Proven treatment can eliminate food, chemical or environmental allergies and their symptoms. Forever! Without drugs.
Treatment
Ally Cruikshank is a believer. So are Lynne Mehlman, Cathy Creed and Linda Rooney. And they’re not alone.
These women and thousands of other people have discovered what they believe is the secret to eliminating allergies. All allergies. Forever. And without using medications, lowering the potential risk of side effects.
“You can’t help but wonder how the NAET treatments could possibly help, but they do. It’s hard to believe NAET works, because honestly, it sounds like hocus pocus!” chuckled Cruikshank.
Creed, Cruikshank, Mehlman and Rooney are singing the praises of the Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique or NAET, a revolutionary diagnostic treatment which identifies allergens by testing muscle strength.
Westford acupuncturist Dr. Cynthia McMahon King believes NAET is a valuable tool for detecting, and then eliminating, allergies and organ weaknesses.
Muscle-response testing is the first part of the NAET treatment used by more than 400 practitioners in the United States to eliminate reactions that a surprising number of people have to common foods, as well as to chemicals, plants, animal dander and other substances.
During the muscle test, Dr. McMahon King asks the patient to raise his or her arm and hold it tight. She pushes against the uplifted arm, which normally remains strong.
Then she gives the patient a vial containing a solution of the allergen, or in some cases, the actual allergen, to hold in the opposite hand and repeats the muscle testing procedure. If the patient cannot resist the pressure, Dr. McMahon King knows an allergy is present.
“The theory behind NAET is that allergies are the result of energy blockages in the body due to contact with opposing energy of other substances. When energy is freely flowing along the energy pathways, an allergic reaction is impossible,”
She then does a simple five-minute acupressure treatment along the spine while the patient continues to hold the vial. Next, six acupuncture points are stimulated either with needles, or laser, which works just as well.
“It doesn’t matter who the patient is or how muscular – if the strongest man in the world is allergic to a particular substance, he will not be able to resist any pressure if he is testing properly,” Dr. McMahon King, a registered pharmacist as well as a licensed and certified acupuncturist, explained.
“The theory behind NAET is that allergies are the result of energy blockages in the body due to contact with opposing energy of other substances. When energy is freely flowing along the energy pathways, an allergic reaction is impossible,” she concluded. The goal, therefore, is to simply open the energy pathways through a combination of acupressure and acupuncture.
NAET works between 80 and 90 percent of the time, according to practitioners who use it – and the results are usually permanent. All patients start with an initial 10 treatments that clear groups of allergens. Sometimes, additional sessions are needed to eliminate specific allergies.
Cruikshank, a massage therapist and phlebotomist from Harvard, started getting allergies when she turned 30. “I’d have asthma attacks, sinus infections and break out in hives for no apparent reason,” she recalled. “I went to a naturopathic doctor who ran blood tests on nuts, eggs, meat, bananas and other foods that might be the culprits. He recommended an elimination diet, which had some positive effect, but over time, I kept getting worse.
“The compelling thing about NAET for me is that I was getting worse and worse and conventional steroid treatments frightened me. And they don’t eliminate the allergy, they just mask the symptoms,” said Cruikshank.
“Next, I went to an allergy specialist, who did another test and even more allergies were revealed,” she added. The specialist recommended another elimination diet, which Cruikshank admitted sounded easy in theory, but was hard to put into practice. Eventually, Cruikshank, who was also allergic to mold and other substances, became dependent on various types of inhalers, steroidal nose spray and prescription antihistamines.
“And then I became allergic to ibuprofen and aspirin which caused hives,” she explained.
Cruikshank learned about Dr. McMahon King through her sister, who had started using the NAET on her dog.
“I was ready to try anything. Dr. Cynthia first cleared me of the 10 basic families of allergens which include Vitamins A and C, B complex, Iron, plus egg, sugar, salt, mineral, corn and grain mixtures. Then she cleared specific items one by one. I simply held the vial of the allergen, flipped on my tummy and Dr. Cynthia did an acupressure treatment on my back which felt great,” Cruikshank explained. “When I left, she gave me a homeopathic remedy to take twice daily.”
