Allergy Enlightenment: Is Modern Medicine Fighting the Causes of This Ailment? Are Doctors Telling U...
Bismillahi Rohmani
Rohiym
In The Name of Allah
On Allergies: Is
Modern Medicine Fighting the Causes of This Ailment?
Are Doctors Telling
Us Everything?
A Case Against Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtac, and other
"allergy relief" medicines and their makers together with
distributors, prescribers, and blind consumers.
By Mamurjon Rahimov, May 12/2004
Definition
Allergies are abnormal reactions of the immune system that occur in
response to otherwise harmless substances.
www.ehendrick.org/healthy
An allergy is a heightened
sensitivity to a foreign substance (called an allergen) which causes the body's
defense system (the immune system) to overreact when defending itself.
Normally, the immune system would only react if a harmful substance, such as a
bacteria, attacks the body. For people with allergies, their own immune system
is working too hard, and it reacts even when relatively harmless substances
such as pollen are present. The severity of an allergic reaction can vary from
mild discomfort to life threatening situations.
pollen.com
Description
Allergies are among the most common of medical disorders. It is estimated
that 60 million Americans, or more than one in every five people, suffer from
some form of allergy, with similar proportions throughout much of the rest of
the world. Allergy is the single largest reason for school absence and is a
major source of lost productivity in the workplace.
www.ehendrick.org/healthy
Wow! These dreadful allergies are going to get us! What
kind of wunderkinds wrote the above paragraphs, and trying to fool everyone?
Introduction
I feel I have been deceived in a big way for the second
time, maybe more, by the medical profession. I wonder why would doctors hide
all the information about the truth on allergies and other medical knowledge,
and the only explanation that comes to my mind is financial stakes behind this
single largest industry in the USA - that in size leaves behind aerospace,
automotive, petroleum industries, to name a few. In fact, by economic size
Medical Industry is at least three times as large as the Automotive Industry of
the USA!
I was able to understand allergies through my conversations
with friends, doctors, reading news, encyclopedias, articles and books on
immune system, and most importantly - through observations of myself and those
around me. Why can I understand some things in such a plain way while doctors
try to keep the fog around it, and my part is only obeying to their
prescriptions?
...In many ways human beings are similar to cars...Driver is
like a soul, a car is like our body, and immune system resembles on board
computer of the car...
I have some university engineering education, so when my car
has a problem, I first try to find a solution by myself before taking it to a
mechanic. Someone told me that in America one should not trust three
categories of people: mechanics, doctors, and politicians.
Once my car lost power, and I tried to find its causes.
Symptoms showed that fuel was not burning properly inside cylinders (computer
diagnostics at AutoZone). I searched the causes in electrical and air system.
I did an expensive tune-up, changed air filter and airflow sensor, but shortly
"check engine" light came back on. Then I turned to fuel system, and
mixed injector cleaner and fuel pipe cleaner with several fill-ups. Every time
the light would turn off for few days, and come back on again.
Finally, I came to the last thing I suspected to be the
cause of the power loss - fuel filter. As soon as I replaced it (very cheap),
the car became like new! It was accelerating faster than ever before, and
moreover "check engine" light never came back on again! Hence, until
I found the real cause of the problem - the fuel filter that was clogged with
dirt over the years - my car was suffering and could not tell me what was hurting
most...
Chicago - a pollen capital? Location, location,
location... What else?
(Intensity of exposure)
Until I came to Chicago, I never had pollen allergy.
Furthermore, I observed that I did not suffer pollen allergy the first year in
spring (in Chicago). What was different that first year? Is that my IMMUNE
SYSTEM was working properly then, and eventually failed in protecting my
organism which caused my sufferings (runny nose, itchy red eyes, occasional
nasal congestion)? That is unbelievable because I live a healthy way of life,
avoiding smoking, drinking, and other hazardous habits. I spent over two years
in Atlanta also and never "suffered" allergies there. Plus, I grew
up at a rural town, and all the farm work, and our wonder garden never caused
any trouble during blossom time. Pollen maps of the USA show that Chicago is
in the "heavy" zone, which is second to "very heavy
pollination" zone. Pollen maps are made using pollen count of a cubic
meter (or another unit of measurement) of local air. Within a state or a city,
neighborhoods can also be classified according their pollination level,
vegetation type. For instance, I live in Hickory Hills, IL, and hickory pollen
is a well-known "allergen" (pollen.com: pollen library).
