This is a guest post from Katy Carter of the enjoyable and entertaining blog, Thought for Food. Today, she shares the amazing story of how her son’s food allergies were cured. Please welcome Katy to Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS, and feel free to ask questions in the comments. —Wardee
My son was born with pristine skin, and was the most handsome baby boy I’d ever seen (really! objectively!). But at around 4 months old, he developed severe eczema which spread to most of his body within just a couple of months. His skin would crack and bleed, requiring antibiotic and steroid ointments to fight skin infection. Because his allergy started while I was exclusively breastfeeding, I began what became several months of elimination diets, trying to find the culprits. At 10 months old, he had his first skin testing, responding positive for milk, eggs, and corn.
Over the next 3 years, we coped with his allergy. He was considered a high asthma risk, and was undergoing steroid nebulizer treatments a few times a year. We were never able to eat out (or at a friend’s house) unless we brought prepared food for him, and we carried an Epi-pen with us at all times. This was our life, and our allergists and pediatricians, though well-intentioned, offered no alternative for the present or future. “He may grow out of some of it,” was all they could say.
After we moved to Indiana, a friend at church suggested a naturopath (ND) who uses the NAET treatment program for allergy. I considered myself open to alternative medicine, but had absolutely no experience with it. Since we had clearly maximized the care that Western medicine could offer, I was eager to make the appointment.
At our first visit, the ND tested our son (age 4) for allergies. He was severely allergic to most of the base food allergies. These included the foods we already knew — milk, corn, peanuts, walnuts — but also included a host of things that I didn’t even know could cause allergic reactions: sugar, iron, vitamin C, salt. But these things also made sense to me — we always knew that “ascorbic acid” was a problem, but we assumed it was because it was sourced from corn. Turns out it was because he was actually allergic to the vitamin C — meaning that his body would not absorb it, therefore further weakening his immune system.
The testing process is an odd thing to watch. It’s done by “muscle testing” — my son held a baby food jar in which a vial of a potential allergen was added. The ND held his hand, and felt for a muscle weakening when he held the allergen. She described it like a lie-detector test: our brains actually know what we’re allergic to, and our immune system responds with weakness when we’re in proximity to the allergen. But it was a strange experience; one that I did not fully accept. On the way home, I wondered how I would tell this crazy story to my already-skeptical husband.
My husband indeed listened with a raised eyebrow. But we formulated a plan with our ND, and started treatment with his worst allergy: milk. If it worked (we were both doubtful!), we’d continue with treatments.
It worked. His allergy to milk was severe enough that it required two separate treatments; but since that week (six months ago!), he has eaten cow’s milk products daily with absolutely no reaction.
And not only milk products, but now corn. And peanut butter. And walnuts, and ascorbic acid, and all of those other things that were unknowingly causing problems for him. His skin is clear, and he hasn’t had a nebulizer treatment since last winter. Our lives are radically changed; not only for the present, but the future: my son is no longer condemned to a life of asthma — with his allergies combated, he probably won’t have it.
My disclaimer is that you can unfortunately always find a quack out there who is eager to make money. So if you or your children have struggled with allergies and intolerances and you are eager to find a solution, try to get a recommendation from a current patient of a naturopath before going. I have used the NAET website to find providers for friends in other cities; it gives a list of each provider’s training within the treatment program. An initial meeting with a provider should clearly lay out your treatment options and the payment that will be required. In addition, any good naturopath should stress the importance of a nourishing diet for maintenance of overall health (our ND is a proponent of a traditional diet, and hosts regular viewings of Weston-Price instructional videos).
Of course, now, we see our naturopath regularly. It is true she can’t work miracles — we have a 2-year old with periodic fever syndrome; and while the ND’s treatments have helped, they haven’t stopped the fevers completely. But I believe that the NAET program can work* to relieve food and environment allergies, as well as other health problems that have not been alleviated by traditional medicine. I am always eager to share our story with people who are struggling; it has changed our world, being free from food allergy — leaving our whole family with the ability to enjoy the gift of all of God’s natural foods.
Note: NAET practitioners can help with other childhood disorders such as ADD and autism, as well as other chronic issues such as chronic pain, Crohn’s, and migraine. Even severe allergies, such as life-threatening peanut allergies, can be helped in such a way that the offensive food is no longer life-threatening.
