A. From a Western medical point of view, an allergy is an over-reaction by the immune system. But medical scientists are still researching to find the exact cause and nature of allergies and may not have all the answers for years to come.
In NAET®, allergies are viewed from a holistic perspective based on Oriental medical principles. An allergy is a condition of unusual sensitivity of one person to one or more substances which may be harmless to most other individuals. In the allergic person, the allergic substance, known as an allergen, is viewed by the immune system as a threat to the body's well-being.
For our purposes, an allergy is defined in terms of what a substance does to the energy flow in the body. When contact is made with an allergen, it causes blockages in the energy pathways called meridians, or we can say, it disrupts the normal flow of energy through the body's electrical circuits. This energy blockage causes interference in communication between the brain and body via the nervous system. This blocked energy flow is the first step in a chain of events that can develop into an allergic response.
Allergies are the result of energy imbalances in the body, leading to a diminished state of health in one or more organ systems.
Q: How do I discover and treat my allergies?
A: Conventional Western medical tests for allergies are several. Some of them are the "Intra-dermal test," "patch test," "scratch test," and various other blood tests such as the RAST test and the ELIZA test, which can identify dozens of allergens from one test or from one blood sample. Testing for immunoglobulin E antibodies in the blood is most reliable blood test to detect allergies to foods and other substances. In most cases, patients must have had previous exposures to the allergen to get an accurate result.
Up until recently, there has been no satisfactory method for treating a person's allergies. Desensitization using injections of allergenic substances over a period of months, or even years, has been the standard approach used by medical allergists. This approach is effective in some people for some allergies, but in many it does not do the job, especially with food allergies.
Another standard treatment is using drugs, either antihistamines or drugs like Claritin steroids to control allergic symptoms. Unfortunately, this does not correct the underlying problem, and often has serious long term side effects.
The most effective treatment option until now has been complete avoidance of the offending allergen(s). This can be difficult at best, and impossible in some cases. Now however, there is an alternative.
Q: Traditional allergy testing and treatments sound painful and expensive and don't seem to deal with the real problem, the allergy. How can I get rid of my allergies once and for all?
A. Now We Have Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET®). NAET® is a truly revolutionary system for dealing with allergies, one of the most stubborn health problems facing mankind today. NAET® is a natural, drugless, painless and non-invasive method that can be used safely on individuals of any age (infants to the elderly) and regardless of the individuals’ health, to alleviate the symptoms arising from the allergens.
Allergens are cleared (treated) one at a time with this technique and best results are obtained if allergens are cleared in a specific sequence. Normally only one item is treated on a given day. The substance must then be completely avoided for 25 hours following the treatment. In most cases, that's all it takes: one session to alleviate an allergy. Individuals who are highly sensitive may sometimes require longer time to clear and additional combination clearings.
Q: How do I know if NAET® is right for me?
A: If you are a patient, and would like to find out if NAET® could help with your condition, you should read the book, Say Goodbye to Illness by Devi S. Nambudripad, M.D. (WI), D.C., L.Ac., Ph.D. (Acu.).
If you suffer from any allergic condition (food, chemical, environmental, emotional allergies) or if your health condition has developed from any allergy, no matter how long you have been sick, or how old you are (we have treated patients aged between 3 days old to 96 years old), NAET® can help you.
Please read the book to find a case history similar to yours. If you would like to begin NAET® treatment after reading the book, please look up the practitioner locator section to find a NAET® specialist near you. We update the practitioners list frequently.
You may need numerous NAET® treatments before you begin to feel better if your condition is serious, if you have a poor immune system, or if you have been sick for a long time. Use the book Living Pain Free to help you keep balanced.
Q: Do you mean that allergies can cause real illness?
A. They certainly can! When a virus attacks, an amazing defense mechanism goes into action. The struggle to rid the body of the invading virus we recognize as the symptoms of illness, such as fever, coughing, aches, vomiting, fatigue, etc. These are, in fact, signals of the battle that is going on inside the body as it tries to throw off the invading toxins-producing virus.
Untreated, the symptoms increase with serious results. Similarly, continuous contact with an allergen produces toxins in the body, causing similar reactions to occur. An undiagnosed or undetected allergic condition will produce conditions that are equally serious.
