Life with Allergies…no more!
The summer before my son started 3rd grade I started to notice some behavior problems. He had
days that he was very impulsive and yet others where he was very thoughtful. Some days he was
very short tempered, even angry and out of control. Other days he’d cry for no reason at all.
Sometimes when I’d ask him a simple task, like “please get the ketchup out of the refrigerator”,
he’d start walking and then completely forget what he was doing. I, like many moms, just
assumed he was being naughty and pushing my buttons. However, when 3rd grade started that
Fall I received a phone call on the SECOND week of school stating that my son was a huge
distraction to himself and others, and his teacher asked me to come in for a conference. I still
thought this was just his way of getting my attention…it worked! As I sat and listened to his
teacher describe the behaviors and concerns that she had, I was quickly in tears and I knew
something was wrong. She said that in her 26 years of teaching she had only referred three
students to special education for ADHD symptoms, meaning she does not come to that
conclusion lightly, and my son was the third. I tried to rationalize, stating that it was only the
second week of school, how could she possibly label my child, who has NEVER had any
problems prior, as ADHD?!
Well, my assumptions from the summer were now turning into real concerns. I started watching
my son like a hawk, every thing he did I became aware of and it was shocking. Some things I
had seen over the past few months, but I didn’t realize how big of a problem they really were. He
constantly had his hands on his face; whether it was picking his nose, sticking his hands or
objects in his mouth, or itching his scalp, nose and face. He constantly chewed on his collars to
the point where I’d have to tell him to change his shirt because it was so wet. He would itch/grab
his private parts and his buttocks all the time, even in public, and not because he had to go to the
bathroom. His anxiety would get so high some days that he would even forget to wipe and flush
when using the bathroom. Now, I know a lot of kids can forget stuff like that, but he would be
forgetting even as I would stand in the bathroom and remind him seconds earlier. He was
forgetting everything; what he was asked to do, what he was supposed to do next, and/or what he
had just done. Some of us adults like to joke about having “Alzheimer’s”, but this was an 8 year
old! An 8 year old who had never had any problems at school or home. He was the kid teachers
loved, not the “annoying, distracting, out of control, emotional” kid that he had now become.
His teacher and I watched him and documented things for about 2 weeks and then I agreed that
he needed to be evaluated by the school psychiatrist. She found that he definitely fit the criteria
of ADHD, however did not give him a diagnosis, but referred us to a doctor. At the appointment
I explained the concerns of the teacher, psychologist, and myself and in LESS THAN 30 minutes
she came to the conclusion that yes, indeed my son has ADHD. She came to that conclusion
WITHOUT any testing, simply by what she heard and the symptoms that he showed during the
appointment. She handed me a prescription for Adderall and I walked out the door.
I didn’t argue with that doctor, I just let her tell me what she thinks she knows, but I knew in my
heart that she was wrong. It really bothered me that she did not offer any other alternative
possibilities. I knew there had to be an explanation for this SUDDEN change in my son’s
behavior, and at that time I knew that if I didn’t take the time and effort to try and figure out a
logical reason, my son would end up labeled just like so many other kids, and there is no way I
would allow that without being 100% certain. At this time I did allow my son to be entered into
the special education program, because he fit the criteria and his grades were struggling, and it
was beneficial for him to receive the numerous accommodations. However, I did not medicate
him.
I went home that night and I started researching online, and I researched all day and all night, for
days until I finally found a possible answer. It was titled “Don’t accept a diagnosis of ADHD
until you’ve ruled out all these possibilities”. Under the title was a very long list of possible
conditions/diseases that mimic ADHD. Among this list that caught my eye; were hearing
problems, lead poisoning, Lyme’s disease, and allergies. Considering that my son had many ear
infections when he was younger, we live in an older home with possible lead paint, we live in
Wisconsin where there are many wood ticks, and my son had known environmental allergies and
my daughter had many food and environmental allergies, I decided that these things were
possibilities and that they needed to be ruled out.
I called my insurance company and asked them if there was an ENT nearby that would accept
my insurance without a doctor’s referral. They gave me the name of an ENT who also was
specialized in allergies, and was located about 2 hours away from our home. I called that day and
made an appointment for later that same week.
