Allergy Treatment: Help Your Thymus, Help Yourself

An allergy refers to the adverse reaction of the body???s immune system to certain allergens such as dust, pollen, certain foods, and fur. Another way to describe allergy is the abnormal reaction to a normal substance. The immune system defends the body from harmful organisms. When the immune system is protecting body from all kinds of infections, the inflammation, soreness, and running nose are a small price to pay for optimum health. However, when the same distressing symptoms and hypersensitivity are due to everyday things not harmful to our health, then allergy treatment should be found. The key to the immune system, cause of allergy symptoms, and so to allergy treatment, is the thymus.

The thymus is a grayish organ located in the upper interior portion of the chest cavity, just below the neck and plays an important role in controlling the immune system. People with under-active thymus are more likely to fall ill and get common, chronic and prolonged infections. The role of the thymus in allergy treatment is therefore crucial. But to find relief from allergy symptoms, the answer lies not in tinkering with this delicate part of the body, but supplementing thymus hormone in the body.

More About the Thymus in Allergy Treatment

A healthy thymus ensures a healthy immune system, less prone to different allergy symptoms. This is because the main function of the thymus gland is to produce white blood cells, which are important in developing cell based immunity and are responsible for protecting the body from infection, yeast, viruses, parasites, fungi, and even cancer. Inflammation and other allergy symptoms are the body???s last line of defense from attack. Therefore, with a thymus deficiency we have fewer white blood cells, and fewer white blood cells mean our body is more prone to allergy symptoms.

However, supplementation of thymus hormone helps in allergy treatment and relief from symptoms in many other ways.

Produce Immunocompetent T-cells.

Thymus plays a great role in allergy treatment and symptom relief by developing immature T-cells into immunocompetent T-cells, which are present in the cellular immune system of the body and are responsible for identifying the foreign substances in body and destroying them. Put simply, it is the thymus that allows our ???cadet white cells??? to graduate from military college into a fighting fit allergy treatment crack squad.

Allergies can be treated by the desensitization method, in which extremely small doses of allergens are given to the allergy patients to stimulate their immune system so that the thymus reacts immediately and create new T-suppressor cells. The T cells secrete a substance to attack the protein of foreign cells and helps in allergy treatment besides maintaining cellular immunity.

Regulate the Immune system

The thymus releases many hormones such as thymopoeitin, thymosin, and serum thymic factor that regulate many immune functions that are helpful in allergy treatment. Thymosin is responsible for the development of antibodies, particularly T lymphocytes (T cells) to provide effective treatment and relief from allergy symptoms. Thymus gland hormones can also increase the key immune signals called lymphokines and increase interferon, interleukin 2 (IL2), and other hormones that are responsible for the production of white blood cells that fight germs, infections, and allergies.

Thymus hormones have the capability of increasing disease fighting antibodies balancing and boosting the immune system. They can also be an effective allergy treatment. In a clinical trial conducted on 130 patients suffering from various diseases showed that oral pharmaceutical thymus extract (derived from the thymus gland of calves) reduced the rate of infection. A number of thymus extract preparations are available and may even stimulate correct thymus function, meaning allergy treatment needn???t be a long-term thing.

Help your body help yourself by taking care of your thymus, and feel allergy symptoms disappear.

vitamin support for Allergies treatments Allergies Allergy symptoms

Cat Allergy

If we were smart we would avoid things that we are allergic to but who said most of us were smart or sane when it comes to our pets. For most cat lovers there is no way they are going to part with their beloved pet because of a cat allergy.

That means you?ll need to learn to manage your cats and your cat allergy symptoms. Although you might not rid yourself of your cat allergy you should be able to make your symptoms manageable.

In case you have forgotten we?ll give you a little reminder about the allergens and the fact that they are airborne so when you breathe them in you can have a cat allergy reaction. There is a high rate of contamination and recontamination.

1. No More Monkeys Jumping On The Bed

Okay no monkey?s here but there will be no more cats sleeping on your bed. This might be the hardest habit to break but it?s a small price to pay to wake up clear headed in the morning and without your cat allergy bothering you.

2. No Trespassing

The bedroom has to become a cat free zone and this will reduce the allergens to almost zero. Don?t give into your cats. They?ll find somewhere else they love to curl up and you?ll find yourself suffering a lot less with your cat allergy.

3. Give Me An H..E..P?A

HEPA air filters do a great job of cleaning the air in your home and because cat dander is so difficult to pick up this is a smart way to be effective and help your cat allergy.

