Allergies are on the rise! A large portion of my clinical practice is devoted to children suffering from allergies such as allergic rhinitis (seasonal hay fever), asthma, and eczema. An underlying theme with allergies is inflammation:

Each condition displays this inflammation differently, for example a child with asthma may wheeze whereas a child with hay fever may sneeze or have a constant stuffy nose.

My conventional training as a medical doctor taught me to treat these conditions symptomatically. Each allergic condition, has different pharmaceuticals to address the symptoms - one common pharmaceutical used is steroids. Steroids decrease inflammation by suppressing the immune system. 

Steroids work well and fast. Here’s the problem I quickly realized in training as a pediatrician. Using steroids doesn’t solve the cause of the inflammation, it just suppresses the symptom of inflammation. So guess what can happen when you take off the steroids that are suppressing the inflammation? I best visualize inflammation as a raging fire. Steroids are the water that put out the fire, creating smoke. But, did anyone look for what started the fire? Bingo! The fire will rekindle, and often with a vengeance! 

Here's the primary difference between conventional and holistic treatment plans. The conventional plan treats the symptom of inflammation through suppression with steroids. In contrast, a holistic practitioner is constantly trying to find what started the fire of inflammation in the first place.
 
Often there is more than one cause for the inflammatory response. That’s where the art of holistic medicine comes into play. Each child with allergies, may have a common theme of inflammation, so we know we need to support their immune system to function better. Yet, each child may have many different reasons as to why their immune system is not functioning appropriately, and therefore causing inflammation within the body.

What can you do as a parent of a child with allergies? Start supporting a healthy immune system. See Asthma, Eczema, Food Allergies & Sensitivities, and Hay Fever for more information.