If you suffer from seasonal or chronic environmental allergies, also known as hay fever, allergic rhinitis or allergic sinusitis, there is hope. A functional or root cause-based strategy that is centred around building immune health starting at the core can help.
Dust, pollen, pet dander: for many people these seemingly innocuous substances are a major disruption to life. In allergy sufferers, exposure to these types of allergens trigger symptoms that resemble a bad cold: sneezing, coughing, wheezing, a runny or stuffy nose, watery, itchy, puffy eyes or sinusitis. Enough to cause a general sense of malaise, disrupt sleep patterns and interfere with day-to-day life.
Allergic symptoms can occur seasonally when levels of environmental allergens such as pollen are high. Substances such as dust mites, animal fur or even certain foods can result in year-round chronic low-grade symptoms.
In all cases it is the inhalation or ingestion of an allergen that causes an immune response whereby circulating IgE antibodies bind with mast cells, triggering the release of histamine. Histamine is a chemical that binds with receptors in our body triggering an inflammatory response. In the nasal passage for example histamine can trigger an increase in the production of mucus. The increased mucus causes the itchy, runny or stuffy nose and can lead to throat irritation, resulting in a scratchy throat or cough.
The common approach to managing allergic reactions is the reduction of symptoms with pharmaceutical interventions, such as antihistamines, steroids and inhalers.
While these medications can be an invaluable tool to improve quality of life, their chronic use has been associated with potential undesirable impacts on the body. These includes disturbances in the microbial communities that live in our nasal passages, throat, lungs and gut and damage to the protective barriers in these same areas. In a 2015 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, long term use of antihistamines was even associated with an increased risk for dementia.
A holistic, root cause-based approach using nutrition and lifestyle interventions and targeted supplements can help build a strong foundation for naturally reducing symptoms and dependency on these pharmaceuticals. Such an approach includes lowering inflammation, healing and repairing the body’s natural barriers and restoring balance to the immune system. The steps involved are similar to the GEARRRRR up your gut method:
REMOVE
This first step involves removing or reducing exposure to the allergens that are triggering symptoms as well as foods that contribute to immune system dysregulation.
Allergy and food sensitivity testing can be helpful in identifying exactly which substances you are allergic or sensitive to. It is not uncommon for allergy sufferers to have multiple allergies and food sensitivities at the same time. With this information you can then take steps to remove exposure as much as possible.
For example, the use of high-quality air purifiers with HEPA filters can reduce the presence of allergens at home. The use of hypoallergenic, dust-mite proof bedding can make a big difference if you suffer from dust-mite allergies and similarly it can help to remove carpets that are harboring dust. The use of a neti-pot to rinse the nasal passage and sinuses can also be helpful in removing antigens.
Certain substances, like birch or ragweed pollen are known to share cross-reactivity with certain foods and it may be necessary to eliminate these foods for a period to reduce symptoms.
The Remove stage also involves taking out foods that can interfere with our gut health and contribute to inflammation such as sugar, processed foods, gluten, dairy and refined vegetable seed oils.
REPAIR
This stage involves healing and repairing the body’s natural barriers, especially the lining of the gut. Behind this barrier there is an army of immune cells waiting and a compromised barrier can result in low-grade chronic inflammation and an imbalanced immune response, which is what underpins allergies.
There are wonderful foods that are naturally healing to the gut, such as bone broth or fermented, probiotic-rich foods. Mucilaginous herbs like marshmallow root or slippery elm, or l-glutamine, zinc carnosine and colostrum are some examples of targeted supplements that can help provide extra gut barrier healing support. Identifying the foods and supplements that can help with the gut repair process is ideally a personalised process that takes into account other potential underlying imbalances.
RESTORE
The microbial communities that live in and on our bodies play a crucial role in our health and wellbeing. Disruptions to these important inner ecosystems, a term also known as dysbiosis, is connected to all health conditions, including allergies. A study published in The International Archives of Allergy and Immunology showed that allergic rhinitis sufferers had lower diversity in their gut microbiome and changes in abundance levels of certain microbial species.
A holistic, root cause approach to restoring wellness and reducing allergies includes restoring balance to your microbiome and addressing the dysbiosis.
It can be extremely helpful to test to determine what the underlying dysbiosis patterns are: is it a question of just building up the good flora with the help of probiotics and prebiotics? Are there potentially pathogenic micro-organisms in the gut that need to be reduced? A functional gastrointestinal test can help shed light on this and help inform a more personalised and targeted approach.
REPLACE
This stage involves supporting the body with foods and supplements that help correct deficiencies. This can be done by optimizing your diet to include plenty of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich foods or by including certain vitamins, minerals and nutrients that help support immune resilience such as vitamin D and A, curcumin, ginger and omega 3 fatty acids.
Also included in this stage is the use of digestive support supplements to support gut function and proper breakdown of food and the absorption of nutrients.
Additionally, certain herbs and flavonoids such as quercetin, stinging nettle or butterbur can be used to inhibit histamine release.
REBALANCE
Stress can play a big role in allergies via the impact on immune cells, gut barrier disruption and the composition of the gut microbiome. Learning how to effectively manage external stressors and reduce the impact they have on your life is very important as part of a comprehensive allergy approach. This could mean implementing techniques that can help to reduce or manage stress such as practicing self-care, breathing, meditation or journaling.
Equally important are other lifestyle factors such as adequate and good quality sleep as well as appropriate level of exercise.
When dealing with seasonal or chronic allergies, using a roadmap and step-by-step, holistic approach can make a big difference. If you like help with this process and find your own unique and personalized strategy, please set up a free Discovery Call with me here so we can discuss how I may be able to help.
Be Well.
Monique
