Allergies: Beyond skin (and nose) Deep

Sneezing, Sniffing and Scratching? Allergies Blow!

Does your dog send you into a sneezing frenzy? Do certain foods or drinks leave you bloated and headachy? Or do pollens and certain grasses leave your skin desperately itchy? If you answered yes, then you know this is a daily reality for you and the millions of people living with allergic conditions such as hay fever, asthma, food allergies and eczema.

So why does your body react this way? Essentially, your body believes that these otherwise harmless substances (animal hair, foods, drinks and grasses) are threatening. Hence, when it comes into contact with these substances, known as allergens, your immune system releases large amounts of the chemical histamine. Histamine is like a burly bouncer outside a club: its job is to muscle an allergen out of your body by any means necessary. Some of the ways histamine does this job is by producing redness and inflammation, a running nose, itchy eyes, constricted airways, bloating and diarrhoea; manifestations of allergic disease.

Allergies are Like Onions, They Have Layers

Current approaches to allergy management centre on both allergen avoidance and reducing histamine (e.g. antihistamine medication). But why does your body think these substances are harmful and mount this response against them in the first place? Several contributing factors lead your body’s immune system to respond this way, including:

• Inflammation within your digestive tract (where the majority of your immune system is found)
• Damage to the lining of your digestive tract which is called Gut Permeability or commonly known as ‘leaky gut’, (which is not a tear or hole in the lining of the gut) it is when small particles (undigested food, bacteria and/or toxins) to pass through the lining of the gut and into the blood stream causing inflammation in other areas of the body
• Low levels of good bacteria and/or an overgrowth of bad bacteria within your intestine that interferes with your body’s immune response.

Addressing the Roots of Your Reactivity

Truly holistic allergy management encompasses symptomatic relief while also retraining the body’s immune system to tolerate ‘threatening’ allergens. This specially designed holistic approach incorporates carefully selected herbs and nutrients combined with tailored diet and lifestyle recommendations; to help repair your gut, improve your ability to tolerate allergens, and reduce your reactive symptoms.

The Ingredients That Reduce Reactivity

A number of herbs and nutrients can help you manage your symptoms of allergy and reactivity; by helping to restore balance to your immune system:

• Traditional Ayurvedic* herbs have antihistamine and anti-inflammatory actions – key to providing you with symptomatic relief
• Specifically prescribed potent antioxidant* nutrients help retrain your immune system, minimise respiratory congestion, and reduce mucus production
• Avoid processed sugar and processed fats: excess calories from these sources are stored as fat, especially around your waistline. They also encourage dysbiosis within your digestive tract
• Certain Medicinal mushrooms* support healthy immune system function and neutralise allergens, along with reducing wheeze and excess mucus production.

A Tolerable Diet

Following a prescribed diet in conjunction with specialised supplementation greatly assists in reducing symptoms and building tolerance to allergens. At Good Life Naturopathy, Sanjay, will recommend a specific dietary plan depending on your symptom presentation and health history. While reducing allergy and reactivity to allergens you will ‘rest’ from foods that may be creating inflammation and damage within your gut, giving your immune system an opportunity to ‘reset’ and become more tolerant. Sanjay may also work with you to strategically re-test the foods you have been ‘resting’ from to determine the right amount for you in the future; so you can remain symptom free, while still enjoying the foods and activities you love.

Time to Breathe Easy

Now is the time to address those irritating allergic symptoms by tackling the underlying causes. Holistic allergy management can help you gain control of your reactivity and increase your tolerance levels, leading to a reduction in symptoms. Imagine indulging in the foods and activities you enjoy; patting your dog without sneezing, eating the foods you love without bloating, or having a picnic in the grass without itching – now that would be life changing!

*For further information about these therapeutic grade herbal medicines, speak to Sanjay.