4. HEPA Vacuum

Vacuuming just became that much more important. You need to invest in a HEPA vacuum cleaner and you need to vacuum walls, carpets, furniture, and just about anything else that lives in the house other than Grandma?s fine china. You need to do it at least twice a week to reduce your cat allergy.

5. Steam Clean

Using a vapor steam cleaner to clean your home will kill the proteins in the dander. This has been scientifically proven. What that means is for under a hundred dollars you can rid your home of everything and you?ll find your cat allergy is forgotten.

6. Wash Em Now!

Always wash your hands right after handling your cat and make sure you do not rub your eyes at any time even after you?ve washed your hands. Your cat allergies will be better.

7. Heat It Up!

Wash all your bedding in water that is 140 degrees and do this twice a month to eliminate dust mites and cat allergens.

8. Bath Your Cat

Yes we know that this task could easily be worse than your cat allergy but you simply have to do it at least once a month and more often if you can.

What?s most important to realize when you suffer from a cat allergy is that you do not have to get rid of your cat. Your cat is a family member and getting rid of your cat is like getting rid of one of your children. You can have your cat and your cat allergy too.

Get all the latest information about Allergies from the only true source at http://www.1allergyinformation.com Be sure to check out our Cat Allergy pages

Acupuncture and Your Lack of Energy

Do you find yourself just dragging around, to wit, suffering from a lack of energy? Acupuncture may be the answer as your meridians may be out of whack.

The condition of a general lack of energy is usually related to insomnia. A person is dragging along because they have not had the proper amount of sleep. To understand the acupuncture treatment for insomnia, one must understand how Traditional Chinese Medicine views sleep. The human body is seen as being similar to the natural environment that surrounds it. Your body is like a miniature planet. In the same manner that the sun sets at night, the vital energy of the body (qi) and the blood retire into the body. When these elements reach the interior, sleep is possible.

Understanding this analogy makes it easier to understand why the acupuncture points that are targeted to aid sleep are those that are concerned with disorders of the heart and kidneys. Points that address deficiency of Qi and of blood at the heart or spleen are also used. It is thought the cause is sometimes a lack of Yin in the liver. These concepts are somewhat hard to grasp by those not trained in Chinese Medicine. It is comforting to know that either overeating or starving are viewed as culprits as well. The first condition suggests the needling of points that control food retention.

It is usually difficult to address the specific treatment for a disorder like a lack of energy by acupuncture. It is important to remember that something like this would be only a symptom. The insomnia might be considered a cause except insomnia itself is a symptom of something else. The underlying causes are at the elemental and vital energy level. Therefore, the treatment is going to address the underlying cause and not the symptom.

Once the underlying cause is gone and harmony is restored, the symptom will follow in short order. As can be seen, the underlying cause for a condition like this can be one of a large variety of things. This is why the acupuncture practitioner will do a complete physical examination. This examination is called the Four Element examination. Such things as the color and texture of the tongue are examined. All of the elements of the examination give the practitioner clues as to the exact nature of the disorder. When this is done, a treatment plan can be devised.

A lack of energy, if it is not related to insomnia, would still represent an emotional disorder of the body and even the spirit of the patient. The more classical Five Element acupuncture looks very closely at emotional disorder. Since it views treatment as bringing not only the Elements in harmony, but also the body and spirit, it is ideal for the treatment of any emotional disorder including chronic tiredness.

Get more acupuncture information at AlternativeHealthCompanies.com

Dealing With Your Child?s Food Allergy

Food allergies are a growing concern and even more so with our children. In the USA alone there are as many as 7 million people living with a life threatening food allergy many of which are related to the peanut family. Dealing with your child?s food allergy can be a serious matter.

Of course it all depends on what type of food allergy your child has as to the seriousness. Some allergies may cause little more than a bit of an upset stomach, dry cough, or runny nose but for others the situation can be life and death. If that is the case it is important that your child understands as this can be the first line of defense.

However with younger children keeping a handle on that food allergy can be a bit more difficult. It is important that all care givers, teachers, parents of new friends, and anyone else the child may be exposed to are fully aware of the allergy and its seriousness.

Whether it is a nut allergy or any other type of food allergy they may run from mild to fatal and can include tingling, wheezing, hives, tummy upset, and diarrhea.

A fatal food allergy can kill in two different ways. The first is from swallowing the food which causes instant swelling in the vocal cords, quickly stopping the breathing, and almost instantly killing before anyone recognizes what is going on. This is called laryngospasm. The second we are all more familiar with and it is called anaphylactic shock where it can take as long as two hours for the reaction to occur and it will kill if intervention is not there.

