There are two types of patients who present with nut-allergies. A majority of those who are allergic to either tree-nuts or peanuts (which are legumes) while remaining show allergic response to both peanuts as well as tree-nuts.
There are so many varieties of tree-nuts viz. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, brazil-nuts, and cashews. A child that is allergic to tree-nuts usually shows sensitivity to all these varieties but the intensity may vary for a particular variety.
You don’t always have to eat the nut to manifest the allergic reaction. Just handling or smelling the nut too can induce a severe allergic response in an individual.
What exactly is a nut-allergy?
Nature has provided us with an innate defence system that fights infections – we call it our immunity. In an allergic individual, this natural immune system reacts in an inappropriate or disproportionate manner to the proteins inside the respective nuts. These proteins are considered as harmful substances and that leads to release of histamine (an allergy chemical) in the blood stream.
What are the symptoms?
Release of histamine can lead to different types of signs and symptoms, with varying intensity.
- Cough with wheezing
- Breathlessness along with tightness in the throat
- Stomach-ache with Nausea and vomiting or Diarrhea
- Itching in eyes with lachrymation (watering of eyes)
- Skin rash – Hives or wheals
- Swelling of the lips
- And the most severe reaction called anaphylaxis
Is there any natural cure?
As for the rest of the allergies (dust, milk, egg, or fragrances), the patient can outgrow them over times. This does not seem to be happening in case of nut-allergies. Usually they tend to stay lifelong in most of the people.
As the famous saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’. It is completely true for the nut-allergies. One needs to keep himself away from the nuts. If your child has got a nut-allergy, you must keep a keen watch on the foods he has to ensure that they do not contain even the slightest amount of the allergen. But it becomes practically impossible to avoid it completely.
A small amount of nuts are present in cookies and chocolates, which are very difficult for the innocent little ones to avoid. Smaller ones can’t understand why they should not eat a chocolate if all their friends can enjoy them in any amounts.
In case ingested, anti-histamine medications can help to reduce the manifestations. Most of the times, patients need to carry these medicines with them to use in case of an unwarranted attack.
Homeopathic approach to nut-allergy:
Let it be almonds or peanuts or cashews, these nuts do not trouble every individual on earth. In fact, most of us relish these nuts for their wonderful taste and nutrient-value. Just imagine a Christmas cake without almonds, won’t it taste incomplete?
The problem is not with the nuts, but with our immune system. It is our defence mechanism that is acting erratically with the substance which otherwise is harmless for the rest of the population. Thus the treatment should be directed towards treating our over-reactive immune system.
Homeopathy does exactly the same. A constitutional treatment approach helps to rebalance our health leading to cure from its root-cause. Homeopathic consultation involves an interview in which the data of physical, mental and emotional symptoms along with medical history is collected. This data is then analyzed and evaluated to understand the essence of the imbalanced state of the individual. This process leads the homeopath to find the specific remedy for the individual.
Homeopathy works by enhancing the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Action of individual specific homeopathic remedy leads to gentle stimulation and restoration of imbalanced “vital force” to balance.
Each case is analyzed separately for an individualistic remedy selection. There are more than hundred medicines that can be used for the same. It is the skill of a professionally trained homeopath to select the best suitable one for your case.
At Swaroop Clinic, we have cured many cases of food allergies (including nuts) with this approach. Those children can now enjoy all their favourite food items without having to worry about allergic reactions. They don’t have to get a nod from their mother to eat the cookies they like the most