NAET Explained by Geri Brewster, RD, MPH, CDN

Geri Brewster, RD, MPH, CDN, began her clinical career nearly 30 years ago, specializing in pediatric and young-adult developmental disabilities, including metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders; specialized tube feedings; dysphagia; autism; behavioral, attention, sensory and oral-motor integration disorders; and eating disorders. In her current practice, she develops comprehensive individualized lifestyle, nutritional and supplement programs for each client’s specific conditions. Ms. Brewster received a bachelor of science in human nutrition and foods from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, where she graduated summa cum laude. She earned her master’s in public health nutrition from New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York and was awarded the Sirach Award for outstanding achievement in the field of public health. Ms. Brewster is a registered dietitian-nutritionist with the State of New York. She also holds certificates of study in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia from Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, IAACN, and the Institute of Functional Medicine, in addition to an advanced certificate in adult weight management from the American Dietetic Association. Geri is a Reiki practitioner and a registered member of the International Kinesiology Association. 122

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NAET Explained NAET is based on the premise that we are electromagnetic beings and that everything has an electromagnetic field. Chinese medicine philosophy suggests that exposure to substances that are not compatible with one’s energy results in energy blockages in the body’s meridians. Meridians are “any of the pathways along which the body’s vital energy flows.” By Geri Brewster, RD, MPH, CDN Introduction NAET* is an acronym for Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques. Dr. Devi Nambudripad, a physician also licensed in chiropractic medicine and acupuncture, discovered her allergy elimination program almost 30 years ago in November of 1983 as she attempted to thwart an adverse allergic reaction to a vegetable she had just consumed. She found that stimulation of certain acupuncture points balanced her body with the substance, averting a full-blown reaction. In the aftermath of this discovery, Dr. Nambudripad began to explore energetic medicine. NAET is based on the premise that we are electromagnetic beings and that everything has an electromagnetic field. Chinese medicine philosophy suggests that exposure to substances that are not compatible with one’s energy results in energy blockages in the body’s meridians. Meridians are “any of the pathways along which the body’s vital energy flows.”1 There are 12 meridians in the body. When energy blockages occur, they result in disease. Dr. Nambudripad broadly defines “allergy” as an outward manifestation of disease brought about by energy blockages. Though NAET treatments are not well defined from the perspective of standard or conventional therapies, the premise of NAET is rooted in acupuncture and Chinese medicine principles. Informed by Dr. Nambudripad’s multidisciplinary background, the NAET approach is geared toward reconciling the energetic pathways governed by the brain and nervous system to the body’s organ systems in the presence of an allergen. Recognizing that the brain creates its electrical signals through a complex chemical process that cross-reacts with the immune system, Dr. Nambudripad theorizes that a person’s sensitivity or allergy to a substance is rooted in neurochemical energy imbalances

and that NAET’s meridian balancing technique can result in desensitization and elimination of the reaction.2 Similarly to rebooting a computer, NAET operates on the premise that we can “reboot” our nervous system and overcome the adverse reactions of the brain and body that manifest as allergy.2 How NAET works Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques are noninvasive and use either kinesiological 3 or electrodermal screening techniques 4 to determine sensitivities or weaknesses to substances. If a weakness is determined through neurosensitivity testing,5 it is balanced with the person’s energy through stimulation of acupressure points. NAET treatments are designed to balance the body with the substance being desensitized on the physical, chemical, and emotional levels. NAET desensitizes one allergen at a time. After balancing to the allergen, the person must avoid the item that was balanced for 25 hours; this provides the 24 hours needed for energy to travel through the body’s meridian clock (see Figure 1), plus one additional hour for the energy to settle. The meridian clock is made up of 12 two-hour intervals, one for each of the body’s meridians. Energy begins to circulate in the body at 3 am with the lung meridian and ends with the liver meridian 24 hours later. Within each major meridian, there are also micromeridians that generate energy to other meridian points. This energy can potentially interfere with full harmonization to the allergen if exposure occurs too soon. Thus, the 25-hour substance avoidance time is essential to assure energetic compatibility with the allergen across all meridians. 6 Persons who are not severely immune deficient generally need just one treatment to desensitize one allergen. Thus, a person with a

*NAET is a registered trademark of Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad. www.autismone.org

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Figure 1:

reconciling the body’s energy to itself as well as to the core components of foods. Accordingly, the order of the first 10-15 treatments is important. For example, the first few treatments address core nutrients from the majority of foods that we consume:

Meridian Clock Heart Spleen

11

1

9 Stomach

Small Intestines 3 Bladder

7

5

Large Intestine

AM

PM

Kidney 7

5 Lung

Pericardium 9

3 Liver

1

11

Triple Warmer

Gall Bladder

Source: Nambudripad D. NAET Pain Relief, 1st ed. Buena Park, CA: Delta Publishing, 2008, p. 342.

