It's that time of year. Spring is upon us which for some of us means stuffy, runny noses, sneezing, itchy eyes, painful throats and even body ache. Are you already cringeing at the thought?
Allergic rhinitis, commonly called hayfever, is an increasingly widespread problem.
Hayfever is your body's allergic response to inhaled airborne substances, particularly hay and grass pollen and dust. When you come into contact with pollen, an antibody known as Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is produced to attack the pollen, stimulating cells in the lining of the nose, mouth and eyes to release a chemical called histamine which triggers symptoms.
The most common method of controlling hayfever symptoms is taking over the counter anti-histamine medication.
However optimizing diet and lifestyle factors, either alone or in combination with anti-histamines can help to promote the health and strength of your upper respiratory tract and immune system.
The Hay Fever Health Report 2010 (1.), looked at over 2,000 hayfever sufferers, and focused on how diet and lifestyle can ease or aggravate hay fever symptoms
Factors that may increase the likelihood of suffering from allergies and hay fever include the following:
High stress levels - long-term stress levels affect the immune system and leave a susceptible body wide open to allergies and hay fever. Addressing the factors causing the stress, as well as how your body is coping with it may help lessen the symptoms
Poor diet - processed and refined foods, artificial dyes and preservatives can increase sensitivity to pollens. Fresh is definitely best.
Food allergens - may potentially include dairy, soy, chocolate, wheat, citrus, peanuts, wheat, eggs, corn and tomatoes. If you regularly eat foods that you may be allergic to it may cause your body to be more susceptible to allergic reactions.
Excessive alcohol intake - weakens the body's immune response and also dehydrates you.
Cigarettes and smoky environments - irritate an already inflamed nose and throat.
Lifestyle factors have an effect on hayfever symptoms. Vital Health Matters, using Health Kinesiology and Bowen/NST Therapy, may help you do something about these factors by addressing the sources of stress and the cause of imbalance in your life. You may not even be aware of some that are affecting you right now. Health Kinesiology works by addressing the stressors in the physical, chemical, electrical and emotional systems of the body, in the same session. Your body is able to make changes quickly which in turn improves your sense of health and well-being. Your body chooses the treatment it needs. And it maybe that you don't need supplements at all but just need to have a look at your lifestyle and get it into balance. Bowen / NST Therapy works on the body as a whole and helps it find its natural state of balance and optimum health. The ideal treatment regime is to start well before the trigger pollen season with a sequence of 2 or 3 sessions to establish the treatment in the body. As your hayfever season approaches a further 1 or 2 sessions may be recommended, if and when symptoms appear. You can still benefit if treatment is left until your hayfever starts but experience has shown that the benefits are greater from an earlier start and that clients who then follow this pattern over consecutive years have further reductions in symptoms and their severity.
Making the most of the nutrients that help promote the health and strength of your upper respiratory tract and immune system may reduce the intensity of symptoms of allergic attacks. The key nutrients to focus on to help address irritating hayfever problems are as follows:
Probiotics - these good bacteria may assist in maintenance of a normal, healthy immune system and may also positively affect the balance of bacteria in the digestive system in a manner that may help to alleviate allergies.
Vitamin C and Bioflavonoids - may assist in the relief of hay fever and may promote the function of a normal healthy immune system, whilst lowering histamine which is involved in the allergic response. Flavonoids appear to inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory substances
Omega 3 Fatty Acids - increasing the intake of omega-3 and lowering the intake of omega-6 has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect and ease allergic symptoms.
Zinc - zinc deficiency has been shown to increase the potential for allergic reactions.
Working on improving the diet and including nutritional supplementation to build a stronger, more resilient body so it can cope with the onslaught of allergens is a positive step forward.
(1.) The 'Hay Fever Health Report 2010' commissioned by Kleenex , was written by Professor Jean Emberlin, Director of the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit at the University of Worcester.