It’s that time of year!

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya – Pexels

The sun is shining, the temperature is rising, and nature is in full bloom. But for many, it marks the beginning of allergy season and a veil of dread dampens the excitement of Spring. Are you worn down in your efforts to ward off seasonal allergies? Have you tried what feels like everything? I hear this a lot from my patients at Katas Health.

In our industrialized world, the changing of seasons can be relentless. Seasonal or not, allergies are the result of an exaggerated response by the immune system to substances that it recognizes as foreign. This is not only pollen, grass, and trees, but also includes pesticides and other environmental allergens. The allergy season is brutal!  We not only have to deal with nature but also the chemicals we are exposed to making our bodies work overtime.

I want to share with you my recommendations that will lessen your reactions and bring you some relief. These guidelines are the foundation for supporting your innate immune response and are especially important during the changing of seasons.

Avoid Trigger Foods

Avoiding inflammatory foods will reduce systemic inflammation that will assist in decreasing the severity of symptoms. Dairy, in particular, is especially important to avoid as it increases mucus production. You might consider a 6-week Elimination Diet during this time. Avoiding common food allergens followed by a carefully-structured reintroduction of food back into your diet is a cheap and effective way to identify food sensitivities. If you’re not sure how to proceed with the Elimination Diet, give me a call.

Take Supportive Herbs & Nutrients

• Stinging nettles leaf is an anti-inflammatory plant used to relieve sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes by balancing the immune response.
• Bromelain: is a plant enzyme that breaks down allergenic protein complexes and enhances the absorption of quercetin.
• Quercetin is a powerful flavonoid known for its ability to stabilize mast cells, diminishing the release of histamine. As you know, too much histamine is the cause of all your allergy symptoms.
• NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) is an amino acid precursor to one of the most important antioxidants in the body, glutathione. NAC is a mucolytic, meaning it breaks up mucus to clear the airways.
• Vitamin C is able to deactivate histamine. It is an essential vitamin to support the immune system and is especially important for seasonal allergy support.
• Local raw honey & pollen: local honey has not been treated, pasteurized, or processed in any way. It contains small amounts of local pollen collected by the honeybees in your environment, thus offering a therapeutic dose of gradual desensitization.

Knowing the dosage of these supportive herbs and nutrients can be puzzling; please give me a call so I can assist you. We have trusted brands sold in our office and on our website.

Chiropractic & Acupuncture

The strength of both the immune system and respiratory system depends largely on proper communication between the spinal cord that controls and coordinates their functions properly. Spinal adjustments relieve pressure on nerve roots, allowing proper communication. Acupuncture, on the other hand, can help drain the sinus cavities, reducing symptoms and the chance of it turning into a sinus infection. Acupuncture, much like chiropractic, removes energy blockages, restoring proper fluidity in the body. Both of these services are offered at Katas Health.

If symptoms do not resolve with these strategies, there may be underlying factors at work. Allergies can be amplified if you have food sensitivities, leaky gut, a vitamin D deficiency, or an underlying infection in your sinus cavity, teeth, or somewhere else in the body. If you are someone who has tried everything in the books and are STILL struggling with seasonal allergies, Katas Health is here to help you find the root cause and offer you relief. Our Whole Health appointments include functional medicine, chiropractic, and acupuncture to support all of your health needs. Don’t let your allergies ruin this Spring!