I used to have sever allergies every Spring...runny nose and itchy eyes, ears and throat. Springtime was beautiful when everything started to bloom, but I often felt like I couldn't enjoy any of it because my symptoms would interfere.
Once I changed my diet and lifestyle a few years ago, I was finally able to experience a beautiful allergy-free life all year long. The changes I made helped me so much that when I found out last year that a good friend of mine had similar symptoms, I was happy to help her feel better.
The information I gave her is very simply laid out in this fantastic book:
The Macrobiotic Path Total Health
This book is a great resource that people can use to look up all kinds of ailments and illnesses, find out the cause, learn about the illness and find out how to overcome it through following a natural approach to healing. This book has a lot of information, so I suggest getting a copy so you can have this information at your fingertips.
My friend implemented the advice, and within a couple of weeks her allergies were gone! She felt great.
Here is a little bit of the information I gave her from the book:
Cause
"Allergies are usually triggered by contact with specific foods such as milk, nuts, or shellfish;substances such as pollen, dust or animal dander; drugs and medications; and insect bites. Such reactions usually show that the blood, lymph, and other bodily fluids are imbalanced from the consumption of too many acid-producing foods, including animal products, dairy foods, sugar and sweets, stimulants, spices, alcohol, chemically grown or treated foods, and other articles in the modern way of eating as well as a lack of whole grains, fresh vegetables, and other high-fiber foods that help discharge toxins from the body.
Overall the condition of someone with allergies tends to be more yin - overly expansive, loose, and weak. Most allergens or triggers are also extremely yin, so that yin repels yin and the body attempts to throw off the allergen or trigger by sneezing, itching, or other reaction. The principal foods that cause allergies are milk and all other dairy products, overly oily and greasy foods, animal fat, sugar and other concentrated or artificial sweets and sweeteners, refines foods and flour products, tropical fruits, juices, and vegetables with tropical origins (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, avocados, and others), and often various drugs, chemical additives, and similar products. Among these, dairy foods, sugar, and tropical fruits are probably the most common and prevalent causes."
Solution
- "Eat whole cereal grains at every meal, temporarily avoiding all processed grains and grain products."
- "Vegetables can be prepared in a variety of cooking styles, especially iron-rich vegetables such as collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and other green leafy vegetables..."
- "All types of sea vegetables are helpful and will help strengthen the blood."
Of course, the book contains a lot more information about how to overcome allergies, but I wanted to give over some of it here.
Have a happy, healthy and allergy-free Spring! Enjoy the new warm weather and the beautiful seasonal blooms. Here are some pictures I took recently of Springtime in New York.