Nut allergies are a serious food allergy for many but they are only one of many food allergies and one we are more aware of because so many foods contained traces of nuts but were not marked. A practice that is changing. Another very common food allergy is to the dyes used in foods which are thought to cause hyperactivity and even learning problems with some children.

There are some excellent natural remedies that can help treat a non life threatening food allergy. A food allergy is a reaction by the body?s immune system which is designed to fight disease and bacteria keeping us safe but
Some times it misfires as in the case of a food allergy.

For a mild to moderate food allergy you can look to some natural herbs and supplements for relief. You can also increase the amount of cold water fish your child eats of you can give them a supplement. You should also eliminate trans fats from their diet and increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables they eat.

And of course you can always eliminate the food that causes the food allergy from your child?s diet. For example if your child is allergic to dairy products restrict the child?s intake. This only works however if there is only a few food allergies. If your child is allergic to many foods you will want to look at alternatives.

Of course you will still most likely have to eliminate the source of the food allergy until your child becomes desensitized. With serious food allergies such as nuts do not play around trying to home treat. You should also make sure your child always has an anaphylactic kit on them and make sure everyone that will come in contact with your child and could be feeding fully understands this food allergy.

Many make the mistake of thinking that if they do not feed nuts they will have ensured that the child is not exposed to the food allergy not realizing that just trace amounts can be deadly. This is also true with other foods that might have trace amounts present in an unsuspecting environment.

Just about everyone suffers to some degree from a food allergy and our children are no different. However dealing with a child?s food allergy can be much more serious because it can be missed much easier than with an adult. Children simply forget.

Get all the latest information about Allergies from the only true source at http://www.1allergyinformation.com Be sure to check out our Food Allergy pages.

Allergy - What So Special About This Disease?

Many people are aware that an allergic reaction is responsible, at least in part, for the asthmatic state of these people. Do you see the connection?

When a person is allergic to foods or inhalants, such as dust or chemicals, those allergens set off an allergic response that eventually results in an irritation of the lining and muscles in the lungs.

Most doctors are well aware that the allergic process will manifest itself to target several of our organs, be it the digestive tract, the skin, or the nervous system.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that what we call gastritis may result, in part, from an allergic reaction targeted at the digestive tract, or that what we call arthritis may be an allergic reaction targeted at the joints.

The same is true of asthma. What we call an asthmatic attack may be an allergic reaction targeted at the lungs.

Do you know that there are lots of ?hidden? allergies that are so hard to detect and control. It is the negative reaction to a given food that may not occur until several days after contact.

Moreover, these allergens can be found in both the foods we eat and in the environment. As a result, asthmatics must examine both their diet and their home and work environments for possible causes of their attacks.

Therefore, it is our body?s biochemistry which is the first suspect to our asthmatic allergic process.

There are different types of allergies. IgE-mediated allergies, allergies to common grasses, pollens, molds, and dander.

The IgE also known as Immunoglobin E allergy antibody was discovered in 1967. According to Dr Alfred Zamm, he mentioned that the body?s defense system mistakenly recognizes an allergen as an enemy, a foreign substance, as something that must be eliminated quickly.

He said,

?The immune system starts churning out a special kind of antibody to neutralize or annihilate the invaders, just as though they were disease germs. Now the body is "sensitized," primed for the next invasion. (If it doesn't come, the antibodies diminish in number; that's why the longer one can stay away from an offending substance, the better.)

Now the allergen particles reappear. Whenever an antigen meets its specific antibody, they lock together like two magnets. One effect is that the small blood vessels dilate; another is that some of the specialized mast cells to release histamine that circulates and settles all over the body, and those sues that are particularly sensitive react, swelling and stimulating surrounding nerves, causing itching, burning, redness, and all the uncomfortable symptoms associated with an allergic reaction.

If the reacting organ is the skin, its blood vessels and cells?now swollen, distorted, Broken down, and oozing their contents?appear as a rash. If it happens in the mucus lining of the nose, sinuses, or tracheobronchial tree, the glands produce surplus mucus, which the victim attempts to get rid of by coughing, sneezing, or nose blowing.?

You may be particularly sensitive to other substances but other antibodies are still poorly understood. Most food allergies are not IgE-mediated and attention is not paid to them in adults.

Do you know that other substances, to which you may be sensitive, such as chemical and automotive fumes, formaldehyde, perfumes, natural gas, and petrochemical products not mediated by this antibody, are also often not acknowledged by conventional allergists?

