An allergy is an exaggerated immune response to a substance that is harmless. It is a physiological error where the body reacts negatively and inappropriately to stimuli such as foods, airborne particles and other stimuli. This can occur through contact with the skin, inhalation, injection or ingestion of the substance.

The immune system normally protects the body against harmful substances, such as bacteria and viruses. The immune system can mistakenly read a substance such as mold, pollen, dust, pet dander or a food as harmful. The body will react by creating a specific antibody to the allergen which it perceives as a threat. The next time the individual is exposed to the allergen, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, such as histamines, in order to protect the body.

These chemicals trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, the skin or the cardiovascular system. This can cause itching, swelling, coughing, sneezing, mucus production, hives, rashes, muscle spasms, digestive disorders, elimination disorders, breathing problems and other symptoms, which vary from person to person. The most extreme reaction is a condition called anaphylaxis which is a sudden, severe, potentially fatal systemic allergic reaction.
Conventional western medicine has several methods for testing allergies. Traditional allergy testing and treatments are painful and expensive. These include the “Intra-dermal test,” “Patch test,” Scratch test,” and various blood tests such as the “RAST test” and the “ELISA test.” These can identify dozens of allergens from one test or from one blood sample.

The standard medical treatment is drug therapy using either antihistamines or steroids to control allergic symptoms. The treatment ranges from avoidance of the substance to a long term course of allergy shots. The treatments are designed to desensitize you to the allergen or to mask or reduce the symptoms with antihistamines and other drugs. Unfortunately, this does not correct the underlying problem and often the allergy sufferer experiences serious long term side effects.