But even in Chicago, many people are not having pollen
allergies, while some cashing out on prescription allergy-relief drugs after
exhausting the power of OTC drugs. Why?
Another thing to know about Chicago is that it is a very
windy place. Although it is not the windiest city in the USA, its winds take
pollens around for hundreds of miles, and most importantly at high speeds.
What is pollen?
pollination
n : transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of a plant [syn: pollenation]
WordNet, Princeton University
Every spring most trees and other plants blossom, and most
of them emit pollen. Insects and birds are good carriers of pollen, but the
best and invisible one is wind. As said before, winds carry pollen for
hundreds of miles, and even after the winds subside, since pollen is so tiny
and light, it stays afloat for a very long time in the air.
Rains are very good at washing away pollen from air and
various surfaces, but short and light rains only make things worse by elevating
already settled pollen from surfaces back into the air (allergyinfo.com).
Most of the pollen certainly comes in spring in majority of
places, and some plants continue to blossom and emit pollen throughout the
year.
Pollination season is better described by blossom season.
Blossoming trees and weeds produce the pollen as a natural way of multiplying.
When plants start blossoming we should know that pollen is in the air and
should keep ourselves away from this natural process' way.
"Allergies" can be thought of as a punishment that is inflicted on us
for intervening with this natural process...:)
Is Pollen Really an Allergen?
Yes, and no. The very definition of allergen is somewhat
confusing, I believe. I read postings on Internet sites dedicated to
allergies, where people ask what is so dangerous in pollen that it causes
allergies. Certain sites, such as allergyinfo.com maintained by Zyrtac, even
mention some super allergens (certain weeds and trees).
There is no need to create a new word and definition, such
as allergy or allergen. We learnt that allergy is an immune reaction (action),
which is allegedly "abnormal". Interestingly, I believe that allergy
is 100% normal. I will write in detail below.
I am suspecting that these words were adopted by learned
medical men mainly to confuse people from the main thing that we are dealing
with - IMMUNE SYSTEM.
Allergy Enlightenment
I did some enlightening for myself in the field of vaccines
recently (nvic.org), and I do not trust medical professionals in this field
anymore. My family is now protected from vaccines and everything else that
comes with it, inshaallah. My knowledge of immunology led me in understanding
allergy phenomenon. I came to understand that immune system works in all of us
unnoticeably most of the time. Our responsibility is to take appropriate
measures to consciously assist our immune system when it undertakes some
extreme and noticeable actions, which is the case of "allergic reaction".
Medical and other encyclopedias referred to allergies as
"hypersensitivity" to a substance (britannica.com). In plain
language, hypersensitivity would be "too sensitive", "job
overdone", "false alarm", "false start", I suppose.
But, having read the descriptions on how immune system works, I doubt that such
a sophisticated system fails in such a big way.
Allergies are divided to many kinds such as pollen,
chemicals, food, and medicine, to name a few. In this case I will be talking
specifically about pollen allergies, but most of my observations can be related
to other allergies as well.
When a substance, called allergen, touches the inside walls
of our nose, according medical literature, immune system mistakes it for
invaders and launches immune attack by producing histamine and a lot of nasal
fluid. Histamine clogs the small capillaries inside the nose, which leads to
congestion. When we take Claritin, its antihistamine reduces histamine
production by immune system - that qualifies it to be immunosuppressant drug,
i.e. a drug that lowers the body's normal immune response [syn: immunosuppressive drug]
(WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University). This made me very
cautious because the immunosuppressants usually suppress immunity in all ways,
not just towards one or two substances. This means by taking convenient
allergy-relief medicines people are making their bodies susceptible to many
other dreadful infectious diseases. It is also like removing air filter in
one's car and continuing driving when engine has "breathing problem"
due to the clogged air filter.
So what made me decide that I had "pollen
allergy"?
Observation of my allergy history and pattern lead me to
some very clear-cut conclusions about pollen allergy. I remember my sneezing
and itchy eyes started immediately after we visited a local forest preserve
with my family in spring 2003. My wife and child were with me but their window
was closed, and thus they avoided direct exposure to high-concentration pollen
dust current blowing inside. At first my wife and I thought I caught cold or
flu, but it cannot continue for over a month without any improvement. Within a
month I used more than a dozen boxes of paper tissue. Finally I spoke with Dr.
