Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Advanced Allergy Therapeutics--AAT

I have entered the realm of Alternative Medicine, namely Advanced Allergy Therapeutics, or AAT.

I went to my first AAT appointment, not wanting to get my hopes up ( just in case it didn't work), yet at the same time I knew it had been working for others I knew. So, yes, I had hope and was looking forward to answers, getting to the bottom of things and feeling better rather than feeling icky all the time, even while avoiding the (increasing number of) things I was allergic to.

The doctor began by listening to my (abbreviated) health history. Then, he began testing pressure points on my body and doing strength testing on each point.

Strength testing consists of me putting my right arm straight out in front of me, locking my elbow and making a fist. The doctor then presses down on my arm as I in turn press upward in effort to keep my arm from going down. This strength testing is done while he presses each of the pressure points, as well as when testing for each of the allergens.

I had suspected yeast overgrowth and low adrenal function, and tested for those being weak(no surprise there). He later recommended Morinda Supreme Noni powder for that(which I am taking). My liver seemed to be fine, thyroid marginal(I suspect those problems as it's in the family) but ok, digestion was weak(again, no surprise, but I hadn't mentioned this before the testing).

I was then hooked up to the computer. This consists of an arm cuff similar to a blood pressure cuff, only it doesn't fill with air, it is about half the size, and it is placed on the forearm just below the elbow. This cuff is how the signal of the allergen is transmitted from the computer to my body.

We tested a whole lot of allergens that first day and ended up with a list of main things that needed to be taken care of before I would be able to treat specific single foods. The good thing is, once the main things are treated, that often takes care of many/most of the allergenic foods.

AAT has the ability to break foods down into miniscule components, and to treat those components. Often, those foods span over huge food groups.

The things I tested weak towards were: Salicylates, Glutamates, Corn, Grains/Wheat, Vitamin A, Milk/Dairy, Protein, Soy, Plant Phenolics

The thing that floored me and made me nearly an instant believer in this process is that I hadn't even TOLD the AAT doc that Salicylates and Glutamates were something I had struggled with. Remember my low-Sal diet I went on before finally going to the conventional allergist, who told me "there's no test for that and no treatment other than avoidance"???

Salicylates were the definite first thing that I needed to have treated.

The treatment consists of the AAT doctor sending the signal for the allergen to the arm cuff. I stand and turn around and the doctor uses this vibrating instrument thing(sorry, don't know the real word for it-I'll have to ask!) and runs it down my spine, once while breathing in, once while breathing out, and then once more while breathing in and once more while breathing out. This instrument is said to send signals to the brain and the rest of the body, to encourage a positive response to the allergen, instead of a negative response.

Then I sit back down and he does the strength test again to be sure it worked. If I am weak to it, then he breaks it down to the tiny components and we treat those.

At that time(barring any questions/discussion), the appointment is finished and I avoid the allergen for 2 hours. After that I should be able to have the allergen without any problems.

I can go back anytime after that 2 hours and be treated for something else, of if I decide I'm feeling great and don't want to go in, there's no hurry. It's completely up to the patient.

So far, all of my treatments have been successful. I have been treated for Salicylates, Glutamates, Corn, Grains/Wheat, Milk/Dairy, and Plant Phenolics from the main list. Vitamin A was taken care of once I was treated for Salicylates, Protein was taken care of once I was treated for Milk/Dairy, and Soy was taken care of as well.

When I had Corn treated, it was as if a ball and chain had been cut off of my ankle and I could eat again. No exaggeration there. :)
Soy was similar, although it was easier to live soy-free than it was corn-free, since most things with soy were labeled as such.

I have also been treated for Molds(when we had flooding and my sinuses were raging and my neck was sore and stiff and I had a slight headache) and the symptoms subsided within the 2 hours after my treatment.
I could BREATHE! I could think more clearly!

I had Plant Phenolics treated last week, and I was no longer enduring a scratchy throat whenever I drove around in the country(I live in the country-hard to avoid that!). The trees aren't actually blooming/pollinating yet, but they are producing alleles, which are known to cause problems in people with allergens.



I had Dust treated today(amazingly, I did not test weak to Dust Mites!).

I believe next week we will do Trees, and then after that there is another large test to see what other things might need to be treated. I am betting the Nightshade Family, Pitted Fruits, Garlic and Coconut/other nuts will top that list! We shall see...


As it is, I am feeling better than I remember feeling for quite some time---I would almost say I feel better than I have my entire life, minus the fact that I am still avoiding many foods.

It feels as if a cloud has suddenly lifted and the longed-for sun is shining once again.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

do you think AAT is better than the other allergy device? Thanks!!

Tanya said...