* I have absolutely no affiliation with the NAET organization, and am not compensated in any way, from any entity, for posting my thoughts.
(Wardee, again.) We might be skeptical of alternative medicine, and I am as likely as anyone to wonder if certain techniques are quackery. But in this case, I find it hard to argue against cold hard facts: Katy’s son was extremely allergic to many things, and now he is not. My family’s story of healing food sensitivities took a different approach, but I also realize that our allergies were less severe. Had we not seen results from undergoing a gut-healing diet, I feel certain we would have been investigating an approach much like Katy’s. I hope you’ve been encouraged by Katy’s story. I encourage you to check out NAET if you’re facing uncurable food allergies. As with anything, you should do your own research before embarking on any healing protocol.
And now I have some questions for you. If you’ve “been there and done that” with food allergies, what methods have you tried (NAET or otherwise)? What worked and what didn’t work? What’s your family’s story with food allergies?
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Stephanie M says
I knew something was wrong with my baby right away. He screamed all day and all night and threw up every thing he ate. After 2 months, I finally convinced the dr. that something was wrong and he prescribed an antacid for reflux. It took the edge off, but something was still amiss. I read all I could find and thought perhaps it was a milk allergy, so I went off milk (I was nursing). It didn’t seem to help. We went to countless doctors and specialists, none of whom even suggested it could be an allergy. (One doctor even told me I caused all these problems because I didn’t let him cry himself to sleep. Seriously? He cried 20 hours a day.) After 9 months of torture, I went off milk again. After I was off milk for 3 1/2 weeks, my baby slept longer than 20 minutes for the first time. It took another year for his body to heal. Now he is a happy 2 year old, but very allergic to both milk and soy. I imagine he has other allergies, but we haven’t done any testing yet.
In our search to help our older son with his severe ADHD and mood disorder (bipolar?), we ended up at a Naturopathic Psychiatrist. Due to his family history (my other son above plus my Celiac sister), we decided to start looking at food. His blood reacted to 11 foods: cow’s milk, goat’s milk, eggs, wheat, sugar (cane), yeast, rye, peanut, kidney bean, pinto bean, and zucchini. We are on the 3rd week of our elimination phase right now. We haven’t seen any change in his mood yet, but the eczema and constipation are gone. Hopefully, after his body has a chance to heal, he will be able to tolerate most of these again, especially if I prepare his foods as naturally as possible.
Sonya Hemmings says
I am intrigued by today’s post, as I have been curious (and skeptical) about NAET and similar treatments that combine muscle testing and acupressure for the past few years. I have done some research into the ideas, but I haven’t gone as far as actually looking for a practitioner in my area yet (thanks for the link to help find one!). After several years of gradually incorporating more nourishing whole foods into my family’s diet, we have seen many changes in the food allergies and intolerances of our oldest son, but there are a few holdouts—including dairy and egg whites—that we’d like to move past at some point, if possible. Thank you, Katy, for sharing about your son’s experience. And thank you, Wardee for this guest post!
—Sonya
Adriana says
My DH tried NAET for his reflux issues as well as allergies to fish. In this, we also discovered that he was allergic to milk, which I always had a feeling he was. He was able to finally become un-allergic to milk. Even his body smelled different after he conquered it. Also during this, he stopped snoring and had more energy. He was even able to eat a few bites of fish, which he was highly allergic to.
Unfortunately, it is expensive and we ran out of funds. I would love to have him go back and finish the process when things turn around for us financially.
Shannon says
What a great story. We have been seeing a naturopath for over a year doing nutrition response and muscle testing, very similar to what Katy’s son has done. It does seem funny at first, but after months of doing it and being able to replicate the testing at home I whole heartedly recommend the program.
Coming from a scientific background, I asked a ton of questions about the how and why it works. I can’t say I understand it all, but the basic premise makes sense to me. And it’s just another case of us discovering part of God’s amazing creation.
