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    Healing Allergies: The Hope of a Little Girl

    November 19, 2008 by Brandy Vencel

    We had expected it to take longer to get E.’s health under control. Of course, I’m not saying it is perfect now. We are still working on healing his body, which had a lot of damage considering his young age. He also has the disadvantage of being a boy. Did you know the Y-gene may cause physical strength and weakness at the same time?

    The Y chromosome appears to convey some sort of genetic vulnerability that the X does not have. Many diseases disproportionately affect males throughout life. A number of studies have indicated that male embryos are more vulnerable to pollutants and disease. Workplace studies indicate that men who’ve been exposed to certain pesticides, mercury or solvents, father significantly fewer baby boys. Other modern chemicals that mimic estrogen or disrupt hormones may also be involved. In the small Japanese city of Minamata, for example, heavy mercury pollution during the 1950s caused neurological damage in many residents and severe birth defects and mental retardation in babies exposed in the womb. More boys than girls were born with Fetal Minamata Disease {FMD}, as these birth defects came to be called. In the times and areas of heaviest exposure, fewer boys were born at all. The reason may be that males are more susceptible than females to damage from contaminants like mercury. When exposures were heaviest, the males that would have been born with FMD were so severely affected that they did not survive to birth. Studies of children exposed to lead have found that boys suffer greater IQ deficits than girls exposed to the same levels. {source}

    Now, I’m sure that was way more than you wanted to know, but there is something important I took away from knowing this, and that is that my sons need to be more protected from toxins than my daughters, for the simple reason that my daughters are innately more efficient at removing toxins from their bodies.

    All of this is to say that my story doesn’t mean that E.’s health is perfect. We still have a few mystery tics that we are thinking stem from environmental allergies, but might also be bad habits that he will need to break over time. But over all, this process has been a miracle for us.

    I thought it might take a year of regular visits to solve E.’s problems. So imagine my surprise when most of them were gone after two visits!

    Well, our benefactor, who I have mentioned before, was a bit surprised also. So, while we were planning on using money we received as Christmas gifts to pay for A. to go to Dr. Linda, our benefactor decided that it was better not to wait. This method had proven itself so obviously effective, the sooner we tackled A.’s health, the better.

    And so we went, just a few weeks after O. was born. There were three basic issues uncovered: massive candida overgrowth {which I knew since she had struggled with yeast-type diaper rashes since her first birthday}, severe undermineralization, and allergies to wheat and casein.

    I had actually suspected all along that yeast {candida} was the underlying problem. I had even tried some of the same supplements Dr. Linda suggested. However, A.’s situation was so serious that she needed adult-level doses, something I had never been comfortable with giving her without a more knowledgeable person suggesting it.

    Yeast is an interesting thing. In my studies, I have learned that candida overgrowth can actually trigger food allergies. Depending on where the yeast is growing in the body, it can also inhibit vitamin and mineral uptakes. In my mind, A. was a case study on what happen when yeast has run rampant for a couple years.

    Dr. Linda asked me if A. had ever been on antibiotics, since that is the primary means through which the balance of intestinal flora is upset {a certain amount of yeast is natural in the body and exists in balance with other microorganisms to maintain healthy digestion}. I told her about A.’s ear infections starting around her first birthday. I had been uncomfortable with giving her antibiotics, but she was crying from ear pain. She had been given one round of antibiotics. And then another.

    And then the doctor suggested a third time.

    This is when I discovered that most ear infections can actually be waited out. So we tried this method, and she has never had another ear infection again.

    But the damage was already done. The antibiotics had caused intestinal issues. I assumed that her allergies had just appeared around age one because that is what happens. But this isn’t so. It is no coincidence that she began to complain about her tummy shortly after her first round on antibiotics.

    In the first visit, Dr. Linda was able to eliminate the gluten allergy. She also sent us home with heavy doses of supplements to battle the yeast problem, and also higher-than-normal doses of vitamins to combat the undermineralization.

    By her second visit, Dr. Linda eliminated the dairy allergy. A.’s doses were lowered to normal, and some things were no longer necessary at all.

    We are planning a third visit. A. is allergic to something either in our new house or outside of it. We will have these environmental allergies eliminated, and hopefully we will be down to normal maintenance: just one little multivitamin each day, like many normal children.

    A. was beaming to know that she could eat her favorite foods again. I think most of us find bread and cheese to be an amazing comfort.