After the basic 10, Dr. McMahon King tackled the list of things Cruikshank knew gave her problems – dogs, cats, dust and mold.
“The changes were subtle in the beginning and then you realize you’re not wheezing or haven’t had an outbreak of hives in a week,” Cruikshank added. “Certain things took a long time to clear – seven or eight sessions,” she added. In fact, it took Dr. McMahon King almost a year to rid Cruikshank of everything, but today she is asthma free, does not need an inhaler or antihistamines, “And I can eat what I want,” she said. The single identified allergen that remains is to ibuprofen. “I may go back to get that cleared, or just steer clear of it,” Cruikshank laughed.
“The compelling thing about NAET for me is that I was getting worse and worse and conventional steroid treatments frightened me. And they don’t eliminate the allergy, they just mask the symptoms,” said Cruikshank.
“You can’t help but wonder how the NAET treatments could possibly help, but they do. It’s hard to believe NAET works, because honestly, it sounds like hocus pocus!” chuckled Cruikshank.
“It’s amazing how much Americans don’t know about energy and the body and what the possibilities are – thank goodness for people like Dr. Cynthia for introducing us to new treatments that work!” concluded Cruikshank.
North Andover artist Lynne Mehlman is not only a believer, she’s eager to spread the word about NAET.
Mehlman’s allergy journey began more than a decade ago, when she recognized her then pre-schooler, Jake, was sensitive to both wheat and sugar. “Our pediatrician said all sugar was alike and did not affect behavior. That might be true in general, but I knew my child and thought it did make a difference. I put him on an elimination diet and realized that he did react to sugar and wheat. And his preschool teacher agreed with me. That was great validation.
“I also wanted Jake to be able to tolerate everything other kids could experience in school and on the playground. I just wasn’t sure how to make that happen,” she explained.
A few years later, Mehlman found Dr. McMahon King through her naturopathic doctor, Janet Beaty of Harvard.
“My mind was already open to alternative treatments – NAET is not invasive and there are no obvious risks, so I was most willing to try a non-Western approach,” she explained.
Mehlman first brought Jake to Dr. McMahon King one day before his eighth birthday, complaining of eczema. After his initial 10 sessions, Dr. McMahon King treated Jake a few more times until the problems were minimized or eliminated.
Dr. McMahon King also helped Jake three years later, following several severe bouts with poison ivy.
“All he’d have to do is be in the vicinity of poison ivy and his whole body would swell,” she explained. Even though it had been three years, Dr. McMahon King did not need to re-do the basic 10 clearances.
“We’ve seen remarkable results on many things, but not all. NAET has still not completely eliminated Jake’s eczema, but NAET sure worked great on poison ivy – he would just walk by poison ivy at school and come home with unbelievably bad poison ivy rashes several times a year. It was so bad, he had to take steroids. With just a few NAET treatments, the allergy to poison ivy was eliminated completely.
“It’s amazing how much Americans don’t know about energy and the body and what the possibilities are – thank goodness for people like Dr. Cynthia for introducing us to new treatments that work!” concluded Cruikshank.
“Dr. Cynthia guaranteed it – she told me she’d treat him again for free if it failed. And it did. We noticed a teeny, tiny patch, went to Dr. Cynthia, got a booster treatment and it was gone,” Mehlman explained.
“Although it’s certainly not recommended, today Jake can run through a patch of poison ivy with no reaction,” said Dr. McMahon King. At the same time, Jake was desensitized against the sting of yellow jackets and hornets.
Four years ago, Dr. McMahon King treated then ten-year-old Devin Creed for food and seasonal allergies, stuffy noses, colds. After the basic 10, Dr. McMahon King honed in on specific foods plus a number of different molds until the problems decreased to a manageable level.
“It’s certainly not as bad as it used to be," explained Creed.
