Hi,
I skimmed through the stickies but couldn't find a really good article explaining the connection between healing the gut and reducing allergies. DD has environmental allergies and gluten sensitivity (eczema) and our naturopath has put her on CLO, aller-C, probiotics and something with L-glutamine. I am hopeful it will help but don't know the specifics of how, or how to explain it to others, including curious relatives. Thanks for any help you can offer.

:thumb
L

Here's one a/b leaky gut, and why the allergies happen in the first place: http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/allergies.htm
Food allergies and 'leaky gut'

The most common cause of multiple food allergies, according to many allergies experts, is having a 'leaky gut' - increased intestinal permeability. Small openings can develop in the lining of the intestine, which allow large molecules of undigested or incompletely digested foods to enter the bloodstream.

The liver is the main organ inside the human body whose function is to process substances which are "foreign" to our body and to make them "friendly". If the quantity of incompletely digested foods which enters the bloodstream is too great for the liver to 'clear' almost immediately, the immune system then recognizes these molecules as being foreign to the body and produces antibodies against them.

When the food is eaten again and again and passes into the bloodstream undigested or only partially digested, the antibodies bind with the food. These antibody-food complexes can travel through the bloodstream to any part of the body where they then cause problems.
(There's more in the full article.)

I'd search for GAPS diet--I think the Gut and Psychology Syndrome is a very helpful description of what is going on in our guts irt allergies/sensitivities and other ailments, and discusses how and why gut healing measures work.

Have you seen this page: Healing the Gut Tribe ~ CHEAT SHEET (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=434071)--lots of links to articles (and some moving stuff quoted in the thread)

And this thread: Where to start? Help 101 (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=1096747)--there is lots of gut healing stuff there which may also better explain the why's.
Basically, the gut is 70-80% of the immune system. It all starts with nutrient-dense foods, effective digestion (with adequate stomach acid), absorption of nutrients (in the gut with balanced microbials), and detoxification of the chemical byproducts of foods and environmental toxins by the liver, with adequate bio-available nutrients to support the detox pathways.

Many thanks!!!