I don't have a final answer as to which system is better, since I am not finished with BioAllergenix yet. I think I will give it through the month of August before I have a better answer for you. August is the worst month for me, living in ragweed country and corn/soy growing places, and with the mold on the corn plants, etc. I am waiting for that month with hope as well as apprehension...

I think I will write a post on the pros and cons of each. I think they are both good. :)

Kiddoe said...

Hi, I was curious as to whether your corn allergy ever went away. I am thinking about having AAT. Thanks!

Tanya said...

I had corn treated with AAT, and I can now eat food with corn derivatives(not to mention corn on the cob) with no problems.
I also no longer have the problems I used to have with developing brain fog 5 minutes into my shopping trip at a store with a bakery or that pops popcorn. :)
I watched some online friends who were having AAT done before I finally went with it, and then I was wishing I had started sooner. :)

Noey said...

Towards the end of your segment, you mention that you are still avoiding a lot of foods, why? Didn't AAT take away your sensitivity? Thinking about having this done, hoping to be able to EAT again!

Tanya said...

noe--
AAT is limited in that it can basically only treat one thing at a time.
Before I started with AAT, I had multiple, as in at the very least 13 known food allergies and a ton of different mold/pollen/other environmental allergies.
I was only partway through AAT at the time I wrote this post, hence the reason I was still avoiding them.

I have since moved on to BioAllergenix(aka BioVeda or Allergenix) using the Bax3000 machine, as is described in more recent posts.

I still go in for what I call a "tune-up", usually for some derivative of something or a pesticide used on something(like bananas a few months ago).

Though I still have allergies reoccuring off and on, I am told I am a rare case. And I am still very much ahead of where I was before I started with AAT. I am glad I tried it/am doing it(though a little bummed that it wasn't a miracle cure ;)).

This time of year, I would normally be sneezing and having constant itchy throat and such due to molds and tree pollen, but I don't yet. Also, ragweed season has been MUCH better (though not completely cured-- it starts later for me now than with my allergic friends and at least now it is manageable with an antihistamine where before it wasn't at all!).

Unknown said...

Hi Tanya,
I stumbled upon your post while trying to find reviews for AAT. I'm battling with my daughter's eczema...
Do you have to come in to the appointment knowing what the triggers are? Or is that something that they will help you determine?

Tanya said...

DbBd-
In my experience, no, you do not need to know what your allergy triggers are.
In fact, my first AAT treatments were for things I wouldn't have guessed at the time.
I had gone in with weird symptoms and they were able to work from those symptoms, using the computer program and muscle testing, to find the cause.
Hope that helps!

Mom2natertot said...

I'm taking my son for an eval and his first treatment today. He's 2. I'm so hopeful. His biggest issue is corn, and he's very sensitive. We havent even ventured into most of the top allergens bc we're so busy dealing with corn trials and reactions. Of course we have received zero help from 5 dr's, including a pedi GI who we left baffled. I'll post our results!

Tanya said...

Mom2naternot--I wish you the best and will pray for you as I post this comment! Keep me and my readers posted as to how he is doing! :)

shodges87 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
shodges87 said...

Hi I was wondering what your food allergy symptoms were. I went in for the first time today and was told I'm allergic to dairy, wheat, corn, chocolate, and coffee, among other things. I have had headaches, dizziness, and itching all over my body for years and he said its probably from eatting these things.

Tanya said...

shodges87-
I was very much a mess when I first started with my treatments--I was reacting to just about everything, it seemed like. Foods (both immediately after eating and hours after eating), pollens, molds, epithelials(cat dander and such like), dust...
The best I can answer your question is that every time I ate (just about anything, it seemed), I would have itchy throat and ears, and often sneezing. I had years where I could not breathe through my nose. I had scalp itching (which may have been a side effect of yeast...since my leaky gut wasn't handling my food well...) and often my skin would itch or feel like pins and needles, but there would be nothing visible to the eye. For other foods, hours later I would have abdominal pains in my gut...I would also have heartburn issues and pain behind the left shoulderblade(scary!)..these last two were associated mainly with trying to reintroduce wheat. I had some episodes with what I believe was gall bladder(under the right rib pain/burning) after eating really greasy foods. The skin broke out on my face a lot, like a teenager's.
Sorry I wrote a book! Like I said, I was a mess when I finally went with alternative medicine, even after nearly a year of elimination of foods based on my skin-prick test results (which were IgE and didn't touch my gut - IgG foods). It was often very hard to pinpoint exactly what I was reacting to at any given time.

Anonymous said...

Tanya, Thank you for sharing. Can you tell me your take on AAT versus your treatments with BAX 3000? Differences, pros, cons and results...

H

Tanya said...

