Dust and Dust Mite Allergies

These two particular allergies are extremely common: dust is pretty much inescapable, while dust mites have found ideal living conditions in our houses and multiply happily in our quilts and duvets, mattresses, woollen blankets and carpets, and fabric wall coverings. This would be a matter of purely academic interest, if it were not for the fact that these cousins of the spider. which live on dead, shed skin cells, are responsible for various allergic reactions, such as rhinitis, spasmodic coughs, and possibly asthma attacks.

Medical management

This consists first of all of eliminating contact with the allergen, then of acting on the patient's 'terrain' in order to modify and reinforce it.

Allergy tests are a useful procedure, even for a professional homeopath not so as to be able to give desensitizing treatments, but to be able to tell the patient what to avoid. It is a waste of time trying to prescribe any sort of treatment without trying to eliminate the cause of the allergy.

Once the allergen has been pinpointed, every effort should be made to avoid contact with it. In the case of dust mites, no treatment is as effective as getting rid of the creatures, as far as one can.

Essential measure

It is vital to try to remove dust mites, especially from the bedroom. You should:

- air the bed thoroughly, as dust mites hate cool, dry air
- avoid having fitted carpets and fabric wall coverings in your room
- wrap your mattress in a plastic cover
- be careful to keep the dust under control at all times
- use synthetic blankets on your bed, and wash them frequently
- spray against dust mites in your bed­room. Two treatments, six weeks apart, should be enough.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy's approach is akin to that of a desensitizing programme, but without its drawbacks - it uses what is known as isotherapy.

Once the allergen (the substance that causes the allergic reaction) has been accurately identified, it is collected and brought in to the homeopath, who then prepares the isotherapeutic remedy There are two types:

- Self-isotherapeutic remedies were prepared from secretions supplied by the patient, taken from the nose or throat, or from a urine sample. Current legislation no longer permits their preparation in France. However, in Britain, there is no such regulation and homeopaths often prescribe on this basis. Most usually the preparation will is made from a sample of the patient's urine or from small skin scrapings

- Hetero-isotherapeutic remedies, on the other hand, are still made up and distributed to patients. The remedy is derived from house dust, mould, or pollen, and given to the patient in the form of granules or tablets

• The specific homeopathic remedy derived from generic house dust or taken from the bedroom

Sample Prescription: Ask your homeopath for two tubes of isotherapeutic remedy made of house dust at a dilution of 5c. Take four tablets twice a day for several weeks.

• It is also essential that you combine this treatment with a constitutional remedy, to be chosen after consultation with a professional homeopath. Some likely choices are Arsenicum album, Nux vomica, or Sulfur

Sulfur

- Mineral origin: sulphur
- The main constitutional homeopathic remedy for allergies
- Three specific indications: the symptoms are made worse by heat and water, and improve in cool temperatures

Self-isotherapeutic remedies were banned without any concrete scientific evidence against them, but purely as a precautionary measure. In Britain (where no such regulation exists), homeopaths rarely take blood samples, preferring urine or skin to create the remedy. I would simply point out that homeopathy's detractors also criticize the discipline for the complete absence of active principles once a certain dilution has been reached - which would make the transmission of any disease a highly unlikely possibility.

Oligotherapy

Manganese and cobalt

Trace elements are usually found in a varied and high quality diet. In cases of deficiency, which is unlikely with these two minerals, they can be given as medicinal supplements.

Dietary sources of manganese

This is primarily to be found in plants, especially whole-grain cereals, chocolate, nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts), wheatgerm, some herbs and spices (cloves, ginger, and thyme), vegetables (beetroot, chestnuts, beans, peas, and soya beans), and tea.

Dietary sources of cobalt

This mineral comes essentially from meat and milk, and shellfish (crayfish), Vegetables offer very little cobalt, although it is found in mushrooms, white cabbage, onions, and radishes.

• Manganese-cobalt treatment: this combination is available in various brands and forms, such as Organic Minerals (Colloidals) which contains 70+ trace minerals:
  - Available in 946ml bottles
  - Take 1-3 caps just before breakfast and/or evening meal
  - Children 1 teaspoon daily for each 20lbs of body weight

Or Maximol (Ionized colloidals):

- Available in 500ml bottles
- Take 1/2 capful once or twice daily on an empty stomach

• You could also take a manganese­only supplement, such as Lamberts@ Manganese (as Amino Acid Chelate), containing 5mg of manganese:
  - Available in containers of 100 capsules
  - 1 to 3 capsules daily

Acupuncture

Allergies are acupuncture's third great treatment area, after pain and autonomic nervous system problems. Its role here is primarily one of prevention, and it can be used in combination with the two preceding therapies.

Treatment Schedule: Two sessions per month for several months.

An average of six sessions are needed in order to judge whether the treatment is working.