Like many of you, I was allergy tested. What it revealed was that I was allergic to 60 outdoor plants and trees, as well as too many foods to count (including healthy foods).  Needless to say life was miserable back then but allergies were the least of my problems as I was battling many illnesses. You can read my full story here.  I am thrilled to report all allergies are now a distant memory and it wasn’t over the counter medications that got me there.   First, let’s talk about what allergies are and why they occur in the first place, then we can sort out how we may get to the “root’ of our body’s immune system malfunctioning  causing us allergies in the first place.  Bottom line?  If your body is not working right you can become allergic to just about anything.

An allergy is our immune system reacting (or overreacting) to a substance that is usually harmless.  In very severe cases, the reaction can even be fatal.  The body creates antibodies for these substances and so the next time you come in contact with that antigen (or food) your body is ready for the “invader” by releasing a chemical called histamine.  Johns Hopkins Medicine has stated allergies are the result of an overactive immune system.  Other immune system disorders include autoimmune disease where our own immune system attacks itself such as Hashimoto’s, Lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The reason I mention autoimmune disease when talking about allergies is because a study done at Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington states “Our study implies that allergic and inflammatory diseases may actually trigger autoimmune diseases by relaxing the controls that normally eliminate newly produced, self-reactive B cells”  The Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Autoimmunity Institute says “people who have environmental or food allergies may have a higher risk of developing autoimmune disease”……..read my full article here.  See you next week!