Many times, the allergic reactions produce symptoms that mimic other conditions. Respiratory problems like bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma, circulatory problems like chest muscle pains, poor circulation, rapid heartbeats, heart irregularities, gastrointestinal problems like indigestion, acute abdominal pains, acute appendicitis, bloating, constipation, chronic fatigue syndrome, diarrhea and ulcers, genito-urinary problems like kidney and bladder infections, prostate troubles, pre-menstrual syndromes and post-menstrual disorders, PCOS, Endometriosis, impotency, infertility, musculo-skeletal problems like unexplained pains anywhere in the body, fibromyalgia, various types of headaches, backaches, arthritis, restless leg syndrome, brain symptoms like brain fog, depression, anger, attention-deficit disorders, hyperactivity, learning disorders, skin problems like eczema, boils, slow healing wounds, environmental reactions like multiple chemical sensitivity, allergy to pollens, perfumes, animal dander, carpets, building materials, etc....
Just about any health condition could be merely a symptom of underlying allergies. If such conditions are not diagnosed correctly, the patient may receive a treatment procedure that may further complicate the patient's condition.
Q: Then my symptoms are real? I'm not just imagining them?
A. No, you are not imagining them. Allergies in their mildest forms are merely nuisances. But for some people, accidental contact with an allergen can produce terrifying toxins in the body that result in clearly diagnosed illness just as though that person had taken a poison.
Diagnosis for either is not easy, but the milder the complaint, the harder it is for the patent to get good treatment. For instance, how do you treat a person for "feeling out of sorts", for a slight loss of memory, for a slight but persistent sore throat or cough, for a nagging, dull headache that does not respond to pain medications, for a persistent backache or a tingling feeling in the arms and hands that cannot be diagnosed by a neurologist?
Some of these unfortunate people have seen their physicians so many times that they cannot tell you how many times they have been ignored, diagnosed as suffering from a "nervous disorder" or been labeled a hypochondriac.
Q: What is going on, Doctor? One minute I feel fine and the next minute, I feel terrible.
A: If the statistics are true, this question is asked by more than 50% of the people who enter their doctor's office as patients seeking answers to the misery of allergic reactions to what they inhale, ingest, or contact in their environments every day.
If you find yourself in this select group, you know the frustration and hopelessness your condition has produced. The lucky patients have isolated the specific allergen and are avoiding it, but for the unlucky, the allergen either cannot be avoided without complete isolation, or it remains undiagnosed, resulting in severe and chronic ailments.
Q: Traditional allergy testing and treatments are painful and expensive. Is there a way I can get rid of my allergies?
A: Yes. By testing and treating with the Nambudripad`s Testing Techniques(NTT)! This revolutionary approach is particularly relevant for treating allergies, one of the most stubborn health problems facing mankind today. It is a natural, drugless, painless, non-invasive method that can be used safely on a newborn infant, on the elderly, even on a healthy person to treat hidden allergies that could cause disease in the future. It can be used on pets, invalids, children, even patients in a coma. NAET® can reduce or alleviate allergies to the items cleared by this method. With this technique, allergens are treated one at a time, in a specific order. The good news is that following the prescribed formula, allowing for the 25-hour avoidance of the treated substance, one session is all it usually takes to reduce an allergy to one treated item. Highly sensitive individuals may require additional "combination" treatments.
Q: Do you mean there is a treatment for my health problems?
A. Yes. At last, there is freedom from allergies and ailments arising from allergies. Dr. Nambudripad's knowledge in Eastern and Western medicine gave her the insights and guided her into the discovery of this unique treatment to overcome her own serious allergic reactions to foods.
Her own story is an amazing one, which is appropriate for the discoverer/developer of such a revolutionary technique. She tells her story in the book, Say Good-bye to Illness. It contains fascinating case histories of various health disorders, as well as some of the theoretical basis for the technique and her story of its discovery. It is recommended reading for anyone wanting to find relief from their allergies, and for anyone with a chronic health problem large or small.
People used to fly to Southern California from all over the world to be treated by Dr. Nambudripad with NAET®. Now it is available to you in your hometown, because Dr. Nambudripad has trained thousands of doctors of acupuncture, allopathy, chiropractic and various other licensed medical practitioners in her allergy treatment method. More and more doctors are being trained through her regular online training seminars. To learn about the online training, please visit www.naet.com/training.
Q: Do I really need to avoid allergens for 25 hours after treatment?
A. We receive numerous inquiries about the "25-hour avoidance" of the allergen after the NAET® treatment. NAET requires all patients including infants, children, and adults to avoid at least 25 hours after each treatment. In our experience, patients who observe the "25-hour avoidance" receive maximum benefit from the treatment. Some patients may need more hours of avoidance. Your practitioner can tell you the exact hours of avoidance after each treatment.
Q: I'm presently seeing a chiropractor. How does my doctor's treatment differ from NAET®?