I printed off the article that I found online and brought it with to the appointment. I explained the
situation and I simply asked her to rule out every single thing on the list. She was/is a wonderful
woman and doctor. She started with my son’s ears, nose and throat and discovered that he had
sinus issues due to allergies, which I already was aware of, and also that he had chronic
tonsillitis. His hearing and all the blood work was perfect. This was good news, but I was feeling
like we were hitting a dead end… The last thing on the list was allergies. I knew his
environmental allergies and what the symptoms were, but I was pretty sure he did not have any
food allergies because he did not show any of the “classic” symptoms. Boy was I wrong. I had
no idea that allergies could cause BEHAVIORAL symptoms, did you?
Well, we had my son tested and even the doctor could not believe the results. He tested positive
for more things than any other patient of hers! On the next page you will see his allergens, the
severity (mild, moderate, severe)-according to test results, and the reaction.
FOODS
Corn
Milk
Wheat
Gluten
Peanut
Soy
tantrums
Almond
Malt
Beet Sugar
Cane Sugar
Apple
Orange
Kiwi
Strawberry
Lemon
Peaches
Pears
Carrots
Cauliflower
Green Peas
Lettuce
Navy Beans
Mushrooms
Red/Orange food dye
Annatto coloring
SEVERE
Moderate
Moderate
SEVERE
SEVERE
SEVERE
Abdominal pain, crying, headaches, unable to focus, Eczema
Crying, headaches, severe insomnia (on average 4 hrs to fall asleep
with 1 exposure)
General Itchiness, itchy/watery eyes, congestion, runny nose
Diarrhea, abdominal pain
Very LOW energy, very emotional, hands in mouth/nose, itchy nose
Extreme impulsiveness (stealing, speaking out), irrational, temper
SEVERE
Moderate
SEVERE
Moderate
SEVERE
Moderate
SEVERE
Mild
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
SEVERE
SEVERE
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
SEVERE
SEVERE
SEVERE
Anaphylaxis (itchy tongue, tightening of throat)
Diarrhea
Hyperactive (to the point of Obnoxious!) with no control to stop
Irritable, crying, insomnia, increased energy
Anaphylaxis (hives, itchy tongue), anger, frustration, mean!
Irritable, insomnia
Hives
Sneezing
Anxiety, insomnia
Irritability
Irritability, increased energy
Anaphylaxis (itchy tongue, tightening of throat, hives),
Hives, picking nose, fidgety, rash all over body
Unkown, test showed positive but there was no visible reaction
Insomnia, sneezing
Hands constantly in mouth or nose!, irritable
Unknown, we did not experiment because of his high mold allergies
Anaphylaxis (severe hives, swelling of eyes/nose/mouth)
Irritable, crying, temper tantrums
ENVIRONMENTAL
Ragweed
SEVERE
Swelling of eyes, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose, congestion
Weeds
SEVERE
Swelling of eyes, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose, congestion
Trees
SEVERE
Swelling of eyes, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose
Grass
SEVERE
Swelling of eyes, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose
Dust Mites
SEVERE
Sneezing, congestion, runny nose, itching
House Dust
SEVERE
Sneezing, congestion, runny nose
MOLD types
*molds, in general, mainly caused hives and itching, eczema, congestion
*Alternaria tenuis
Moderate
*Aspergillus fumigatus
Mild
*Cephalosporium roseum
Moderate
*Curvalaria spicifera
Moderate
*Fusarium oxysporium
Moderate
*Helminthosporium spp.
Moderate
*Hormodendrum clado.
Moderate
*Mucor racemosus
Moderate
*Penicillium notatum
Moderate
*Pullaria pullulans
Moderate
*Rhizopus nigricans
Moderate
*Corn smut
Moderate
*Grass smut
SEVERE
*Epicoccum nigrum
Moderate
Cats
Moderate
Itching, sneezing, watery/itchy eyes
Dogs
SEVERE
Itching, sneezing, watery/itchy eyes
Now you’re probably wondering how I could possibly know what the reaction is for each
allergen, but I do. The doctor told me to eliminate ALL the allergens (even trace amounts) for 4
weeks. Yes, it’s a long list and it was very overwhelming, but it was possible and we did it. At
the end of the 4 weeks I introduced one allergen, once a day, for one week at a time. I kept a
daily diary of the foods he ingested and the behaviors/reactions that I saw. I also had his teacher
report any and all behaviors/possible reactions each day. Some of the reactions ended up being
life-threatening, which seemed crazy to me because like I said before I had NO idea that he had
food allergies, but because we took it out of his system for that extended amount of time when it
was reintroduced it showed the true reaction. The doctor explained that because he has so many
allergies some of them were probably acting against each other, therefore not allowing the full
blown affect until now.