Some people with asthma know that they are chemically sensitive, especially if they have connected the onset of their asthma with the sensitivity. Whether these are "true" allergies or not, the outcome is exactly the same.

That?s why the question is to what you are allergic to, still continues to puzzle most asthmatics.

Eddy Kong WW is the author of 17 Minutes Asthma and Allergy Secrets ebook. Drop by at Asthma Relieving Techniques for more details. Also, he is giving 75% commissions for each sale, visit Simple Profit Sharing System for more details.

Mold Allergy And What To Do

25 million Americans suffer from allergic reactions to molds, most of them don't even realize they have a mold allergy; that when they are sneezing and sniffling the cause is molds.

Mold spore allergy is common as mold can be found almost everywhere, and all molds reproduce by spores, and send the spore airborne, which causes allergic reactions in many individuals.

Airborne mold spores can cause you to be ill and eventually destroy your health. Many people are unaware that they are breathing mold spores until they are very sick.

As stated, molds produce airborne toxins - these can cause serious breathing difficulties, memory and hearing loss, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, and bleeding in the lungs. Yes, it can be that bad.

So it is important to find out where you might have mold in your home and at work by doing a mold test. Molds can be found wherever there is moisture, oxygen, warmth and something to feed on. Warmth and high humidity stimulate mold growth, so mold allergy tends to be most prevalent during the hot, humid summer months.

One of the easiest ways to find out if you have mold in your home is to order a mold test kit online. Look around a little for tests that will test for many molds, or ones that will test for black mold specifically.

A mold test kit is also a great way to test for mold at work. If you find a high count, then go to your supervisor or boss with the information and ask them to do something about it as you have a mold allergy, and others are probably being affected as well.

Get to the bottom of your mold allergy. Now you want to look around for mold in your home. Start with a visual inspection for both mold and moisture around windows, sinks, and water lines.

If you kit shows that you have mold in your home, you may need to get to the bottom of your mold allergy by having a mold inspector come to your home. An inspector will give you a much more thorough inspection that you would not be able to do for yourself.

The inspector will look at such things as:

Humidity of the indoor air, using a properly calibrated meter
Heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems
Moisture barriers for proper installation and condensation
All water-damaged areas, and locate the point of water intrusion

Mold allergy can make you seriously ill, so take steps soon to locate mold in your home and clear it.

Article By Jeannie Crabtree C.Ac. Learn more tips about Allergy and Allergy Relief by visiting her site and getting the Health Tips Newsletter and other Health and Nutrition tips.

Allergy skin tests as a method of diagnosing allergy in children

Similarly like in the case of adults, skin tests can be performed in children of any age, but we know from experience that the skin of a child up to the 3rd year is very sensitive and reacts strongly to allergens, often in such a way that makes it difficult to make correct diagnosis.

One of the most common allergen upsetting small children and infants is the food (ingested allergene). It affects the child’s skin more seriously than inhaled allergens. It may lead to an incorrect readings of tests performed in small children. The skin tests carried out on older children are much more reliable. A positive skin reaction occurs if a person is allergic to a particular allergen and if the mast cells of the skin contain the appropriate IgE antibody to this substance. During the skin tests, the mast cells of the skin undergo a process of degranulation in which histamine is released. It is the histamine which causes skin changes such as erythema or bumps. The mast cells of a child’s skin contain smaller amount of antibodies and this may be the reason why we cannot observe a stronger reaction to the allergen.

Skin tests performed in an allergic child may turned out to be negative, when the child is administered antihistamines. Different medicines can also slightly influence the results of the tests. That is why it is necessary to know what medicines has been administered to the child by the child before scheduling the skin tests.

The following medicines should not be taken by the patient during the period preceding the skin tests:

* first-generation antihistamines (Clemastine, Fenergan, Diphergan, Hydroxyzinum) – for 3-4 days
* cetirizine (Zyrtec) - for 3-4 weeks
* loratadin (Claritine) - for 2-3 weeks
* astemizol (Hismanal) – for 4-6.weeks
* ketotifen (Zaditen, Pozitan) – for 2 weeks,

There are three main types of skin tests:

* puncture, scratch test ("prick test", percutaneous).
* intradermal test (intracutaneous),
* patch test (epicutaneous)

Patch tests are performed by a dermatologists if a contact allergy is suspected or other reactions typical to occupational allergy. The results can be obtained in 48 or 72 hours. Children are diagnosed using scratch tests. Such tests are considerably easy to perform and correlate well to the specific IgE antibodies in serum and to the appropriate inhaled provocative test under the influence of the same allergen. Skin reaction can be observed in 5-10 minutes after placing the allergen onto the surface of the skin.The test is carried out by placing a small amount of the suspected allergy-provoking substance on the skin. Next, the skin is gently scratched through a small drop of the allergen. The scratched place should not bleed. The results of the test can be collected in 15-20 minutes or even earlier if the blisters extend rapidly and form protrusions, which indicates an occurrence of pseudopodia.

