cat allergy?

[Irene de Villiers]

Robert & Shannon Nelson wrote:

May I stick in an oar here please?
(with difficulty due to a broken keyboard tonight! Critical keys got
drowned....)

I do not see "cat allergy" as a separate illness.
The illness is "atopy".
Atopy is the tendency to develop allergies, and happens when the immune
system is skewed and producing too many TH-2 cytokines (which then
promote antibody formation too easily). Combine this with allowing
proteins access to the bloodstream undigested - and you get allergy to
whatever protein got into the bloodstream - either eaten, or breathed in.
So if there are cats in the house, it will be cat allergy and if there
are birds it will be feathers and if there are dogs it will be dog
allergy and if there is pollen that gets in it will be allergy to that
pollen - and if banana protein gets in it will be banana allergy and so
on, and so on.
So the items one is allergic to, are just whatever is around at the time
the system is vulnerable to letting in foreign protein while having a
Th-2 skewed immune system.
For example as a kid I had a VERY skewed immune system due to excess
vaccines. As a result I got allergies to dogs we had - to bananas I was
fed ad libitum as a baby - and to pineapple, mango, the local honey and
whatever else I ate a lot of or breathed a lot of, all the local pollens
for example - but no molds as I lived where there was no mold.
Later I got allergic to cats as well and birds as my mom had a budgie.
And still later I worked in allergy research, was exposed to
"sensitizers" (chemicals that make one more sensitive to whatever you
are sensitive to) such as formaldehyde and pyridine (and ragweed pollen
which is also a sensitizer) - and my allergies got MUCH worse.

So the actual allergen (the protein thing that triggers the reaction -
and it is always a protein) is NOT an indication of what is wrong. It is
only an indication of what got into the blood stream as an undigested
protein. The body would have over-reacted to ANY foreign protein with
excess antibodies and turned it into an allergen - triggering an "allergy".
So the CAUSE of the problem - the actual issue to be remedied - is the
*propensity* to over-respond to foreign protein - the skewed immune
system - and it is independent of *which* foreign protein is introduced,
or how many foreign proteins were introduced. Any one that gets into the
blood stream as an undigested protein molecule - will trigger the
"allergic" response in an atopic person.

Allopathic research has discovered (back in the late 60s and early 70s)
that if you dilute the allergen enough - and it is a VERY large dilution
used, (the worse the allergic level of response - the higher the
dilution needed) - then you can gradually "treat" the allergy. However
it is not treating the atopy. It is forcing the immune system to get
used to the specific protein BY BOMBARDING THAT PROTEIN AT THE IMMUNE
SYSTEM - and thus FORCING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO TOLERATE IT AND treat it
as non-foreign. Apologies for caplock inadvertently used!

In my opinion this is also what a cat allergen remedy such as cat 30C or
some such will do at best. It will force the system to accept
cat-allergens and the person will think the cat "allergy" is cured.
It's not done anything to cure the atopy however. The immune system will
just as readily find something new to over-react to. So the illness -
the atopy - is still there.

I consider homeopathy should be aimed at removing the atopy - and NOT at
teaching the system to "ignore cat foreign protein". A properly chosen
simillimum WILL do that - it will remove the Atopy.
My own allergies are so much better for example that there are only one
or two of my previously worst allergies that still respond in an atopic
way - banana still makes me ill, but not to the point of anaphylaxis any
more. I have several cats, and eat coconut, mango, pineapple, honey etc
to my heart's content, and the worse pollen issue I have needs about one
dose of Sabadilla per year - where I used to be a severe asthmatic using
a pharmacy of medications.
This is because the homeopathy treated the atopy - the real issue -
not the cat allergy, ragweed allergy etc.

Namaste,
Irene

--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Irene,
I do understand that the issue is "allergic tendency" (atopy) rather
than any individual molecules. But--my daughter and husband react (or
used to) to the cats, whereas my son and I never have; husband had hay
fever, but none of the rest of us; I have had scads of food allergies,
but never anything to pollen or animals--yet we are all living in same
house, eating similar foods, etc. It does seem, doesn't it, that
certain constitutions are more apt to react to certain substances? Or
do you think that all of the "allergy" rubrics would more properly be
lumped together?
Shannon

[Irene de Villiers]

Robert & Shannon Nelson wrote:

Environment needs to be associated with susceptibility and timing with
allergies. If one person is more stressed, their adrenals will be
depleted and they will be more susceptible to allowing in a foreign
protein. The rest of the folks may either eat a diet replete in
pantothenic acid vit C and B6, or have less stress, or less
susceptibility to stress - and be in a stronger situation to keep out
foreign proteins at a time when all are exposed to a substance that is a
potential allergen. Also - Past history may have already set up
antibodies to some proteins in some individuals in the group and not in
others. They will then react where others will not.

Also yes you are likely different constitutional types right? So you
will have different areas of the body more susceptible to invasion by
foreign protein. Sounds like some of you more easily get compromised gut
walls and some of you more easily get compromised lung tissue for
example, as foreign protein entry areas.
So I do not see that as a substance issue so much as individual
differences in what areas of the body are compromised more easily for
whatever reason - constitutional tendencies - and perhaps also
susceptibilities for other reasons - background, psychology, miasms, etc.
I think this comes out in the repertorizing when you consider
susceptibilities - which are valid rubric areas (rather than specific
allergens) I feel. Specific allergens can point to susceptible parts of
the system - but i WOULD STILL SEE THE SUSCEPTIBLE PART AS RELEVANT
RATHER THAN THE SPECIFIC ALLERGEN. Oh gee, sorry about the caps - broken
keyboard, I am struggling till I can get a new one.

