Causes of strange allergies..could it be mangos?

So I recently had a client who contacted me with a strange itchy allergic reaction where her skin was inflamed around her lips, mouth, nasal passages that had been lasting for days. She had also experienced some gastro-intestinal upset.

She had no idea what was causing this reaction nor did her doctor so her doctor’s only option for her was to put her on steroids. She wanted a second opinion because her mom had died of kidney failure after an extensive use of steroids so did not want to go that route.

She called me as I do a lot of “investigative intuitive work” and we figured out what had caused the allergic reaction. I’m a natural troubleshooter at heart and so we started investigating and I was able to trace it back to some raw mangos she had eaten a few days before.

She was in shock that this is what was causing it but as I walked back in her time-line (this is what I call it when I do a medical intuitive session with someone–like working with someone’s energy field to draw past information with their assistance)

I was able to learn about a time when she was a child and she had a severe poison ivy reaction that landed her in the hospital. She recalled on several occasions where the incidence was so terrible that she could barely breathe and the blisters that she had were so terrible.  She also got extreme stomach pains which would seems unrelated until now.

The link and connection is that Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. Mango peel contains urushiol (cashews and pistachios can also contain urushiol so if you have an allergy to either of these nuts this could be why!), the chemical in poison ivy and poison/oak and sumac that can cause urushiol-induced contact dermatitis in susceptible people. Those with a history of poison ivy or poison oak may be most at risk for such an allergic reaction.Urushiol is also present in mango leaves and vines.

This is the oil, which for people that are sensitized to, will cause the characteristic delayed allergic reaction. Up to 30% of people have no allergic reaction when in contact with the oils from poison oak or poison ivy. Most will become sensitized to it with repeated exposure. The urushiol oil is found in the nut shell of the cashew fruit (though not in the cashew fruit itself), and in the mango plant sap as well as the skin of the mango fruit.  The mango fruit skin has a lesser concentration of urushiol, though still with some potential for the delayed skin rash with more sensitive people.

Mango allergies are often noticed soon after eating a mango but may take several hours or days to develop in some cases.  Typical mango allergy symptoms are blisters around the mouth and severe itching. This usually takes several hours to develop, so you many not realize that your symptoms are caused by a mango allergy.

Here’s what we did naturally to help calm down her rash that you can do too if this is an issue for you or someone you know.

As many of you know I studied clinical aromatherapy so I often will provide alternative approaches using essential oils as I have found them to be quite effective in clearing up conditions with little to no side-effects.

As an acute measure here’s what I had her do to help provide some quick relief.

1) put 6-9 drops each of tea tree and peppermint oil in a tablespoon of coconut oil or calamine lotion and apply to the affected areas.

This helped control the itching reaction (btw this also will work for a poison ivy/poison oak reaction many times). If your rashes/blisters are not oozing than you can try applying them directly to the rash/blisters. The tea tree/peppermint mix will both provide pain relief and can work to Dry the rash and soothes the itch.

2) Dab it on whenever you feel the itch, and at night before going to bed. Keep it up until the last flaky bit of skin has gone. It may take a week or two to clear.

3) You can also add about 20-30 drops tea tree oil to the bath and soak in it or do an apple cider vinegar bath soak can also provide relief.

I also work with herbal medicines and cleansing to help my clients trace down to the source of the issues as much as possible.

So here’s the underlying issue when we’re dealing with allergies/sensitivities or allergic reactions. If you’re experiencing allergic reactions, your system was probably exposed to a certain toxin during a very weakened immune state at some time in your life..very likely childhood and hence you have developed antibodies against this “foreign invader” that it now wants to attack and this can create a histamine or inflammatory reaction to something in the future that is either the same or somewhat related.

In the case of the mangos they are related to the same family of poison ivy and her system was well aware of the reaction it had suffered and it immediately had started triggering the immune system response.

Now here’s the interesting part…just like certain foods may not “bother you” when you’re younger and as you grow older you can oftentimes become more “sensitive” to these foods or environmental toxins..this can happen as your gut lining becomes damaged and your immune system is weakened or can stem from genetic weaknesses that are being expressed.

Genetic Factors and Influence:

When doing DNA testing with clients concerning the genetic factors that can be at play is EPHX (Microsomal Epoxide Hydrolase) this gene is in large part responsible for how well you will detoxify chemicals and foreign antibodies.  Epoxides are toxic, highly reactive foreign chemicals present in cigarette smoke, car exhaust, charcoal-grilled meat, and smoke from burning wood, pesticides, and alcohol. The body’s way of dealing with epoxides is through the enzyme microsomal EPHX, which detoxifies these foreign compounds. Due to a SNP on the EPHX gene, people with lowered EPHX activity will have difficulty detoxifying harmful substances and thus be particularly vulnerable to their effects.

Hormones/Immune System/Natural Body Defenses

During our 20s-30’s nature tries to super ramp up all defenses, hormonal activity and health in order to allow you to be in your prime of “reproductive activity”, after this age most of these hormones drop, immune system tends to drop..and other signs and symptoms of “aging” being occuring with greater rapidity.

One of the best ways to prevent this onslaught of breakdown in your system at the biological level is by keeping your immune system in tact and working very effectively for you and not against you.

Protecting the Liver Protects you

A large part of this function comes from the protective effects proper liver function provides for you. As your liver function degrades so does your overall health. I’m going to be sharing more about these functions and effects on the upcoming Reversing Aging Seminar. If you haven’t signed up yet for it, please do so you don’t miss out.

Underlying Reasons Why you may be experiencing Allergic Reactions/Warts/Skin Issues

Weakened Immune System
Weakened Skin System
Weakened Intestinal System
Weakened Liver/Gall Bladder
Weakened Glandular System

Many times this weakened state will stem from underlying parasitical, fungal or viral infections that are lurking within your system and can subsist in the synovial fluids in dormant states.

As we rebuild and restructure our internal cleansing systems, and strengthen our immune systems we provide an environment where we have less reactions to our “everyday” world.

I also have touched on this but not very much yet but just like our “minds” seem to hold onto and store memories..so do our bodies..I’m going to do another post about this because the connection between mind/body/spirit is very strong and is not something that should be overlooked. We’ve thought of them as separate but alas what I have found working as an energetic healer and medical intuitive is that they’re indeed very connected.  I will share more about this in future posts.

So I realize that was a pretty long post..but I hope you found the information useful..

So with my client we’re now working on cleaning up her blood system using a combination of specific herbs, diet and protocols to support her liver etc. so she can relieve herself of these allergies altogether.

I’m a mango lover and really like pistachios and cashews as well..and would be unhappy if I couldn’t eat them…ugh!

Have you ever had experience with poison ivy infections, mango reactions or other food/plant allergies? If so it may be time to look into getting some help.

I was considering writing a series on nut allergies as a lot of people have issues with them which makes it challenging for them if they’re trying to follow a raw foods diet sometimes..if you’d like more info on this or if this interests you please let me know by posting below.

Please post below and I invite you to share this post with your friends/family etc. you can use the retweet or FB share buttons on top of any of the buttons below. Help spread the word.

Much love,

Chef Dina

P.S. My private consultation discount is ending soon!  if you’re interested in taking advantage of this package. Please email me at dina@elivinghealth.com to schedule an appointment.