Alternative Medicine and the Allergic

I made a new youtube video about a peanut allergy research study I am involved with, here is the link:

I am extremely allergic to peanuts. I majored in Biology in college and a few years back, I started working at an allergy testing laboratory.  The doctor that worked there with me was a naturopath.  Being deeply suspicious of natural remedies and their potential for a severe allergic reaction, I didn't really trust anything she said.

However, after working closely with her for months and months, I started to really like her, and I was curious about what naturopathic suggestions she would have to help alleviate my asthma, eczema, and allergic reactions.  One day in January, after everybody in the office had been out sick with severe stomach flu for at least a week, I went to her office, feeling queasy and I said, "help."  I asked her what she recommended so I wouldn't get this horrible sickness.everybody got.  My allergies, asthma, and eczema mean that when I get sick, I get way sicker than normal people.  My immune system seems to only be interested in attacking me, not the viruses.  She told me to take massive vitamin C until I had diarrhea(I know, gross, but I was desperate not to get sick) and then drink massive water, and take 30,000 IU of vitamin D.  What?  But I was feeling worse by the hour, so I followed her advice when I got home from work that day, Friday. The next day, I projectile vomited 3 times in the morning.  I couldn't even keep water down and I was so sick and thirsty.  And then I started getting better rapidly.  Following the Naturopath's advice, I was sick for half a day.

I then asked her for some naturopathic advice, and here's what worked:
-Taking fish oil (purified of mercury & dioxin) supplements.  Helps with the eczema.
-Vitamin C supplements.  Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine.
-Zinc, & magnesium supplements.
-Fresh ground echinacea tea (I get it in bulk from a natural herb store)

Before I started the supplement regimen, my  asthma & eczema were a heck of a lot worse than they are now, and I feel way better in general.  I also eat fresh vegetables (preferably organic) of all kinds every day.

I've also had experience with Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture.  Although I was warned by my doctors about taking the Chinese herbs, I never had a problem, and actually only taking Chinese herbs prepared by my acupuncturist, along with getting acupuncture every two weeks, I was able to go off benadryl, and zyrtec completely.  I cannot explain this with the knowledge I learned in Biology.  But TCM is a healing system using energy, and apparently I am really sensitive to energy.

So it's weird.  Although my education and my Western doctors say that this could be potentially dangerous thing for me to try, my personal experience has demonstrated these healing modalities to be quite safe and effective.  Do research before you book an appointment, Yelp is a great resource to go to for reviews on your local alternative healer.

Having multiple allergies means I am exquisitely sensitive.  I've had some intense experiences at the acupuncturist, most every time, I feel my chi shift.  It's amazing for me and it really does work.  When I get acupuncture when I have sinus congested and asthma, 5 minutes after the needles go in, my airways relax like I have been breathing through a nebulizer, and the sinuses in my head drain and I feel way clearer.

Having multiple severe allergies, it is easy to be overly cautious and live in fear.  But a healthy dose of reasonable advice from a naturopath, and the occasional acupuncture session does wonders to heal the havoc wrecked on your body from allergies. So I would recommend to go for it, try alternative medicine, I did, and it was the right choice for me.

Peanut Free Zones are NOT "Safe"

Curious recent internet event in my life: I was labeled as "Non-Empathetic," and "A Troll." by two allergy bloggers, The Allergista, and "The Crunchy Cook."  The title of this blog post explains it all, I stand by my posts, and here is my scientific and reasonable response:

There are some delusional beliefs about peanut allergy that have been propagating like wildfire online and on the local news.  The people who are promoting these hysterical beliefs are encouraging ridiculous things that could kill people with severe allergies like me.

I consider myself to have a great deal of empathy.  I have extremely severe peanut allergy and I have personally been forcibly taken off an airplane by airport security due to my allergy.  I know how it feels to be singled out and forced out of your airplane seat by 5 burly airport security dudes.  I know how it feels to have everybody in an airplane staring at you and thinking you are a terrorist when you have allergies that are not your fault.

I have a ton of empathy.  

