Seasonal Allergy Elimination Program

Spring is finally here! But for many of you this also means that your seasonal allergies are acting up and you are likely already suffering runny noses, itchy eyes, postnasal drip, sinus congestion, headaches, hives and other pesky allergy symptoms.

While over the counter allergy medicines do provide relief, many of our patients are looking for more natural ways to manage their symptoms or are seeking a more permanent solution to reduce or eliminate their allergies all together.

This is where Naturopathic Medicine can help! It's amazing to see patients managing their symptoms naturally and reducing their need for allergy medications, but it's even more amazing to see allergy symptoms reduce or eliminate all together!

A Naturopathic Allergy Elimination Program is comprised of 3 basic steps and encompasses many different therapies tailored to each individual and their commitment level.

     Step 1: Managing your allergy symptoms
     Step 2: A Commitment to a Healthy Diet and Home
     Step 3: Healing the Digestive and Immune system


Step 1: Managing Your Allergy Symptoms

The first step to a Naturopathic Program is to reduce your symptoms and get you feeling better asap! Following an initial visit, natural supplements are suggested for allergy symptom relief and an acupuncture series may be started at this time. An acupuncture series is optional and typically consists of weekly treatments for approximately 4-5 weeks at which time treatments can be spaced out to an appropriate maintenance program.

Step 2: A Commitment to a Healthy Diet and a Healthy Home

Now come the big changes, and those that require quite a commitment. But, this is what Naturopathic Medicine is all about! Getting to the root cause of the problem and promoting health in general. Not only will these changes reduce your allergy symptoms, they will also reduce your risk of every chronic disease out there! (and will likely clear up any other health concerns you presently have) Don't worry, these changes can be made through baby steps and we're here to support you!

To truly reduce or eliminate your seasonal allergies we need to get the immune system back in balance.  It is important to address the root cause of the immune system reactivity and start there. First, we'll look at the gut. Since the digestive system and immune system are intimately related we will need to determine and eliminate the foods that are causing an inflammatory response in the digestive system and a subsequent hyper-reactivity in the immune system.

Second, we need to address the other common trigger for immune system imbalance - our environmental exposures. We are each exposed to hundreds of chemicals on a daily basis and these chemicals are common disruptors of immune system function. Now I'm not talking about living in a bubble, but I am talking about taking steps towards living more clean. This means reducing your exposures to everyday chemicals found in your food, water and indoor air. Initially this can seem an overwhelming task but avoidance is prudent for your overall health, and specifically that of the immune system. 

Again, don't worry, these changes can be made through baby steps and we're here to support you!

Step 3: Healing the Gut and Immune System

Now that you've eliminated the foods that cause inflammation and immune system reactivity and are working towards a healthy home, we can start to repair the gut and encourage the immune system to find balance again. This is where nutritional supplementation is used to soothe inflammation, heal the intestinal lining and to teach the immune system tolerance.


Within a few weeks you should be experiencing a reduction in your symptoms however, the program should be continued for approximately 4-6 months for best results. At this point a maintenance regime with the acupuncture and nutritional supplements can be determined. Even after all of this, you'll need to keep your diet and home as healthy as possible for the immune system to remain in balance, but also for general health promotion and disease prevention.

A typical appointment series in a Naturopathic Allergy Elimination Program:

     Initial Visit: Complete health intake and supplement recommendations

     Second Visit: Acupuncture (optional) and planning for food elimination

     Third Visit: Acupuncture (optional), dietary support and healthy home counseling

     Fourth Visit: Acupuncture (optional), dietary and lifestyle counseling

     Fifth Visit: Acupuncture (optional), dietary and lifestyle counseling, supplementation
    recommendations

At this point, and depending on your results, the frequency of acupuncture can be spaced out and a maintenance plan can be determined. 

*This program outline is a recommendation only and may be modified to suit each individual's specific health concerns*

If you have any additional questions, or would like to book an appointment, please phone the office.







 


 

Love It Body - INTENSE!

Join me at Love It Yoga for Love It Body INTENSE, our Spring Detox Program - a 21 day clean eating and exercise challenge.

This program is a spin off of our 8 Week Love It Body Program and is designed to kick start you into a clean eating and exercise regime. The program runs for 3 weeks and includes weekly information sessions to help keep you on track and a one month unlimited yoga membership at Love It Yoga.

Love It Body INTENSE is a diet and exercise challenge and so participants are encouraged to challenge themselves to as many or as few of the guidelines as possible. Participants are provided with dietary guidelines to follow as well as recipes and meal planning recommendations.

The benefits of this program are far reaching and will be unique to each individual and their health concerns as well as their commitment to the program. In previous programs participants have experienced weight loss, energy increases, fewer digestive complaints, reduced pain, lowered blood pressure and many other improvements to their health.

For more details please join us Wednesday May 1st at 8:30pm at Love It Yoga in Amherstburg for a free information session. The program will begin on May 4th (however, this date is flexible) and weekly meetings will be on Wednesdays at 8:30pm beginning Monday May 6th. The cost of the program is $120 (plus hst) and may be partially reimbursed by your extended health care provider. You may also phone the studio 519-736-4500 or email us for more information: drjanicedaviend@gmail.com or ena@loveityoga.com.

Individualized cleanse programs are also available through the office, during your naturopathic visit. For patients, additional liver cleanse supplementation is optional. Just give us a call!