mild-to-moderate number of allergies might require approximately 15-20 office visits to desensitize 15-20 food and environmental allergens. The initial visits focus on balancing about 15 basic essential nutrients; when these are completed, treatment can then focus on chemicals, environmental allergens, immunizations, and so forth.7 On the other hand, individuals who have significant reactivity to a particular substance may require multiple desensitizations to both the substance and the chemical components comprising that substance or to combinations of one or more related substances (such as stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes, and cytokines). Sensitive individuals react to even the basic components of the foods they ingest (that is, proteins, minerals, and vitamins), meaning that anything they eat or supplement with can cause a reaction. Eventually, these individuals react even to foods that once were allowed or tolerated on elimination or rotation diets. NAET, therefore, seeks to build the body into compatibility not only with identified allergens but also with itself. Immune-deficient people and individuals with chronic illness, autoimmune disease, and typical allergyassociated symptoms often appear as though they are allergic to themselves. In such cases, the body’s energy is so disrupted that nothing these individuals try brings relief. An acupuncturist will find that the liver meridian is “on fire” or their chi (vital energy) is blocked, while a chiropractor may find that they are constantly out of alignment. In many instances, these individuals have suffered for their whole lives, and their “bucket” is so full that any additional drop into it causes a complete overflow of symptoms. NAET balancing stops the downward spiral and (metaphorically) allows the water in the “bucket” to recede by energetically 124

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 Egg albumin (one of the highest bioavailable proteins for humans that closely resembles our own)  Egg mix (egg yolk is rich in choline, cholesterol, B vitamins, vitamin A, and minerals essential to our nervous system)  Calcium (an essential mineral for bodily functions and musculoskeletal demands)  Vitamin C (necessary for connective tissue, growth, and healing)  B complex (necessary for nervous and endocrine systems)  Sugar (primary source of energy)  Iron (needed to carry oxygen throughout the body) NAET and homeopathy As with all treatment options, individual responses to NAET vary. It can sometimes take multiple treatments to achieve desensitization to a single item. Recognizing that homeopathy has long been used to successfully reduce allergy symptoms and response, a NAET homeopathic protocol was designed to increase the efficacy of treatments and help reduce the possible need for multiple treatments for one allergen. The combination of the two modalities provides a synergistic remedy. Homeopathic allergy treatment functions by inducing the downregulation of the immune system in relation to an offending substance. Homeopathic remedies contain information about a substance that can re-teach the body not to react to the substance even though the allergen is not physically present in the remedy. This is similar to NAET, with the exception that homeopathic energy substances are generally taken internally while NAET treatment is external. The use of homeopathy after a NAET treatment involves giving a person offending substances in homeopathic form in multiple quantities at different dilutions, thereby continuing to expose the body to the substance in an energetic form. This can improve the outcome of a single NAET treatment and reduce the possible need for multiple treatments to an offending or highly reactive substance.8 The NAET homeopathics also contain seven paired meridian formulas specifically designed to optimize meridian flow and transfer of information throughout the body (see Figure 2). NAET and autism research Dr. Nambudripad has conducted two studies examining the energetic balancing brought about by the effects of NAET desensitization treatments on autistic children.9,10 She defines allergy-related autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in reference to NAET’s principle that allergy can manifest in any form of disease and that reconciling the body to allergens will diminish or eliminate those symptoms.11 According to NAET theory, autism is “a nutritional deficiency disorder causing biological, neurological, and developmental problems in children.”10 Dr. Nambudripad suggests that children with autism may be suffering from allergies even if they do not manifest in a typical allergic response.11 www.autismone.org

Figure 2 According to Dr. Bruce Shelton, the seven Paired Meridian Formulas are designed to prepare the meridians and their related organs to receive signals and unblock and tone “stuck” meridians. The Basic NAET protocol has the practitioner locate the patient’s most blocked meridian(s).  If a meridian is blocked, the transfer of information through the Meridian System during the complete NAET treatment cycle may be compromised.  These formulas are designed to maximize each meridian’s ability to function properly.

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The Paired Meridians are: 1. Bladder/Kidney 2. Gallbladder/Liver 3. Governing Vessel/Conception Vessel 4. Heart/Small Intestine 5. Lung/Large Intestine 6. Pericardium/Triple Warmer 7. Stomach/Spleen Shelton BH. Meridian formulas. Deseret Biologicals, Inc., 2006 - 2009 [cited 2011 June 22]. Available online from: http://www.desbio.com/NAET.html.