Karen Tryon says
thank you for sharing this. I was just praying this morning about some of our food allergies and such. I have used a gentleman that uses a combination of NAET and other treatment. It worked for my son with severe eczema. . .for a while. Unfortunately, our diet wasn’t were it needed to be and his eczema returned. I have made many changes to the Real Food diet and have found that his allergies have gotten worse. I am very frustrated. I don’t have alot of time right now I take the courses to learn Real Food nutrition. I just had my 7th baby in may and have felt so overwhelmed. My allergies and asthma have returned as well. I have 2 children back on breathing treatments and I have had to use it a few times. At times I feel like there is simply no hope in cursing our allergies. I did appreciate reading though. I may start looking for a different person to work with for his allergies.
Katy says
So many great responses! My thoughts so far…
1) After being through a few different rounds of allergy testing (blood, skin) — I was surprised that NAET seemed to be most accurate. It explained so much more about why we couldn’t completely fix my son’s issues with elimination — we just couldn’t eliminate everything he was reacting to. That’s one reason we felt NAET was necessary in conjunction with a natural diet (and we aren’t nearly as thorough was Wardee!! I consider myself an amateur, still, with nourishing diet) — for us, the diet alone wasn’t working. That being said — my son will STILL have minor reactions when he goes to Grandma’s, and she feeds him grape soda (I know… I know… but it’s family, and that’s hard!).
2) I do not have a very scientific mind, and that might be one reason I am willing to easily roll with the NAET punches that I don’t fully understand. But the thing that made sense to me was that NAET is a more neurological treatment — the brain is reading a food as “offensive,” and sends out reactions — so the treatment “resets” the central nervous system. From what I gather, it’s not a gut issue — so, my son never had leaky gut; but his gut output has improved since treatments.
3) That being said — my practitioner seems to feel that certain people are just much more likely to be highly allergic. So you cannot get treated, and then go back to eating processed foods. The body will just go right back to a place of (rightfully!) reacting. Again — we still allow him to drink a little grape soda with grandma, in the interest of relationship — but the price he pays is relatively minor, and worth the tradeoff (as of now).
4) THE COST: This, to me, is the hardest part. Part of our “miracle” is that our ND is a wonderful, giving woman who views it as her calling to help people. She is unbelievably affordable — seriously, I often feel guilty at how little we’re paying her in exchange for what she’s given us. I don’t know what we would’ve done if we’d been seeing a practitioner who charges more usual fees — we probably would only be doing a few of the major treatments. Which is tough — because for highly-allergic people, it is most helpful to fix all of the severe allergies (all symptoms won’t be alleviated until most allergies are cleared).
Heidi @ Barefoot and Paleo says
#2 is right on! I thought I had gut issues and read all the leaky gut posts but Realized it’s not that at all. Allergies or sensitivities can make you feel like you have major issues when it could be as simple as the smell of carrots.
Once the allergy is removed them your stomach no longer hurts, so there actually was no leaky gut because I’m almost positive that it doesn’t just go away.
NAET has been a huge eye opener for us. We have been going for a year and a half. It has changed my way of thinking and saved my son Tynan.
http://www.barefootandpaleo.com/2014/05/natural-allergy-relief-naet-success-story.html?m=1
annette says
great guest post! my son’s skin looked exactly like that when he was born. for the first several years of his life i did what the drs. told me to do (antibiotics and steroid creams) it was horrible. finally, i’d had enough, we had him tested for every allergy in the book and it all came back negative. every test he’s ever taken has returned negative. very frustrating. finally i did an elimination diet and found he reacts to gluten. later we took out dairy and nearly all chemicals. it works for us. we have not seen a nd because it’s not covered by insurance but diet is working fine for us. i rejoiced the day he reached 50lbs (he was 6)! i totally understand the family thing, it’s hard to say no.
