The Allergies Are Coming!

Posted by Dr. Della Parker     on March 24, 2017

The Allergies Are Coming! The Allergies Are Coming!

The sun has yet to shine, but none the less, the flowers are blooming and you are sneezing… Or you will be whenever Spring decides to actually join us. It is interesting that people take seasonal allergies as a forgone conclusion and start taking allergy meds on the daily “just in case.” Ever thought of figuring out why your body is reacting? Remember, by masking symptoms you are just creating an unhealthier internal environment. When the check engine light comes on, you don’t just clip the wire to the light…you check the engine! Symptoms are an alert that something has gone awry in the body.

Why are more and more people prone to seasonal allergies?

It is generally not because you are just allergic to the pollen or grass or whatever. It is because most people have highly inflammatory bodies with immune systems that are bursting at the seams ready to unload at the smallest aggravation. Let me paint a clearer picture… Sugar, you know that stuff we just can’t get enough of? We eat it, we drink it, some of you probably snort it! I mean the stuff is super addictive. It is also super toxic! It slows your immune system, creates inflammation, and makes us more reactive to allergens. Next up, dairy. Dairy is mucous forming no matter who you are! And this mucous has an affinity to the respiratory tract. Hello snot! Grains and all the other chemicals that food is laced with these days aren’t your friend either, but just start to avoid the sugar and dairy if all of this is giving you anxiety. Allergies, even seasonal ones, are simply a response to too much inflammation in the body. Cut out some of that inflammation and you will have less allergies. It really is that simple.

Food is not the only thing to blame, so let’s talk about poop! Did she just say poop? Yes I did! That stuff that is supposed to be coming out of your body twice a day. Most people are lucky if they see it every other day. If your body is not eliminating toxins through your bowels on the regular, this means that those same toxins are just hanging out, festering, and getting reabsorbed. Sounds nice huh!? Guess what? This creates more… Inflammation! So get your gut right! What you need is probably pretty individualized, so you should probably just schedule an appointment, but you could also start with taking a swig of apple cider vinegar before meals and adding in a good probiotic.

What systems are in place to handle all of this inflammation you ask? Why it is those ever so popular adrenal glands you keep hearing about. Inflammation occurs and adrenal glands release anti-inflammatory hormones to fix things, problem solved. Well, not so much. Remember how, you are super stressed out (with kids and work and making dinner and paying bills and feeling guilty for not exercising and here comes your period… F@#!). Those adrenals stop working to take care of inflammation when they are buried in the stress response. Plus I am sure you are not getting the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep your immune system needs to repair, because that just seems lazy. So now you are sneezing your ass off, your eyes are watery, your nose drippy and you feel even worse.

Let’s get you fixed!

First step:

Stop adding inflammation to your body! I know you are already stressed out but take some time on a Sunday to meal plan for the week.  Cut out SUGAR and cut out DAIRY for starters! Google “paleo diet” and shoot for that 80% of the time.

Step two:

Drink WATER! Quit drinking sugar (soda, juice, red bull, etc) aka inflammation. I will allow you a cup of coffee in the morning, cause most of you reading this got woken up by your kids in the middle of the night and drag all day without it, I know the feeling! But not a white chocolate double whip mocha… Coffee! With some honey if you insist. The rest of the day drink water! Half your body weight in ounces every day. Add fresh lemon (NOT essential oils) to improve liver detox if desired.  Water will naturally help to decrease your body’s inflammatory load.

Step Tres:

Get some adrenal support. Of course I am never a fan of guessing what the body needs, so I urge you to make an appointment so we can ask your body via Nutrition Response Testing, what it needs to heal. But in a pinch I’m sure a little licorice, ashwaganda, or B vitamin complex won’t hurt.

Lastly:

By now you should be feeling pretty good! Steps 1-3 generally help to decrease the immune system’s hyper-reactivity.  But if you have been taking anti histamines for as long as you can remember we may have some additional work to do. So here are some other hot tips to help decrease that seasonal allergy response:

Allergena: This is a homeopathic of all the common allergens here in the NW region. This helps to desensitize your immune system to these airborne allergens so you aren’t having such severe reactions.

Quercetin: Basically a natural anti histamine. Helps to stabilize those crazy mast cells. 

Nettle Tea: Great herb that helps to balance your immune system and decrease hypersensitivity. Drink it in the morning instead of coffee or drink it after your coffee, but drink it. It will help!

Liver loving foods: Eat em up! They will also help your body to be less reactive to allergens in the air because you liver will have an enhanced ability to detoxify.
Lemons, limes, beets, leafy greens, broccoli, garlic, onions, asparagus, cabbage, with green apples for dessert yum!

Here is a recipe for a sneeze stopping daily smoothie. Add this is and you will be set.

Now go blow your nose and get started!

Contact us for more information 503-344-6631 Drdellaparker.com