Allergies, Stress, and Breathing Easy …

Lee A. Bowers, Ph.D.

Approximately half of all Americans are bothered by at least occasional allergies.  Some suffer so much that allergies seem to control their lives.  Most people believe that the only action to take with allergies is reaction - i.e. to treat the symptoms - either with over the counter or prescription medications.  Unfortunately, neither alternative eliminates the allergy, but rather, just temporarily reduces the symptoms. Often, there are undesirable side effects to the medication.

Just imagine how life would be without allergies.  It is often possible to eliminate allergies through various holistic, drug free, non-medical processes based on the energy balancing principles of ancient Chinese Medicine.  For over 5000 years, the Chinese have believed that the cause of all chronic ailments can be traced to a disruption in the body’s energy system.  Just as the proper flow of blood throughout the body is essential to our health, so is the proper flow of energy, or “Chi.”

Immunologist, Judith Swack, Ph.D. explains that the function of the immune system is to fight pathogens, or disease-causing organisms.  An allergic reaction is like a phobic response of the immune system because it mistakenly overreacts to something that is not a pathogen.[i]

This type of response is most likely to occur when the immune system is compromised. Any kind of physical or emotional trauma can create this compromise and disrupt the flow of Chi.  Swack explains that when someone undergoes a trauma, or is in a period of significant life stress, there is a significant drop in their immune capacity, rendering the person susceptible to a multitude of diseases.  If this trauma is accompanied by a heavy exposure to something different in the environment (the blossoming of ragweed, for instance), the immune system can easily overreact.

It seems that the systemic shock that a trauma creates directly triggers, or turns on, mast cells, causing them to degranulate, producing allergic symptoms.  Thereafter, the substance (e.g. ragweed) acts as a shock trigger and causes allergic symptoms without the original trauma, via conditioned response.  In other words, the immune system, in sensing ragweed in the environment, thinks it is being attacked and goes into a histamine response to try to ward off the perceived attacker.  Of course, ragweed is not really a pathogen, and the “attack” is only perceived, not real – a misunderstanding of the immune system.

A client recently came to my office for treatment of a cat allergy.  Her experience was a perfect illustration of Swack’s theory.  “Cindy” stated that she had always had cats growing up, and loved them dearly.  Then, all of a sudden, while in high school, she became allergic to cats.  Through the use of applied kinesiology, we muscle tested to learn the details of the story that her body had to tell about this allergy:

At age 16, Cindy’s first boyfriend broke up with her and she was distraught.  This was the trauma that depleted her immune function.  She retreated to her bedroom and cuddled with her cat for comfort, rarely going out of the room for several days, crying, and burying her head in the cat’s fur.  This heavier than usual exposure to cat hair and dander, coupled with her depleted immune system, caused the mistaken reaction we call an allergy. From that point forward, she was allergic to cats.  Often the source is not so obvious as in this example, and identifying a precipitating even is not necessary for successful treatment.

This allergic reaction was quickly eliminated by use of a combination of techniques including Accupressure and Neuro-Linguistic Programming/Time Line Therapy.ä The allergy that had plagued her for years was eliminated in less than thirty minutes.  Various energy modalities can also be used.  I usually test the person using applied kinesiology (muscle testing) to determine the best intervention for them. I am seeing this kind of successful result with almost everyone I treat.  The results are usually permanent, (unless the person is retraumatized), and very exciting. 

I have also been using these methods with people who have multiple chemical sensitivities or environmental illness, food allergies, and other immune compromised situations.  These can be much more complex problems, but the basic principles still apply. Through a holistic approach to mind/body integration and stress reduction, we can assist our bodies in the healing process.

Lee A. Bowers, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist and board-certified in Medical Psychology. She is listed in the 2^nd Edition of Who’s Who in Healthcare.  For more information regarding her work with allergies, autoimmune disorders, or other physical and emotional health care concerns, feel free to call or visit her website:

Suburban Psychological Services

Integrated Mind/Body Healing

210 Tower Road 

Villanova, PA  19085 

Phone: (610) 520-0443/e-mail: leebowers@comcast.net

Visit our Website at: http://www.drleebowers.com

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[i] Swack, Judith.  A Study of Initial Response and Reversion Rates of Subjects Treated With the Allergy Technique.  Anchor Point : 3: 1992.  Reprint.

Upcoming New Book! by Lee Bowers, PhD

It’s almost here!  The official release of my new relationship guide, Divorce Proof Your Relationship Before You Say “I Do” – Seven Essential Conversations, is right around the corner and so far it has been received very well by colleagues, clients and others!  I’m excited because the guide will be able to help not only couples looking to get married, but those that are already married as well. 

Understanding the reasons behind the tendency that many couples have to stray apart and lose touch is pivotal in rescuing any relationship from ruins.  It seems that the subjects raised in “Essential Questions” are often behind the problems.

Throughout my career, I’ve found it doesn’t matter if a couple has been together for two weeks, two years or 20; there are always differences and baggage that gets swept under the rug of life; but never really goes away.  The better equipped we are to know what the important questions are in life and how to go about finding the answers and solutions, the longer and stronger our relationships will be.  After all, isn’t that the point of a committed partnership?

One couple I worked with recently had been married 23 years and was in the process of rediscovering each other.  The wife said to me one day that it seemed to her she was learning new things about her husband every day.  She couldn’t understand how she could have shared a life, a home and a family with a man for so long and yet not be aware of many of the things in his life that were important to him.  She worried that she was a failure at being a good wife.  I told her, “If you don’t know what or how to ask, there is no way to truly know everything about anyone; especially your spouse! 

I hope Divorce Proof Your Marriage Before you Say ” I Do” will help couples learn the answers to the things they really need to know about each other.
A colleague of mine asked me the other day about my new guide, Divorce Proof Your Marriage Before you Say I Do; Seven Essential Conversations.”  She wanted to how it would be useful to couples considering marriage?  As a divorce attorney, she had seen, heard and pretty much dealt with it all, when it came to the reasons why marriages didn’t work!  She could usually tell which of the people sitting in her office dividing assets in anger and disappointment, were doomed from the beginning and which could have had a fighting chance with the right intervention.  I sent her a copy of the manuscript.  A few days later, she had one word to describe the it …awesome!  Coming from a seasoned divorce attorney; this was just the word I wanted to hear!

Divorce is not something that happens over night.  In fact, many divorces start before vows are even taken.  The seeds of divorce are planted any time we think we will change our partner, any time we push away those nagging thoughts of irritation about something our partner thinks or does, and become rooted quickly when we believe that marriage will solve all the problems. None of those idiosyncrasies, personality traits, beliefs, and habits are likely to improve after marriage.  On the contrary, they usually become more pronounced.

Unfortunately, while we are in dating mode, we rarely see the sorts of issues that married life will bring our way; so learning essential knowledge can be difficult.  But during the courtship is when you need to learn more than just the obvious about your intended.  That is what this guide will help you do – and in the process, you’ll learn a lot about yourself!

From who should change the diapers, how many kids a couple wants to have or where they will spend the holidays; to whose job it is to mow the grass and often they will attend church - new couples have mountains of real life issues that will cause disagreement.  Divorce Proof Your Marriage Before you Say I Do is designed so you don’t have to play the wait and see game!  You are given real life marital situations and a set of questions to ask not only of your spouse but of yourself!  The answers aren’t meant to change whether or not you get married, but to provide you with a tool that details where your groundwork together needs to start.