McGee said, one made from pineapple, another from papaya. The point is that most allergies develop over time and are due to a breakdown of the immune system—not necessarily the fault of your beloved pet.
Good to know, but hard to swallow (pun intended). I was going to have a whale of a lot of work ahead, especially since I already suspected gluten as my major allergen culprit. (Since gluten is too complicated a subject to delve into here, I’ll get to that sorry regimen in a future column.)
So what to do in the meantime?
Over at Whole Foods on Pacific Coast Highway, Magdalena Storey, 26, advises customers on homeopathic substances that can help alleviate allergy symptoms from sneezing to sniffles.
One brand, bioAller, she said, offers a variety of homeopathic treatments aimed at specific allergens: one for animal dander and hair, for example, another for mold, yeast and dust, and yet another aimed at hay fever. It comes in liquid and tablet form and runs about $10.
Such homeopathic products can calm symptoms, and when "used over time" can alleviate symptoms altogether, Storey said.
She also recommends nettle, which comes in a liquid and dry herbal form. Most often brewed as a tea, nettle is a must for many allergy sufferers. Many swear by it for relieving hay fever, including Dr. Andrew Weil, who uses the herb himself.
Other herbs said to be effective include Angelica, also known as dong quai, which is popular in Chinese medicine for helping to clear nasal passages; licorice, which stimulates the adrenals and inhibits inflammation; Chinese Skullcap, which contains high levels of flavonoids (also known as bioflavonoids) and is good for sinus infections and for asthmatics, and chamomile, known for its anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties.
Many of these are used in various homeopathic supplements.
There are homeopathic nasal sprays, such as Sinusin or Allercetin Allergy & Sinus, a homeopathic supplement in pill form.
Sprouts is located at 1515 Hawthorne Blvd. and Whole Foods is located at 405 North Pacific Coast Hwy. Additional health food stores include Nutrishop 219 Palos Verdes Blvd. and Blaine's Nutrition Center at 206 Avenue I.
Since I live with two cats, one dog, a ton of dander, dust, animal hair and you name it, I was certain something out there would help my recurring ear infections and sinusitis.
Sure enough, my doctor prescribed everything from three separate antibiotic treatments to steroids, not to mention Singulair, Allergan, Pseudoephedrine, Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray and NeilMed Sinus Rinse—many all at the same time.
After six months, my right ear is still plugged, and I've suffered sufficient post nasal drip to sink a frigate.
Desperately seeking a new route, I decided to look into homeopathic remedies. Granted, I'm just at the beginning stages, so I'll have to get back to you with definitive results. But what I learned at a number of health food and nutrition stores made a lot of sense.
Mary McGee, 26, who holds forth in the vitamin department at the new Sprouts on Hawthorne Boulevard, shares my hypersensitivity to cats—at least she did. She also happened to be the most articulate when it came to explaining the genesis of such allergies and ways to address them.
Therein lay the problem. My allergy to cats and dogs may actually have little to do with cats and dogs, she said.
"A lot of times allergies to food [often dairy or gluten] lower the immune system, and you become allergic to pets, dust and other things as a result," McGee said. "If you knock out food, the other stuff goes away."
Although finding the true culprit may involve a food elimination diet for many (including me), McGee, who once suffered swollen eyes, nasal congestion, wheezing and rashes when anywhere near a cat, overcame the problem when she boosted her immune system via supplements, including probiotics and enzymes.
If you suspect an underlying food allergy, she said, the trick is to keep a food diary (where you write down what, when and where you eat), and then start cutting out the food types.
If it's dairy, then cheese and milk products are out; if it's gluten, say goodbye to pasta, bread and cereals for a period of weeks. Eggs, corn, soy, peanuts, food coloring, coffee and chocolate are other common allergens. For some lucky people, the foods can be added back after a period of avoidance, say six to 12 months.
Once the offending food is pinpointed and eliminated, "there should be a big difference in energy," McGee said. Joint pain, headache and fatigue will be gone.
Transferred from the Irvine Sprouts to the Redondo Beach branch when the store opened in May, McGee undergoes regular training by nutritionists and various supplement companies that offer seminars, she said. But her knowledge is clearly underscored by personal trial and error.
