Life with Allergies…no more
Life with Allergies…no more!
The summer before my son started 3rd grade I started to notice some behavior problems. He had days that he was very impulsive and yet others where he was very thoughtful. Some days he was very short tempered, even angry and out of control. Other days he’d cry for no reason at all. Sometimes when I’d ask him a simple task, like “please get the ketchup out of the refrigerator”, he’d start walking and then completely forget what he was doing. I, like many moms, just assumed he was being naughty and pushing my buttons. However, when 3rd grade started that Fall I received a phone call on the SECOND week of school stating that my son was a huge distraction to himself and others, and his teacher asked me to come in for a conference. I still thought this was just his way of getting my attention…it worked! As I sat and listened to his teacher describe the behaviors and concerns that she had, I was quickly in tears and I knew something was wrong. She said that in her 26 years of teaching she had only referred three students to special education for ADHD symptoms, meaning she does not come to that conclusion lightly, and my son was the third. I tried to rationalize, stating that it was only the second week of school, how could she possibly label my child, who has NEVER had any problems prior, as ADHD?!
Well, my assumptions from the summer were now turning into real concerns. I started watching my son like a hawk, every thing he did I became aware of and it was shocking. Some things I had seen over the past few months, but I didn’t realize how big of a problem they really were. He constantly had his hands on his face; whether it was picking his nose, sticking his hands or objects in his mouth, or itching his scalp, nose and face. He constantly chewed on his collars to the point where I’d have to tell him to change his shirt because it was so wet. He would itch/grab his private parts and his buttocks all the time, even in public, and not because he had to go to the bathroom. His anxiety would get so high some days that he would even forget to wipe and flush when using the bathroom. Now, I know a lot of kids can forget stuff like that, but he would be forgetting even as I would stand in the bathroom and remind him seconds earlier. He was forgetting everything; what he was asked to do, what he was supposed to do next, and/or what he had just done. Some of us adults like to joke about having “Alzheimer’s”, but this was an 8 year old! An 8 year old who had never had any problems at school or home. He was the kid teachers loved, not the “annoying, distracting, out of control, emotional” kid that he had now become.
His teacher and I watched him and documented things for about 2 weeks and then I agreed that he needed to be evaluated by the school psychiatrist. She found that he definitely fit the criteria of ADHD, however did not give him a diagnosis, but referred us to a doctor. At the appointment I explained the concerns of the teacher, psychologist, and myself and in LESS THAN 30 minutes she came to the conclusion that yes, indeed my son has ADHD. She came to that conclusion WITHOUT any testing, simply by what she heard and the symptoms that he showed during the appointment. She handed me a prescription for Adderall and I walked out the door.
I didn’t argue with that doctor, I just let her tell me what she thinks she knows, but I knew in my heart that she was wrong. It really bothered me that she did not offer any other alternative possibilities. I knew there had to be an explanation for this SUDDEN change in my son’s behavior, and at that time I knew that if I didn’t take the time and effort to try and figure out a logical reason, my son would end up labeled just like so many other kids, and there is no way I would allow that without being 100% certain. At this time I did allow my son to be entered into the special education program, because he fit the criteria and his grades were struggling, and it was beneficial for him to receive the numerous accommodations. However, I did not medicate him.
I went home that night and I started researching online, and I researched all day and all night, for days until I finally found a possible answer. It was titled “Don’t accept a diagnosis of ADHD until you’ve ruled out all these possibilities”. Under the title was a very long list of possible conditions/diseases that mimic ADHD. Among this list that caught my eye; were hearing problems, lead poisoning, Lyme’s disease, and allergies. Considering that my son had many ear infections when he was younger, we live in an older home with possible lead paint, we live in Wisconsin where there are many wood ticks, and my son had known environmental allergies and my daughter had many food and environmental allergies, I decided that these things were possibilities and that they needed to be ruled out.
I called my insurance company and asked them if there was an ENT nearby that would accept my insurance without a doctor’s referral. They gave me the name of an ENT who also was specialized in allergies, and was located about 2 hours away from our home. I called that day and made an appointment for later that same week.