Neveen says
Thanks so much for this wonderful post. This is a topic that’s close to my heart and something I’ve been trying to figure out for the past few months. My 11-month-old has/had food intolerance. He had horrible acid reflux, would spit up what seemed to be entire meals, wouldn’t nap for longer than 45 minutes and was a very unhappy baby. He didn’t have eczema, but was terribly fussy and uncomfortable 99% of the time. I would look at other parents with their perfectly quiet and happily sleeping newborns and wonder what I was doing wrong. When my son was a month old, I had emailed a friend who was checking in on me and told her what was going on and she immediately called me to talk. She said that it sounded like my son had a milk soy protein intolerance and she’d gone through the same exact thing. I immediately googled it and read everything I could find. I started eliminating dairy and soy much to my husband’s chagrin, to see what would happen. When I took him to a pediatrician to talk about the reflux our usual doctor was busy, so we had to see another doctor. When I brought up MSPI, she said it’s never what the mom is eating and I shouldn’t take anything out of my diet. (My son was and was exclusively breastfed.Still is, but is also eating solids.) Out of ignorance and total denial, I decided to go back to what I was eating. It took another few sleepless nights to say, “Okay, I’m ready to get serious about eliminating milk and soy.” We’re also fortunate enough to have a non-profit breastfeeding resource in town with a pediatrician who is very knowledgeable about food intolerance. That place is fantastic and if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have lasted breastfeeding 11 more days, let alone close to a year! She tested my son’s stool for blood and sure enough, it was there. He was definitely reacting to something I was eating. After two weeks of being dairy and soy free, not much had changed. We went back to the pediatrician and sure enough, there was still blood in the stool. She handed me a sheet and told me about the elimination diet. Talk about a big shocker. So not only were we new at this parenting thing, but I had to eliminate the top 8 allergens plus corn.While getting a handle on the diet, I also realized that chocolate, avocados and rice were affecting my little guy. When the culprits were eliminated, it was as though we had a completely different baby! He napped, he slept through the night, he was happy. We were happy. For the past few months I’ve been able to introduce the majority of foods back into my diet with absolutely no reaction. I’m in the middle of the dairy trial right now and he’s fine with the cheese and yogurt I’ve been eating. I’ve learned so much about food and nutrition that I will never go back to the way we used to eat. And through my desperate search for recipes, I came across this wonderful site. Glad I found it.
One last thing I should add is that I’ve been giving my son infant probiotics since he was a month old and I believed they helped heal his gut. I haven’t introduced any of the top allergens in his diet yet, but he was able to snatch a piece of sourdough pancake before I could get to him. The wonderful thing is nothing happened! So I’ve been giving him some sourdough bread here and there and he’s been loving it. His first birthday is in a few weeks, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to bake him a sourdough cake.
I don’t know what the future will bring and I don’t know what is going to happen when I start introducing milk and eggs into his diet, but I do know that this post will come in handy.
Thanks again for the wonderful and hopeful post and sorry about being long-winded.
Michelle says
Very interesting. I am most interested about why so many kids have these serious allergies to so many foods. Is it just me or is it a rising statistic?
Kelly Holderby says
I work for a Naturopath in Eugene and Naet is one of the treatments we use for allergies and viruses. It works wonderfully for most patients. I do believe that the skill level and experience of the practitioner in using NAET is very important and should be considered when choosing who to see. Another treatment method is NMT (neuro modulation technique) and it is very helpful when dealing with multiple allergies. I was cleared of a lot of food allergies in one treatment with NMT.
Colleen says
Can you tell me which ND in Eugene uses NAET?
kara bagley says
Can you tell me which ND in Eugene uses NAET?
Katy says
Michelle, there are a million hypotheses, I’m sure. Like most modern-day health issues, I tend to go with the environmental aspect (all-encompassing, not one in particular — so we reap what we sow, as far as pollutants, toxins, processed foods, etc.). I am definitely wary of vaccinations (frequency, necessity, and what the heck’s in them???) — my son’s reactions began after his first round of vaccinations. But I don’t blame those entirely — I think there is a genetic aspect to a mis-firing immune system (I’ve produced 2 out of 3 babies with immune system issues).
So, yes — it is definitely a rising statistic. I think about my childhood (70s) and hardly anyone had food allergy. Now, it’s every fourth kid (or something close to that).
……………..
Kelly — I totally agree! I think our ND is extremely gifted — she is 70 years old, and has been doing it a long time. I would hate to have to change practitioners — she seems so in-tune with the human body and its signals.
……………..
Kara, I’ve been told it’s like a mixture of accupressure and kinesiology (sp?) — but having not seen either of those things, I don’t know. Basically, for kids, it’s very simple: my son holds the jar with the vial of allergen, and she taps along his spine (he is laying on his belly). She says what she’s treating, out loud — this is actually for his brain to “hear” (his subconscious brain). This is why it can be so strange to watch — you first wonder who she’s talking to, but she’s saying it for his (subconscious) benefit. Then he holds the allergen for 10 minutes. Then he has to avoid the allergen for 25 hours. After that, he’s clear.
