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Allergies
Just about any health
condition can be a symptom of underlying
allergies. It is very common for
the allergies to go undiagnosed while
the symptoms - headaches, depression,
asthma, rashes, indigestion - are
treated only with temporary success,
possibly complicating the condition
For more information about the causes
and research on allergies, click to
listen to this interesting
interview about Summer Allergies on NPR.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been
successfully used for thousands of years
to treat allergies, muscle pain and
joint stiffness, PMS, headaches, colds,
flus, and psychological disorders, among
other conditions.
Oriental medicine believes that energy
circulates through the body along twelve
well-defined pathways, or meridians. If
this energy circulation is disrupted
optimum function is affected, resulting
in pain or illness.
Acupuncture treatment involves the
insertion of very fine, sterile needles
just under the skin, which stimulates
points along the pathways to balance the
circulation of energy. The
sensation is not one of pain, but of
warmth or pressure. Additional
techniques include the use of heat,
massage and herbal medicine.
NAET
Description
The Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET) is a recent
combination of acupuncture with Western science that has been found
to be extremely effective at eliminating allergies. Developed by Dr. Nambudripad after years of observing patients,
NAET therapy begins
with a series of 12 treatments for the most common allergens. The
treatments consist of muscle testing and Chinese medical evaluation
techniques. Correction of an allergy or imbalance related to these
items creates a foundation for the body and the effectiveness of
subsequent treatments.
Treatments are administered on a weekly or biweekly basis. The total
number of treatments needed varies, ranging from one or two
treatments to weekly treatments for up to a year and a half. NAET
may be done in conjunction with other treatment modalities such as
acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
Response
Positive changes
usually occur within the first five
sessions. Early changes often
include an increased sense of wellbeing,
greater mental clarity, and improved
sleep. Relief of allergic symptoms
may or may not be evident early on.
Most basically healthy people achieve
desired results in three to six months.
Practitioners report that 85% of clients
who are consistent and follow through
with the series experience complete or
satisfactory reduction in their
symptoms.
More chronic or serious health problems
may not be completely resolved by NAET,
but NAET can provide a foundation for
other treatment modalities which can be
used with success.
By the time most people finish with the
basics, many of their food allergies
have cleared up. Some patients may
require treatments for additional
substances. Once an allergy is
treated, it is usually gone for life.
Procedure
The initial session lasts about 2 hours. I take a history and
perform muscle tests to determine to
determine any allergies to the initial
12 items, and additional items that, by
the history, are likely to be
problematic.
I will also check for energy imbalances
that may underlie a chronic health
problem. I do not use laboratory
tests such as blood and urine analysis.
Each NAET treatment takes
about 45 minutes. After uncovering an allergy with a muscle test, I
perform an acupressure and acupuncture
treatment specific to that allergy. You
then avoid that substance for 25 hours.
You will return for further testing; in
many cases the allergy will be
completely gone.
Further
Information
For more
information visit
the NAET website and
Allergy 2000, and the books
Say Goodbye to Illness by Dr.
Nambudripad and Winning
the War Against Asthma and Allergies
by Dr. Ellen Cutler.
 Testimonial
from Claudia, age 21
When I discovered I was
allergic to 30
out of the 100 foods I was tested for,
including such random things as coffee,
wheat, yeast, and artichokes, I knew it
was time to try something different.
When I was 2 years old, we had to give
away our dog because we found out that I
was allergic. It was either me or the
dog, and thankfully my parents chose me.
At age 21, I am allergic to all animals
with fur or feathers (dogs, cats,
hamsters, birds, monkeys); all inside
allergens including mold, dust, and
mites; all outside allergens including
trees, grasses, and flowers; the
preservatives in normal contacts and
contact solutions; and generally the
ingredients that make things like chapstick and laundry detergent smell
nice. I’m probably allergic to a dozen
other things that I have forgotten to
mention or haven’t discovered yet. I
also have asthma. All of these problems
affected my skin, my breathing, and my
overall health. My allergies and asthma
were bad as a child and then I got
better as I grew older. When I went to
college, unfortunately, they resurfaced
again worse than ever. Sinus infections,
headaches, constantly congested, I was
getting sick all of the time. My immune
system was down and I even managed to
get whooping cough. I tried to get my
allergies under control, but by the
beginning of junior year, I was still
having problems.
A friend of mine recommended that I take
a look at Eastern Medicine, specifically
NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination
Techniques) because it completely cured
her dog’s allergies to food and the
environment. I have to admit, I was
slightly skeptical but I figured that if
it worked with her dog, it might work
for me. My mom and I looked for and
found Carmela Mager in Chapel Hill and
set up an appointment. Ever since then,
I have been going to Carmela’s once a
week while I have been at Duke.
Treatment for my allergies and asthma
was not just NAET, but also a
combination of acupuncture and herbs.
Contrary to popular belief, acupuncture
doesn’t hurt. My sessions with Carmela
were actually the most relaxing time
during the busy life of a Duke engineer.
Most of the time, I barely felt the
acupuncture needles, but sometimes they
tickled and I would laugh out loud.
After all of the needles were in, I got
to lie on the acupuncture table and rest
for a half an hour before turning over
and having needles put in my back. It
was a great system…I got treated and
managed to get a nap in while I was at
it.
The first time I met with Carmela, she
took time to communicate with my body
and see what was going on inside. One of
the first things she asked was whether
or not my mother had gone through a
trauma or a period of intense sadness
while she was pregnant with me as that
can sometimes be a factor in the child
having allergies. I told her no, but
when I talked to my mom later, she told
me that she had indeed been very upset
when her grandmother died and she
couldn’t go to the funeral because she
was pregnant with me. Things like that
amazed me about my appointments with
Carmela. She could tell me what was
hurting me, like my sinuses for example,
and after an acupuncture treatment, the
pain would be gone. And after a year and
a half of treatment, I can see a huge
difference in my allergies and asthma.
For the first time since age two, I am
not on any sort of pills or medicine,
Eastern or Western. Sometimes if the
pollen is really bad or I am getting a
cold, a few symptoms will return, but
nothing like it used to be and always
treatable by a few days of herbs. It’s
nice to be a normal person.
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