I printed off the article that I found online and brought it with to the appointment. I explained the situation and I simply asked her to rule out every single thing on the list. She was/is a wonderful woman and doctor. She started with my son’s ears, nose and throat and discovered that he had sinus issues due to allergies, which I already was aware of, and also that he had chronic tonsillitis. His hearing and all the blood work was perfect. This was good news, but I was feeling like we were hitting a dead end… The last thing on the list was allergies. I knew his environmental allergies and what the symptoms were, but I was pretty sure he did not have any food allergies because he did not show any of the “classic” symptoms. Boy was I wrong. I had no idea that allergies could cause BEHAVIORAL symptoms, did you?
Well, we had my son tested and even the doctor could not believe the results. He tested positive for more things than any other patient of hers! On the next page you will see his allergens, the severity (mild, moderate, severe)-according to test results, and the reaction.
FOODS
Corn SEVERE Abdominal pain, crying, headaches, unable to focus, Eczema
Milk Moderate Crying, headaches, severe insomnia (on average 4 hrs to fall asleep with 1 exposure)
Wheat Moderate General Itchiness, itchy/watery eyes, congestion, runny nose
Gluten SEVERE Diarrhea, abdominal pain
Peanut SEVERE Very LOW energy, very emotional, hands in mouth/nose, itchy nose
Soy SEVERE Extreme impulsiveness (stealing, speaking out), irrational, temper tantrums
Almond SEVERE Anaphylaxis (itchy tongue, tightening of throat)
Malt Moderate Diarrhea
Beet Sugar SEVERE Hyperactive (to the point of Obnoxious!) with no control to stop
Cane Sugar Moderate Irritable, crying, insomnia, increased energy
Apple SEVERE Anaphylaxis (hives, itchy tongue), anger, frustration, mean!
Orange Moderate Irritable, insomnia
Kiwi SEVERE Hives
Strawberry Mild Sneezing
Lemon Moderate Anxiety, insomnia
Peaches Moderate Irritability
Pears Moderate Irritability, increased energy
Carrots SEVERE Anaphylaxis (itchy tongue, tightening of throat, hives),
Cauliflower SEVERE Hives, picking nose, fidgety, rash all over body
Green Peas Moderate Unkown, test showed positive but there was no visible reaction
Lettuce Moderate Insomnia, sneezing
Navy Beans Moderate Hands constantly in mouth or nose!, irritable
Mushrooms SEVERE Unknown, we did not experiment because of his high mold allergies
Red/Orange food dye SEVERE Anaphylaxis (severe hives, swelling of eyes/nose/mouth)
Annatto coloring SEVERE Irritable, crying, temper tantrums
ENVIRONMENTAL
Ragweed SEVERE Swelling of eyes, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose, congestion
Weeds SEVERE Swelling of eyes, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose, congestion
Trees SEVERE Swelling of eyes, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose
Grass SEVERE Swelling of eyes, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose
Dust Mites SEVERE Sneezing, congestion, runny nose, itching
House Dust SEVERE Sneezing, congestion, runny nose
MOLD types *molds, in general, mainly caused hives and itching, eczema, congestion
*Alternaria tenuis Moderate
*Aspergillus fumigatus Mild
*Cephalosporium roseum Moderate
*Curvalaria spicifera Moderate
*Fusarium oxysporium Moderate
*Helminthosporium spp. Moderate
*Hormodendrum clado. Moderate
*Mucor racemosus Moderate
*Penicillium notatum Moderate
*Pullaria pullulans Moderate
*Rhizopus nigricans Moderate
*Corn smut Moderate
*Grass smut SEVERE
*Epicoccum nigrum Moderate
Cats Moderate Itching, sneezing, watery/itchy eyes
Dogs SEVERE Itching, sneezing, watery/itchy eyes
Now you’re probably wondering how I could possibly know what the reaction is for each allergen, but I do. The doctor told me to eliminate ALL the allergens (even trace amounts) for 4 weeks. Yes, it’s a long list and it was very overwhelming, but it was possible and we did it. At the end of the 4 weeks I introduced one allergen, once a day, for one week at a time. I kept a daily diary of the foods he ingested and the behaviors/reactions that I saw. I also had his teacher report any and all behaviors/possible reactions each day. Some of the reactions ended up being life-threatening, which seemed crazy to me because like I said before I had NO idea that he had food allergies, but because we took it out of his system for that extended amount of time when it was reintroduced it showed the true reaction. The doctor explained that because he has so many allergies some of them were probably acting against each other, therefore not allowing the full blown affect until now.