The best place to perform a skin test is the inner part of the forearm or one’s back. Children should be diagnosed by performing the tests on their forearm unless there are no visible skin changes. The skin tests can be considered to be done correctly if a positive control test (1 per cent solution of histamine) and a negative control test are carried out. The last one uses saline extra phenol added to the suspension of allergens as a preservative. If the results of the positive control are negative, the tests cannot be regarded reliable. In such a case, the reaction of the skin is inhibited by antihistamine medicines.

Such tests should be repeated after some time, having carefully examined the methods of the child’s treatment within the last period of time. Sometimes, the reaction with the solution of sodium chloride can turn out to be positive. It may happen if the reagent has been contaminated or the child displays some symptoms of dermographism.

The extent of the reaction is determined by measuring the diameter of the blister using a special transparent scale. This is the most accurate testing method. A control histamine testing will produce a 5-7mm blister. In order to confirm a positive result of the test, the diameter of the allergene-provoked blister should not be smaller than 3mm. All tests carried out without positive and negative control testing are unreliable. Another method of determining the results of tests is marking the examined places with (+) or (-). If the diameter of the blister is at least 5mm, the histamine test result is marked with a triple pluses +++. In this method, which is not recommended, the smallest positive place is labelled with ++, which corresponds to a blister allergic reaction of 3mm. The blisters usually disappear after several minutes or after an hour. In some cases, after 4-6 hours, a delayed reaction may occur.

During intradermal tests, a small amount (0,05-0,1 ml) of a special allergen solution is injected into the skin. The readings should be made after 15-20 minutes. This test is more painful and it produces more false positive results.

Skin tests, which are the basic methods of diagnosing allergies, cannot be carried out on patients suffering from severe allergic reactions (e.g. an allergic shock resulted from a contact with allergen mentioned in the case history). In such situations, a safe method of diagnosis consists in isolating characteristic IgE in the blood. In some very rare cases, during performing the skin tests an anaphylactic reaction to an allergen may occur. Although such reactions are usually harmless, it is necessary for an allergist to have an anti-shock medical kit at hand in order to help the patient if necessary.

Radoslaw Pilarski is a PhD candidate working on anticancer properties of Uncaria tomentosa at PAS, Poland. mLingua Worldwide Translations, Ltd. provides professional language translations.

How To Treat An Allergy-Triggered Cough

It?s springtime; the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming?and you?re stuck inside, coughing and sneezing and hiding from the substances that trigger your allergic reactions. Having a cough or cold is bad at any times ? having cold-type symptoms every year at the same times is even worse. There are various ways to treat an allergy cough and help you get back to enjoying life outdoors.

There are various substances that can cause an allergy-triggered cough. The most obvious one is pollen, which plagues thousands of people across the country. Others include animal dandruff, dust, and mold. Before you run out and buy a cough suppressant so that you can have a rest from coughing, it?s good to remember that coughing is your body?s way of clearing the respiratory tract and lungs. It may not be in the best interest of your health to stop the cough immediately. There are packaged drinks that can be bought at a drug store that contain calming ingredients like honey or chamomile which can help to control your cough without suppressing it altogether.

If you have been suffering from a cough for over a week, and you believe it is allergy-related, it is best to make an appointment with your doctor. The doctor can diagnose what is causing your cough, and can also prescribe what would be the best treatment. He or she can choose from a variety of products that are already available, or can write you a prescription. Your doctor may advise that you take a cough syrup that helps to calm the throat but also allows you to continue coughing to clear your lungs.

Once you have been diagnosed with an allergy, you now have a weapon you can use against the substances that cause your allergic reaction ? knowledge. If you know what triggers a reaction, you can avoid it, or, in the case of an allergen like pollen, you can take allergy medication before stepping outside. Especially when you have a cough, one of the best steps you can take is to rest. If you have to work, take a nap when you come home. Give your body not only the medication, but the time it needs to recover and get you feeling healthy again.

Learn more about allergic cough treatments at http://www.asthma-allergies.org/allergies/Allergy-Cough-And-Its-Remedy.php