Immune Health

Integrative and Functional Medicine Approach to Optimize Immune Health

Integrative Collaborative Care: When indicated, we will recommend evidence based natural therapeutics to help support immune health from Naturopathy to Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Homeopathy. Furthermore, collaborative referrals to appropriate provider(s).

Functional Medicine is a new emerging field, that helps to address numerous imbalances within our physiological system, by using objective functional tests, detailed history, relevant diet analysis, lifestyle questionnaires and comprehensive physical exam.

So you were prescribed an anti-histamine with or without steroids (topical, inhaler or oral) and your chronic allergies, eczema and or asthma is not getting better and perhaps even getting worse ?

You are not alone…

Anti-histamines and steroids are routinely prescribed to address the symptoms not the root cause of what we now refer to as the “Atopic Triad”. Furthermore, with our Integrative and Functional approach we will look into addressing the root cause(s) of this classic “Atopic Triad”.

What is an Allergy?

Allergy occurs when a person’s immune system reacts to substances in the environment that are harmless for most people. These substances are known as allergens and are found in house dust mites, pets, pollen, insects, moulds, foods and some medicines.

Atopy is the genetic (inherited) tendency to develop allergic diseases. People with atopy are said to be atopic.

When atopic people are exposed to allergens they can develop an immune reaction that leads to allergic inflammation (redness and swelling).

This can then cause symptoms in the:

  • nose and/or eyes – hay fever (allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis)
  • skin – eczema, hives (urticaria)
  • lungs – asthma

A substance that is an allergen for one person may not be for another – everyone reacts differently. The likelihood (or risk) of developing allergies is increased if other family members suffer from allergy or asthma.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a lung condition that affects the airways (bronchial tubes) of your lungs, causing the tissues lining the airways to swell and become narrow. This makes it difficult to breathe. The symptoms associated with asthma (coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath) are the result of this narrowing of the airways. The major factors contributing to asthma are inflammation of the airway lining, tightening of the muscles that wrap around the airways (bronchoconstriction), or both.

Inflammation of the airways may also be accompanied by an increase in mucous production, which also worsens the blockage of the airways. Inflammation makes the airways highly sensitive to irritants in the air such as air pollution, cigarette smoke, or animal dander.

What is Eczema?

Eczema is a group of skin conditions that cause inflammation of the skin. Eczema is not caused by an infection. The condition may be temporary or chronic, mild or, in rare instances, very serious.

Serious cases usually occur when:

  • it is severe enough to cause complications, such as skin infections
  • an affected person also contracts the herpes simplex virus
  • an affected person has a violent allergic reaction caused by contact dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is the prevalent form of chronic eczema. It is a genetically inherited condition that tends to run in families who also suffer from hay fever and asthma. Atopic dermatitis will affect about 10% to 20% of people at some point in their lives.

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