His sister, Elena, first visited Dr. McMahon King at the tender age of six and was treated for eczema, asthma, molds and general infections.
Again, the results were positive.
“The acupuncture worked especially well with the asthma Elena had. The good thing about it is that you can avoid using the inhalers," said Creed.
“Elena still has general infections from time to time, but they are not nearly as bad as they were before the treatments,” explained the children’s mother, Cathy Creed of Westford. In addition to NAET, Elena also received traditional and magnet acupuncture treatments and homeopathy for various conditions through the years.
“And when both kids were exposed to pertussis, commonly called Whooping Cough, Dr. Cynthia gave me a homeopathic alternative to the recommended antibiotics and they never got sick,” Creed continued.
“Dr. Cynthia and NAET have given me back my Fall – I can enjoy the outdoors. The colored leaves, the crisp cool air . . . Before NAET, I’d just shut the doors and windows and stay inside.
“Children respond really well to acupuncture and homeopathy,” said Dr. McMahon King, the mother of three, all of whom she’s treated with homeopathy and acupuncture since their births.
“We spent a lot of time [with treatments] initially, but don’t see the need for it now, as most of their symptoms are minimal. They did it and now they’re better – without allergy shots or other traditional western medicines,” explained Creed.
Linda Rooney attended a lecture on the NAET process at the Natural Market in Groton a year or two before deciding she’d suffered long enough.
“I remember that at the time, I tried to decide if I had the money and the time to invest in my health. Eventually, I just could not stand my allergy to ragweed. It was ruining every Fall, my favorite season,” explained the Littleton mother of three.
Rooney, who works part-time at her family’s sporting goods business, decided to try NAET.
“I’m interested in herbal remedies and enjoy learning about alternative topics, so NAET seemed a good fit.
“During the basic 10 treatments, the ragweed season really kicked in. I had weepy eyes, a runny nose, a sore throat . . . Dr. Cynthia stopped midway and treated me specifically for ragweed. She even asked me to collect samples from my yard to make sure we cleared the exact allergen. Within a few treatments, my reaction to ragweed was completely eliminated. Totally gone.
“Honestly, I was not convinced of the miracle cure, so I used to listen to the weather report to see if the pollen count was low, but it wasn’t,” Rooney laughed.
“For the next five years I remained ragweed symptom free. I had a setback this Fall, however. I was in a car accident and afterwards, I noticed that about 25 percent of the symptoms had returned, but I know I can go to Dr. Cynthia any time to get it all released,” she explained.
Although 80 percent of the original treatment holds on most patients, “Any major trauma like a car accident or even hormonal changes can unclear a clearing. The good news is that it’s easy to restore with a simple ‘booster’ treatment,” said Dr. McMahon King.
“Knowing how to heal yourself is so empowering,” Rooney concluded.
Having had such success with ragweed, Rooney told Dr. McMahon King that for her entire life, she’d awaken with a froggy throat and thought everybody did. Not so. Dr. McMahon King investigated and found Rooney was allergic to mold as well.
“I realized that when I’m in older homes, particularly our beach house, I seem to have a case of insomnia. For years, I never put two and two together – that the problem was somehow related to the house. Dr. Cynthia asked me to collect samples (by setting a cotton ball in the corner of several rooms for an hour or so, and then dropping them into a sealed plastic bag) and it turns out she was right – the mold in the house was causing my insomnia.”
“Allergies to mold is a typical complaint from people who live near the beach because of the moist ocean air. Unfortunately, there are thousands of different molds, some more commonly found than others, so it often takes some detective work and two or more treatments to clear a specific mold allergy,” said Dr. McMahon King.
“A few members of my family thought the allergy symptoms were all in my head, but after a lifetime of early morning congestion, I now wake up clear as a bell! It was the ragweed and mold. A few other Springtime sensitivities were treated before they got too bad.
“It was maybe an entire year until I was cleared of everything.
“Dr. Cynthia and NAET have given me back my Fall – I can enjoy the outdoors. The colored leaves, the crisp cool air . . . Before NAET, I’d just shut the doors and windows and stay inside.