For adults, it’s a little more involved. The same initial treatment occurs, but for adults she has to “close the gates” — she puts vibrating pressure (using a pen tool) on certain points of the hands, elbows, and feet. Adults often times must wait 49 hours before having exposure to the allergen.
It’s energy-based. Very Eastern. Which for some reason I was always afraid of, but now I wonder why. It’s not like Western medicine isn’t wacky in many ways — and can be equally as mysterious. I’ve become much more comfortable with it, for sure.
Katy says
Neveen — I’m glad you found it encouraging. I know how frustrating that first year can be, when you’re trying like crazy to find the culprit.
I hope your re-introduction continues to work reaction-free! I’ve heard stories of many babies working through reflux issues as they got older. Hopefully this is the case with your son!
Re: probiotics — that was a HUGE reason I was so thankful to get past my son’s milk allergy — he loves yogurt now! When he was a baby, I made soy yogurt (before I understood the dangers of soy) — but he never liked it. I couldn’t get any probiotics in him — until cow’s milk yogurt. Now I can hardly make it fast enough.
Bronwyn says
?”NAET”, and other similar systems of “diagnosis” of allergies by kinesiology, is widely discredited as a fradulent, dangerous, completely inaccurate method of “diagnosing” allergies.
Katy writes about how conventional allergenists said her child might grow out of their allergies like that’s some kind of *failure* on the part of Western medicine, instead of the very reassuring and accurate information that 90% of children grow out of their milk and egg allergies (without any intervention required) by the age of 5.
Oddly enough, the child in this anecdote was “cured” of their allergies at the age of 4 to 4 1/2. Exactly the age at which you’d *expect* a child’s milk and egg allergies to go away of their own accord.
Please, if you have a child with suspected allergies, see an allergenist, get some skin prick tests done, and get a more accurate diagnois and advice on treatment (which may involve simply waiting, and excluding the allergens until the child grows out of their allergies). Certainly, as they grow older, consult with your GP or allergenist about doing a new round of testing, or challenging their diet with the reintroduction of the allergen, to see if they’re still reacting to it or not.
FWIW, my 2yo son has life-threatening anaphylaxis to milk, egg, and peanuts, and developed these allergies *prior* to any vaccinations. He is likely to grow out of milk and egg allergies, but not peanuts (only around 20% of children & adults grow out of peanut allergies, which can also produce some of the most severe reactions).
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/ak.html
http://www.allergy.org.au/content/view/262/313/
http://www.allergy.org.au/aer/infobulletins/milk_allergy.htm
Katy says
Bronwyn, I appreciate your opposing viewpoint. You should definitely do what you think is best as far as treatment for your son!
I do take issue, however, with your suggestion that my son simply grew out of his allergy at the exact same time as he was treated. I can assure you that he was still reacting to most of his allergens even the week before treatment. We know this because, in our own skepticism, we did our own testing. We wiped his face with a severe allergen, and watched the reaction appear within just a few hours — basically, the same thing that happens with skin-prick testing (this method was actually suggested by our Western allergist — a test to use in restaurants to see if an offending food was being served in a dish). Then we did the same thing to make sure he’d cleared his allergen before actually giving him the foods to eat. I can’t reconcile the assertion that he coincidentally grew out of the allergen within that 48 hours.
We did see a Western allergist (one of the top in the Southeast), regularly, for three years, as I wrote in my account. And I absolutely think that parents should start with that method if that’s how they feel they can best care for their children. But, after our allergist told us that all we could do is wait, we saw an opportunity for a different option, and took it. My story is simply intended to share that option with others who might be inclined to try an alternative approach — those who’ve waited for several years, and are not growing out of it.
I never once considered the treatments dangerous for my son (he held a baby food jar, while a woman tapped on his back with her fingers). The only time we were nervous was when we were testing him by wiping the foods on his face to see if he was indeed still reacting — and we would’ve done the same thing at some point anyway to see if we could re-introduce new foods.