As the days went on, my son started becoming “normal” again. His teacher started seeing huge improvements and the negative behaviors were only noticeable during our trial times of reintroducing foods. This process took several months before we were done experimenting, but it was worth every second!
During the process I had started him on allergy drops, which are sublingual drops that are administered under the tongue three times a day. This was quite expensive, because insurance does not cover it, but I felt it was better than having him stuck with numerous needles every week for the next 5+ years. The drops are a way of building up the body’s immunity to the allergen, so that, just like with allergy shots, within 3-5 years the body is no longer reacting to the allergen. It also allows you, after a couple months of treatment, to introduce small amounts of the allergen. Sometimes small amounts were okay, but others still had to be 100% eliminated. If he reacted, then we would wait a few weeks and try again, all the while documenting everything.
The only downfall is that the doctor is only allowed to put about six different allergens in each bottle of drops (one bottle for foods and another bottle for environmental), depending on the severity. Well, that meant I could only choose the top six in each category to treat him for, which meant the others still had to be 100% eliminated to avoid reactions. This was quite overwhelming, but everything is doable with the right attitude.
Throughout the next 2 years my son continued on his very restricted diet, and although he was pretty much in a “bubble” he had a great attitude and the teachers, students, and our family and friends were completely amazed at the positive changes. However, there were times when the temptations got too strong and he would eat something that he was allergic too or someone would accidentally give him something and he couldn’t resist. It didn’t take long for him to realize that it was NOT worth it, because his impulsivity caused him to steal which led to the police being called to school. Sometimes he’d have headaches, pain, nausea, hives, and he often had sleepless nights. Other times it would be his anxiety, which would lead to disciplinary actions at school or home. Unfortunately, not too many people believe you when you say your behaviors are actually allergic reactions. They simply label you as naughty and don’t give you much positive attention. My son’s biggest temptation was gum…he LOVED gum, but it has four of his top allergens in it, soy being the worst. Did you know that it takes the body between 3-14 days to rid itself of a food?? Well, one exposure to soy would cause my son to become severely impulsive, therefore causing him to impulsively eat more gum, exposing him to even more soy…if it takes about 3-14 days to rid itself of ONE exposure, guess how long it takes to get rid of repeated exposures?? TOO LONG!
Well, I am very proud of my son, because he was strong enough, once aware of his problem, to make the healthier choice of saying no. His teachers and I had to teach him that his allergies were like “drugs and alcohol”; you just have to “say NO”.
Well, although I adore our ENT/Allergy doctor, who did change our lives by making us aware of my son’s allergies, I eventually was told about a Chiropractic/Naturopathic Clinic not too far from my hometown that had another approach to allergy treatment….NAET (Natural Allergy Elimination Treatment).
This past February I was introduced to an amazing man, doctor, and Christian, Dr. Mike Olson. The combination of himself, his staff at Foundations in Health/Olson Chiropractic, and the Natural Allergy Elimination Treatment, has changed my family’s lives forever!
NAET is painless, natural, very cost effective, and produces incredibly fast results. It seems too good to be true, but here are the facts: my son, who had never had any behavior/attention issues in his life, was suddenly put into special education, labeled as ADHD, and his food intake was so limited that he pretty much lived in a “bubble” from his peers, friends and even family members. Up to this point the only other person, besides myself, that I allowed to cook for him was my mother (she’s amazing!), but I had to teach her and double check everything she did just to ensure my son’s safety, simply because the amount of restriction was so overwhelming that unless you studied it and lived it you would not be able to do it.
There was no such thing as “quick meals” or “let’s go out to eat” at our house, mealtime was a very timely thought out process and quite costly at times. Some people like to complain that milk prices are almost $4 per gallon…try paying $18 per gallon for goat’s milk because that is the ONLY type my son could drink, not to mention having to buy goat cheese and butter. It’s pretty hard to complain when your child literally only has a handful of options to eat and drink, you just do what you have to do and God does the rest. Money and time were never an issue for me though…it was always about my son’s health and the quality of his future. When you’re in that type of situation you always find a way, even when everyone is telling you it’s impossible.