Sahloul, a pulmonologist from Syria, and after I explained him the symptoms he
recommended me Claritin. I took the medicine and eventually my allergies
subsided, but I now realize that pollen season was almost over until I took the
medicine.
New spring came and by early May I started having the same
symptoms as last year. My wife got away with little sneezing and occasional
coughing, and my daughter Nargiz had very mild form of pollen allergy - because
pollen dust hit her where she usually sits - right behind me in a car seat.
This time I knew for sure I was "suffering" pollen
"allergy". So I got my good old Claritin, in order to feel not just
clear, but "Claritin-Clear"â.
But after two pills I was feeling dry mouth and eyes, fatigue, dizziness, slow
reaction, and all the rest that was forewarned by the medicine's insert. I
gave up the medicine right away, and turned to Internet and books to learn
about allergies on my own.
I also noticed this year that my left eye was hurt more by
pollen dust - which I traced to my habit of keeping driver's side window open.
I never had properly functioning car A/C until now (now I
have), and that was a big problem last year. The year before that I drove only
occasionally during spring and made very short trips, that is why allergy
spared poor me. Since I gave up my intention to feel "Claritin
Clear", I do not go to parks for too long and too often, keep my car
windows closed all the time, and A/C on, and I am getting well day after day!
That is my allergy myth uncovered!
How Does Immune System Work to Prevent Passage of High
Quantity of Pollen into the Lungs?
That is The Question. The question is not how allergies
work, or how dangerous pollen is. We have to inquire into the realm of IMMUNE
SYSTEM, one of the wonders of ALLAH's creation - this divine, super fast, and
complex mechanism, that leaves far behind all the military and civil protection
measures devised by men.
I was in the military couple years ago, and I passed all the
training and tests for a lieutenant. Back then we were taught about chemical
warfare. Enemy is most likely to use chemical weapons when the wind is blowing
towards our lines: that keeps them safe and helps to inflict maximum chemical
damage to our troops. That is not the most interesting part I learnt about
chemical attack. The most interesting thing that struck me is that after the
wind blows away the chemical dust away from our lines, we, soldiers, can get
up, clean our clothes and ammunition, and continue the battle. Eventually, if
no more chemical attacks are expected, we can even take off our protective
clothing, and walk further and follow the retreating enemy. When I was
modeling how IMMUNE SYSTEM works when too much garbage (like dust, pollen,
chemicals, and whatever) keeps entering through nasal tract (as well as mouth),
I remembered that the concentration of the chemical (pollen, dust, dander) in
the air is more important to keep in mind than its mere existence. That is,
when we take off our protective chemical suits, there maybe some more chemical
particles left in the air and some of it still airborne after we shake off the
chemical residue from our ammunition, but the concentration is not lethal
anymore! That is well known in allergy circles, and some sites even offer zip
code-by- zip code pollen forecast (pollen.com).
Furthermore, the speed, intensity at which these particles
hit our eyes, body, nostrils is also very important, since this determines how
deep the particles can infiltrate into our body. This is not emphasized in
most of the sources that I encountered.
My purpose was to find a natural cure or something like
that, herb or an exercise. I found out that besides countless doctors,
pharmacies, and clinics, a lot more self-learned wunderkinds were offering
their services to rid you of the dreadful allergies. Some went as far as
making hypnosis-based CD courses, for $29.99 plus shipping and handling, to
make you immune to allergies! I myself drank an herbal tea that my wife
believed would make me free of allergies. But eventually, what I found out
literally put things upside down, and exposed the truth about
"allergy".
