By Marcey Klein BS, NC
I look at allergies as the body’s way of telling us that it is out of balance in some way. We come in contact with foreign substances every day, but allergies arise when our bodies set out to destroy and conquer these benign substances. We produce antibodies which in turn cause our cells to release histamine and other chemicals that lead to an allergic reaction. There are several systems in our bodies that when weakened, will predispose us to have allergies. These are our digestive system, immune system, adrenals, and cellular system. Weakened adrenals due to fatigue, stress, depletion of key nutrients, and genetic predisposition will decrease our cortisol production. Cortisol stops or diminishes allergic reactions. Our adrenals can be nutritionally depleted and toxic. Certain key nutrients help us to support and nourish our adrenals, so if we are low in vit A, C, E, and the B vitamins, specifically pantothenic acid, then our adrenals won’t be running optimally. Skin breakouts, hay fever, and a multitude of other allergic reactions have a root cause in this weakened organ system. Excessive worry, stress, negative emotions, fear, and using stimulants including coffee excessively all contribute to the breakdown of our adrenals. Using herbs along with those key nutrients mentioned and a high quality multivitamin can nourish our adrenals. These herbs include licorice, schisandra, holy basil, rhodiola, American ginseng, milky oats, and nettles. There are fantastic formulas already out there that will do the trick. Excess cell permeability can allow foreign proteins and other substances to enter our bodies from our intestines, nasal passages, and elsewhere. If our cells are too permeable, chemicals and other foreign substances and proteins can enter in and cause severe allergies. Inflammation can also cause our cells to be too permeable. Listen closely, there are many nutrients involved in strengthening our cell membranes to prevent this over permeability, and to lower our inflammation. Fatty acids play an important role here, specifically omega 3 fatty acids from cold water fish, 2 grams per day is a medicinal intake. That’s 3 sardines a day, or 3 oz salmon, or several capsules of high quality fish oil. Minerals are also important, specifically zinc, calcium, which you can get from dark leafy greens, magnesium, and trace minerals. Let’s not forget those helpful bioflavonoids as well, there’s quercetin, rutin, hesperidin, along with vitamin C. There are several formulas specific for allergies that contain all of these, and I would also recommend taking a gram of vitamin C with extra bioflavonoids every day along with your dark berries, tangerines, apples, and onions which are full of quercetin and other nourishing plant molecules. These also can strengthen our immune system along with vit D. Most people are too low in vitamin D, one can safely take up to 5,000 grams of this per day. Last but not least are allergies caused by the food itself. Some foods we do not have the ability to digest, leading to permeable gut syndrome, and other foods simply aren’t recognized by the body. Refined sugar is a common allergen which lowers our calcium and increases our insulin. It can place extra strain on our adrenals, and other reactions in the body which can result in behavior change, skin rashes, and candida growth. Other common foods people can be allergic to is milk and wheat. Many people do not have enough enzymes in their bodies to break down the lactose, casein, and gluten, causing it to not fully break down in our digestive systems, eventually weakening the cell lining or villi in our intestines and entering our blood, causing a host of allergic reactions and inflammation. If left unchecked it can cause autoimmune diseases where the body starts to attack itself. Food colorings, additives, preservatives, and toxic chemicals found in many prepared foods and junk foods can also cause allergic reactions in the body. Overall, most people today will benefit from better quality, mostly plant based organic foods, which will lessen the toxic load put on our bodies, nourish us better, and help us to bring down that inflammation so familiar with allergies. We will also do good to include local honey if we have seasonal allergies to get us used to the pollen around us, and to include a high quality fish oil, multivitamin, and a digestive aid like probiotics if we are experiencing any toxicity in our gut. My motto is, let’s get our bodies as well-nourished and running as smoothly as possible, and our bodies will get back in balance with allergies and eventually with all aspects of health.