A: Most standard chiropractic treatments are centered around chiropractic adjustments, avoidance of harmful activities and perhaps stringent diets in combination with dietary supplements. Nothing in standard medical practice or chiropractic can offer the hope of health improvement and freedom from allergies which is possible through the use of NAET®. NAET® uses one time laboratory testing to screen IgE- mediated allergies through testing for a sample of blood on the initial visit. Then NAET® uses its own testing procedures to verify the daily allergic reactions before each treatment. NAET® uses Oriental medical procedures for diagnosis and NAET® Energy balancing procedures for treatment. You might recommend that your medical doctor, chiropractor, acupuncturist and naturopathic doctor learn and incorporate NAET®, into his or her practice.
Q: How do acupuncture and acupressure relate to allergy treatment by NAET®?
A: Since acupuncture (or acupressure) points fall along the body’s energy pathways, or meridians, either of these methods may be used to balance the nervous system to bring the body to a state of homeostasis. This is done in the presence of a given allergen, so that an allergic reaction will not result upon future contact with that same substance. When this result is obtained, the patient is said to have been "cleared" of his allergy to that substance.
Q: How long does this 'clearance' last?
A: In our experience, if clearance is still effective 25 hours after treatment, it is lasting and should be for the life of the patient. We have not seen any recurrence of allergies from a successfully treated allergen in 40 years. So, we believe it should be for the life of the patient.
Q: How does the nutritional assessment help NAET®?
A: Once you have been completely cleared for a particular food or environmental substance, it will no longer be necessary for you to avoid it. The reason we do nutritional assessment and balancing during and after a series of treatments by NAET®, is to restore strength and vitality to the body, which has long been deprived of its proper share of nutrients due to the allergic sensitivity to the items in the diet.
Q: NAET® Treatment procedures? What are they and how do they work?
A: After diagnosis has been completed using standard medical testing procedures, total IgE and IgE-specific testing for a list of commonly seen food and environmental allergens, kinesiological muscle response testing, a systematic treatment procedure is begun in the practitioner’s office. In which the central nervous system is mildly stimulated in the presence of each allergen, in order to reprogram the brain with the new message. Most patients can successfully be treated by acupressure around the spine to stimulate the nerves which convey messages to and from the brain going to the organs and other tissues all over the body.
Q: You said, 'most patients.' Does this mean that acupuncture may have to be used in some cases?
A: Many patients can be cleared of their reaction, upon initial treatment with acupressure alone. But there are those who may require several treatments before clearing is accomplished--the addition of acupuncture has proven helpful in speeding up the process. Also, note that the number of treatments required for clearing an allergen may vary not only between patients, but between different allergens with the same patient; the more severe the patient’s reaction to a substance, the greater the likelihood that more than one treatment will be required for clearing. The initial laboratory blood testing for Immunoglobulin E levels will assist to determine the level of severity of each tested allergen in severely reactive person. This is the reason NAET® requires the initial blood testing on all new patients to detect the levels of IgE antibodies in their blood before beginning NAET® desensitization treatments.
Q: Is the acupuncture painful?
A: No. It's only slightly uncomfortable, if at all. And it's completely optional. Application of the acupressure technique has proven to be as effective as acupuncture, though in some cases it may not produce results as quickly.
Q: How long will it take before I experience this degree of success?
A: The total length of the treatment program varies greatly from one individual to another, depending upon the number of specific allergies, and the overall intensity of the allergic condition. It may take anywhere from 10 to 40 visits, depending on your condition, to note significant results. For best results, usually just one allergen (or one group of closely related allergens) should be identified and treated per office visit. Patients with severe allergies or history of anaphylaxis may require large number of treatments in order to reduce their sensitivities and to reduce the levels of IgEs in the repeated blood test.
Q: Will my medical insurance pay for the treatments?
A: NAET® has had approved insurance billing codes since the year 2000. Some insurance companies have signed on to the program. You have to check with your insurance company to learn if your plan covers NAET® treatments. Insurance companies pay to treat allergy symptoms. They do not pay for treating the cause. NAET® treats the cause. So, it is not “usual and customary treatment” for insurance companies to pay. Sometime in the future, You may be able to convince your insurance companies to pay for NAET® treatments.
Until then, most insurance carriers will pay for treating symptoms. Most of us visit our doctors with some pain or discomfort anyway. Check with your job or your doctor to find out if you are covered. Also, an insurance policy that covers chiropractic or acupuncture treatments should pay the appropriate amount according to the policy’s provisions.
Q: Will I complete the necessary NAET treatments, will I be completely free of my allergies?
A: 80% - 90% of the patients treated thus far by NAET® have experienced complete relief from their allergic symptoms to the items for which they have been treated. Most of them report that contact with previously troublesome foods or environmental substances no longer cause adverse effects.