Where did those hives come from?? (Part 1)

The natural journey for life began when my son was diagnosed with multiple protein allergies at 6 months old.  As detailed in a recent post: The Alternative Child: Caleb's Healing Journey . That time was extremely difficult but also filled with relief because once the known allergens were identified and removed from the party Caleb’s vomiting reaction stopped immediately. His excessive vomiting led to not being able to keep nutrients in his system long enough to be absorbed.  His weight gain was extremely slow and I believe based on his later discovered vitamin deficiencies he had internal inflammation which led to a gastrointestinal condition called Leaky Gut Syndrome. I’ll share more on Leaky Gut Syndrome later.  Although the vomiting stopped, his eczema got worse.  At the time we didn’t know about the other allergens that he was still consuming. 

The first prick test revealed that Caleb was allergic to eggs, dairy, peanuts and soy.  Upon further blood analysis, when he was 15 months old, wheat, rye, oats, and barley were revealed as being harmful to his system. 

After allergy treatments in the form of Nambudripads’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET) (www.naet.com), good clean food, oxygenating bath treatments, total elimination of all identified allergens, and continued skin nourishing treatments the eczema started to slow down and Caleb began to put on weight and got stronger.  It’s hard to say which element on the list I just provided was the main driver for his healing.  I personally think it was everything! And at this point I don’t even care which treatment was leading the pack.  I will also add that God is a healer and he had been guiding this situation from the beginning.  Even when I felt that he could not hear my despairing cry.

Our case is a bit extreme in terms of the amount of things Caleb cannot eat, but the Food Allergy Research and Education organization (FARE) reports that 15 million people in the US suffer from food allergies.  Out of that community 1 out of 13 children (under the age of 18) are suffering.  That is an astounding figure.  The CDC can’t figure out why so many are suffering from food allergies.  I have an idea: it’s the quality of the food, the type of food… (Is it really food??) pollution, electromagnetic vibes, chronic pesticide use, and hormones we eat in our food (namely dairy and meat).  The CDC also reports more than 300,000 emergency room visits for the same demographic (children under the age of 18).  High occurrences of food allergies are mainly reported in industrialized countries.  So…either people who are “not civilized” don’t know that they have food allergies or back to my earlier rant: our overall environment is not healthy for people more susceptible to this type of dis-ease. 

Ninety percent (90%) of all allergic reactions are caused by the big eight: soy, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and wheat.  You can have an allergic reaction to other foods too such as corn, meat, gelatin, seeds, spices and more.  The good thing is that just like with natural black hair, information on food allergies is very accessible these days. 

There are still some people who don’t believe in food allergies, or think they are as severe as they can be.  I can speak from personal experience on this topic.  Here is a quote from a family member who will remain nameless:  “He can’t come here to visit…he won’t be able to eat anything!” When we visited my parents for Thanksgiving last year, I politely hid all peanuts, peanut butter and other nuts from my dad.  I didn’t want any traumatic allergy episodes while on vacation. 

Allergic reactions vary according to the allergen and person’s sensitivity quotient.  Some reactions or symptoms are considered mild: hives, eczema, red skin, itchy mouth or ears, stomach pain and constant nasal congestion.  Some are considered to be severe: swollen lips, tongue and throat, trouble swallowing, drop in blood pressure, chest pain.  To me mild and severe are all in the same category:  SEVERE! UNWANTED! UNPLEASANT!

With Caleb we have experienced: hives, swelling of eyes and ears, eczema and red skin.  I have had to control my emotions when I see Caleb break out in hives or become swollen.  Its heart wrenching.

There is more to come in parts two and three of this allergy series.  Stay tuned!

Know anyone with a food allergy????

Statistics for this post are from the  Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) organization – www.foodallergy.org

Peace and blessings!