Allergy
Viveka has a unique ‘whole body’ approach to the diagnosis and treatment of allergy and food intolerance. We have one of the country’s leading allergy consultants on our team, Professor Jonathan Brostoff, and you will also have the support of our other medical and complementary specialists.
Allergic reactions may be due to many causes. Inhaled pollens, dust, animal dander and mould spores can cause itchy eyes, rhinitis and asthma. Allergens in contact with the skin can lead to itching and rashes and injected allergens such as drugs and venom from stinging insects can lead to widespread rashes and even anaphylaxis. Food allergies can present in many ways depending on an individual's sensitivity.
Your allergist, Professor Brostoff, will focus on making a clear diagnosis, identifying triggers, and then personalising your treatment. There may be other causes of your symptoms so we'll distinguish what's significant for you. Allergic conditions frequently affect more than one body system, and your specialist will consider the impact of allergy, and of your treatment, on your whole body.
Food reactions These can be immediate or delayed. The majority of food allergy problems are mild (such as itching of the mouth in reaction to fruit or vegetables) but some can be very serious.
Atopic eczema in both children and adults can be due in part to food allergies.
Food intolerance affects approximately 30% of the population with symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), urticarial rashes, headaches, joint pains, brain fog and even marked lethargy. Patients are often referred to a range of different medical specialists for these symptoms when a more holistic approach attending to diet, nutrition and lifestyle might be the answer. For some people, elimination diets can be very successful. Our allergist devises a plan for each individual, and provides very close supervision during any exclusion diet.
Chronic Fatigue, post-viral fatigue, ME and CFS/chronic fatigue syndrome are diagnostic umbrella terms where the underlying causes of the symptoms may be unclear. Recent research in this area has uncovered biochemical changes which may open a therapeutic window in addition to diet, nutritional support and lifestyle modification.
Diagnosis of allergy involves taking a careful medical and allergy history and skin prick tests with extracts of a range of allergens – whether pollens, dusts or foods. In some cases blood tests are also useful.
For treatment, a possible solution is avoidance of the trigger; but there are instances where targeted treatments can reduce sensitivity. For instance, hayfever (either limited to the summer months or present all year round) can be treated with vaccines given ‘under the tongue’ - Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT). This cuts out the need to go to a hospital for weekly injections.
Complementary therapies are available at Viveka if you wish. Although not yet supported by double-blind randomised controlled trials, complementary care for allergies is used by many people who report good effects, and at Viveka a therapy of your choice may be combined with support from your medical allergist. For instance, when food allergy is an issue, nutritional therapy can be extremely beneficial; homeopaths often assist with treatment; and acupuncture and hypnotherapy may contribute to positive results.
If life's getting tough because of your allergies family and emotional support from a counsellor or family therapist may be invaluable, particularly when allergy severely affects daily life.