What I do not have empathy for is people with my deadly peanut allergy who insist that "the smell of peanut butter" or "Someone eating a butterfinger next to you" will cause an anaphylactic reaction, like the blogger known as "The Crunchy Cook."

I  feel it is my duty as a deadly peanut allergy sufferer and science enthusiast to combat these delusional beliefs about peanut allergy.  Because they cause people, reacting out of fear and hysteria, to establish "peanut free zones."  And peanut free zones kill more people than they save.

Establishing "peanut free zones" do not work to keep people (over 8 years old who know not to put their hands in their mouth) safe.  My allergy doctor-(an expert in peanut allergy, he has been given a grant from NIH to study it) told me that peanut free zones kill more people than they protect.  Because, he told me, a peanut allergy (PA) sufferer lets their guard down, someone brings in cross-contaminated food, PA person doesn't give the third degree about where the food was made or where it came from, PA person assumes food is safe because they are in the "safe" zone, PA person eats food, PA person dies. He told me that he has heard of countless PA patients who have died in "peanut free zones." 

Peanut free zones do not work.  Peanut free zones kill people.

Yeah, it's nice to feel safe.  But when you live with peanut allergy, outside of your home, you are never ever safe.

Even at my church, a supposed "peanut & sesame free zone," 99 % of the pastries served are "made in a facility that manufactures peanuts."  Had I not been made aware by my doctor  (Thanks for saving my life a lot, you are really great!) that "peanut free zones" are not safe and extremely dangerous, I would have probably eaten the puffy delicious-looking butter croissant without checking the ingredient label, gone into anaphylactic shock and died. 

I am grateful to my doctor for giving me the cold hard facts (he is the one who told me that the smell of peanut butter will not cause a reaction) and encouraged me to look into the scientific research for myself.  I realize the precious value of the information he gave me because it has saved my life.  I want to share this information with other people.  I never again want to read about, or listen to my doctor telling me about another PA person dying in a 'peanut free zone.'  

I am doing this to save people's lives!  

Thank you  "The Allergista" for mentioning my commentary to "Crunchy Cook" on your blog.  The problem that I had with the Crunchy Cook's post is that she said that she would go into anaphylaxis from "The smell of peanuts."  The molecules in the air that give the peanut it's smell are NOT the same molecules that theoretically could go airborne and cause a reaction in dusty peanut flour, or a can of peanut oil cooking spray.  Double blinded placebo controlled studies conducted in 2003 by Sicherer et al. found that the smell of peanuts from as close as one foot away did not cause a reaction.  

I do appreciate your scientific mind and your inquiry into the  plausibility of the crunchy cook's claims.  However, as you give her the benefit of doubt, I stand by my posts, all of which have been deleted by the Crunchy Cook.  People eating Butterfingers, reeses, PB & J, etc, do not create the causes and conditions that the two 'reputable' web sites write about for inhalation of peanut dust found in peanut flour, people shelling peanuts, or a maniac spraying peanut oil spray that the LiveStrong article mentions that you cited. (LiveStrong.. That is the most reputable source about inhalation peanut reactions on the internet? LiveStrong isn't very reputable IMHO..)

In retrospect, I do not mean to have so much attitude.  I think The Allergista has a great blog, and gives accurate reasonable information.  Her nice looking and easy to navigate blog is an excellent resource to raise awareness and get information about food allergies.  She is obviously a wonderful person overcoming an incredible disability (allergies are disabilities) with humor, great writing, and fabulous fashion sense.  So the attitude of these sentences and tone I regret..

My question is why The Allergista's blog post didn't include the most reputable source: Wikipedia?  The routes of exposure section exposes the myth of the deadly peanut smell, here is the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_allergy#Routes_of_Exposure

In The Peanut Allergy Answer Book, Harvard pediatrician Michael Young characterizes this secondary contact risk to allergic individuals as rare and limited to minor symptoms.[22] Some reactions have been noted to be psychogenic in nature, the result of conditioning and belief rather than a true chemical reaction. Blinded, placebo-controlled studies by Sicherer et al. were unable to produce any reactions using the odor of peanut butter or its mere proximity.[22]