Life-threatening anaphylaxis is not something we were dealing with (our son’s Epi-pen was used for a severe local throat reaction to milk) — so I cannot speak from your perspective, and I appreciate the fact that the risks are different. Our ND has helped people with allergies that severe — and it is a much slower treatment, and often the person can never fully have the allergen re-introduced (but it will no longer be life-threatening). It doesn’t sound like NAET is a good fit for you — I appreciate that viewpoint, and hope your son does grow out of his allergies!
Heidi @ Barefoot and Paleo says
NAET cured my sons allergies and saved his life. If you are uncomfortable with that please travel to North Carolina and I will show you proof with videos, photos, and alike.
I am so annoyed with people thinking you can “grow out of” it. Maybe it morphs into something more severe like asthma or cancer. I would rather listen to a quack than take a chance that my son could develop a major disease or illness because we let him “grow out of ” it.
Lastly, and clearly, you have never dealt with a hysterical baby or the uncomfortable feeling of an allergy. I know desperation, confusion, and helplessness all to well. My child was suffering!
We bypassed all the Western doctors because I already knew they could do nothing.
kara bagley says
Thank you so much. I have been contemplating taking my children in to a NP that seems to be along the same lines. It is good to know what I am walking into.
Lori says
Great post! I’ve never been tested as an adult, but I believe I do have an allergy (or at least an intolerance) to pasteurized dairy as well.
I’m curious, were your kids vaccinated?
Katy says
Thanks, Lori. I know pasteurized dairy can be a problem for many people — and while many of us who read Wardee’s site are fans of raw milk, it’s also nice to NOT react if you must come in contact with pasteurized. My son won’t drink cow’s milk — but eats raw cheese and yogurt regularly (but I use pasteurized cream when I make ice cream — so it’s nice that he doesn’t react to any of it, raw or pasteurized).
All three of my kids are at least partially vaccinated. My son’s issues started after his first round; and once his eczema became severe I slowed them down (so he didn’t get his MMR until age 3). Then my third child (almost 2) began Periodic Fever Syndrome after HER first round of shots (I let her get 2 shots at her 4-month appt). She had two more at her 6-month (we didn’t realize the fevers were a pattern), but hasn’t had any shots since then. She was treated (NAET) for severe allergies to the vaccines she received (pertussis and HiB) — and at this point I don’t know if we’ll ever fully vaccinate her.
It’s a hard, complicated decision (for us). But for now, we know she won’t get any more shots until we fix the fevers.
Jessie says
I did NAET for a while and it helped some, I think, but did not eliminate my allergies.
I know a woman who did NAET for her children’s extensive food allergies and found that the treatments that did not last. However, she ended up finding a practicioner who did NAET with laser instead of with accupunture needles and that seemed to work well and have lasting effects. I don’t know a lot about the laser NAET, but believe the practicioner was in Texas.
Katy says
Jessie, that’s interesting. Our practitioner doesn’t use needles or laser — just her hands, and occasionally one of those hand-held back massagers.
She did begin “booster” treatments as we continued to cover my son’s base allergies. She says she usually does those once, anytime after 6 weeks of an initial treatment.
I think it’s common, for adults with more severe or extensive allergies, to not feel much relief until they are treated for almost all allergens. With my son, we saw improvement immediately, but I still think we’ll battle a rough cold/flu season with him while his immune system plays catch-up (although he is still cough-free!).
I hope that with a nourishing diet, and a completion of treatment, he won’t fall back into his old ways of reacting. I suppose only time will tell — maybe Wardee would allow me to do a short update post in a year…
Wardee says
Katy — I’d love for you to update us next year.
Kerri says
Katy,
Thank you for this post. My sister used NAET for a little while (they then had to move out of state) and found relief from her allergies. She has since continued with another alternative treatment. But at age 36 she had NOT grown out of her life long exzema, which was extreme (to put it mildly!!!). And for the first time in all her life her skin was clear!!!