    I can’t believe how happy both children are to have their food issues in the past. Food is such a big part of life, and their dietary limitations separated them from others. It kept them from birthday parties. It changed their experience at a family holiday feast.

    And now all of that is gone.

    One night recently, Si went into our church to pick up A. from Cubbies. The teacher stopped him and explained that the class had been given animal crackers for their snack. Apparently, A. had been thrilled.

    The teacher said she had never seen a child so excited about animal crackers.

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    9 Comments

  • Reply dinah July 2, 2015 at 5:43 pm

    hello,
    I’ve been enjoying your Charlotte mason posts as I get started with homeschooling, but this is amazing! I know it has been a long time since this post’s events; could you tell me how your children’s allergies are now? We have this type of treatment available here in NB. If you see this, I would love an update!

    • Reply Brandy Vencel July 3, 2015 at 11:51 am

      All of my children are are currently allergy-free! The littler girl in this post is my ten-year-old now. 🙂 I will say that my older son typically has to go back once per year because of environmental allergies — but even then, he has never taken allergy medicine ever!

      My husband actually went back to school, got a degree, and was trained by this doctor I talk about in this series, and now he works with her and clears allergies and does Neurolink himself. It has been such a blessing to our family and friends.

      People can develop new allergies over time, especially if they have really bad digestion, so my husband tries to work with people on diet and not just do the elimination alone.

      Anyhow, I hope this helps! We are, needless to say, still happy about it after all these years. 🙂

  • Reply Rachel R. November 20, 2008 at 7:00 pm

    Can you share the list of books Dr. Linda gave you? Natural health is my hobby (would likely become a career, if I were inclined to have a career apart from my family), and I would love to learn more about this.

  • Reply Brandy November 20, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Kimbrah, I certainly hope that Karlos can see Dr. Linda sometime…and hopefully sooner rather than later! Maybe sometime we should put our heads together and see if we can at least start something that should help him. I have more ideas (supplement-wise) after seeing Dr. Linda and observing her methods.

    Rahime, Our children were seen about a week apart. However, our friend’s little boy, who I mentioned in my first post (the one with excema) was seen twice per week in the beginning. I think that when folks come in from out of town, she works extra hard to do things in the shortest amount of time possible, with follow-ups later. You are free to live in our office after the New Year and all our family company is gone. It’d be like old times. 🙂

    Antibiotics: YES! I was on many, many antibiotics during my decade-long battle with Lyme Disease. However, I was fortunate enough to have a doctor who truly understood the risks and tried to combat all the negative side-effects with herbal, mineral, and other supplements. I felt like I was taking pills constantly, but here I am, totally well. God had mercy on me then, too!

  • Reply Rahime November 20, 2008 at 7:13 am

    You’re right, I have thought about that, though I haven’t always mentioned it to drs. in the past. Does she usually do treatments a week apart, or several the first week?

    The more I read about anitbiotics and vaccines, the more I suspect they may be the culprit in my case. I was thinking about it when you mentioned A.’s ear infection. I can’t even begin to guess how many rounds of antibiotics I went through as a child. It seems like sometimes I was on one round after another for months at a time.

  • Reply Kimbrah November 20, 2008 at 12:31 am

    Brandy- As I sit here reading this I have tears streaming down my face. I am so happy for your family!

    I just wish we had a benefactor to pay for our family to go through the treatments. I feel so trapped! I have the answer, but I can’t afford to give it to my family, it is so frustrating, I just want to scream.

    At least there is hope, eventually. Thanks for sharing your story. I really do appreciate it.

  • Reply Brandy November 19, 2008 at 10:40 pm

    By the way, no matter who treats you for your health, I would always make it a point to mention where you have lived. Most doctors don’t think to check for something you might have that is peculiar to Africa or Russia or whatnot…

  • Reply Brandy November 19, 2008 at 10:38 pm

    Yes, Rahime, I think I did mention her. I’ve actually thought about you at our visits as Dr. Linda tells us about other patients she has had. I think she might have an advantage if she treated you in that she doesn’t focus solely on one thing (as in only chiropractic or only nutrition). She is definitely the broadest thinking person I’ve come across in terms of understanding good health and where it comes from…

    So…yes! Come and stay at our house and visit Dr. Linda. 🙂

  • Reply Rahime November 19, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    I think you told me about Dr. Linda a while ago. I might have to come visit her next time I’m passing through.

    I’m so glad that A. and E. are able to enjoy “normal” foods again without having their bodies fight it. Praise God.

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