A Functional Approach to Seasonal Allergies
A.. a...achoo! God bless you! Spring is my favorite season, a time for renewal, growth, and new beginnings. I love the flowers and blooming trees – but if you struggle with seasonal allergies, this time of year can be horrible!
Seasonal allergies affect more than 50 million Americans, and usually occur most in the fall and spring. Although some people will struggle with allergies throughout the entire year.
Allergies, both seasonal and food-related, are becoming more and more common in our modern world, and it's not hard to see why. All of the seasonal blooms, buds, pollen, and mold combined with the dust and daily environmental toxins can overwhelm our immune system, making it difficult for our bodies to manage. Chronic allergy symptoms can significantly impact quality of life and health, from runny noses, congestion, itchy eyes, fatigue and coughing.
When we encounter irritating allergens, our body will release inflammatory molecules. These molecules tell your body that it’s time to respond, and trigger an immune response. This process is complex, but with all of the toxins, allergens, and dust we encounter each day, our immune systems become aggravated.
So how do we find relief from those dreaded spring allergies?
Functional medicine takes a whole body approach, looking into all of the systems that contribute to our body’s response. At their core, allergies are rooted in immune dysfunction. A large portion of our immune system is located in the gut, an ecosystem that requires balance and diversity. So we often address the immune system by addressing the gut.
When the gut microbiome is reduced or out of balance, or we have a leaky gut (when the lining of our gut is damaged and can no longer act as a barrier to the outside world), our body’s allergic response worsens and symptoms are triggered.
Today, I’m going to dive into the underlying causes of seasonal allergies, how you can treat them, and ways to start feeling better today.
Treating Immune Dysfunction
There are many different reasons for immune system dysfunction. As I said, our gut health plays a huge role in our immune system and response. Rebuilding healthy gut bacteria and healing a leaky gut requires removing aspects of our lifestyle and diet that irritate the gut or our immune system in general.
This could include environmental toxins, underlying infections or parasites, stress, or certain foods. When each of these factors build up, our system becomes overwhelmed and symptoms show up.
I like to think of the bucket analogy here. We can handle a few irritants, but when the bucket of irritants fills past its tipping point, we start seeing symptoms. So let’s learn how to reduce that burden, relieve symptoms and live an overall healthier life.
Environmental Toxins. Toxins are all around us, whether we like it or not. They come into our lives through our household cleaning products, air pollution, chemicals in our water, plastics that we eat and drink out of, chemicals sprayed on our lawns and our food, skin care products and more… Any time we can reduce our exposure to these chemicals, we are emptying our bucket a bit and taking that burden off of our body. If you’d like to know more about which products are safer for you and your family, I love the Environmental Working Group’s app Healthy Living. See if you can pick one area of your life to start choosing cleaner products.
Stress. Similar to environmental toxins, stress is unavoidable. We encounter stressors, both big and small, each day. The good news is, we can learn to manage our stress response and create routines that provide relief. Taking some time – even 5 minutes per day – to slow down, breathe, meditate, or pray, can help calm our stress response, which allows our gut to heal and lower the irritants in our bucket.
Food Intolerance/Allergy. Although our reactions to food are individualized, there are common foods that cause sensitivity and overwhelm our immune systems. These include gluten, dairy, and soy. By removing one or two of them from our diet, and testing how we feel, many people find quick relief. Or try swapping out some sugary, processed foods for natural, whole foods to help our gut heal and repair.
Gut infections.
Chronic gut infections are a big trigger for leaky gut and immune system dysfunction. Without doing functional stool testing, it can be hard to know what is going on and how to help. Adding a probiotic can sometimes be enough to help crowd out the unwanted infections. But sometimes we need more help. If you are interested in working with me to get some further testing, please call the office for more details (614-547-2829).
Quick tips to help reduce your allergy symptoms:
Filtering the Air in your Home. The air in our homes can be up to 100x more polluted than the air outside! This comes from dust, pet dander, cooking fumes, chemicals we use to clean and off gassing from carpets and furnishings. An air purifier with a HEPA filter will remove irritants from your home and improve air quality. I like the brand Air Doctor but there are many good options.
Limiting exposure. If you know you’re especially vulnerable to spring allergies, keep the windows closed during that period of time so allergens can’t get in, and filter your air. And if you know you’re sensitive to certain foods, try leaving them out. Reducing our exposure to allergens will allow our immune systems to pull back a little.
Keep up with your laundry. Our clothes, bedding, and blankets harbor dust, pollen, and dander that keep our immune systems inflamed. By washing our clothes and bedding regularly, we are reducing the amount of irritants carried into the home. Imagine how much can cling to the shirt you wore to work, to the gym, or even on a walk around the block!
Support the gut and immune function. As listed in the section above, there are several ways to support our immune system and gut health. Supporting a healthy microbiome improves our gut health, and improves our immune response! Aside from eating a bit cleaner, you can try this probiotic for immune support.
Give your nose a bath. Physical particles make their way into our nasal passages and irritate the sinuses, triggering the first step in the allergic response. Using a neti pot with distilled water or a nasal saline spray at bedtime each night can physically flush out the allergens and allow us to sleep more easily.
I hope you find these tips helpful. It can take time to address immune dysfunction and get to the root cause of seasonal allergies. Taking it one step at a time, and working on one area still lowers your burden. If you struggle with chronic allergy symptoms, we are here to help! You can sign up for a discovery call here, where you can speak with one of our health coaches. Happy spring!