Allergy Sufferers Have Alternatives

With the spring allergy season under way, hundreds of people in the Warren area will be looking for some relief. 

That can come in the form of over-the-counter medication, some of which have become household names such as Claritin, Benadryl and Zyrtec. These allergy drugs contain antihistamines and decongestants intended to relieve a wide range of symptoms.

But allergy sufferers also have alternative choices when it comes to relieving even the most intense symptoms, which can include sneezing, itching and a scratchy throat just to name a few.

“The number one thing that I would recommend to someone with allergies is Quercetin,” said Dan Eorio, manager of health foods store in Warren’s Pheasant Run shopping center. Quercetin is a plant-derived flavenoid that is also a natural antihistamine. “It acts as a natural antihistamine that blocks out all the pollen.  It works just as well as Claritin without the side effects. Then there’s other options such as homeopathic medicine where everyone, even children can take it.” 

Homeopathic medicine is an approach to treatment whereby a homeopathic provider introduces a sufferer’s allergen back into their system as an antidote. Treatments rely more on the experience of the homeopathic provider’s experience in diagnosis based on historical observation. 

Homeopathic nutritionist Elizabeth Januzzi, who runs a homeopathic business called Giving Tree Holistics and regularly holds seminars in the Warren area, says that people often mistake allergies for what are actually infections. 

“There are a lot of viruses around now,” Januuzzi said. “People who are around children more often, such as day care workers and teachers, these people are more prone to infections.”

In addition, she said that simple things like drinking enough water could also have an effect on allergies, particularly those waters that are higher in sodium, which allow the body to balance its electrolytes, and any nutrient that enhances liver function. 

“People can boost their liver with Papaya or dandelions,” Januzzi said. “Your liver detoxifies the extra allergens. The other thing that people can buy at a store like Fountain of Vitality is called bioplasma, which an alternative remedy based on salt that enhances absorption of nutrients for cellular activity.”

Homeopathic remedies are nothing new to physicians who treat allergies, of course, but physicians are after a better than 50 percent success rate on drugs or therapies, which homeopathy cannot always provide.

“(Introducing an allergen to a person who is allergic to the substance) is actually the basis of Immunotherapy,” said Kerry LeBenger, a doctor of pediatric and Adult Allergy, Asthma & Immunology at Summit Medical Group, on Mountain Boulevard. “The whole idea of giving bee pollen to people allergic to pollen really does have some benefit, but for me it may not work sometimes because of the concentration levels. But our science is based on homeopathy.”

That’s actually good news for allergy sufferers. “(Plant-based) allergies are curable, however, food allergies at the present time are not but probably in our children’s generation they will be," Dr. Benger said. For those with food allergies it’s just about avoidance.

Dr. Benger said some of the recent research on allergies looks promising.  Researcher Wes Burks, of Duke University, was able to hyposensitize patients to peanuts.  In his study, he gave people small amounts of peanut flour or a handful of peanuts once a week and most were able to maintain an immuno-tolerable state. 

“Fifty percent of the participants, however, dropped out of the study and when you are in medicine 50 percent is not good enough," he added. "Dr Brooks is working on injection therapy that is the isolated protein in peanuts. The goal is to create an antibody to block it.”

Fountain of Vitality is located at 100 Mountain Blvd. You can find them on the Web at www.fountainofvitality.net or call (732) 469-0088.

Elizabeth Januzzi’s Giving Tree Holistics can be found on the Web at wwww.givingtreeholistics.com or call (848) 702-3910.