Anonymous--
I posted awhile back, comparing AAT and BioAllergenix/Bax3000 here: http://livinghealthyinthemodernworld.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-comparison-of-aat-and-bioallergenix.html

I do feel that as more research is being done, each system is better/reaches and treats more allergens/problems than the last. But, if you only have access to AAT, it is a pretty effective treatment. It will just take much longer to treat things, especially if you have a ton of allergies/health issues like I did.
The Bax3000 finds and treats much more than the AAT system.
The BaxAura seems to have found and treated/is treating the fall allergy stuff that the Bax3000 didn't quite get all of last year(though it did get a LOT of it and last year was light years better than the years before).

Anonymous said...

Hi- I have a few allergies, my son also. First, can you tell me if it's a few treatments or if I will have to go back on a regular basis. And anyone with experience on a toddler? I'd hate to expose him to something that hasn't been studied on a lot.

Tanya said...

Anonymous--
I can't answer your question with certainty. I had many, many allergies when I went and it took a few visits before I noticed a difference. I then switched over to BioAllergenix and did quite a few visits for treatments with that system(thankfully mine were all covered with my one-time payment).
I think it varies with each person, though I would guess that if someone only had a few allergies and their body wasn't run down like mine was, that would mean far fewer visits.
I am not sure about AAT, but a few online acquaintances and some irl friends have used the BioAllergenix/Bax3000 treatments on their children. I brought 2 of my 3 kids in with their known allergens(from prior scratch testing at an allergist) and had them tested using muscle testing and then treated with the Bax3000--no problems with milk in this household now! Theirs was a one-treatment thing, though I did bring them in at one of my later appointments to be sure the treatment held(no additional cost).

Clear as mud? :)

Jenny and Eric said...

I have just started AAT and after my fourth treatment I have had a terrible reaction...It was on Thursday, and it is Monday now and I feel like I have a terrible cold/sinus infection, off and on especially in the last 24 hours. Did you experience anything like this? I will have a few hours where I feel ok, that is why I think it's the reaction and I am not actually sick, and there is nasty stuff coming out of my sinuses (sorry).

Tanya said...

Jenny and Eric-
I never did have a reaction like what you describe. (Though in the beginning I don't know if I would have noticed/reported it, since my allergies were so bad anyway...) I have had some minor "flares" the week following an AAT/BioAllergenix treatment that consisted of itchy palate, sneezing and just general tiredness, but I don't remember anything to the extent of what you are describing.
With mine, I wasn't sure if it was a response to something in my environment (likely) or to my treatment.
Any chance you might be exposed to something in your environment the last few days that you might be reacting to? Not saying it's not your treatment(it very well could be), just exploring possibilities. :)

Jenny and Eric said...

Tanya-
Thank you, I went to the doctor today and I am sick.
A "virus" and sinus infection. :) Just a coincidence I guess!

Eric said...

Hi everyone,

I'm just starting the AAT treatment after struggling for years from allergies living in the Maryland/DC metro area. I suffer from the typical airborne allergens (dust/mites/pollen/grass/trees# as well as some chemical sensitivities like dryer sheets and some food allergies like corn and milk products which are kind of hard to avoid, especially corn #it's in like everything#. I started my treatments on June 21st, 2013 #about a week ago#. Thus far the practitioner has treated #pollen/mold/dust/dust mites/trees# Items pending on my list are #grass/cat dander/dog dander/dryer sheets and the food items#



Bc I'm still in the process of addressing my allergens its sort of difficult to tell if the treatments are working or not. I hesitated to do the treatments b/c I found it difficult to rationalize how the AAT software works via a signal through meridians in the body, plus the hefty cost for the treatment #why can't the price be more affordable anyway#?. For those particular reasons, I waited over 2 years to follow through with the first treatment. Due to the fact that I really want to stay on the east coast #family/job# I decided to bite the bullet and go head in and so I'm now in the middle of getting everything done. I'll be sure to report back my findings...





Question...

One piece that's missing from the reviews and blogs that I've read thus far are the pre and post allergy tests #from allergist# to show via traditional western medicine that the AAT approach does indeed work. Has anyone ever returned back to their allergist to redo their allergy test to see if the results correlate with their marked improvement in terms of how they feel. I would imagine the post test would show little to no allergic reaction to the substances they were allergic too prior.



I currently have my allergy tests from my allergist and they show extreme sensitives to the above mentioned items. I'm curious to redo my tests sometime in the next 3 months #after I finish the pending AAT items ) to see how the scores compare. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated if anyone thought about doing this.





Thanks



Eric

Tanya said...

Hi Eric!
I too am curious. Personally, I still cannot quite justify the out of pocket expense (around $600) just to feed my curiosity. Perhaps someday, though. :)