It can be very frustrating when your body rejects it and you can’t wear your favorite perfume or enjoy certain foods. Some people are prone to this reaction, but everyone will likely have to deal with it at some point in their lives. The intensity of a sudden allergic reaction can be overwhelming. They tend to rule your life in very unpredictable ways.

Allergy itself is not a disease. “It is an abnormal immune response that can escalate into conditions such as asthma, eczema, urticaria, conjunctivitis, and rashes. An allergic reaction is the body’s adverse reaction to certain external factors known as allergens. People usually have similar reactions to this allergen throughout their lives, or there are specific allergies that appear and disappear over time. Our immune system provides several layers of protection to the body. Mucous membranes such as the skin, mouth, nose, stomach, intestines, and large intestine are protected from external attack. The next protective layer is the mast cells, which monitor these body structures. Mast cells are one of the components of the immune system that come into first contact with threats and allergens. When pathogens such as parasites, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and allergens come into contact with the body, they encounter surface antibodies called IgE. When IgE antibodies bind to pathogens, they signal mast cells to activate their defense mechanisms. Activated mast cells can directly kill pathogens by engulfing them and destroying them by oxidative damage. It also triggers an inflammatory response by releasing histamine to help mast cells cope with the threat. This is exactly the allergic process.

There are many different substances called allergens. These allergens come into contact with the human body through inhalation, injection, or simple contact. Common allergens are mainly milk, eggs, shellfish, soybeans, chocolate, and other foods, strong odors and paints, synthetic and wool materials, cosmetics, soaps, certain pharmaceuticals, metals, fine jewelry, pollen, dust, Such as contact with certain plants or animals. Heat, cold, pressure, radiation, and other physical factors. Most allergies are recognized at a young age and decrease in severity with age. However, there are also allergies that can appear at any stage of life and resolve after a temporary attack. The severity of an allergy depends on the body’s exposure to the allergen, or the chronicity of the allergy in question. The process by which the body tries to inform us of an intolerance to a particular food or other substance, and the resulting reaction, can be called an allergic reaction.

In Ayurveda, allergies are interpreted as the body’s way of fighting and eliminating accumulated endotoxins. These endotoxins are produced in the body through improper digestion. The core of almost all allergies is basically in the digestive system or intestines. According to Ayurveda, the concepts of dusi visha and ama visha may explain the mechanism of the body’s hypersensitivity to certain specific allergens. Dooshi Visha or Ama Visha is a dormant toxin in the body that has the same properties but is less potent than the active toxin. They cause problems only if the right conditions exist and the body becomes susceptible to them. It can be said that it is a collective poison, such as heavy metals that enter the body from the outside through metabolic disturbances, air pollutants, food, and cosmetics.

Any type of allergic reaction is usually associated with AGNI, or H. Poor Digestion results in improper digestion and accumulation of toxins (Ama Visha or Dusi Visha) in the body. Toxins circulate throughout the body and lodge in specific systems and areas of the body that are weak or vulnerable. Allergy symptoms occur. Illnesses that are allergic in nature appear suddenly like poison and spread through the body more quickly. So Ayurveda correctly compares these toxins to his VISHA. Stress also plays an important role by signaling the nervous system to trigger an immune response and trigger allergies. Ayurveda also has the concept of VIRUDDHA AAHAR & VIHAR, which describes that improper combinations of foods (such as meat and milk) can cause certain side effects in the body due to sudden or long-term accumulation of toxins. is showing. that cause an allergic reaction. For example, many patients who suffer from specific protein allergies are found to combine incompatible foods in their diets. This means that they are not allergic to the food as a whole, but to the way it is eaten. Wrong lifestyles also cause such reactions. Many sinus sufferers have been found to be exposed to extremely cold temperatures immediately after taking a hot shower. Vatican allergies are common during the rainy season, early fall pitta, and spring kapha, mainly due to the effects of each dosha on the body during these seasons.

The best way to deal with allergies is to reverse hypersensitivity by neutralizing harmful endotoxins.