“NAET treatments have been one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. I hear all the ads on TV for remedies and think people are wasting their money, just like I used to do. It amazes me that there are so many people who still suffer. It’s too bad not everybody knows about this,” she added.
“Knowing how to heal yourself is so empowering,” Rooney concluded.
How much?
Compared to traditional therapies, doctor visits, over-the-counter remedies and more, the cost of NAET treatments is more than reasonable, and almost always last forever. Better yet, many insurance companies are starting to offer acupuncture coverage. Unlike some practitioners, Dr. McMahon King accepts insurance.
“Treatments are pricy – so you hope they work,” said Mehlman. “But honestly, I equate NAET to a massage. It makes a difference! Many people treat massages as a luxury, but regular massages can break patterns and actually enhance health. People have their hair cut and colored, their nails painted . . . so why not NAET,” asked Mehlman.
“It is expensive and it is a commitment,” agreed Cruikshank, “but I would do it again in a heartbeat. The NAET treatment was worth any price not to be feeling sick, dealing with inhalers and regular doctor visits. It was actually cost effective over time, and the benefits are that it didn’t just eliminate the allergies, it helped my overall health.”
For the Creed family, acupuncture was a paid benefit in their health plan. However, like Mehlman and Cruikshank, Rooney’s insurance didn’t cover NAET treatments, but she also agreed that the benefits were so great, it was worth every penny.
How NAET Works
Like many medical breakthroughs, Devi Nambudripad, an M.D., a chiropractor, acupuncturist and registered nurse based in Buena Park, California discovered NAET, the technique that now bears her name, in the mid 1970s quite by accident.
“The story goes that one day, when she gave into the urge to nibble on a carrot, a food to which she was allergic, Dr. Nambudripad had an immediate severe reaction. After treating herself with her acupuncture needles, she felt uncharacteristically energetic and noticed that a piece of carrot still clung to her skin. Based on her understanding of the body’s energy flow, she concluded that something had happened to change the way her body responded to the carrot’s energy field. She continued her research and began using the technique on other patients in 1986. To date, she has taught the NAET method to health care practitioners around the world,” explained Dr. McMahon King, who learned NAET from Dr. Nambudripad.
“In simple terms, allergies result from energy blockages in the body due to contact with adverse energy of other substances,” said Dr. McMahon King. In her book, Say Goodbye To Illness, Nambudripad uses the insights of many disciplines – chiropractic, Oriental medicine, immunology, environmental medicine, genetics and Western physiology and physics – to explain in detail how NAET works.
“When energy is freely flowing along the energy pathways, or meridians as they’re called in Chinese medicine, then no allergic reaction is possible. Blockages occur because the patient’s immune system responds to normally harmless substances as if they were a threat. Antigen-antibody complexes are formed with T and B immune cells. When trying to destroy these complexes, the immune systems reacts by inflaming and destroying healthy tissue.
“Like a kinked garden hose, that reaction blocks the energy flow along meridians and prevents the movement of vital energy to all the body’s organ systems. This can produce a variety of health problems. Symptoms can range from simply being tired and cloudy thinking to headaches, digestive problems, depression, skin rashes and eventually diseases of the kidney, liver, lungs and other organs.
But why does the body misinterprets a banana, mold, pet dander or ragweed as a threat in the first place?
Dr. McMahon King explains that some people are genetically predisposed to allergies, but other factors such as a lack of necessary digestive enzymes or vitamins and minerals, ingestion of antibiotics, chronic stress or eating hard-to-digest foods, such as dairy products, play important roles, too. The environment, both natural and chemical, can also weaken the immune system.
“When an allergen is held within the patient’s energy field during an acupressure session, the energy circuits the body on a freely flowing path that it had not experienced during previous exposure to that substance. The body relearns how to respond to it properly. In other words, the body is reprogrammed not to react to the substance in the future as if it were a threat,” said Dr. McMahon King.