Corn-free Alternatives to Antihistamines

The Antihistamine Years

antihistamineFew of you know that I was diagnosed with a true corn allergy when my doctor, after several unsuccessful attempts to prescribe antihistamines for hives, discovered that all the prescription strength medications had corn starch in them as fillers. Being allergic to your antihistamines is the quintessential definition of irony.

She was excited because she’d never met anyone with a true corn allergy and now she could write a paper. I wasn’t nearly as excited. She found one antihistamine that didn’t have corn starch in it. It’s a tiny pill called hydroxyzine and I took it for nearly 15 years.

I was never really happy to take hydroxyzine. It was messing with my sleep patterns. It made it very hard for me to get up in the mornings. I also had to keep in mind that at anytime the manufacturers could start adding corn starch to it. In my mind, this solution had an expiration date.

Homeopathy

I was finally able to get off antihistamines last summer. I found a fantastic homeopathy practitioner here in Charlotte. She reviewed my medical history and all my symptoms and recommended a remedy for me that has finally allowed me to quit taking the hydroxyzine. The remedy is quite specific to me (sulphur 12C) and depending on your whole medical history, a practitioner might recommend something else for you.

I will say the homeopathy is still a work in progress. I still have mild reactions but with the vitamins and herbs I take, they’re manageable.

Non-prescription Remedies

I’m giving you the brand names since I’ve already vetted them against my own corn sensitivities. YMMV

Daily
  • Bluebonnet Super Quercetin 1 2x/day
  • Now Oregano oil 2 2x/day – natural antibiotic
  • Mesosilver 1tbsp daily – natural antibiotic
Symptomatically
  • Eclectic Institute Olive Leaf, 400mg – treats sinus symptoms
  • Eclectic Institute Nettle, 300mg – treats hive symptoms
  • Magnesium Oil – treats headaches and cramps
  • Colloidal silver nasal spray – treats sinus symptoms (will cause a lot of drainage at first)

I also take Enzymedica ViraStop and/or SerraGold as soon as I realize I’ve been exposed. The enzymes work to clear my system of the allergen as fast as possible. I’ve heard activated charcoal does the same thing by binding the food just eaten. I haven’t tried it because it binds the minerals too. So it’s not something you can use as more than an emergency stop-gap.

Acupuncture and Laser Therapy

My acupuncturist has been treating me for just over 2 years now. The treatment also includes laser therapy for allergies. She “cleared” me of corn over a year ago but I still have reactions. As of last week, she cleared me of microwave popcorn which was still causing terrible reactions. I had to bring her a sample of popcorn kernels (someone else collected them for me) and she put them in a tiny vial that I hold while she runs a laser light over my back for a couple of minutes.

Lasering is non-invasive but also very specific. Due to the severity of the allergy, we have to treat each corn component separately. Next up, she’ll be treating me for fabric softener, which I’m also certain has corn in it. I don’t use it myself, I’m reacting to the smell of it on people’s clothes in the office. Seriously!

Conclusion

As you can see this has been a process and no one thing has been the perfect solution. I continue to chip away at my allergies bit by bit. I hope one day to be able to go to a movie and just appreciate popcorn as “theater potpourri”!

Here’s a shout out to Tamar for inspiring this post. You should check out her work in progress on a corn allergy documentary!

Disclaimer: I have no medical or nutritional training. Any supplement regimen I share with you are meant as a starting point in your own research. What worked for me may not work for you. Most importantly, you should always do your own research to make sure that you won’t react to the supplements as we all have different sensitivities and reactions to corn.

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