Question:

Our little granddaughter has  nut allergy. The last attack was so worrying that my daughter has been given an injection ‘gun' in case of further problems. Because I look after my grandchild sometimes, I am also obtaining a ‘gun' and antihistamines. We are clearing our cupboards of all foods with nuts and reading the labels on everything we buy. Can you suggest anything to help her and tell us why this problem is on the increase?

Answer:

An allergy is the body overreached to a substance that it perceives to be an invader. The word allergy comes from the Greek words ‘allos', meaning other, and ‘ergon', means activity.

Our bodies are highly intelligent and are programmed to deal with aliens: for instance, we develop antibodies to germs and infections, and if we get food poisoning, the body defends itself by eliminating the ‘other activity' through vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Some people are more sensitive to allergens than others and their bodies go on red alert when they perceive a threat; these are sufferers of atopic conditions, principally asthma, eczema and hey fever.

Sometimes, however, the allergic reaction can become violent. In a severe case, the body goes into a state of what is called ‘anaphylactic shock'. It does not want a single particle of the enemy substance to enter the system and therefore shuts all entry points and even stops the circulation of blood. So the bronchial tract goes into an acute suffocating spasm, the lining of the throat swells up and the eyes and face also swell, due to leakage of fluids into the tissue space. Even the heart goes into a shock reaction (which stops the circulation).

In these cases, an extraordinary ‘detective' mission has been mounted by the body. The lining of the gut and airway path have cells which can detect intruders before they enter the blood stream. Once this happens, messages are sent everywhere instructing the body to react aggressively. Before they are even digested, allergens such as nuts, shellfish and some proteins such as eggs are identified and the reaction starts. The body literally chokes.

There are two major reasons why allergies of all kinds are growing. First, our immune systems are much less strong, owing mainly to stress, so our resistance is low and our bodies feel they have to fight more violently. Second, the sheer number of foreign particles has multiplied many thousand fold in the past few decades. These are new to our bodies; we don't recognise them, or have the means to deal with them, and our bodies' reaction is ‘get rid of them!' Every year, for instance, about 1000 new synthetic chemicals are designed and launched on the world. These are contained in conventionally produced foods, especially those that are genetically modified, and many products that we use every day, from drugs and shampoos to air fresheners and fire retardants used on furniture and textiles. So our bodies are having to work much harder to cope.

There is no magic cure for  severe nut or shellfish allergies. They are, as you know, potentially life-threatening, so you must keep the ‘gun' handy at all the times. These ‘guns' contain adrenalin which shocks the body into working normally again. It is also helpful if sufferers wear a MedicAlert bracelet (for more information, tel:0800 581420), which warns people of their allergy and what to so in case of an emergency.

You can help your granddaughter by improving her resistance to the allergen

Make sure her general health is good so that she doesn't react violently in case of an invasion by nuts or other products that she may be allergic to. Follow these simple guidelines:

* Give her fresh organic foods, freshly prepared at home, and, two to three times a week, freshly juiced carrots, apples and root ginger (see recipe, right) to boost her energylevels.

* Don't give her canned, preserved, processed or ready-made products, yeast products (such as bread, cakes, pastries, pizza)' citrus fruits, any foods with additives (such as ‘junk food')' sweets and chocolate or other sugary foods.

* Massage her neck and shoulders. This helps improve the blood flow to the brain and thus the functioning of the pituitary gland which controls all our hormones (chemical messengers to the body). Twice a week, gently rub and stroke the neck and shoulder area with your fingertips, using sesame or any other natural oil.

* Consult a qualified homoeopath. Homoeopathic remedies can help to desensitise some allergy sufferers, making then ‘indifferent' to the allergen.