Allergies and TMS

I'm curious if people have eliminated allergies via TMS/mindbody approaches, because I seem to have eliminated my dust allergy via dietary changes.

I've had a dust allergy for nearly 30 years. It started after college (not long after I had already developed acid reflux just before graduating). The dust allergy started when I moved to a new area of the country so I assumed it was because of the different allergens that I was being exposed to, or at least that's what some people suggested, so I went with it. The reflux mostly went away when I got pregnant with my first child 7 years later. But the dust allergy hung on.

Then when I was 40, I ruptured the disc in my neck, had surgery, and developed chronic myofascial pain. After two years of horrible pain, I finally read books by Sarno and John Barnes and realized my pain was of psychogenic origin. So I assumed the reflux, dust allergy, and recurrent UTI's that I also get were all TMS-related.

Then about a year and a half ago, I changed to an anti-inflammatory diet in hopes of reducing my still ongoing chronic pain. (I've had remarkable reduction in pain with mindbody work, but I'm one of those who still hasn't been able to get rid of all the pain--so I still keep trying whatever I can). So when I started eating high antioxidant foods, cut out nearly all added sugar, and greatly reduced processed foods (e.g., pasta, breads, etc.), my pain didn't change, but my decades-old dust allergy went away! And it's remained under control for a year and a half.

So now I'm confused. Was the dust allergy TMS? It didn't go away with all the mindbody work I did, but when I tried an anti-inflammatory diet, it went away. So even though I still feel like there was probably a mindbody element that may have triggered it originally, there still seems to be a way to treat it. Maybe it's similar to UTIs, where there can be a mindbody component, but since they are true infections, they are treated with antibiotics.

So I guess I'm just wondering what people think about this, and whether others have had experiences with getting rid of their allergies with TMS, or with dietary changes, as I have. Then sometimes I wonder if the diet change is just a placebo. But I tend to think not, because it seems to make sense to me that an anti-inflammatory diet might act like an antihistamine to keep the sneezing and itchy eyes from happening.

 

Dr. Sarno says allergies are another symptom of TMS, and I believe him, although now that spring is here, my next-door neighbor's lawn crew is spraying more chemicals on his lawn. We are polluting ourselves but so many people are in love with their lawns, although they seldom even look at them. I believe in both TMS to relieve allergies and, if the pollen and mold counts are really high, take an Advil. Using a Neti pot clears the sinuses. See videos about them at Youtube, and also about natural treatment of allergies.

Deep relaxing breathing also helps with allergies. Inhale through the nose to the count of 4, hold the breath for 7, exhale through the mouth to 8. Repeat 4 times, then breathe slowly through the nose or mouth.

 

all my allergies went away with tms healing, i used to take some allergy medicine every day for years. Now i take none and rarely get sick. Its usually due to your body and mind being in a constant fight or flight response. Its so subconscious half the time you don't even know your doing it, awareness is first place to start. In my case my immune system was run down because of how hard we are on ourselves and really don't know how to relax. This world is so fast past now, we as a collective unconscious dont know what being present is and really connecting with ourselves and other people is really like. I wouldn't worry about allergies most of them are not really harmful, but yet again its based on the great fear epidemic that runs in society today. Its seems like every where you turn people have more and more allergies, look at all the epipens people are getting. It all points back to more money for pharma and keeping people in fear of there physical condition. I'm not totally against doctors just many of them don't look at the whole picture of a persons life to see how the brain and emotions work into the process. It is good to eat a natural healthy diet, but dont obsess on that as your means to eating a perfect diet to be healthy. As the great doctor said, "If one is preoccupied with the body/symptoms they will persist". Your body is ok, go have fun, goodluck. We are what we believe.

Ryan

 

Allergy symptoms are a TMS equivalent and one that I endure. I was tested and am not really allergic to anything, but my immune system is over-reacting to the presence of pollen, dust, mold, etc. Clearly a mindbody phenomenon. Antihistamines help control the symptoms or may just act as a placebo. That may be why the diet is helping. If it's a healthy diet, no problem, just don't obsess about it as Ryan says above.

 

Thanks for your reply, @walt Olesky. What I find interesting is that my severe dust allergy is gone, but sometimes, if I start eating the old stuff again, it starts to show up a little again, even though not nearly as bad as it was. Once I go back to the healthy non-processed food diet, it gets better again. I think just as we are poisoning our environment with chemicals, we are also poisoning our bodies with lots of sugar, foods stripped of nutrients, and pesticides. So now as long as I eat well, which can only have other positive benefits, I don't have to worry about the allergies.

@Ryan, thank you for your response. It makes sense. I agree. For what it's worth, I never went to a doctor about my allergy. It was really just a nuisance that I was just living with. But it was really annoying with severely itchy eyes and nose, and sneezing with a runny nose for an entire day if I just put on a sweater that I hadn't worn in a while, never mind, try to clean up around the house. Not until it was gone did I realize how annoying it was and how uncomfortable I was. I never felt preoccupied by the allergy. My neck pain, on the other hand, well that's another story!! Well, maybe with the dust allergy, I did think about it every time I wanted to put on a sweater. So maybe I wasn't obsessed, but it was surely on my mind. Anyway, I like what you said that I shouldn't obsess about eating a perfect diet, although, I do feel overall much better when I do. And I'm not militant about it, but I do like the way I feel when I eat a variety of fresh "real" foods.

 

Thanks @Ellen. Yes, I agree. I'm just glad that I found something that got rid of my allergy, since to date, the mindbody stuff hadn't done it. So even if it's linked to my mind thinking it's the food, for the moment I'm just thrilled to be without the annoying allergy. If it comes back, I'll remind myself it's a mindbody thing and see what happens.

 

I am a militant about diet and follow some of the advice of the Weston Price Foundation. Diet is what has helped to partially heal my mindbody.

A good mood and a good diet improve our digestion. And a good digestion improves our mood. I feel everything is connected.

Our inmune system is primed by bacteria in the gut, so anything that helps with digestion may help with allergies.

Switching from the fight or flight mode of operation to a healthier rest and digest is just as important as a good diet.