Pollen dust is more convenient description to use, and I see
no wisdom behind separating allergies into "pollen allergies" and
"dust allergies". This is consistent with what I said about my
findings, and that what I am writing here is highly relevant to any other kind
of "allergies". Pollen is fine dust that is emitted by plants into
the air, in order to multiply themselves, and some of it ends up in our nasal
passages, and if we, trying to use quick-fix nasal decongestants, and allergy
medications open the way - this dust goes all the way into the lungs and cause
worse things than congestion, sneezing, and runny nose - and one of them is
asthma. It is already established that the people who suffer most from
allergies are also very likely to develop asthma. That is no wonder. Opening
air passages with artificial drugs when actually these passages need to be
clogged, closed, and cleaned in natural way. Let's make one more step into the
modern medicine, and ask why so many companies in the USA sell contact lenses,
glasses, and eye drops (Visine)? For example, CLARITIN and other allergy
medicines cause dry eyes (I suspect they interfere with body liquid production
in some way, because they also cause dry mouth). Dry eyes become open target
for pollen dust bombardment and that worsens human vision. Of course,
Americans generally "work" a lot with computers, watch too much TV,
and read too much also, but I just exposed one more CLEAR reason of bad eye
health. I can't help making another intrusion into medical mystery: why so
many people have bad breath and teeth? Human saliva has cleaning and
disinfecting effect. It maintains teeth enamel and kills germs and bacteria...
Dry mouth that caused by allergy medicines - is probably one of the main causes
that make our teeth and mouth vulnerable to "foreign invaders"...And
bad breath and teeth is a big business, we must not forget, both for medical
profession and food producers that make gums and mints of all kind.
I remember using decongestants in my childhood, and quite
predictably - I had asthma afterwards for more than ten years. Our immune
system produces various fluids to keep our body clean. One of them is nasal
fluid. Our nose is a special organ created to pre-screen the air that we
breathe in. Normally, minimum of nasal fluid is enough to clean the air
current.
Abnormal Normal.
Nasal Congestion.
Hmm, I live in Chicago, and the first thing that comes to
mind is Traffic Congestion.
So, what is the main reason for traffic congestions?
Road construction, those guys who are trying to repair the
potholes on the asphalt highway!
Then, do we use decongestants for the traffic congestions?
No. We wait for construction workers to finish their job.
Why?
Because repairing those potholes is necessary for a healthy
traffic in the future...
Now do you see the parallel?
Congestion of our nose is also a process of repair of
damaged tissue inside the nasal tract and it is necessary for a healthy, smooth
traffic in the future!
Then why do we blow away the construction workers in our
nose, i.e. nasal fluid sent to repair and clean the area damaged by too much
traffic (caused by truckloads of pollen dust), while trying to open the
congestion? That leads me back to my recommendation that we should not blow
our nose too frequently during blossom season.
People most susceptible to pollen allergies:
1) People with convertible cars
2) People whose car's A/C does not work properly
3) People whose home is not properly ventilated and/or
air-conditioned
4) People who like to keep car window open while driving
(especially, driver's side)
5) People with open motorboats
6) Motor bikers (especially without a helmet)
7) Bikers (especially during high-pollen hours of the day)
8) Children, because they breath more frequently and stay
outside longer than adults.
Recommendations
It is well known that human saliva has disinfecting effect
just like human sweat that besides cooling kills germs attached to the skin.
The same is true about human tears - they not only lubricate eyes, but also
wash away and kill germs in the eyes. Likewise, I think nasal liquid has
cleaning and rehabilitating effect in the nasal tract and should not be blown
frequently. Moreover, I suggest that it be held as long as possible for faster
results. If both nostrils are congested, we should breathe through mouth, and
stay away from high pollen spaces, especially outdoors. We should filter the
air we breathe through mouth by A/C and/or piece of cloth.
Hence, I think one should consume plenty of liquids to
provide his body with raw material to produce the nasal fluid. ...And do not
try to save on tissues!
Congestion is also necessary during immune reaction. Just
like road construction crews close a highway temporarily for repairs, immune
system is doing exactly this!
Go out to play and rest in the nature after rains, not
during "dry" days of pollination season. There are maps and tables
showing pollination seasons in each state.
Do not allow draught (draft) to take place in the house -
his may bring in more pollen inside.
If much pollen get inside the room, it is advised to hang
moistened sheet in few corners which will act as pollen-catchers. Do not
forget to wash away the pollen afterwards from those sheets!
Keep all windows closed and A/C on while your car is moving.
Conclusions
Most of the information I have used here is in public
domain, but it is fragmented, and mentioned as secondary measures to prevent
allergies. For instance Zyrtac's website gives a lot of natural ways of
preventing allergies, behind its main endorsement - the medicine itself.
But it is up to us, people, to decide what is secondary and
what is first thing to do. Each and every individual is obliged to learn at
least basics of medicine to protect himself and his family against diseases and
incompetent doctors, and other authorities.