As the days went on, my son started becoming “normal” again. His teacher started seeing huge
improvements and the negative behaviors were only noticeable during our trial times of
reintroducing foods. This process took several months before we were done experimenting, but it
was worth every second!
During the process I had started him on allergy drops, which are sublingual drops that are
administered under the tongue three times a day. This was quite expensive, because insurance
does not cover it, but I felt it was better than having him stuck with numerous needles every
week for the next 5+ years. The drops are a way of building up the body’s immunity to the
allergen, so that, just like with allergy shots, within 3-5 years the body is no longer reacting to
the allergen. It also allows you, after a couple months of treatment, to introduce small amounts of
the allergen. Sometimes small amounts were okay, but others still had to be 100% eliminated. If
he reacted, then we would wait a few weeks and try again, all the while documenting everything.
The only downfall is that the doctor is only allowed to put about six different allergens in each
bottle of drops (one bottle for foods and another bottle for environmental), depending on the
severity. Well, that meant I could only choose the top six in each category to treat him for, which
meant the others still had to be 100% eliminated to avoid reactions. This was quite
overwhelming, but everything is doable with the right attitude.
Throughout the next 2 years my son continued on his very restricted diet, and although he was
pretty much in a “bubble” he had a great attitude and the teachers, students, and our family and
friends were completely amazed at the positive changes. However, there were times when the
temptations got too strong and he would eat something that he was allergic too or someone
would accidentally give him something and he couldn’t resist. It didn’t take long for him to
realize that it was NOT worth it, because his impulsivity caused him to steal which led to the
police being called to school. Sometimes he’d have headaches, pain, nausea, hives, and he often
had sleepless nights. Other times it would be his anxiety, which would lead to disciplinary
actions at school or home. Unfortunately, not too many people believe you when you say your
behaviors are actually allergic reactions. They simply label you as naughty and don’t give you
much positive attention. My son’s biggest temptation was gum…he LOVED gum, but it has four
of his top allergens in it, soy being the worst. Did you know that it takes the body between 3-14
days to rid itself of a food?? Well, one exposure to soy would cause my son to become severely
impulsive, therefore causing him to impulsively eat more gum, exposing him to even more
soy…if it takes about 3-14 days to rid itself of ONE exposure, guess how long it takes to get rid
of repeated exposures?? TOO LONG!
Well, I am very proud of my son, because he was strong enough, once aware of his problem, to
make the healthier choice of saying no. His teachers and I had to teach him that his allergies
were like “drugs and alcohol”; you just have to “say NO”.
Well, although I adore our ENT/Allergy doctor, who did change our lives by making us aware of
my son’s allergies, I eventually was told about a Chiropractic/Naturopathic Clinic not too far
from my hometown that had another approach to allergy treatment….NAET (Natural Allergy
Elimination Treatment).
This past February I was introduced to an amazing man, doctor, and Christian, Dr. Mike Olson.
The combination of himself, his staff at Foundations in Health/Olson Chiropractic, and the
Natural Allergy Elimination Treatment, has changed my family’s lives forever!
NAET is painless, natural, very cost effective, and produces incredibly fast results. It seems too
good to be true, but here are the facts: my son, who had never had any behavior/attention issues
in his life, was suddenly put into special education, labeled as ADHD, and his food intake was so
limited that he pretty much lived in a “bubble” from his peers, friends and even family members.
Up to this point the only other person, besides myself, that I allowed to cook for him was my
mother (she’s amazing!), but I had to teach her and double check everything she did just to
ensure my son’s safety, simply because the amount of restriction was so overwhelming that
unless you studied it and lived it you would not be able to do it.
There was no such thing as “quick meals” or “let’s go out to eat” at our house, mealtime was a
very timely thought out process and quite costly at times. Some people like to complain that milk
prices are almost $4 per gallon…try paying $18 per gallon for goat’s milk because that is the
ONLY type my son could drink, not to mention having to buy goat cheese and butter. It’s pretty
hard to complain when your child literally only has a handful of options to eat and drink, you just
do what you have to do and God does the rest. Money and time were never an issue for me
though…it was always about my son’s health and the quality of his future. When you’re in that
type of situation you always find a way, even when everyone is telling you it’s impossible.