Anyways I am writing to offer you another alternative with your feverish son. Have you looked into classical homeopathy? We have been using a homeopath for our son’s failure to thrive, sensory issues and speech apraxia with wonderful results! Our particular homeopath is *very* experienced, BUT expensive (just being honest). However, for us, we had already tried a couple other alternatives and supplements with no success. Our homeopath was very upfront to let us know how long treatment would take and what to expect. Not only has he helped our son overcome his issues (he was on a feeding tube and is now tube free, and his speech therapist is totally amazed at his progress with his speech saying that he is transitioning out of the apraxia…way before the normal time), but we’ve had some big time acute illnesses that literally are under control with in two to three hours (we are not taliking about symptom cover up like an OTC med will cause, but true healing). We are in the same boat like another poster, funding limits, so we have currently put his treatment on hold (with the intention to start immediately should he take a turn for the worse, which has not happened). Anyways, I would encourage you to either find one that practices classical homeopathy, or feel free to email me and I will send you our homeopath’s info (he does his consultations all by phone, no need to see him in person, since homeopathy is based all on your discription of the symptoms). You can call his office and ask to speak with him to see if he can help you. He will be honest and tell you just how much he can be of help. For us, after looking for over a year for something that would help our son it was a great relief to hear someone say that they could help our son be healthy and normal But he will let you know if there are any limitations as to what he can do for you. However, that being said, he’s helped people with much, MUCH more serious things than what your or my son are experiencing (think cancer here). And just like you, I am not getting paid for my view points I am just passionate for others to experience health ‘freedom’.
Please feel free to email me, Katy or any one else who is interested, and I’ll send you his information.
kjpechin at yahoo dot com
Blessings,
Kerri
Maria Paula Nieto says
Kerry hello!
Was your sister cured though homeopathy? Or how did she get cured?
Maria
Kerri says
Maria,
My sister only used homeopathy for a wee bit. She was VERY sensitive to the remedies, and at that time in her life she was a bit impatient with the treatment The homeopathy is something we used for our son. Believe it or not my sister has now found out that her life long eczema is not eczema, but the withdrawl of the steroids that were used when she really did have eczema. Eczema is a childhood condition, usually brought on by an allergy (foods are high culprits). Steroids are REALLY BAD, to put it mildly. If you or a loved one have been using them to treat eczema on a regular basis, them more likely than not you are not suffering from eczema, but the symptoms of withdrawl from the steroids. This can be overcome. My sister has been going through withdrawl for 5 months now. It is not a pretty thing, BUT it will free her of her life long “eczemza”. You can read her blog to see a video from a doctor who realized what was really going on with teens and adults who supposedly have eczema. She also links to many others who are going through withdrawl.
Now, as far as homeopathy is concerned, I have no doubt that it would help your body to overcome it. My sister in particular just didn’t stick it out (sometimes, if you are sensitive, your dosages need to be adjusted, but she just quit taking them all together). Feel free to visit our homeopaths website. You can make a call to them and ask to speak with Dr. Mueller to see if he can help you. http://www.homeopathicassociates.com/
Blessings,
Kerri
Kerri says
Oops, forgot to give you the link to my sister’s blog:
http://stoppingtopicalsteroids.blogspot.com/
Kathryn says
This was a very interesting and enlightening post. thanks everyone for sharing this information. I am passing it along to my daughter as most of her children have some type of food allergies and she’s really struggling with her youngest. Again, Thanks.
Lacie says
This is a very interesting post as I have been dealing with allergies myself. I was wondering just how much an average treatment costs? Say for one visit, and then a “typical” set of visits? I would be more than happy to pay what I might consider an expensive price if I never had to worry about allergies again!
Katy says
Lacie,
I honestly have no idea what a regular practitioner would charge. I’ve heard stories of $100/visit (so if you’re like my son, and looking at a dozen or more treatments, that would get pricey, quick). Our ND charged us less than half of that — and while it would’ve been a *major* stretch for us to pay thousands of dollars, I think that it’s probably worth that, in the long run. (I think about how much we were spending on allergist visits [co-pays], plus the monthly prescriptions to keep his reactions minimal [claritin and zyrtec], plus the albuterol, plus the nebulizer… all that is expensive too, and we’ll no longer need to use it. Then, how to you quantify a better quality of life, etc?)
It’s tricky, though. I would want to see results before I kept shelling out that kind of money! It’s a very personal decision, one that can’t be made lightly, and uniquely complex for each family.
