|
Don’t worry, you’re not going crazy: Allergies really ARE becoming more and more common. It’s springtime in Northern Colorado. Mother nature is starting to show her colors: trees are budding, bulbs are pushing up, and grass is starting to turn green. The wind is whipping up man-made allergens from farmland tilling (hello brown haze), fertilizing, herbicides/pesticides, and our factory and car exhaust. On top of that we have dry air that turns our respiratory airways into deserts and occasional rain and snow that in warmer temperatures allows mold and mildew to thrive. It is a very rough season for many Coloradoans.
What are allergies?
There are many types of allergies: food, chemical, inhalant, topical, etc. Allergies develop when our bodies start to recognize foreign harmless substances, like grasses, trees, pollens, mold, mildew, dust, pets, foods, etc. as dangerous to our bodies. When that happens, our immune systems respond by releasing specific types of white blood cells to attack the foreign substance. When it comes to seasonal allergies (and those with indoor allergies), this causes inflammation of the respiratory tract and mucus membranes and we feel that as nasal congestion, runny nose with clear drainage, sinus pressure, headaches, ear pressure, itchy eyes, post-nasal dripping, sore throat, difficulty breathing, wheezing, skin reactions, fatigue—and the list goes on and on. But is it a cold or other upper respiratory illness I’m feeling?
Perhaps you saw my blog post from 10/25/22 on some tips on how to differentiate a sore throat caused by COVID-19, influenza, strep, common cold, and allergies—and this is still very valid as the United States is seeing its highest rates of strep pharyngitis in the last 5 years! However, at that time I didn’t talk much about how to help alleviate symptoms of allergies in that article. For a refresher, here is the chart I created to help tease out the differences and note that itchy eyes and nose are a key sign for allergies and fever is not! 
What measures can you take around the home?
What can you use when symptoms are just too much to bear?
Do nasal saline washes twice a day with distilled water (I like NeliMed or NetiPot). Mix the solution as you normally would and then add 1 drop of lemon, 1 drop cilantro, and 1 drop of tea tree to the solution.
What is the key to decreasing the overall allergic response?
It all comes down to decreasing system-wide inflammation! Treating from the inside-out will not only help relieve your allergy symptoms, but a host of other chronic conditions! Most chronic conditions are related to inflammation. The number one priority in decreasing the inflammation in our bodies is through nutrition! Decreasing or eliminating processed foods (if it comes in a package, it’s been processed in some way), sugars, soda will do wonders for your gut health. Eating more raw vegetables and fruits will help feed the good bacteria in your belly which will in turn strengthen the intestinal lining and result in less inflammation! It may also help to take a high-potency multispecies probiotic with prebiotics, practice intermittent fasting, and start eliminating toxins from your kitchen, household cleaners, beauty products, etc. How do I know what I’m reacting to?
Allergists are obviously very useful when determining allergies and advanced treatments, however, at Balance Health we can order testing through Vibrant Wellness to check for inhalant (grass, weeds, molds, etc.), food allergens, food sensitivities, food additive sensitivities, and “food zoomers” which detect down to the peptide level what the body is reacting to in a food. I will do a blog piece on food sensitivities and allergies in the future as these are signs of poor gut health! Anyway, if you’re about to do some major landscaping and are debating what type of tree or grass to put in and you suspect you have seasonal allergies, it may be worth testing to find out what to avoid planting! |