Or do you

I think I'd rather look at why the item is an allergy trigger. For
example in my brother, you only have to say the word cat, and he gets
severe hayfever. In that case, it is nothing to do with cats - and
everything to do with my father's attitude to cats, passed down. So one
would repertorize according to that.
For me, banana is a trigger. Apparently it was something I craved as a
baby and I was fed huge amounts - perhaps MORE THAN i COULD PHYSICALLY
DIGEST EASILY - SOME GOT THROUGH THE GUT WALL. (oops in more ways than
one). Pity about the allergy as I have a kidney defect that needs a lot
of potassium.
Some people have a lot of drug allergies - and those might indicate
susceptibility to chemicals as a susceptibility area; I'd want to follow
that area for relevance. Many food allergies can indicate susceptibility
to gut wall compromise - and I'd prefer to rep the gut wall
susceptibility and tendency to allergy than the specific food - unless
as with my banana there is more to it - and I was craving potassium as
opposed to banana for example - so then potassium shortage
susceptibility is the background constitutional issue. Atopy is only
*part* of the picture there...as with my brother's cat allergy. (He also
got hayfever if a cat was around, and he did not know about it.)

So I agree constitutional type is relevant - and atopy as a condition is
also relevant - but also each allergy might or might not have some other
issue associated with it, and it's worth looking for I think. I would
place minimal emphasis on what the allergen is, and maximum on why it
became an allergen.

Namaste,
Irene

--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."

[Rosemary C Hyde PhD]

Hi, Irene.

That's a very interesting and probably very useful way of looking at
allergic reactions. Thank you! Rosemary

[Shannon Nelson]

Well, I'll play with all of that.
Some questions:
It's hard to see any of that in our family situation, but I'll keep it
as a theoretical possibility.
And perhaps different ways of reacting to similar stress, due to
differences in organ strength/weakness.
? Different substances affect different physiologies differently...?
I understand your emphasis on the physiology rather than the substance,
but not sure it negates the usefulness of knowing the substance to
which they are sensitive?
By that reasoning I can't see any reason for my daughter's sensitivity
to cats (and potentially other furry critters, apparently)--she adores
them all, and we've "always" had various ones, tho usually kept
outdoors.
So possibly you developed allergy due to overexposure; and/or possibly
the craving came from "addictive allergy" rather than (or rather than
exclusively) potassium craving.
How would you rep that? What other sxs or rubrics might be relevant?
(Beyond the "allergy" rubrics, I mean?) Are you thinking of e.g.
repping nature of stools, etc.?
And how would you rep that, or otherwise use it in your analysis?
I think that very often we use the "surface" symptoms/reactions simply
because they are possible *clues* to the deeper cause, and because we
do not have direct ways of knowing or repping the deeper causes.
(Well, sometimes we do, e.g. miasms, "sensitive to", "ailments from",
knowing organ systems, etc.; but often we do not.)

Thanks for these ideas!!
Shannon

[Sarvadaman Oberoi]

Dear Shannon,
See extracts.
EXTRACTS

DEGROOTE F., Physical Examination and Observation in Homeopathy (dgt1)

Tuberculinum bovinum kent

Key: acts primarily on the immune system! In the second place it acts on the hormonal system.

Suited to plethoric persons, who are tired and very susceptible to take cold.

Cases with: - auto-immune diseases: i.e. Crohn's disease, rheumatism, etc.

- allergy (especially to cow's milk and cats' hair): asthma, hay fever, nasal problems, rash, eczema.
MORRISON R., Desktop Companion to Physical Pathology (mrr5)

Tuberculinum bovinum kent

Asthma from childhood, often with family history of respiratory illness or emphysema.

Allergy to cats with serious wheezing is often the initial event.

Worse: All animal danders. Lying down. Hot, stuffy rooms.

Better: Open air. Driving with the windows open.

Frequent infections, always ending in chest catarrh.
SAMUEL, Keynotes (samkn)

Tuberculinum bovinum kent

- "Something" with cats: fear, disgust or allergy.
SHORE J., Seminar Scotland 1989 (sej2)

Materia medica

Tuberculinum bovinum kent

Allergies to fur and especially cat fur.
Paediatrics

Discontent anger and tantrums

With Tuberculinum there is the intent. The other place you will see it is with the pets, especially the dog or the cat. Tuberculinum have a special fear of cats; it is the main remedy for allergies to cats. Tuberculinum has a thing around cats. When the cat comes - after all a cat is just an animal, animals are nice and warm and cosy. The cat jumps upon them - "No, no." They are afraid, or they hate, or they don't like. But it is just as true, it can be dogs as well.
VITHOULKAS G., The Essence of Materia Medica (vh3)

Tuberculinum bovinum kent

A characteristic keynote of Tuberculinum is fear of dogs and cats - especially the latter. The fear of cats alone may often lead you to Tuberculinum in difficult cases. Sometimes this is not described as a fear but rather a disgust. They say they hate cats; they cannot stand to touch cats. They may even have allergies to the fur of cats or dogs.

[Irene de Villiers]

Sarvadaman Oberoi wrote:

I agree tub "can be" the remedy for allergies "to cats" - but that is
because it is one of the sixty known remedies for allergic constitutions
(60 in current Radar anyway)

When did we leave the idea of finding the right one for an individual?
These days we DO understand how allergies work, and can make good use of
that information along with individual symptoms

In my opinion:-)

Namaste,
Irene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."