As she is six months pregnant with her first baby, she stays rigorously aware of what supplements she consumes: a prenatal multivitamin, Omega fish oil, B-complex and 5,000 units of D3. "Few people get enough D3," she said, a benefit of sunshine that stimulates the immune system and bone health. "It takes 12 hours for the D3 to penetrate the skin after being in the sun. Most people shower it off."
Just as important to McGee are probiotics. When it comes to differentiating among the endless shelves of products at Sprouts, McGee knows her way. Heading to a cooler, she selected Ultimate Flora Critical Care Probiotic by Renew Life ($31.95).
Probiotics keep a healthy amount of good bacteria in the gut and help with digestion, McGee said. They are said to control food allergies by aiding the intestinal tract in controlling the absorption of allergens and by changing immune-system responses to foods.
"When I first started taking [Ultimate Flora], I took it everyday," she said. "Each capsule contains 50 billion active cultures and 10 different strains of probiotics. Every strain works for something different; some work in small intestine, some in the large." She now takes it less often.
Along with keeping track of the expiration date, it is important to look for "delayed release," McGee said. "Otherwise your stomach can break it down before it gets to the intestines, where it needs to be."
There are numerous of other probiotics, including Bio-K Plus, a small yogurt-like liquid to be taken for six days every month. "That also has active cultures," McGee said, and is often prescribed in hospitals.
"Everyone has a certain amount of probiotics [bacteria] in their body," she said. But simply taking antibiotics can kill both good and bad bacteria "and that has to be replaced."
Another favorite topic of hers is digestive enzymes, which reduce allergy symptoms triggered by undigested food, particularly protein, McGee said. Enzymes help break down the protein into sizes too small to cause allergic reactions.
"If you feel bloated or have acid reflux, you probably don’t have enough enzymes to break down food," she explained. Enzymedica Digest Gold ($23.95) "is the best enzyme I've ever tried … and works fast, within 10 or 15 minutes." She takes two or three tablets after meals. "I carry it in my purse everywhere."
There are many other good enzyme products, McGee said, one made from pineapple, another from papaya. The point is that most allergies develop over time and are due to a breakdown of the immune system—not necessarily the fault of your beloved pet.
Good to know, but hard to swallow (pun intended). I was going to have a whale of a lot of work ahead, especially since I already suspected gluten as my major allergen culprit. (Since gluten is too complicated a subject to delve into here, I’ll get to that sorry regimen in a future column.)
So what to do in the meantime?
Over at Whole Foods on Pacific Coast Highway, Magdalena Storey, 26, advises customers on homeopathic substances that can help alleviate allergy symptoms from sneezing to sniffles.
One brand, bioAller, she said, offers a variety of homeopathic treatments aimed at specific allergens: one for animal dander and hair, for example, another for mold, yeast and dust, and yet another aimed at hay fever. It comes in liquid and tablet form and runs about $10.
Such homeopathic products can calm symptoms, and when "used over time" can alleviate symptoms altogether, Storey said.
She also recommends nettle, which comes in a liquid and dry herbal form. Most often brewed as a tea, nettle is a must for many allergy sufferers. Many swear by it for relieving hay fever, including Dr. Andrew Weil, who uses the herb himself.
Other herbs said to be effective include Angelica, also known as dong quai, which is popular in Chinese medicine for helping to clear nasal passages; licorice, which stimulates the adrenals and inhibits inflammation; Chinese Skullcap, which contains high levels of flavonoids (also known as bioflavonoids) and is good for sinus infections and for asthmatics, and chamomile, known for its anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties.
Many of these are used in various homeopathic supplements.
There are homeopathic nasal sprays, such as Sinusin or Allercetin Allergy & Sinus, a homeopathic supplement in pill form.
Sprouts is located at 1515 Hawthorne Blvd. and Whole Foods is located at 405 North Pacific Coast Hwy. Additional health food stores include Nutrishop 219 Palos Verdes Blvd. and Blaine's Nutrition Center at 206 Avenue I.
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