Rubber Allergy

Many years ago, one of my dance instructors showed me her feet - it was scaly around her toes and sole.

"Aha", my first thought was a fungal infection, but tests showed it was not. Muscle testing revealed that she was sensitive to rubber products, particularly her socks. She was wearing '100% cotton' socks but since it was stretchable, I was sure it had rubber components in it. She cleverly went to hunt for a pair of socks that did not have rubber but was made of cotton spandex and simply enough, her allergy was cured.

The big problem of rubber allergy is when the rash is at your undergarment areas such as your bra region. Boxer shorts help but even that some still gets the rash and i have advised for these to go back to the 'good-old-days' undies that my dad used i.e. those which you need to tie with strings and these are specially sown. Not especially cool or fashionable, but it will help tremendously in the long run.

Lesson: The simple key to contact-based allergy is avoidance.

My learning continues...

Multiple Allergies and Growing Up

This young man first saw me at the age of 12 with very severe eczema and he was feeling terrible and really, who can blame him?

He was first diagnosed to have house dust mite, egg and milk allery and later with the help of his mum and himself, we gradually realised that he also had chrome, nickel, alcohol, detergent and mint allergy. That's quite a number.

His condition improved with time but he was not happy as he was the smallest boy in class and by 15 had not attained puberty. I assured him that with the elimination of his allergies, he would grow. Of course, being the awkward age of 15, I wasn't sure if he believed me.

Imagine my pride that he is now grown and training for a triathron! In fact when I met him at the park where I have my weekly walks, he challenged me for a race (with handicap of course... I'm past my prime) with the bet that if he won, further medical fees would be waived. Clever boy.

Because he was getting better in the course of his treatment, he also mentioned that he wanted me to stay alive as long as he lives so that he would always be well. What a compliment, I thought.

Allergies May Have Multiple Causes. Doctor and Patient Detective Collaboration Helps.

My learning continues.

Food & Acne

Having those pesky pimples in your teens is such a nuisance.

Apart from mediacation for the treatment, there are those who develop acne as a the result of using the wrong facial products or taking drugs which predisposes to pimples. There are also those whose acne are actually are caused by sensitivity to certain foods. In all the cases I test them for any food that can aggravate or cause them. Generally, the food to avoid are:

• fried food
• nuts
• chilis
• chocolates
• caffeinated drinks

Also remember to cleanse your face which tends to be greasy as often as your can especially after when you sweat.

Certain Foods Are Best Avoided When You Have Acne

...and my learning continues

General Allergy Advice

I need to stress this particular point that allergy begets allergy and this is the 'Allergic March', meaning that the allergy can become worse, other allergies may appear or you may become allergic to new substances.

I recently consulted a young 3-year-old girl who was having yeast allergy and did fantastically well with treatment. However, the allergy returned when her mum gave her some sour plum to eat.

SOUR PLUM??

For a 3-year-old??

Oh well.

My general advice for allergy would be:

• to avoid at all cost the food you or your child is allergic to
• not to introduce any other foodstuff which does not add any value to the child or your health such as junk food, flavored drinks and food and processed foods (these have preservatives, coloring and binding substances that should be avoided)
• to consume good fresh food, fruits and vegetables
• to avoid using complex soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and supplements (they are not unnecessary unless detected that they are short of them - to be discussed later)

For Allergic Persons, Simple Is Good

… and my learning continues.

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..... 

The Extremes of Allergies

An allergy can present as two extreme manifestations; I had two cases today to demonstrate my point.

One young man came to see me for a patch of thickened skin rash at the back of his neck, about the size of a ten-cent coin. He was diagnosed to have chromium allergy (i.e. allergy to chrome). It was due to a chain he was wearing for some time, a gift from his girlfriend.

The other patient had seen me 5 years ago and was diagnosed as having egg allergy and has actually got well after treatment by me. This time, he had a scaly rash all over his scalp, his face and his whole body. His condition is known as exfoliative dermatitis, a severe allergic reaction. His present severe manifestation is in contrast with what he experienced 5 years ago - only a mild skin rash. This illustrates the unpredictability of allergy.

I can remember some other cases I've had of extreme allergic manifestations.

Many years ago, one patient of mine had an allergy to yellow dye additive (as found in certain foods) and was admitted to a hospital for an anaphylactic reaction (i.e. allergic shock) in Sydney after taking some butter for breakfast. After that incident, she kept an Epipen (Epinephrine Auto-Injector) with her. She had another attack in Kuala Lumpur when she was back in Malaysia but after I prescribed her with probiotic, she has never had another attack since. 

Another patient is the daughter of a squash buddy of mine who had peanut-induced anaphylactic shock, which can cause death very rapidly, like 5 minutes. He brought her to see me, and after treatment, she has not had an attack since.

Allergy can range from the very mild to very life treatening

My learning continues...

Running Noses

Many people have been suffering from a running or stuffy nose for a very, very long time and have been on antihistamine or nasal sprays. A lot of sufferers have resigned themselves to the fact that they have to suffer such symptoms forever. 

They do not have to.

There are two main categories of causes:

1. Temperature changes 
2. Allergens in the atmosphere.

The culprits are usually due to house dust mites, moulds (airborne spores), pet dander, dust particles, smoke/smog, grass and plant pollen (the grass pollen in the east differ from those which cause seasonal rhinitis/runny nose in the west) and in my part of the world (Malaysia) I have found that joss sticks, mosquito repellents (coils or electric) can also cause this problem.          

Unlike food, airborne allergens are difficult to avoid totally. It is possible to desensitise the sufferer ageist the allergen by producing holistic drops which neutralise the effect of the allergen, thereby decreasing the sensitvity to the allergen.

There are also patients who get running nose by consuming coffee or tea, exposure to perfumes and even seafood but these causes are less common.

Most nasal allergy are caused by airborne allergens

My learning continues.......