Dr. Cheryl, The Cleveland Post

This past Friday Mrs. L and I took Fish, Puppy, and Roo to see Dr. Cheryl to get some allergies under control. (The kids were being treated for both "true allergies" as well as "sensitivities". For the purpose of this blog I will be using these words interchangeably.)

Fish's results for what she was reacting to was longer than expected, although how she was reacting was not exactly surprising. She hasn't been treated since she has started eating everything, so a bit of catch up was needed for her. Basil, oregano, garlic, tomatoes, red potatoes, all peppers, and GLUTEN were most of her list. And she is reacting (insert drum roll here...) BEHAVIORLY! Okay, so I had an inkling this was the case, at least for gluten. She gets kinda crazy-eyed, and spastic after too much of it, like she is literally unable to calm herself down. She was treated for them all and we are okay to reintroduce them back into her diet, all except gluten that is. Gluten is one of those funny items (kinda like food dyes) that even if it is "safe" for a kid to eat, once it causes them behavior issues, it will always cause behavior issues. With our family history of ADHD(or is it a family history of gluten intolerance?) we aren't playing around with a unnessecarly hyper child!

As for the pup, we started the series of 3 foundation treatments. Getting him treated for things like phenols and plastics. He also was retreated for his formula which he was reacting to yet again (most likely it didn't stick because the foundational treatments were skipped over), so here's hoping his constant cold and his daily "tacky" can go the way of the dumpster!

Now that you know a bit about how the treatments went for my kiddos, here is a bit about the treatments themselves. This bit is from Dr.Cheryl's website. For more information about how the allergy elimination treatments work check out that page!

How are allergy symptoms eliminated?

Muscle response testing, otherwise known as applied kinesiology, is used to determine specific sensitivities per patient. This modality of testing is painless and can be performed in any age group. The specific organ system that is most profoundly affected by the sensitive agent is determined as well. The patient is put in contact with the specific allergens during the treatment process. Acupressure is performed on the back, hands, arms, legs and feet. After 15 minutes the treatment is complete.

How are children treated for allergies?

Parents bring children of all ages for allergy symptom elimination. Seated in their parents lap, testing is quick and painless. Socks are a very important tool at Integrative Wellcare, as they are used to house the allergen vials during the treatment session. Please bring big socks! Acupressure is performed and laughter ensues. Many refer to Dr. Cheryl as the tickle doctor and really enjoy coming for visits.

Dr. Cheryl muscle testing Fish. Those boxes are full of the vials of the allergy substance. The metal square she is holding against them is how she tests each vial against Fish. She has a metal rod in her sock that is attached to the block. You can see the cord going down that connects it in the picture.

While she is holding the metal block against the vials she is pushing down on my arm. My other arm is touching Fish's skin. I stay "strong" (my arm is normal, I can resist her pushing my arm down) if Fish is not reacting. If she is reacting, my arm will drop when Dr. Cheryl pushes down on it, even though I try not to let her. My muscle becomes "weak". Fish was having a hard day, since she was just getting over her roseola, which is why she doesn't look too happy!

After the kids are tested they get their "fail" vials pushed down into their socks, and taped in. She then uses acupressure to hit certain points that will then retrain their bodies to have a different response to the substances in their socks. No pain and no needles! Check out how happy Roo is while he is getting it done!

While I won't pretend to know exactly how all of this works, I do know the results and that is good enough for me! She has an amazing 85% or higher success rate! Compared to the 50% success rate with years of traditional allergy shots, I like those odds!