Dr. Mark Hyman, an advocate of Functional Medicine, has advice for those who are struggling with symptoms of allergies and headaches. He also has some thoughts for those concerned about their sugar intake. However, that doesn’t mean taking another pill or an expensive medical procedure, as we’ll see below.
Many Americans experience allergy symptoms such as a stuffed-up nose, congestion, etc. The source for these problems is inflammation, but why? It’s probably due to allergies. One potential culprit is called IgG delayed hypersensitivity reaction. It’s a slow reaction you have when exposed to a food you are allergic to. Other food allergies include:
- Gluten
- Dairy products.
- Citrus products.
- Yeast
- Eggs
- Soy-based foods.
- Corn
- The family of foods that include tomatoes and bell peppers.
To treat food allergies Dr. Hyman recommends an elimination diet to determine the potential allergy source.
Interestingly, food allergies can also be a cause of migraine headaches. This includes the typical culprits of gluten, eggs, yeast products, and food from dairy. He suggests a 3-week elimination diet. Then slowly reintroduce those foods until the allergen is determined.
Other causes for migraines include:
- Being low in magnesium.
- Gut and bowel problems.
- An imbalance of hormones.
Finally, Dr. Hyman discusses what he considers a major health problem: sugar.
Sugar is linked to many of our modern health issues, such as heart disease, cancer, and type-2 diabetes. Although a little sugar, such as honey may be ok with your morning beverage. The bigger problem is that sugar is in a lot of our commercially-made foods. He suggests treating sugar like alcohol. Having a little from time-to-time may be all-right, but not on a daily basis.
Want to learn more about how Functional Medicine can help you to live a more healthy life? Read the full article here: Stuffy Nose, Headaches, and Honey.