Well, like I said, Dr. Mike Olson is AMAZING and it’s because of him that my son is ALLERGY-FREE!!! Yes, he has NO allergies…and I should mention that the whole process took less than 7 months, start to finish, with each allergen being reversed in only 25 hours! Every week my son was eating more and more things that he hadn’t been able to touch in over two whole years. My son can now eat, drink, touch, smell, and surround himself with anything and he has no reaction. He is currently out of special education, is an A/B student, and other than having normal male pre-teen energy he is a very calm and precious young man.
Now, Dr. Mike didn’t just wave a wand and the allergies were gone, he used NAET (Natural Allergy Elimination Treatment). Like I stated earlier, it is painless. The treatment takes about 20 minutes per allergen, during which Dr. Mike places two hand held wands onto different parts of the body. The wands have laser lights which transmit energy into the body reprogramming it to not respond to the allergen, kind of like reprogramming a computer. Once the treatment is done the patient must not have any contact, with the allergen being treated, for the next 25 hours. After the 25 hours, assuming there was no contact, the patient can reintroduce the allergen and there should be no reaction. If there is a reaction, it’s not because the treatment did not work it’s because 1) there was contact (known or unknown) during the 25 hours, 2) there is some other ingredient or component to the allergen that was not treated for, and most likely unknown and/or 3) the patient has Leaky Gut Syndrome, which simply means that the “gut” is so damaged, either from yeast, bacteria overgrowth, underlying disease/condition, and/or gluten/lactose intolerances, that it requires some type of healing method prior to treatment. For my family it was yeast and Celiac disease, so Dr. Mike put us on a 14 day Candida Albicans Diet and it did wonders!
An example of another ingredient/component that one could be unaware of happened with my daughter, she was treated for “dairy” but even though she had no contact she still had a reaction. Through further testing we eventually discovered that she also had a specific allergy to lactose, casein, cheese, cheese cultures, AND enzymes. Amazing, isn’t it? Allergies are NOT as simple as most people and medical doctors would like to think.
I just mentioned my daughter, and I should mention that my son was not the only one that received treatments from Dr. Mike; my daughter and my other son, I, and my mother have also been treated and have had 100% success! It’s been a complete family makeover! I could go on and on about how incredibly miraculous the treatments are, and anyone who knows my family knows that the 2 ½ years prior to meeting Dr. Mike were a living Hell for myself and my kids, mainly my son. I used to listen to my neighbors and friends talk about “going out to eat”, or they’d mention how they had forgotten to plan dinner so they were only left with the option of throwing some chicken nuggets or a “quick meal” from the freezer to the oven. I wish that we had those options, but the truth is we NEVER went out to eat, because literally the only thing my son could have had at a restaurant was water, banana, or grapes…and those really aren’t “exciting” options to an 8/9/10-year-old. He wasn’t able to spend the night at a friend’s or family member’s house, he couldn’t enjoy the birthday treats or snacks that classmates brought to school, and the only way he could enter the Art room was with a long sleeved over shirt, gloves, and then he required a special desk reserved just for him that was cleaned and covered by the teacher prior to him sitting down. “BUBBLE”, that’s what he lived in! Now, we don’t take advantage of going out to eat or eating junk food whenever we want, just because we now can, but we now have the freedom to do those things, and until you’ve walked down that path you may never understand what that type of freedom feels like, but I can tell you it’s pretty amazing especially for an 11 year old boy just starting Middle School.
Our story is probably quite unique, but I do believe that every kid and adult with any form of attention disorders should, at the very least, be given the alternative possibilities PRIOR to a “label” that will be with them the rest of their lives. No one has to suffer from allergies and the lifelong complications that they create. If it were your child wouldn’t you want to do everything in your power to make sure that the information you are being given is 100% factual? There ARE options out there, for my family it was NAET and although I know, without a doubt, that it will CURE you or your loved one’s allergies, everyone has to make that choice on their own. That’s all I did…I chose to go with my gut feeling, I invested my time and energy, and I chose to put my child’s health and future first…above money, above time, above peer pressure, and above doubt. I know not everyone will have the same success story as my son, but isn’t it worth a try?
Sincerely,
Emily Nilssen, single mom blessed with 3 amazing and now Allergy-Free kids, thanks to NAET and Dr. Mike!
Any questions please feel free to email me or get my contact information from Dr. Mike. csenilssen@
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
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