1 in 5 suffer hayfever casting a cloud over our spring & summer
Oh please not another hayfever article, I hear you say!
Some of you may not even like what I’m about to say. That’s fine – I don’t need you to like what I say, but I do need to stay true to my craft and to myself. My purpose, as a Nutritional Therapist, is to make you look at things differently. This is how we start to cure ‘the whole’- by getting deep in there and getting to grips with the ‘underlying issue’. If you want to just soothe the symptoms but continue to put up with ongoing crippling flare-ups for your forever more, then go and see your pharmacist. I’m not denouncing pharmacists or any medically trained person, what I’m simply saying is that I work in a very different way, approaching issues from a totally opposite angle. I’m interested in the cause, not the symptom. Mine is the long-game. But, as the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race.
Hayfever - 1 in 5 of us suffers from it, casting a cloud over the joys of spring and summer! In whatever form it takes for you, hayfever is an allergic reaction. We all agree on that. It is a reaction to pollen. BUT IT IS STILL AN ALLERGY, THE SAME AS ANY OTHER ALLERGY! It is an appropriate reaction to toxins that the body wants to stop from gaining access to the body.
We have to remember that the reaction is not the problem – the reaction is the attempt at resolving the problem! The problem is deeper within! If the reaction is appropriate, why do we try to stop it?!
If you take antihistamines or steroids etc, they will indeed do what they claim and calm those horrid inflammatory responses that cause you so much grief. But meanwhile, you are:
1) ignoring your body’s signal to you – it is telling you it cannot cope with these extra irritants because it is not 100% healthy enough to deal with this extra load of toxins being thrown at it
2) You are suppressing the body’s fierce attempts to rid itself of toxins by the (unpleasant, I know!) mucous discharge and respiratory expelling (sneezing!)
In essence, you are working AGAINST yourself!! You may also experience all the other side-effects of these strong drugs. I don’t see that as a win win!
So why might your body be unable to cope with an extra load of pollen irritants? It most likely will be a combination of:
· Increased intake of toxins from food, skin products and the general environment etc.
· Exposure to stress that depletes the optimal functioning of the body (mental, emotional and physical stresses).
· Insufficient water and nutritional requirements needed for the adequate and optimal functioning of the body. And then...
· Suppression of the vital elimination routes - using antiperspirants, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics etc essentially close down the natural routes of elimination.
So you can see how crap builds up in us internally, we then don’t allow enough of it to exit and then we end up with a dis-ease of the body or a reaction (basically an ‘over-reaction’) to very natural things.
So what do I suggest? Every person is unique and I would craft a tailored plan for the individual but here’s a few suggestions:
Obviously, reduce exposure to what is causing the flare-ups so your give yourself the best chance in building up a stronger system.
Increase that water intake – sounds like I’m teaching you to suck eggs right?! Many people don’t know half the story to good hydration. Check out my previous blog here: https://www.treatyourselfnutrition.co.uk/post/my-secret-weapons-when-it-comes-to-hydration-the-things-that-they-never-tell-you-and-should
Reduce the amount of synthetic/unnatural products you use on your skin. The skin is the biggest organ of the body and absorbs but is also a massive route ‘out’ for toxins – wear breathable clothing, don’t pile on products that are full of unnatural, synthetic stuff.
Swap coffee and tea which adds to dehydration and adrenal exhaustion for herbal teas which soothe and repair your internal systems.
Reduce dairy products, especially milk which is mucous-forming and will only magnify the problem.
70-80% of our immunity (and hayfever can be seen as an immune response) is in the digestive system, so get that gut sorted and get some lovely bowel flora living there – natural yoghurt, probiotics etc. Although you won’t necessarily connect these things with beating hayfever, look at the larger picture and this becomes an area to focus on.
Adrenal exhaustion is the top of the list when it comes to allergies. Having an allergic response is totally exhausting to those already overstretched glands, making you feel really tired and lethargic or wiped out. Taking a high B Vitamin supplement will support exhausted adrenals.
Vit C which has evidenced effective antihistamine properties and will support the immune system.
Quercetin is a bioflavanoid that stabilizes the membranes of the cells that release histamine, which triggers allergic symptoms.
I could go on with a lengthy list of things that will help but start with looking at things differently and how everything is interconnected one way or another and go from there. Work from the inside out. Are you content to just ‘put up’ with your symptoms every year or are you ready to work WITH your body and take control? I know which one I’d do!
Comentários