Natural Solutions for Seasonal Allergies
It is underestimated that more than 25 million Americans are affected by seasonal allergies. These allergies are resultant of many causes, but the most common is airborne pollen. According to www.pollen.com, the best and worst cities to live for allergy suffers don’t fare well for Arizonans’. The five best cities are: Burlington, VT-Greenbay, WI-Missoula, MT-Flint, MI and Concord, NH. The five worst cities are: Yuma, AZ- Prescott, AZ-Beaufort, SC-Denver, CO and Charleston, SC. The South and especially the South-West tend to be regions with the highest pollen counts. This means more challenges for allergy suffers.
Let me explain a few things about allergies. The body has multiple levels of defense against invaders and incoming particulates. So when the environment dishes out an increase of components otherwise innocuous, the body kicks in the immune system. This system helps protect against bacteria, viruses or other harmful invaders. Allergies are the body interpreting the environmental components as invaders and responding wisely. The nervous system and immune system work together stimulating the release of antibodies.
Specific cells, called plasma cells, release more specific antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). The IgE antibody finds way to another important immunity defending cell called the mast cell. Mast cells help with the inflammatory response by releasing other chemicals creating a cascade of reactions. One such chemical is called histamine. These chemical cascades create a positive response which can include sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, coughing, itching among others.
As you may have experienced some or all of these symptoms previously, it is the body’s expression of a normal and necessary process. If you were desensitized to allergens, then the function of the immune system would become less sensitive. If this happens, then responding to more extreme concerns would be altered, such as responding to viruses, bacteria, mites, mold or other nasty invaders.
Protective mechanisms are designed specifically to maintain the right you have to “BE HEALTHY”. In spite of these amazing mechanisms to protect your rights- the sales of allergy medications continue to reach new highs. Americans spend tens of billions of dollars on allergy shots, decongestants, nasal sprays and anti-histamines yearly. All these weapons against the body are not without side-effects. Some more complicating than the original symptoms.
If we even consider that covering up the signs and symptoms cures the disease, we are mistaken. The signs and symptoms are not the disease itself. Allergies are not the runny nose and watery eyes. Allergies are a response of the body to rid itself of something foreign. Allergies are your body’s natural response to particles entering the body from the outside.
How about supporting the health of your immune system and seek a more natural solution for seasonal allergies. This approach for relief symptoms without side-effects? Some of these important methods include changing the lifestyle, such as-Eating a balanced diet of whole foods, preferably seasonal, local and non-genetically modified. Having your nervous system checked regularly to minimize stress and maximizing the main control mechanism of every cell and organ of the body. Supporting a major player in healing-adequate resting periods and quality sleep. Maintaining frequent exercise by sticking to a routine.
Other natural solutions for seasonal allergies can include more therapeutic changes, such as cleansing the nasal cavity using a neti-pot or other sea salt washes, increasing omega-3 fats, eating local products such as honey, or experiencing the benefits of essential oils such as eucalyptus.
The longer we tolerate the stressor the less sensitive our body is to ridding itself of that stressor. Again, allergy medications do not rid the body of the allergen, by prolong and delay the body’s ability to “get it out”. Tolerance is an adaption to stress. When we repeatedly cover up symptoms of a dis-ease/disease process the body becomes less effective at fighting. It is as if you are saying to the body “I can’t hear you!” and the body eventually saying “I’m going to stop telling you then!”
Covering the symptoms with anti-histamines interferes with the body’s production of histamines. Remember, these are a chemical released by white blood cells, called mast cells, to help expel foreign substances, particles and “bugs”. Anti-histamines do not affect the cause, but actually inhibit the body from getting the invader out. So, anti-histamines suspend healing by promoting tolerance. This lends to toxification-NOT THE ROAD TO HEALTH.
There are other ways you develop allergic responses. The human body is a fascinating, dynamic, holistic, palpable and resilient work in progress. This work best functions within a homeostatic environment, meaning a balance between all cells, tissues and organ systems. In the state of homeostasis, the body can adapt quickly to changes inside and out. But, if stressors keep the body out of this balanced state, survival mode kicks in and can make adaption difficult. Adaption of the body had different thresholds. This means a certain level of stress causes the body to “work with it”. When a threshold is reached and exceeded, then adapting to the load of stress is limited. Now you go from working with Dis-ease to battling DISEASE.
Are you overloading your body with abundant stress factors? For example-Do you eat nutrition-deficient manmade food on a daily basis? If so, your body is working overtime attempting to break down and assimilate these “non-foods”. Foods containing chemical preservatives, additives, hormones, pesticides, contaminants and genetically modified products buildup and overwhelm the digestive and other systems of the body.
Over time this builds up on the lining of the digestive “tube”. Absorption of essential nutrients becomes increasingly difficult and the influx of toxins across the digestive barrier becomes more prevalent (see our blog on Leaky Gut Syndrome).
So we find ourselves looking back at the defense mechanism-our immune system. Since the body can recognize these invading components and respond quickly, the result is inflammation. A constant inflammatory state! A high alert of incoming invaders pursues. So now you become more susceptible to hypersensitivities of environmental allergens. The watery eyes, runny nose and coughs begin. Soon the cycle of treating symptoms without getting to a direct link to a cause continues. This cause and effect relationship is a dynamic aspect of the body often misunderstood and over-treated. Chiropractic seeks to establish the cause of nervous system Dis-ease and maintains focus on homeostasis by removing the cause. Read our next blog to see how you might be suffering needlessly from vertebral subluxation.
Your Tempe Chiropractor has many Natural Solutions for Season Allergies, contact us today to see which option is best for you.
