Chronic allergies are one of the most prevalent issues we see in pets, and are often misunderstood. This can lead to frustration as a pet owner - when you try everything to bring your pet relief with little improvement. Allergy symptoms, like constant itching, red skin, hots spots and weepy eyes are a result of the body reacting to a stimulant - something outside the body (an allergen). Allergens may be assumed to be a specific food, like chicken protein or environmental, like pollen. When the immune system reacts, there is a release of histamines that cause the symptoms. Anti-histamines like Benadryl and Claritin help reduce this histamine reaction, but they do not help the body figure out a long term solution. So the next path we often find ourselves going down is to prevent our pet from coming into contact with the allergen - avoid chicken .. and pollen?! … a daunting task that leaves us and our pets feeling more and more limited and isolated over time.
At Balance, we understand a different path that helps get to the root of why the body is reacting in the first place. We ask a crucial question - what is the underlying cause of such excessive histamine reactions? Why can’t the body handle exposure to these stressors without reacting?
Allergies are an early sign that the immune system is not working efficiently; a sign that there is congestion in the body. There are a million reasons for this congestion, individual to every pet - but there are similarities that will help everyone.
Examples of reasons that cause the congestion include - underlying inflammation (reactions going on inside the body already, not just from external stimuli), for example like dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is abnormal gut flora - or unhealthy bugs in the digestive tract. These guys may have established themselves from birth or developed over time from various other stressors to the body. Now the body is reactive to everything on the outside. Other reasons may be nutrient deficiencies (like bioavailable zinc or calcium), metabolic disturbances (like the pancreas are unable to produce proper digestive enzymes or the liver is overwhelmed); and/or toxins (we live in a very toxic world).
Our goal is to reduce inflammation. We do this by addressing what is causing it. When we support the body generally with basic principles AND address each individual and their specific issues, we get results!
Examples include teaching you more about foods, and what causes problems in general … we are teaching a short Diet & Nutrition Course, 20 to 40 mins on Tue and Thur, if you would like to join to get the “down and dirty” about foods. Or as a refresher, if you are already an established client. (Check it out on our website).
Then, we find out what is causing problems in your pet’s individual body, and why through a thorough physical exam and discussion with you to understand everything inside and out physically and energetically.
In general, we show you how to support the gut microbiome; how to provide the body with an abundance of fundamental nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and co-factors, that it needs to function efficiently; how to avoid inflammatory foods and treats; and THEN, address specifics - like re-balancing the immune system, supporting the liver, healing the intestinal lining, providing digestive enzymes or herbs to an inflamed gut, etc or whatever is specific to your pet.
With this thorough approach, your pet’s body is able to build resilience to allergens in the first place. And it works!
Let’s talk a little more about food.
Specifically, in the majority of cases, food allergies are actually leaky gut (and not a reaction to a specific protein, although some proteins, for sure, may be more reactive than others.)
Leaky gut is when the intestinal wall becomes weak - from stress, poor nutrition, excess sugars, long term use of medications, sick parents (establishing an unhealthy microbiome from the beginning), etc. The gut loses it’s ability to be the barrier from the outside world. The broken barrier allows food proteins to “leak” into the body (circulation) and causing the immune system to react, thereby creating a symptom like itching, hives or hotspots.
More scientifically, leaky gut leads to a weakening of the space between the cells that line the gut. These spaces allow food particles to enter the bloodstream before they are properly broken down and processed by the cell. This is where the immune system comes in contact and reacts with the particles - creating inflammation on the inside, and then an allergic reaction on the outside.
There are various other ingredients that the body can react to besides proteins - such as grains, legumes, meat meals*, denatured proteins from heat, and AGE’s (acetylated glycation end products) or chemicals from extreme heat, among others. All of these are commonly found in processed, dry food and canned diets.
Nutrients from processed foods are often lacking, by only providing the bioactive vitamin and not all the other similar vitamin isomers that are also important but not “necessary” according the FDA or AAFCO (agencies that regulate diet requirements); such as with Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) and calcium (carbonate). The body quickly runs out of options during times of stress without an abundance of bioavailable and stored vitamins and minerals, as you would find in animals raised on pastures from regenerative farms.
So, the food allergies we see are more often than not a result of underlying inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and leaky gut - rather than a true allergy to the food itself!
This is good news, because we can help the body and reduce inflammation, without having to avoid that protein in all of it’s forms.
The bad news is that, when the body is dealing with underlying inflammation and a distracted immune system, not only does it lack resilience against allergens, but it is more susceptible to all dis-eases, like autoimmune, asthma and even cancer.
Treatment with anti-histamines help mitigate the symptoms, and immunomodulating medications like Apoquel and Cytopoint work to manage the immune system’s response to the allergens - but neither address the underlying inflammation and imbalances that are to blame for chronic allergies.
Find out more about providing great nutrition with additions, other - better - affordable foods, and supplementation.
We can evaluate for deeper testing of mineral imbalances with Fur Tissue Mineral Analysis (F-TMA), to address even more specific nutritional needs and imbalances with supplementation.
The premise is not to eliminate the allergen, but to support the body to handle the stress. We help create the digestive system to be the Armor that it is supposed to be - so the body works like it was designed to work and stops reacting to normal stressors like allergens.
