MTV: True Life, I'm Allergic to Everything

This episode takes a look at two young people coping with food allergies.  The one girl actually seeks alternative help that looks similar to NAET and seems to be getting some relief.  From the very beginning of the show when they were showing their pantry, etc I was thinking that she has an MSG allergy.  At the end she has an anaphylactic reaction to chinese food, which convinced me even further that MSG is a major culprit for her.  I was appalled that the head of immunology at John Hopkins had the nerve to tell her it's in her head.  Right, like it's been in the head of my two, three, four, and now five-year old.

I'm glad to see mainstream TV taking on this serious subject.  It really hit home for me, I must have had tears in my eyes the entire time I was watching.  I could totally relate to all the benedryl, inhalers, food preparation, and excitement when a new food is added back.  Fortunately we've never had to use the epi pen.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/true-life-im-allergic-to-everything/1666298/playlist.jhtml#series=2211&seriesId=5232&channelId=1

Going out on a limb

Back in December a good friend of mine was battling eczema in her then six month old son.  I gave her the low-down on my best arsenal of products and routines which included bathing, moisturizing, and diet.  I also told her that if she got desperate enough we could talk about the hocus-pocus called NAET.  I was hesitant because it's weird and one really needs an open mind to take the steps to try it.  I was also hesitant because what if it didn't work for them, and because it's so weird that they'd think I'm a complete nut job.

Well, she did reach the point of desperation and has been undergoing treatments for her son for about the last month.  Yesterday was the baby boy's first birthday party which I attended.  I was approached by the dad and grandma as they were so thankful for the recommendation to try NAET because they are seeing such an improvement in their boy's skin.  WHEW, what a relief!!  The dad has gone to a handful of appointments and said after their first visit he was ready to throw in the towel because it seems like such a hoax.  But, he knows what I've been through with my son and the vast improvement we've seen, my kid is walking proof that this weird stuff works.  Everyone was commenting on how great my kid's skin looks!

What a week

This week started off with a NAET treatment for MSG, which my son woke up in the middle of the night nauseous thinking he was going to be sick--usually a good sign that something is working.  As the week progressed he had 2 outbreaks:  one to vegetable soup at a restaurant which he's never had before, and one to a single blueberry.  Blueberries and him go way back to when he was 12 months old.  They were his first major reaction, triggering asthma and vomiting.  The definition that I've been told of anaphylaxis is two or more body systems have to be involved, so this would classify as such.  He has since had a random blueberry encounter and has been fine.  This week though he broke out in hives all over his face, same with the soup.  I guess it's good that the hives are on his face where they're visible rather than his torso--gotta look for the silver lining in these cases to keep from going crazy.

Fast forward to today.  We went for our second NAET treatment of the week and, low-and-behold, he didn't pass MSG.  The doctor muscle tested my arm three times and I couldn't provide any resistance.  Not passing a treatment or being stuck in a treatment can cause other reactions (so I'm told), which is what he may have been experiencing.  So we re-treated for MSG.  On the car ride home my son was completely spaced-out, said he felt weird which was evident by the look on his face.

Then this afternoon we had his 5-year well child exam with his Pediatrician.  Our wonderful Ped has been accepted into a fellowship program to further his knowledge, so we're going to be losing him for three years.  It's quite a blow to us, but we're now on the right track and will manage.  It's been almost two years since any blood work has been done, so the doc wanted to run another IgE screen to compare.  He's also going to blood test for some other areas like vitamin D levels, lead levels, etc.  We spent about 45 minutes at the lab where they took 9-10 vials of blood.  I was floored at how much they needed.  Last time it was only 4 and I thought that was absurd.  Of course my poor son screamed all the way through it.  Why is it always mom that has to do these awful tasks?!  I'm definitely eager to see what the results determine.

MSG is on tap

MSG has been on our list to treat for via NAET for some time, and the more I read about it the more I want to get this treatment over with asap.  Not that I voluntarily feed this stuff to my kid, but it's so hard to avoid.  Check out this list of ingredients with hidden MSG.  It's almost completely unavoidable unless you're preparing all your own foods from scratch.  I'm pretty good about that these days, making all my own broths and using fresh veggies and such, but it's pretty much certain that anytime you eat out you're going to get some form of MSG, or packaged food for that matter.  


The problem with this stuff is that, according to this article and Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and author of “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills”,  MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees -- and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.


Some of the adverse reactions to MSG include:

• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Obesity
• Eye damage
• Headaches
• Fatigue and disorientation
• Depression

The FDA acknowledges that “short-term reactions” known as MSG Symptom Complex can occur in certain groups of people, namely those who have eaten “large doses” of MSG or those who have asthma.

According to the FDA, MSG Symptom Complex can involve symptoms such as:

• Numbness
• Burning sensation
• Tingling
• Facial pressure or tightness
• Chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Headache
• Nausea
• Rapid heartbeat
• Drowsiness
• Weakness

Knowing how sensitive my kid has been to everything, MSG is definitely on the radar.

Where are the environmental allergies this year?

Do I dare say it out loud?  I've been thinking it for some time, especially as I've had 2 spring allergy colds and have heard from many others about the tough spring they're having.  But my DS has been great.  No sniffles, no post-nasal drip, no cough, no asthma, and no eczema!  Oh yeah, and NO ZYRTEC!  Can this be the same child?  I'm so happy for him; all of his hard work is paying off.

We've been targeting NAET treatments that tackle the remnants of his itch.  His latest treatments were for Fungus (which his eyelids immediately lit up beet red, but were back to normal the next morning) and thyroid.