Reklamation Ministries
Seeing the Church and the World in Plain View
determine whether one acquires allergies.
The roots of an allergy are in the immune system which gets out of control or overreacts to specific allergens or substances. It more or less works like this: the body produces particular antibodies or specialized proteins, by cells called lymphocytes-a type of white blood cell. These antibodies vary because each is designed to recognize and attack various antigens, with patterns that distinguish one type of enemy such as bacteria or viruses. In other words, each antibody is specific for one allergenic substance. For example, you have an allergy to pollen, or ragweed, your body actually manufactures a specific antibody for each specific type of pollen or ragweed.
So, what is an Allergy?
It is an allergic reaction that results from the body recognizing a common substance, such as pollen, ragweed, cat hair, dust, feathers, fur, etc-and the list could almost be infinite, as an enemy. To protect itself, the body over-produces these specific antibodies and pours them into the blood stream. The large scale production of these antibodies, a chemical called histamine is produced. Normally, histamine stays inside the cells and is not a harmful substance. However, when released of the cells, and circulated
through the body, it causes blood vessels to constrict and others to dilate. When the blood vessels dilate, the fluid from the blood vessels leaks into the tissues. The histamine is released in the nasal cavity (nose) or sinuses, then watery eyes, runny noses, and stuffy sinuses are the result. That is, a rhinitis allergy. If the histamine is released in the skin, then it may cause inflammation, swelling
tenderness, itching, heat or any number of problems. If in the lungs, it could affect breathing, or cause the over production of mucous. In other words, whatever area of the body histamine is released it would create discomfort.
Actually, it is the body's attempt to heal itself. God designed it that way. In the event, that someone ingests or breaths in a harsh or potentially fatal chemical, it’s a way of saving their life. It helps us in dispelling infected mucous from the lungs and upper respiratory organs in case of colds or flu. But, in common substances like dust, pollen or ragweed, cat's hair, etc., it is most unsettling and an annoyance. So, what is an allergy? In essence, when someone has an allergy, it’s like their system run amok-out of control. But something causes it to go out of control. That’s where hereditary, lifestyle, and dietary factors come into play.
So what to do?
In many cases it’s nearly impossible to determine what may have caused your allergy. It could be that you inherited a hereditary weakness, or something happened in the womb-perhaps the lack of something in your mother's diet was passed on to you. Stress, poor diet, lack of fresh air, an infection or illness, or a host of other possibilities. But if you do have an allergy, you can naturally do something about it. The following is a partial list of what can be done to slow, or in some cases prevent or reverse an allergy, particularly, upper respiratory or rhinitis allergies.
It would not be necessary to take all these herbs. A combination of between two to four should be fine. However, Vitamin C should be taken regardless of the amount of herbs used.
Astragalus is a sweet-tasting root,
