Allergy
symptoms are indeed awful. Watery, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, sneezing, runny
nose…these symptoms are sure to put a damper on what ought to be fun, relaxing
time outside. Unfortunately,
allergies have dramatically risen in the last 25 years for as yet unknown
reasons, although there is a lot of research being done on the “hygiene” or
“old friend” hypothesis. This hypothesis states that a lack of early childhood
exposure to certain microbes, or lack of exposure to as many microbes as our
ancestors once were, is causing our immune systems to lose some of its ability
to self regulate. To put it simply, the immune system starts overreacting to things
such as pollen, which should be recognized as non-threatening, and instead
seeing it as a dangerous foreign invader that needs to be attack. To get rid of
this perceived foreign invader, our immune system starts creating many
chemicals that give us those aggravating symptoms.
The
release of histamine triggers an inflammatory reaction, which causes congestion
and increased secretions. Our body does this with the aim of making it easier
for our white blood cells to attack foreign invaders. Unfortunately, with an
allergic reaction, there’s no actual invader to be rinsed out with all that
snot! There are many over the counter pharmaceuticals available that address
histamine release. As a group we refer to these drugs as “antihistamines” since
they all, in one way or another, affect histamine, either by blocking it, or
lessening our reaction to it.
To
reduce symptoms during this year’s season, the time to act is now. Stabilizing the cells that release histamine,
that cause those nasty symptoms of itchy eyes, runny nose, and general
fogginess, can be very helpful in reducing symptoms. Balancing the immune system, though, is the
key to long-term wellness and the avoidance of worsening problems later in life.
Here are a few things you can do to
minimize your experience of allergies. As with any new regime, check in with
your health practitioner before starting. While it’s ideal to begin these
treatments prior to your allergy season, beginning at any time is going to
improve your symptoms.
1. Take high potency probiotics
daily. A good number to shoot for is between 40-60 billion cfu’s per day. Eighty percent of our immune system is in the
gastrointestinal tract, as it has to differentiate between what’s food and what
is a dangerous invader. Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that our immune
system requires to be regulatory and not inflammatory. Probiotics minimize
allergic reactions and also protect us against bacterial and viral infections
such as the flu virus. Purchase a high
quality refrigerated product.
2. Use a neti pot to clean your
nasal passages each day. Add ¼ tsp.
probiotics, and ¼ tsp salt per cup of water and use as directed. This rinses
the nasal passages of any possible allergens.
3. Avoid foods that you are
sensitive or allergic to. This decreases
the overall load your immune system is processing so that allergens may not
have as dramatic an effect. If you
notice that you have an itchy throat or ears after eating a particular food,
chances are you are sensitive to it. Other
possible symptoms include generalized fatigue (often several days after
ingesting a food), gastrointestinal distress, joint pain, headaches,
depression, or anxiety. A food
sensitivity test may be a good idea if you are wondering which foods are
irritating for you.
4. Take a mast cell stabilizer
beginning about three months in advance of allergy season. The flavonoid quercitin is one such
supplement. 250-500mg twice daily is a good starting dose. Taking a mast cell
stabilizer, helps the some of the cells that release histamine to be less
reactionary.
5. Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is an herb that has
strong anti-inflammatory effects and has been shown in at least one trial to be
as effective as an OTC antihistamine for controlling hay fever symptoms. A good
dose is 25mg, 4 times a day.
6. Nettles (Urtica dioicai) is an herb that has a
long history of being used as a treatment for allergies. There are many ways to
enjoy this nutritious, green plant, from homemade pesto, to using as a spinach
replacement (steamed!). For the best allergy prevention, 2 freeze-dried
capsules 2-3 times a day works best.
7. Local Bee Pollen. If one is
not allergic to bees, bee pollen local to your area, ingested in large
quantities, can help remind the immune system that pollen is a “food”, i.e. not
something to react to. Take ½ tsp bee pollen and wait to see if there is a
negative reaction (itchy throat, sneezing, etc); if there is no negative
reaction, eat 3TBLS bee pollen 4X/day for 5 days, then 1 tsp when acute symptoms
occur.
Allergies of any kind are a
signal that your body is out of balance in one or multiple systems. If long
lasting change is the aim, rebalancing the immune system and any systems
increasing overall inflammation must be addressed. I’m happy to say my patient who hid in
his house for half the year is now able to go out with his family on picnics,
to the beach, to baseball games, anywhere he wants. He’s worked hard the last
few years to change his diet and has incorporated many of the above treatments
into his daily routine.
Getting to fully enjoy life has been well worth the
effort. Allergy symptoms are not something that have to be put up with!
Juniper Martin, ND
Westside Family Practice
Country Medicine in the Heart of the City
Serving the east and west sides of the Portland Metro Area.
drjuniper.com
Country Medicine in the Heart of the City
Serving the east and west sides of the Portland Metro Area.
drjuniper.com