Well, like I said, Dr. Mike Olson is AMAZING and it’s because of him that my son is
ALLERGY-FREE!!! Yes, he has NO allergies…and I should mention that the whole process
took less than 7 months, start to finish, with each allergen being reversed in only 25 hours! Every
week my son was eating more and more things that he hadn’t been able to touch in over two
whole years. My son can now eat, drink, touch, smell, and surround himself with anything and
he has no reaction. He is currently out of special education, is an A/B student, and other than
having normal male pre-teen energy he is a very calm and precious young man.
Now, Dr. Mike didn’t just wave a wand and the allergies were gone, he used NAET (Natural
Allergy Elimination Treatment). Like I stated earlier, it is painless. The treatment takes about 20
minutes per allergen, during which Dr. Mike places two hand held wands onto different parts of
the body. The wands have laser lights which transmit energy into the body reprogramming it to
not respond to the allergen, kind of like reprogramming a computer. Once the treatment is done
the patient must not have any contact, with the allergen being treated, for the next 25 hours. After
the 25 hours, assuming there was no contact, the patient can reintroduce the allergen and there
should be no reaction. If there is a reaction, it’s not because the treatment did not work it’s
because 1) there was contact (known or unknown) during the 25 hours, 2) there is some other
ingredient or component to the allergen that was not treated for, and most likely unknown and/or
3) the patient has Leaky Gut Syndrome, which simply means that the “gut” is so damaged, either
from yeast, bacteria overgrowth, underlying disease/condition, and/or gluten/lactose intolerances,
that it requires some type of healing method prior to treatment. For my family it was yeast and
Celiac disease, so Dr. Mike put us on a 14 day Candida Albicans Diet and it did wonders!
An example of another ingredient/component that one could be unaware of happened with my
daughter, she was treated for “dairy” but even though she had no contact she still had a reaction.
Through further testing we eventually discovered that she also had a specific allergy to lactose,
casein, cheese, cheese cultures, AND enzymes. Amazing, isn’t it? Allergies are NOT as simple
as most people and medical doctors would like to think.
I just mentioned my daughter, and I should mention that my son was not the only one that
received treatments from Dr. Mike; my daughter and my other son, I, and my mother have also
been treated and have had 100% success! It’s been a complete family makeover! I could go on
and on about how incredibly miraculous the treatments are, and anyone who knows my family
knows that the 2 ½ years prior to meeting Dr. Mike were a living Hell for myself and my kids,
mainly my son. I used to listen to my neighbors and friends talk about “going out to eat”, or
they’d mention how they had forgotten to plan dinner so they were only left with the option of
throwing some chicken nuggets or a “quick meal” from the freezer to the oven. I wish that we
had those options, but the truth is we NEVER went out to eat, because literally the only thing my
son could have had at a restaurant was water, banana, or grapes…and those really aren’t
“exciting” options to an 8/9/10-year-old. He wasn’t able to spend the night at a friend’s or family
member’s house, he couldn’t enjoy the birthday treats or snacks that classmates brought to
school, and the only way he could enter the Art room was with a long sleeved over shirt, gloves,
and then he required a special desk reserved just for him that was cleaned and covered by the
teacher prior to him sitting down. “BUBBLE”, that’s what he lived in! Now, we don’t take
advantage of going out to eat or eating junk food whenever we want, just because we now can,
but we now have the freedom to do those things, and until you’ve walked down that path you
may never understand what that type of freedom feels like, but I can tell you it’s pretty amazing
especially for an 11 year old boy just starting Middle School.
Our story is probably quite unique, but I do believe that every kid and adult with any form of
attention disorders should, at the very least, be given the alternative possibilities PRIOR to a
“label” that will be with them the rest of their lives. No one has to suffer from allergies and the
lifelong complications that they create. If it were your child wouldn’t you want to do everything
in your power to make sure that the information you are being given is 100% factual? There
ARE options out there, for my family it was NAET and although I know, without a doubt, that it
will CURE you or your loved one’s allergies, everyone has to make that choice on their own.
That’s all I did…I chose to go with my gut feeling, I invested my time and energy, and I chose to
put my child’s health and future first…above money, above time, above peer pressure, and above
doubt. I know not everyone will have the same success story as my son, but isn’t it worth a try?
Sincerely,
Emily Nilssen, single mom blessed with 3 amazing and now Allergy-Free kids, thanks to NAET
and Dr. Mike!
Any questions please feel free to email me or get my contact information from Dr. Mike.
csenilssen@gmail.com
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”