May 24, 2011

One Less Allergy Sufferer

Guest post by Jen Kehres, Dr. Kehres’ wife

There are nearly 36 million Americans who suffer with seasonal allergies. Now there are 35,999,999.

I used to have horrible seasonal allergies, every spring and fall I was taking Zyrtec or Allegra. In grade school, I was diagnosed as having allergies to cats, mold, fresh-cut grass, certain types of trees, etc. Then I developed asthma in high school, which also got worse when my allergies did.

Today, I don’t have any seasonal allergies… or any allergies for that matter! I can be around cats without my eyes swelling up (I’m still a dog lover though!), the changing of the seasons doesn't affect how I feel and I have not used or needed an inhaler in years. Not only has it saved me money not having to buy allergy medicine or expensive inhalers, I feel great!

I’m not a doctor, but here are the big changes I made in my life that completely cured my allergies and asthma:

1. Diet. I didn’t go on a diet, but I changed my eating habits drastically June 16, 2007. I will always remember that day as the day I became lactose intolerant and had to give up dairy. I was literally trying to find local support groups because it was so difficult for me to completely cut out all dairy, but after a few weeks and with Dan giving up dairy too, I felt better than ever! (Contact me at jen@kehreshealth.com if you would like more info on going dairy-free.)

Today, I’m so thankful I am lactose intolerant as it completely changed my diet. I eat so much more healthy protein, less processed food, no cow’s milk and lots of fruits and vegetables. Dairy is found in a variety of processed foods, even things like Tostitos lime tortilla chips have dairy in them! Processed dairy is very inflammatory, which causes disease and can increases allergies and asthma in both kids and adults. For more info about why to give up processed dairy, click here.

2. Vitamin D. All of my jobs since high school have been indoors, working on a computer. While I love my job today, I hardly get any sun (aka Vitamin D) during the week. I was fortunate to live in Florida for a few years, where I was able to get more (much more!) sunshine year round than when I lived in Michigan. I have also been supplementing with Vitamin D3 for the past few years, even while I lived in Florida. I take between 2,500 – 5,000 IU a day of a high quality Vitamin D3 supplement (Anabolic Labs is the brand I take). I went from getting strep throat and the flu at least twice a year, to never getting sick… or even having allergies, a cold or asthma.

3. Marry a chiropractor. Just kidding, that isn’t for everyone. Regular chiropractic care has changed my health. My (wise) parents have been taking me to a chiropractor since I was little, and especially after a car accident in college, I learned first hand the value of treating the cause of the problem… not just covering up the symptoms with medicine. It wasn’t until I started getting adjusted regularly where I saw the true scope of chiropractic. Not only could it relieve my back pain, but also a variety of other small issues I had going on such as TMJ, allergies, asthma, hearing loss, ear aches, loss of smell, headaches and more.
Moving back to Michigan was the true test with the ever changing seasons, and I’m happy to report that after three allergy seasons I have not had any issues with allergies or asthma (while being 100% drug free).

I hope you are able to incorporate at least one of the steps above into your life, as they have truly changed mine for the better. And I’m saving money by not ordering dessert out anymore! I’d love to hear from others who have cured their allergies or what natural cure has worked for you, you’re to welcome comment below.

If you have any questions, please contact drkehres@kehreshealth.com

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