The Ayurvedic method of treating allergies is quite different from the modern methods of treating symptoms using immunosuppressants. In Ayurveda, the approach is to modify the immune response and neutralize endotoxins.  The following would be an ideal approach to chronic allergies or hypersensitivity-

1. STUDY YOUR ALLERGY AND NOTE THE PATTERN

Identification of the allergen is very important. Analyze the pattern of your allergy and correlate it with the recent change in your diet or lifestyle. Eg. Milk or chocolate allergy could suggest lactose allergy. Eggs or soya beans may suggest protein-related hypersensitivity.

2. CHECK YOUR EATING HABITS

As said earlier the root cause of all allergies is more than often related to the gut. Therefore follow the simple guidelines of eating such as, to eat on time i.e. to eat when hungry. Drinking boiled water only, even if it is filtered as boiled water boosts metabolism and escalates the process of neutralizing the accumulated endotoxins.

If you suffer from allergies chronically, it is advisable to rule out certain eatables from your diet for a certain amount of time like dairy products, non-vegetarian items, excessive oil, fried or fermented food, stale, processed, and junk food, excessive raw food in terms of salads and fruits too. Raw food is difficult to digest and therefore increases the chances of indigestion leading to the accumulation of endotoxins thereby. Daily food should be simple home-cooked fresh vegetarian food, with vegetable gravy prepared with less or no oil. Rice and wheat are good to consume daily. Barley can be added but should not be consumed too often.

Avoid incompatible food combinations- For instance, these are some examples,

•         Milk combined with non-vegetarian food (meat, fish, or egg) is considered a poisonous combination. So also,
•           Milk or Yoghurt with fruits especially citrus fruits
•           Fruits & starchy food rice/potatoes etc.)
•           Combination of vegetables with fruits.
•           Chilled water/ beverages with meals.
•           Also, the heating of honey is incorrect.
•           Curd should not be eaten at night.
•           Left-over food should be avoided and if eaten should not be combined with fresh food.

Eat according to your PRAKRITI or constitution. Eg KAPHA dominant people shouldn’t eat sweet or cold food items in excess as that can cause allergic reactions like rhinitis or hay fever due to the aggravation of Kapha dosha. But, during the phase of a particular allergic attack, it is very important to eat food that is lighter to digest and at the same time boosts digestion.

3. PURIFICATION

Intensive detoxification procedures like panchakarma are usually not recommended unless the accumulated toxins are beyond the capacity of internal medication and diet to be neutralized.

4. YOGA & PRANAYAM

Yogic cleansing procedures help a lot in clearing the channels by removing accumulated dirt and help in reducing the frequency of attacks. Eg NADI SHODHAN pranayam with JALA & SUTRA NETI help in curing allergic rhinitis or sinusitis. Meditative techniques help in calming down and thereby reducing stress which then eases out the way to calm down the agitated immune system. However, these practices have to be learned and practiced under the guidance of experts.

5. FOLLOW A SCHEDULE

Dinacharya, ratricharya, or ritucharya which describe the ideal regimen and schedule in the DAY, NIGHT & SEASON respectively may sound overwhelming and practically impossible in today’s era but simple things like eating appropriately on time and when hungry or sleeping and waking up early are must. When we try to play with the biological clock and the body’s rhythm, then we should be prepared for such negative reactions from our bodies.

6. MANAGEMENT WITH TREATMENT

When handled scientifically, with proper diet and medical management, allergies can be reversed in no time. Usually, a minimal dosage of an herbal drug is required based on the type of allergy along with medicated water to reverse the pathology.

Conclusively an allergy is the way; our body is trying to indicate the rising intolerance towards the hap hazardous way of living that we follow today. It is therefore not surprising to see ‘’n’’ number of allergies kinds one could encounter in today’s era. And it is very much possible to treat these dreadful reactions if we ponder upon the root of an allergy! There could be more than what meets the eye!

–Dr. Sujal Torgal Patil

(Chief Medical Officer & Director of Operations, TRAYA NATURAL HEALTH CENTRE, With 8 years of clinical experience in Ayurved)