Because allergies may be rooted in deeper imbalances, they may take time to improve. We find that with your help, our pet patients have less severe symptoms that occur less and less frequently over time - until we have wellness and resilience in a healthy pet!!
*Meat Meals- https://truthaboutpetfood.com/what-are-meat-meal-ingredients/
At Balance, we understand a different path that helps get to the root of why the body is reacting in the first place. We ask a crucial question - what is the underlying cause of such excessive histamine reactions? Why can’t the body handle exposure to these stressors without reacting?
Allergies are an early sign that the immune system is not working efficiently; a sign that there is congestion in the body. There are a million reasons for this congestion, individual to every pet - but there are similarities that will help everyone.
Examples of reasons that cause the congestion include - underlying inflammation (reactions going on inside the body already, not just from external stimuli), for example like dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is abnormal gut flora - or unhealthy bugs in the digestive tract. These guys may have established themselves from birth or developed over time from various other stressors to the body. Now the body is reactive to everything on the outside. Other reasons may be nutrient deficiencies (like bioavailable zinc or calcium), metabolic disturbances (like the pancreas are unable to produce proper digestive enzymes or the liver is overwhelmed); and/or toxins (we live in a very toxic world).
Our goal is to reduce inflammation. We do this by addressing what is causing it. When we support the body generally with basic principles AND address each individual and their specific issues, we get results!
Examples include teaching you more about foods, and what causes problems in general … we are teaching a short Diet & Nutrition Course, 20 to 40 mins on Tue and Thur, if you would like to join to get the “down and dirty” about foods. Or as a refresher, if you are already an established client. (Check it out on our website).
Then, we find out what is causing problems in your pet’s individual body, and why through a thorough physical exam and discussion with you to understand everything inside and out physically and energetically.
In general, we show you how to support the gut microbiome; how to provide the body with an abundance of fundamental nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and co-factors, that it needs to function efficiently; how to avoid inflammatory foods and treats; and THEN, address specifics - like re-balancing the immune system, supporting the liver, healing the intestinal lining, providing digestive enzymes or herbs to an inflamed gut, etc or whatever is specific to your pet.
With this thorough approach, your pet’s body is able to build resilience to allergens in the first place. And it works!
Let’s talk a little more about food.
Specifically, in the majority of cases, food allergies are actually leaky gut (and not a reaction to a specific protein, although some proteins, for sure, may be more reactive than others.)
Leaky gut is when the intestinal wall becomes weak - from stress, poor nutrition, excess sugars, long term use of medications, sick parents (establishing an unhealthy microbiome from the beginning), etc. The gut loses it’s ability to be the barrier from the outside world. The broken barrier allows food proteins to “leak” into the body (circulation) and causing the immune system to react, thereby creating a symptom like itching, hives or hotspots.
More scientifically, leaky gut leads to a weakening of the space between the cells that line the gut. These spaces allow food particles to enter the bloodstream before they are properly broken down and processed by the cell. This is where the immune system comes in contact and reacts with the particles - creating inflammation on the inside, and then an allergic reaction on the outside.
There are various other ingredients that the body can react to besides proteins - such as grains, legumes, meat meals*, denatured proteins from heat, and AGE’s (acetylated glycation end products) or chemicals from extreme heat, among others. All of these are commonly found in processed, dry food and canned diets.
Nutrients from processed foods are often lacking, by only providing the bioactive vitamin and not all the other similar vitamin isomers that are also important but not “necessary” according the FDA or AAFCO (agencies that regulate diet requirements); such as with Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) and calcium (carbonate). The body quickly runs out of options during times of stress without an abundance of bioavailable and stored vitamins and minerals, as you would find in animals raised on pastures from regenerative farms.
So, the food allergies we see are more often than not a result of underlying inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and leaky gut - rather than a true allergy to the food itself!
This is good news, because we can help the body and reduce inflammation, without having to avoid that protein in all of it’s forms.
The bad news is that, when the body is dealing with underlying inflammation and a distracted immune system, not only does it lack resilience against allergens, but it is more susceptible to all dis-eases, like autoimmune, asthma and even cancer.
Treatment with anti-histamines help mitigate the symptoms, and immunomodulating medications like Apoquel and Cytopoint work to manage the immune system’s response to the allergens - but neither address the underlying inflammation and imbalances that are to blame for chronic allergies.
Find out more about providing great nutrition with additions, other - better - affordable foods, and supplementation.
We can evaluate for deeper testing of mineral imbalances with Fur Tissue Mineral Analysis (F-TMA), to address even more specific nutritional needs and imbalances with supplementation.
The premise is not to eliminate the allergen, but to support the body to handle the stress. We help create the digestive system to be the Armor that it is supposed to be - so the body works like it was designed to work and stops reacting to normal stressors like allergens.
Because allergies may be rooted in deeper imbalances, they may take time to improve. We find that with your help, our pet patients have less severe symptoms that occur less and less frequently over time - until we have wellness and resilience in a healthy pet!!
*Meat Meals- https://truthaboutpetfood.com/what-are-meat-meal-ingredients/