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Seasonal Allergies

Most of us (approximately 50 million or rather 30-40 percent of us) have a love-hate relationship with spring. On one hand, spring is associated with rebirth, youth, happiness, beauty and then there is the dreaded other hand in which spring correlated with sneezing, headache, asthma, runny nose, watery eyes. As the weather warms up and the birds start chirping, it truly feels like nature is tapping you on the shoulder welcoming you to step outside and enjoy life. Unfortunately, stepping outside and taking that deep wonderful breath can trigger the beginning of a couple of months of misery.

How can you enjoy nature without being attacked by it? You have options. For starters, there is avoidance. This is not one that I would recommend, but hey, if you want to sit inside and just look at all the pretty flowers blooming, more power to you; that just doesn’t quite do it for me.

Secondly, there are prescriptions meds and over the counter allergy pills that can help minimize your symptoms. However, I will warn you that medicine never comes without a price. Some of the common side effects for your typical allergy meds (anti-histamine) are dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, restlessness, constipation, blurred vision, and difficulty emptying the bladder fully. (all of these sound like a blast and will absolutely make my outdoor experience wonderful) Antihistamines also may interact with other medications you might be taking so be sure to talk to your medical doctor about that before taking anything new. So what else can you do and while we are asking questions, why do you even have allergies to begin with?

So what else can you do and while we are asking questions, why do you even have allergies to begin with? So often we find ourselves desperate to get rid of our symptoms that we forget to look at why those symptoms are even present. Our bodies are beautiful machines that sometimes can get a little confused. When you think about why you may have allergies, you might say, “hey, my dad/mom has allergies and I have allergies, so duh, it’s genetic and I’m doomed for life”. I’m here to tell you that while you may be predisposed to developing allergies because of your parents, it doesn’t mean they need to haunt you throughout your entire life.

Below I’m going to map out the different factors that can exacerbate allergy symptoms in those of us with or without a genetic component:

1. An imbalance in gut bacteria (Dysbiosis)
   * One of the big players in allergy symptoms is histamine. Research has shown that there are particular types of bacteria in your guy that can produce histamine and other types of bacteria that can actually break down histamine. If you have way more of the histamine producing bacteria you may be walking around with way more histamine than you need, making your allergy symptoms much more severe and chronic.
   * Some symptoms of gut imbalance are: Constipation, gas, bloating, hormonal issues, menstrual issues, chronic anemia, dairy product allergies, high cholesterol issues, chronic vaginal infections, IBS, and prostate issues.


2. Gluten and other food intolerances (milk, soy, eggs, nuts, food additives)
   * Gluten is a hot topic these days and the reason for that is the vast majority of us have a difficult time digesting this protein. As for the other foods mentioned, they are the most common food allergies seen clinically.
   * When we have these underlying, sometimes hidden food allergies, it can actually help create the imbalance in gut bacteria, but it can also ramp up our immune system. Every time you eat something you have an allergy to, the immune system gets activated. This will make your body hypersensitive and ready to attack any small trigger that may be presented, even a tiny little piece of pollen.


3. Low stomach acid
   * This one follows the same logic as the food intolerances. If you have low stomach acid then you are not digesting your food properly and it will putrefy. This will alter your gut bacteria and ramp up your immune system (are you seeing a pattern here between the gut and your immune system??)
   * Symptoms of low stomach acid are: Bloating, belching, and flatulence after meals, heartburn, indigestion, undigested food in stools, acne, rectal itching, hair loss in women, iron deficiency, weak fingernails, chronic fatigue, and dry skin.


4. Inability of the liver to detox blood
   * If you have any of the above issues going on and your immune system is in overdrive, your liver gets overworked. When this happens it loses some of its ability to remove toxins from your blood, thereby leaving the toxin and allowing it to trigger another immune response.

Alright so now what do you do with all this information?? There are supplements that can help with immediate allergy relief with no side effects.

With vitamins A and C complexes, allerplex helps support a healthy immune response to seasonal allergies*	This is the ultimate anti-histamine. Works by naturally detoxifying the liver of histamine.*	Provides Chlorides to help maintain pH balance which helps support immune function*

But if you want to say good bye to your allergies indefinitely you need to heal your gut and ferret out any hidden food allergies you may have. I suggest starting on a quality Probiotic and beginning an elimination diet free of gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, and processed foods. Try the diet for a month and then one by one add the eliminated foods back and see if any of them give you a strong reaction. If you find one that does, sure enough that food may be a trigger for you and you should avoid it at all costs.  

I hope you allergy sufferers can reclaim the outdoors this spring, and as always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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