It’s finally spring. The snow has melted, and the world is coming alive again — including lots of plants that release pollen into the air. For allergy sufferers, this can be the worst season of the year.
Of course, pollen does not cause allergies. We all breathe the same air, but only some of us react to it. It is more accurate to say pollen is the trigger for the allergic reaction. The cause lies inside our bodies, with an overactive immune system that responds to the relatively minor irritation of pollen in the air as though it were an emergency.
Why does this happen, and what can we do about it?
The tendency to have allergies is somewhat genetic but not entirely. Genetics can influence what your body tends to react to, but the severity of the reaction depends more on your overall health. Many of us live a lifestyle that promotes allergies, often without knowing it.
For example, our immune system is affected by the balance of bacteria in the gut. Changes in the healthy species normally present can chronically stimulate the immune system, leading to allergies. A diet high in processed foods, artificial sweeteners and sugars, as well as antibiotic and other medication use, can alter this balance. Using probiotic — containing healthy bacteria — foods and supplements has been shown to help allergies in some people.
A common cause of allergies is food sensitivities, especially to wheat and dairy. This sensitivity may show up in a lot of different ways, but sinus congestion and drainage is typical. I have seen some patients stop using their antihistamines when they eliminate wheat and dairy products from their diets. Eliminating wheat from my diet was the most important step I took to stop my allergies.
Natural, drug-free treatment of allergies typically starts with lifestyle: recommending dietary changes, especially to include whole, preferably organic veggies and fruit, as they support the healthy bacteria in the gut. (I recommend organic because the herbicide Roundup has been shown to negatively affect bacteria in the intestines of animals, including chickens.)
Also, it can be important to determine any foods the patient might be sensitive to. This can be difficult; there are blood tests, but there is disagreement about their accuracy. The best way is to eliminate the questionable food for three weeks, then reintroduce it and monitor the results.
Another treatment avenue is to use supplements to improve liver function. If the liver’s ability to clear histamine from the blood is reduced, it can build up, triggering or worsening an allergic reaction. Instead of blocking histamine, as most drugs do, this approach helps the liver clear it out of the system more effectively.
Acupuncture also can be very effective for allergies. It tends to have a calming effect, especially in patients whose systems are overactive, including the immune system. While it does not eliminate the hereditary tendency to allergies, for many patients it lowers the reaction to the point where it is tolerable or even negligible.
Chiropractic and other types of bodywork also can be helpful. Treating joint and muscle problems can help not only locally, but also helps calm the whole system down, including the immune system. Restrictions in the joints and muscles of the neck can impair lymphatic drainage from the head, including the sinuses. Many patients report their sinuses draining after the neck is treated.
Of course, the most effective treatment is all of the above — lifestyle changes combined with natural treatments to address the patient’s needs. While these approaches may not eliminate the need for drugs in all patients, they do for many.
Dr. Michael Noonan practices chiropractic, chiropractic acupuncture and other wellness therapies in Old Town. He can be reached at noonanchiropractic@gmail.com.