What I Learned Healing Chronic Allergies with Ancient Knowledge

I grew up in Long Beach, California, in the city that has the worst air quality in the United States, so it is no surprise that I have always suffered from breathing problems. I consider myself a bit of an expert in this area unfortunately. I have battled with allergy problems all my life. Dealing with allergies has significantly impacted my life in so many ways. If you know you know! 

Growing up, my mother was constantly searching for help from doctors. Most of the time I was given nasal sprays and antihistamines to help mask my issues. I was notorious for having tissue paper in my hand all day every day. As a result of the continuous irritation, I developed nasal polyps. Eventually, things got so bad that I developed a terrible sinus infection which exacerbated my problem. This is when I had enough. I sought out natural healing methods because I was tired of simply masking my problems. It has been a difficult journey to get my breathing problems under control, but through the hardships I learned so much that I want to share with others. After working with trained indigenous practitioners, my life has completely changed. I hardly ever deal with allergy problems these days. On the rare occasion when I do have a mild bout of sneezing, I am now equipped to know how to heal myself.

Here are the 5 things I learned while battling chronic allergies. 

1. Allergies and immunity are closely related: 

• During my health consultation with Natural Healing Practitioner Nehez Meniooh, I learned that from an African Healing perspective, allergies are simply an over reaction of the immune system. Exposure to nature and the elements is an extremely important part of developing a strong immune system according to Nehez and the Kemetic Temples of West Africa. By being in direct contact with the soil, germs, and bacteria that are naturally occurring, our immune system is learning how to interact with the environment. Living modern lifestyles limits our exposure and therefore leads to underdeveloped immune systems.  Our bodies do not get the opportunity to develop as they would being in a more natural environment. When our underdeveloped immune system does get triggered, it has an overactive response to simple things such as pollen.

• Yes, allergies are incredibly annoying. The constant sneezing and coughing can impact so many areas of your life including your work, relationships, and your social life.  But more importantly it can affect your overall health. Studies show that people who are chronically breathing through their mouth often suffer from many other issues. This is because our systems are designed to intake oxygen through the nose which is the perfect filtration system. People who have difficulty breathing through their nose, bypass the most optimal method of breathing and instead breathe through their mouth. This in turn causes low oxygen concentration in the blood which over time can lead to high blood pressure and decreased lung function. Mouth breathing can also impact brain function and sleep disorders. 

3. Allergy medication only masks: 

• If you have suffered from chronic allergies, then you know that it can be extremely miserable. For some people, it impacts their ability to enjoy a normal social life. Who wants to be in a bar constantly wiping their snot! For this reason allergy medication can be helpful as it stops your body from responding to allergens. Antihistamines block histamine, a chemical released by your immune system during an allergic reaction. However, It does not fix the underlying issue, which is an overactive immune system. Because it isn’t actually fixing the issue, you become dependent on allergy medication in order to function, versus actually fixing the issue. 

4. Indigenous healing targets the underlying problem:

• From an indigenous healing perspective, allergies must be dealt with by treating the whole body. During my health consultation with Nehez, I was advised to take a multitude of herbs. These herbs were meant to clean out my whole system including my blood and my gut. According to healers, our gut health plays a crucial role in fighting illness. Therefore having a healthy gut was one of the first goals. In addition, I was recommended to take brain cleansers. Most people are familiar with cleansing the stomach and different organs, but not many people have heard of cleansing the brain and nasal passages. This is an important part of a good health regiment in most indigenous African societies. Brain cleansers are meant to draw out excess mucus and liquid in the cranium which helps maintain a healthy brain while alleviating congestion. 

5. Nature provides solutions

• Indigenous healing is very focused around helping the body to be in balance through the use of nature. For example, in many indigenous societies natural honey has always been used to treat symptoms of colds, allergies, and even digestive issues. Honey is known to help build the immune system, organs and protect them from allergies and sickness. More recently, science is catching up to this ancient wisdom, as it has discovered that honey has small traces of pollen, a common allergen. When honey is consumed it exposes your body to small amounts of the allergen, helping your immune system to become used to it.