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Guided by its underlying principles, NAET has been used successfully to reduce (often completely) the symptoms of illnesses other than typical allergic reactions. The most recent study sought to determine whether NAET procedures are effective in restoring verbal and nonverbal communication in children 3-10 years of age with allergy-related ASDs.9 The study hypothesized that children with diagnosed ASDs and related symptoms (such as no eye contact and/or inability to speak) would show a significant improvement over the control group in verbal and nonverbal communication after 50 NAET treatments focused on systematic desensitization to most food allergen groups, environmental allergen groups, childhood immunizations, and other relevant allergenic substances. In addition to supporting its hypothesis, the study’s findings also demonstrated a reduction in autistic traits, including improved social interactions, improved play with other children, improved sleep, reduced restlessness, reduced irritability, and reduced abnormal body movements (such as flapping hands). The study’s results also supported findings from a previous investigation conducted in 2005.10 A third study, though not specific to autism, assessed milk allergy elimination with NAET.12 All three studies are registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. To support further research into NAET’s effectiveness, Dr. Nambudripad recommends that individuals who are considering NAET receive conventional allergy testing prior to beginning NAET treatments. This allows for the possibility of collecting data to assess improvements in IgE-mediated laboratory results following NAET. References 1. Merriam-Webster [Internet]. Meridian. Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2011 [cited 2011 June 22]. Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meridians 2. Nambudripad DS. Say Good-bye to Illness, 3rd ed. Buena Park, CA: Delta Publishing, 2002. 3. Schmitt WH Jr, Leisman G. Correlation of applied kinesiology muscle testing findings with serum immunoglobulin levels for food allergies. Int J Neurosci. 1998 Dec;96(3-4):237-44. 4. Ericsson AD, Pittaway K, Lai R [Internet]. ElectroDermal analysis. Biomeridian Innovations in Health, 2011 [cited 2011 June 23]. Available at: http://www.biomeridian.com/ electrodermal-analysis.htm 5. Nambudripad’s Allergy Research Foundation. NAET screening for food allergy, sensitivity and intolerances using IgE-specific antigen test and NST- NAET®. In: ClinicalTrials.gov [Internet]. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health [cited 2011 June 22]. Available at: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/ results?term=NCT00275795 6. Masuda H, Saito Y, Moosad M, Nambudripad RA. The importance of avoidance of the desensitized allergen for the following 25 hours of the initial NAET® to derive satisfactory results after each NAET® TX. JNECM. 2010;6(2):1439-52. 7. Nambudripad DS. NAET protocols and modalities. Part 1: basics. JNECM. 2005;1(1):19-28. 8. Shelton BH. Introducing the NAET®/DesBio homeopathic protocol. Deseret Biologicals, Inc., 2006 - 2009 [cited 2011 June 22]. Available online from: http://www.desbio.com/ NAET.html 9. Nambudripad’s Allergy Research Foundation. Treatment of autistic children using NAET procedures. In: ClinicalTrials.gov [Internet]. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health [cited 2011 June 22]. Available at: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov/ct2/results?term=NCT00277407 10. Nambudripad’s Allergy Research Foundation. An autism study using Nambudripad’s food allergy elimination treatments. In: ClinicalTrials.gov [Internet]. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health [cited 2011 June 22]. Available at: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=NCT00247156 11. Nambudripad DS. Say Good-bye to Allergy Related Autism. Buena Park, CA: Delta Publishing, 1999. 12. Nambudripad’s Allergy Research Foundation. Milk allergy elimination through NAET® (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques). In: ClinicalTrials.gov [Internet]. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health [cited 2011 June 22]. Available at: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=NCT00328731 126

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Conclusion Guided by its underlying principles, NAET has been used successfully to reduce (often completely) the symptoms of illnesses other than typical allergic reactions. This is evidenced by support for NAET from well-known physicians working with autoimmune disease and chronic illness. For example, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, researcher in the field of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia and author of From Fatigued to Fantastic, has described NAET as a beneficial adjunct to the therapies he recommends. Similarly, Dr. David Brownstein discusses the benefits of using NAET with chronically ill patients in his book Overcoming Arthritis. As NAET receives more attention, it is important to note that Dr. Nambudripad cautions against modifications of her techniques. There are no shortcuts, and it takes time to positively influence a person’s energy. In most cases, illnesses and sensitivities have built up over many years. In addition, any trial of exposure to a previously known allergic substance must be done under the supervision of a medical practitioner. Nonetheless, because NAET is a noninvasive, energy-based modality that has resulted in or augmented the recovery of many individuals experiencing allergies and chronic conditions, it is a modality that deserves consideration.* *Editor’s note: For an example of NAET treatment in a child with autism, refer to Lisa Rudley’s article in this issue of Autism Science Digest.

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