Sandy says
We discovered allergies in our family when our now 23 year old son was three years old. We had just returned from a three day camping trip in the North Carolina mountains and were back at my parent’s home in TN. He woke up in the middle of the night …red, splotchy, and his whole body looked like he was swelling.
We rushed him to the ER and they literally grabbed him from us and rushed him into another room. When they came back out, they had given him one or two shots and said he was better but had experienced an allergic reaction to something.
They asked a bunch of questions and it was guessed to be something he was exposed to during camping.
He had a lot of junk food and foods high in preservatives because their grandparents brought all the food. He was in the creek, on grass, washed in a shower stall… so the possibilities were endless.
When we returned home to the state we lived in, the pediatrician told me it he had eczema. We were given medical creams and all you always hear of with allergies and I fed him as I had before with few to no preservatives and balanced meals I had studied all about in my mom’s nursing books.
As the years went on, his reactions got more frequent. The doctors told us to give him Benadryl and then Claritin and so on. Finally, I took him to a dermatologist and she looked at my arms and skin and said I had a worse case than he did! I had never even known I had allergies before that moment! Inside my elbows always got rashes during seaons changing but that was it and some red patches after showering here and there.
Anyway, we ended up going to a medical facility specifically for in depth allergy testing and he was allergic to dust mites, pet dander, some grasses and HIGHLY allergic to rye grass.
They went to test me and said that I reacted even to the test needle and they could not test me on the rest because I could be highly allergic to some, most or all of the things tested.
I already tried to be careful to some extent with what I cleaned with but I totally stopped using chemicals in our cleaning. I did use Simple Green for a few years because another mom of kids with allergies highly recommended it but then I started making my own.
I have eliminated processed foods for years (with some exceptions during busy times) and make all our breads and baked goods from freshly milled flours (hard red, hard white, soft pastry and Kamut) and try to always use natural sweeteners and ingredients. This has not been perfect — I have definitely used other flours and so on along the way so maybe I haven’t held out long enough to see.
I get red, dry patches that splotch over entire areas sometimes and my 16 year old daughter recently had two episodes that were very upsetting and we finally think we narrowed it down to kittens/cats.
The whole things has brought me to tears more than once in the recent years (our youngest — 7 years old has had allergic reactions) because we do not have the money for conventional or natural medicine. I do the best I can with our diet and just pray the Lord will show us the way through it.
It has been great to read from others who have experienced similar things…
Joan says
My food allergies and intolerances began in earnest about 7 years ago at the age of 30 (!!) I thought I was having panic attacks but in fact they were IBS and allergic reactions. Long story short, things got progressively worse and I was reduced to eating certain vegetables and fruits and rice only. I had digestive, metabolic, and skin issues galore. And then about a year ago I discovered hard core probiotics can reduce or eliminate the symptoms. Once on them full time for a few weeks, I noticed my constant tiredness and brain fog had lifted. My regular docs all suggested elimination was my only choice. But now with probiotics I can many more things than I used to — I am trying new foods every day. I am just incredibly lucky to have stumbled on this.
Amy F;) says
Hi, thank-you for your site! I’ve found so much helpful information on here:)
Would you please fill us in on how things are going for Katy and her family now?
Heidi @ Barefoot and Paleo says
We have had tremendous success with NAET! I eternally grateful.
http://www.barefootandpaleo.com/2014/05/natural-allergy-relief-naet-success-story.html?m=1
julie a says
Our lives have been radically changed with NAET for which our 3 yr old son has dramatically improved with his debilitating eczema. So grateful for this therapy. We have done about 25 treatments and are 95% better. We will continue to go, there are still a few more allergens the ND picked up on that we want to treat. We were so worried about his risk for asthma (50% of kids with eczema)–but not so much anymore! One of the best decisions we have ever made, to give NAET a try after 3 Western medicine docs essentially wrote us off saying “hopefully he will outgrow it.” The allergist wouldn’t even give me a steroid cream RX beacuse his eczema was “too extensive.”
Heidi @ Barefoot and Paleo says
Julie – We had a similar experience but instead went straight to NAET after trying all the natural remedies including changing our diet. NAET is indeed life changing! Glad you found relief and your little won’t suffer long term.
Jenny S says
I am also interested in hearing how Katy and her family are doing now and what her thoughts on NAET are at this point.