Article May 9, 2011 ISSUE

A healing solution to allergies

By Candace Du Mars

Pure Mind gives out an atmosphere that heals and saves.  
— Mary Baker Eddy, 
Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 260

A relative once told me that he had been freed from seasonal allergies. He smiled and added, “Yeah, I moved out of the Willamette Valley—no more pollen.” Certainly, he wasn’t criticizing the magnificent beauty of this Oregon river valley, which early pioneers thought of as the Promised Land; but he was voicing the longed-for freedom from the limitations that allergies seem to bring to so many treasured places, products, and activities. 

Is avoidance of allergens the only clear alternative to allergic reaction? Actually, no, but many people live their lives avoiding pets, dairy products, gluten, peanuts, and many other perceived sources of allergic reactions. To some, even makeup and perfume can be hostile and offensive. (Allergy labels even creep into vocabulary: “He’s allergic to work”; or “She’s allergic to commitment.”) And to suffer from the very air one breathes can feel like the biggest travesty of all. 