SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES

We’ve all seen a child with the typical symptoms of a respiratory allergy: stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, itchy skin and eyes, and red, watery eyes.   Not very fun!  The symptoms can be seasonal or chronic and depends on the particular allergens involved.  The seasonal allergies are typically caused by pollen, so you see the symptoms reoccurring at about the same time every year, when the offending plant is blooming.  Spring hay fever is most often due to pollens from grass and trees, and hay fever later in the summer or early fall is usually caused by ragweed pollen and moulds.

The chronic respiratory allergies are usually caused by allergens in the environment year-round, such as animal fur, dust, feathers, wool, moulds and chemicals.  Children with chronic allergies can experience allergic rhinitis, which is chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the nasal passages caused by an allergic reaction.  They will usually experience itchy red eyes, stuffy, runny nose, frequent sneezing, and typically breathe through their mouth.  Headaches, itchiness, nosebleeds and fatigue can also occur, as well as dark circles under the eyes.

A child with respiratory allergies may also be allergic to certain foods.  Infants with chronic rhinitis are often allergic to food, especially cow’s milk.   Dairy products, wheat, eggs, chocolate, nuts, seafood, and citrus fruits are all common allergens for many children.

There is often a family history of allergies in either chronic or seasonal allergies.  As a child grows, their immune system also matures and becomes capable of fighting off infections and they often outgrow the allergies.  Allergies can contribute to other health problems such acne, asthma, bedwetting, chronic ear infections, eczema, irritability and poor concentration.  An allergic reaction can occur immediately after exposure to the substance, or can take days to appear.

DIAGNOSIS

A chronic runny nose may not always be the result of allergies and should be differentiated from a more serious underlying problem, such as chronic sinusitis.  It is best to visit a health-care professional for a diagnosis, if your child has a chronic runny nose.

There are several tests that can be done to identify specific allergens:

1. Scratch testing and intradermal testing involve placing a small amount of diluted allergen on or under the skin with a needle and waiting to see if red, itchy bump appears indicating an allergic reaction to that substance.
2. A blood test can be very effective for identifying many types of allergens.   A blood sample is taken and tested for levels of IgE and IgG antibodies that are produced by the immune system in response to allergens.  An elevated level of either of these can indicate an allergic reaction to the substance being tested.
3. For food allergies, an elimination diet is also very effective.

NATUROPATHIC TREATMENTS

GENERAL

Keeping the air inside your home allergy free is very important.  This can be difficult, especially if you have pets.  However, it is not the cat or dog hair itself that causes the allergy, but the old skin cells (dander) mixed with the pet’s saliva from cleaning their fur, that are constantly being shed.  If animal dander is the cause, then keeping pets outside may help.  If this isn’t possible, then an alternative solution is to wipe your pet’s fur down daily.  You can purchase pet wipes for this, as well as gentle liquid solutions to spray on your pet’s fur to help keep the dander down.  This works for many people.
An air purifier with a HEPA filter can help keep the air at home clean.   If you smoke, then please provide your child with a smoke-free environment.  Either quit or smoke only outside. Wood stoves can also be a significant source of respiratory irritation.   It may also be necessary to eliminate feather pillows and household items that collect dust, such as stuffed animals, rugs, drapes and old furniture.

DIET
One of the best ways to determine which food allergies are causing problems for your child is to do an elimination diet.  This involves removing certain foods from the diet for a period of time and then introducing them back one by one.  An elimination diet should be done with the supervision of trained health-care practitioner.

You can encourage your child to drink lots of water to help thin mucus secretions.  It can be very helpful to keep a diet diary of what your child has eaten when they experience an allergic reaction.  For example, dairy foods can thicken mucus and stimulate an increase in mucus production, so you may notice they cough more after eating dairy.

You can also encourage your child to eat a lot of anti-inflammatory foods that are rich in flavonoids, such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and purple grape juice (not from concentrate).  Yummy!

HOMEOPATHY
Take one dose three times daily for three days.

• Allium cepa 30X or 9C for the child that has bouts of sneezing with a burning feeling in the nose, and whose symptoms get better outdoors or if he splashes cold water on his face.
• Ammonium muriaticum 30X or 9C for the child with a watery discharge that burns the upper lips and inside of the nose.  The nose feels plugged up even though there is a flowing nasal discharge.  This child may have a tickling feeling in his throat and no sense of smell.
• Arsenicum mauriaticum 30X or 9C helps the child who has sneezing, with nasal burning and who feels better with a warm compress on the sides of his nose or breathing into a warm humidifier.  This child may also have allergies to cats, food and moulds.

There are additional herbal, acupressure, homeopathic and nutritional treatments that can effectively reduce the symptoms and causes of allergies.  Please talk to Shannon about creating a treatment protocol for your child’s allergies.