Dealing with
Allergies?
What are Allergies?
Allergies are when your immune system is activated by a foreign substance and causes an extreme reaction. These reactions can be anywhere from watery eyes to anaphylactic shock. Typically these responses are to something ingested or in the environment that you react to when most others wouldn’t.
Allergies can range from seasonal pollen allergies, to pet dander, or even food. Many people take an antihistamine medication when they have a non-life-threatening reaction. This can dampen the symptoms but it doesn’t address the underlying issue.
When allergies are present it is usually due to the immune system being dysregulated or out of balance. The immune system can be thrown out of balance by a number of different things such as:
- Inflammation
- Chronic infections
- Stress
- Environmental toxins
Inflammation
Chronic inflammation can cause damage to the body and is a sign that the immune system is working overtime. If the immune system is working overtime that means there is something present that it doesn’t like. This can be from an infection, poor diet, stress, or toxins.
Chronic Infections
These are different from something like the common cold. These kinds of infections are low level and chronic. They can come from an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut, or a reactivation of a dormant virus. Chronic infections can use up resources and wear the immune system down. They also shift the balance of the immune system to create certain types of immune cells over others.
Stress
The two kinds of stress are mental and physical. Both of which can increase stress hormones. When stress hormones are increased the body tones down the immune system because there is more of a need to stay alive in the moment than to fight off infections that take much longer to have an effect. Chronic stress dampens the immune system response and can allow for infections to take over.
Toxins
When environmental toxins such as heavy metals, chemicals, or other damaging substances enter the body, the immune system is responsible for fighting them off. If the immune system becomes overwhelmed and is not able to keep up with the toxic load it can throw it out of balance.
Helpful Tips
Decrease your inflammatory load by avoiding foods that cause general inflammation, such as gluten, diary, and processed foods. Replace them with whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
Chronic infections can be difficult to detect. A great way to approach this is with what is provided to us by mother nature. There are plenty of herbs out there that can help with viruses, fungal infections, and even parasites! Approach herbal remedies with caution and awareness as herbal remedies can be very powerful.
Stress can be managed through various meditative techniques, exercise and diet. Believe it or not, eating at regular times and intervals can help regulate your stress hormones. This happens through the regulation of blood sugar so the adrenal glands don’t have to activate to provide energy (ie. blood sugar) when you haven’t eaten in a while.
Environmental toxins can be reduced by avoiding things like deodorant containing aluminum, cooking in plastic, or hair products containing parabens (also known as xenoestrogens which affect your hormones). Having one or two of these sources of toxins might be manageable by the body, but remember, over time toxins add up and there are many different sources these days.