Take control of your allergies — get natural relief now

Better Nutrition, April, 2000 by Ann Louise Gittleman

Ah, it's spring. When flowers blossom, trees bud -- and pollen permeates the air. If you're one of the 25.7 million Americans who suffer from hay fever, you know what that means. There's sneezing, hacking, coughing, wheezing and aching, not to mention a constant runny nose and watery eyes. But don't despair. You can actually put a halt to many seasonal and perennial allergy symptoms with natural remedies and simple lifestyle changes. It all starts with understanding what's been happening in your system and identifying your personal allergy demons.

Allergies: what's really going on In a 1999 publication, the NIAD (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease) estimated that approximately 40-50 million people across the United States battle with some type of allergy. And age is not a factor, since allergies can strike at any time ... even after 30. Recent statistics report that allergic rhinitis (hay fever) now afflicts nearly 6 million children per year. And the number in all age categories appears to be escalating. Oftentimes linked to genetics, airborne allergies may be instigated by both pollen and non-pollen pollutants.

The real focus is the immune system. The first line of defense for the body, your immune system, protects you from bacteria, viruses, toxins and allergens. When it's impaired, you're much more susceptible to colds, flu and other illnesses.

But among people with allergies, the immune system isn't weak at all -- it's actually working overtime.

Understanding the immune system

There are "few examples where the incredible connectivity, overlapping and intersecting of our health (homeostasis or balance) and unhealth (disease or imbalance) vectors is more apparent than in the interface between" immune and allergic response, according to the 1999 book DHA -- A Good Fat.

We see a number of the same players in all of these activities: eiconsanoids (like the prostaglandins and thromboxane) and cytokines (like interleukin-1 [IL-1]), and it is, in fact, clear, that immunity, inflammation, allergy and cardiovsacular function are intimately intertwined, and that many of the same components which signal, mediate and modulate "immune response" also do so for "allergic response."

Allergy--an overactive immune state?

According to nutritional researcher Ellen Hodgson Brown, testing was performed in 1997 on 300 children in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau (formerly Portuguese Guinea) for allergic reactions to airborne allergens, such as asthma, eczema and hay fever. Surprisingly, children who had been vaccinated against measles showed much higher incidences of allergies. More puzzling reports occurred when additional studies in Italy demonstrated that people living in unsanitary or poor conditions had fewer allergy cases. And still other research indicated that people exhibited immunity to allergies even after hepatitis A and tuberculosis exposure.

These findings provide an intriguing window into the immune system's process. Clearly, it must remain active. In the above studies, the absence of threat (by either vaccination or environmental conditions) forced the immune system to continue its dedicated efforts by finding new attackers even though none existed. Consequently, it took a defensive approach against innocuous encounters, viewing them as life-threatening situations. This may explain why harmless airborne pollutants (such as pollen grains, molds, dust and animal dander) and even certain foods can trigger an allergic reaction.

When that happens, your immune system initiates defensive maneuvers. It unleashes proteins called antibodies (e.g., immunoglobulin E or IgE), that bind to two types of cells: the basophils in your bloodstream and the mast cells lining your nose, throat and lungs. The problem occurs when the airborne allergen meets this IgE/cell combination. Armed with 1,000 granules of inflammatory chemicals, the cells retaliate by releasing histamines plus mediators -- cytokines and leukotrienes. Your respiratory tract and entire body become irritated, forcing allergy symptoms into overdrive.

The most important thing to do is identify the source of your allergy. You can start by observing when and where annoying symptoms kick in. Consulting an allergy specialist may also help.

Pollen: the accidental allergen

One out of every six Americans is plagued by airborne allergies. The most common -- pollen allergy -- may irritate sufferers from spring through fall. That's when cross-pollinating plants release their pollen into the air for fertilization. With incredible endurance, these featherweight particles can travel for literally hundreds of miles toward their intended destination. But many wind up lodged in our nasal passages and throats, instead.

Pollen has various shapes and is comprised of tiny grains, ranging anywhere from 3 to 200 microns. (A micron is equivalent to .00003 inches!) The type of pollen particle triggering hay fever is probably from trees, grasses or weeds. Their pollen is lightweight enough to go the extra distance, unlike the heavier pollen of flowering plants. Some of the more allergenic trees in this country are oak, ash, elm, hickory and mountain cedar. Kentucky bluegrass, Timothy grass, Johnson grass and Bermuda grass are among the allergenic grasses. Ragweed tops the list for allergenic weeds; however, a number of others (sagebrush, redroot pigweed and tumbleweed) also affect those who are allergic.