Relapses of Allergy

Recently, the wife of a very good friend of mine came to see me again after she had a relapse of her abdominal bloatedness. She had the problem after her uterus was removed. It was obvious to me that after her operation, she was given a powerful dose of antibiotics and although that killed the bad bacteria that could cause problems, that also killed most of her good gut bacteria and promoted the growth of candida.

She was also found to have soya allergy and was asked to avoid yeast and sugar as they promote the growth of candida. Along with probiotics and her strict adherence to my instructions, her results were amazing.

She remained well for a number of years but unfortunately she had a very bad chest infection and she was given antibiotic and the whole problem started again. She is doing well again and hopefully will remain so.

Another similar case I saw a few weeks ago is a former military attache to the Singapore government. He had severe abdominal symptoms and went to see many gastroenterologists but he was not getting better. I tested him and found him to have yeast allergy as well as candidiasis. 

This guy has a really a very sweet tooth, so I duly advised him to refrain from sugars and yeast and guess what, I met him last night at a common good friends dinner and he is doing very well. 

This begs the question, "How long must one be on the drops or probiotics?" The answer is, it is difficult to know but if one is exposed to the allergen too quickly after 'getting better', the allergy returns.

Another case will illustrate my point:

A lady lawyer whom I saw many years ago with rather severe multiple allergies, loves cats and she has a number of them in her home. Her allergy has improved with treatment but she continues seeing me for her drops, antidotes for her cat allergy and though she has an occasional rash, it is never severe. 

                                                                                        

Allergy can relapse if the causes are activated.

And my learning continues..... 

Candidiasis

One of the most intriguing question often asked by someone who suffers from allergy is, "Why does one get an an allergic reaction now and not previously?"

Twenty years ago, I thought that one of the most common predispositions to cause allergy was the presence of candida in our body.

Nowadays everyone is jumping into the bandwagon and pushing candida as the culprit. This has caused a great number of probiotics in the market promoting their use in combating candida. 

What is Candida? 

Simply put, they are the 'bad guys' in our tummy as opposed to the 'good guys' of probiotic. Generally the good and the bad live in harmony within the gut and all is well. What often change the equilibrium is, ironically, the medical profession: doctors who prescribe antibiotics liberally even for minor cough and cold. The antibiotics destroy the bad guys, yes, but also the good guys. When the bad guys return, you may find that you have less good guys to fight the bad guys.

The Chinese Sinsehs (traditional medicine practitioners) are no better. The indiscriminate dispensing of steroids for all sorts of ailments from skin disorder to arthritis and minor muscular problems compounds the problem. With the overuse of too much chemicals plus the combination of candidiasis, the explosion of allergic conditions occur.

Once candida is diagnosed to be overwhelming the body causing allergic conditions, I would prescribe probiotics to treat the allergy. However, one has to understand that not all probiotics are the same: the number of probiotics, source as well as the species in the probiotic is important. There are, of course, the 'Rolls Royce' of probiotics and the 'Proton Saga' and depending on your allergy condition, some may need the best and some don't.

The Lesson: The diagnosis of candidiasis is paramount in treating allergy.

My learning continues….