Many people around the globe are affected by allergic respiratory diseases and they are commonly triggered by pollen and fungal spores also known as aerospora. We also need to consider food allergies, globally in the past few decades they have grown worse, with the food we are eating continuously, so depending on what we are choosing to eat repeatedly we are impacting our immune systems daily.
So how do we look at allergies? Allergies are oftentimes a chronic condition where you experience an abnormal reaction to an ordinarily harmless substance that is referred to as the allergen. These mild or severe abnormal reactions often represent a form of immune system dysfunction, the immune system is allowing for an “over” reaction to the harmless substance.
We need to ask questions, in order to look for the root cause, as we are interested in health and lifestyle modifications to continuously improve our health and well-being. By taking an antihistamine and or a corticosteroid (which are oftentimes highly effective) we are not necessarily treating the root cause but suppressing the symptoms. In some cases, it is not possible to avoid antihistamines, we would also like to inform you that there are natural products that have good antihistamine properties, for example, quercetin, bromelain, and homeopathic remedies (these are dependent on the individual patient’s symptoms).
There are majorly 5 Influences needing consideration in Allergies:
- Psycho-emotional Influence – Emotional and mental stress has been shown to influence the immune system, many of us can bear witness to experiencing the onset of an allergic episode following a period of stress in our lives. Techniques that have shown to be of significance: Prayer, meditation, abdominal breathing, and good sleep.
- Gastrointestinal Influences – Impaired digestion and increased mucosal membrane permeability (also known as leaky gut) have a negative impact on the microbial population in the digestive system.
- Environmental Influences – The environment where we find ourselves living, working, and sleeping needs assessment. We need to consider our exposure to the following: food allergies and intolerances; ultraviolet and ionizing radiation; microbial toxins such as mold in buildings; insufficient sun exposure resulting in vitamin D deficiency; and pesticides, herbicides, and industrial chemicals we are exposed to. We need to enhance our ability to detoxify.
- Endocrine (Hormonal) Influence – Several hormones in our bodies have the ability to regulate our immune systems assisting us with good health. It is important to have the hormonal aspect assessed and consider natural ways of re-establishing the balance.
- Histamine Influence – Patients with too much histamine may also struggle with allergy-like symptoms. The body usually has two enzymes that are responsible for breaking down the histamine, our natural antihistamines, this ensures that the excess histamine does not cause trouble. There are natural supplements to also help increase this enzyme else we need to look at healing the digestive system and restoring natural function.
Top 5 Steps to help in Allergies
- Remove/reduce the most common offenders for starters: Wheat, dairy & sugar.
- Eat a diet high in whole natural foods, plenty of vegetables, some fruit and nuts, a little protein (1gr per kg body weight usually), and a fair amount of clean water.
- Heal the gut with nutrients as mentioned- l-glutamine, pre and probiotics, omega 3, etc.
- Make prayer, meditation, and breathing exercises part of your daily morning routine
- Get 7-8 hours of good uninterrupted sleep every night.