Allergy is the fifth leading chronic disease in the U.S. among all ages, and the third most common chronic disease among children under 18 years old.
More Americans than ever before say they are suffering from allergies. It is estimated that some 50 million Americans suffer from some type of allergy and the overall prevalence of allergies has been steadily climbing since the early 1980’s — across all age, sex, and racial groups.
Allergic reactions are characterized by an overreaction of the immune system. They can be triggered by something that is inhaled, touched, swallowed, or injected. This immune system overreaction can result in symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, and scratchy throat. It can also result in rashes, hives, lower blood pressure, difficulty breathing, asthma attacks, and even death.
Allergens that most frequently cause problems are: pollens and mold spores, dust mites and animal dander, foods, insect bites or stings, plants and medications. Other triggers include latex, viruses and bacteria, and environmental conditions (such as cold temperatures). Allergic reactions can occur in one area, such as sneezing or a skin rash, or may include more than one symptom.
Normally, the body learns to defend itself through experience — by encountering, battling and remembering one enemy after another. Allergic reactions occur after the immune system mistakenly learns to recognize innocent foreign substances as potential threats and reacts accordingly.
The reason an individual becomes sensitive to some substances and not to others remains a mystery.
TYPES OF ALLERGIC REACTIONS
Allergic reactions have varied expressions, the most common being allergic rhinitis (“hay fever”), asthma, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis and urticaria.
Seasonal allergic rhinitis is caused by allergy to pollens of trees, grasses, weeds or mold spores. Perennial allergic rhinitis is caused by house dust, animal dander, mold and some foods. The symptoms of either include sneezing, runny nose (sometimes clogged nose,) coughing, post-nasal drip, itchy eyes, nose and throat, watery eyes, red, swollen eyes.
Asthma is an extremely important health challenge that is frequently triggered by allergy.
Atopic Dermatitis, also known as allergic dermatitis and most commonly expressed as eczema, can be caused by ingesting foods that one has become sensitized to or other allergens. Contact dermatitis is caused by exposure to certain plants (such as poison ivy or poison oak), cosmetics, medications, metals and chemicals. Urticaria, also known as hives, is caused by allergy to foods, such as nuts, tomatoes, shellfish and berries. Hives can also be caused by medications, such as aspirin and penicillin. Symptoms can include skin rash, red and itchy patches on the skin and, in the case of hives, raised welts on the skin.
TREATMENT OF ALLERGIES
From staying indoors when the pollen count is high to wearing a mask when mowing the lawn or doing housework, both allopathic medical doctors and integrative medical practitioners would agree that avoidance of known allergens where possible is the best first line of defense.
Other practices include the use of air conditioners and air filters/purifiers, regular washing of bedding in hot water, changing bedding to non-reactive materials and removing other objects that one tends to react to from the home and work environments.
When avoidance of allergens isn’t enough to prevent symptoms, most allopathic doctors will prescribe medications, usually an antihistamine, a decongestant or a steroid nasal spray and more often than not, a combination of all three.
While these drugs usually, though far from always, do a pretty good job at alleviating symptoms, they do nothing to actually improve the body’s ability to better handle the allergen and, as mentioned earlier, they can produce side effects that range from merely unpleasant to downright dangerous.
NATURAL HELP
There are several nutrients which are quite helpful when it comes to allergy. Vitamin C of course is a staple of the natural armamentarium and helps strengthen the body’s defenses. Others helpful nutrients include the herbs Butterbur and Stinging Nettle, the antioxidant Quercetin, the carotenoids (beta-carotene, a Vitamin A precursor for example) and omega-3 fatty acids as found in fish oil, flax seed and walnuts.
Biotherapy formulas for allergy containing combinations of gemmotherapy (plant stem cells,) lithotherapy (bio-energetically enhanced mineral complexes) and organotherapy (homeopathically prepared glandular tissue) address the root cause of the allergic response and therefore covers a wide range of allergic symptoms from many different causes while producing no side effects.
Homeopathic nasal sprays are a good alternative to steroid based spays. Irrigating the nasal passages with a saline solution using a neti pot helps wash pollens out and relive swollen nasal membranes.
More detailed information can be found at https://drgarbers.com/Natural-Way-to-Deal-with-Allergies
Originally published at medium.com