Allergies- Meaning, Management and Health Implications

Allergies…itching, coughing, sneezing, red eyes and even skin rashes. It’s a common occurrence. Current therapies are often complex and unrewarding, leading to the allergic condition often becoming worse.  Our dependence on more and more medications increases but our quality of life seems reduced. Allergies are evidence of a deeper seated problem and through better understanding, we can approach them differently which often yields better management. Like most issues though, regarding chronic disease, we must see the root, and not so much focus on the clinical signs.Allergies are becoming more prevalent in today’s society, seeming to increase exponentially with every year. Allergies are evidently increasing, considering the high rate of usage of over the counter anti-histamines.  Why? The solutions being provided are not yielding answers, but improving or simply covering up clinical signs.  Are allergies a sign of something deeper? Are they a sign of something more serious to come?  Potentially.

What is an allergy?

An allergy is an inappropriate and damaging immune response to an allergen. In most cases, the allergen can be a food protein, pollen, dust, dander and even some medications.  Usually, allergens are not harmful, but for some reason, the immune system responds as if there’s a life threatening invasion.  Through this response, the process of inflammation is triggered to various degrees, impacting and altering cell function. Through this, we have clinical signs such as redness, itching, sneezing, mucous production and coughing.  These are all inflammatory responses in an attempt for to protect the body and get rid of the ‘invader’.  Many times, we have secondary problems such as infections that develop due to damage to our bodies.  This is evident as skin infections, eyes infections and even lung (pulmonary) infections, all secondary to the primary problem, being the allergy.

Clinical Signs:

  1. Superficial dermatitis (hair loss, pustules, bumps, redness, itching)
  2. Contact dermatitis (same as above, but related to a contact allergy with insects, plants or even topical sprays)
  3. Conjunctivitiis/keratitis (eye allergy with redness, discharge, squinting and tearing)
  4. Asthma and other lung/pulmonary conditions
  5. Upper respiratory conditions
  6. Vaccine and drug reactions

Underlying Connections & Causes:

Allergies are complex. Some of us are more predisposed to them than others.  You might go through life being miserable, dependent on the season, while your brother never seem to have a problem.  Even people who have the same diet and exercise routines. There are many variables that play a role including genetics, body condition, temperament, diet, inflammation and immune function.  These factors can vary from one individual to the next and interestingly enough, each factor can influence others.

Human research has shed light on many possible connections and causes to allergies.  On a basic level, what we must understand is that an allergy signifies two things; dysfunctional immune response and inflammation. One can cause the other and it is hard to say exactly which came first.  Regardless, both are present and at a heightened level in those people. We have to look at potential connections and creators of the cascade of events.

Addressing the GI Tract

Inflammation triggers the immune system , which is tied directly to the GI tract. What happens, in regards to GI tract health, is often reflected throughout the body in regards to the immune response.  However, we can have a primary problem there, such as underlying gastrointestinal dysfunction, or a secondary influence, such as inflammation. In almost all cases of allergies, in my experience, we have a problem in the GI tract, but to what degree?  A more lean person can link his/her allergies with stress and influence of diet on GI health. A person carrying more weight often has more inflammatory and primary GI related problems. The bottom line is that in most, we have a breakdown on the gut level strongly contributing to the allergic response.  It’s not just gas, bloating, ulcers or even loose stools that are the concern, as these are all clinical signs.

We have variable changes on a cellular level in response to inflammation. Alterations or shifts to bacterial populations result, impaired digestion/nutrient absorption and breakdown of normal barriers. One example would be ‘leaky gut syndrome’ in which case the normal mucosal lining of the GI tract becomes damaged. The lining then becomes leaky or permeable due to tight cell junctions being compromised.  This barrier is designed to protect and keep out unwanted material from having access to the rest of the body.  As the barrier breaks down, certain food proteins, chemicals in foods (dyes/preservatives) and even bacteria can then access the blood stream. When this happens, the body can mount a tremendous immune and likewise inflammatory response. Over time the immune response stays on alert, contributing to the over-reactivity that is present in allergies.

There are many factors that contribute to this GI dysfunction, which include:

  1. Genetics (easy keepers)
  2. Stress (mental and physical)
  3. Diet and Nutrition
  4. Medications
  5. Personality

All of these factors interplay and one or many are present in each and every allergy patient.

Current Approaches and Why They Fail

Our current approaches to allergies are at best covering up or managing symptoms.  We live in a world defined by medications, looking for the next pill or injection that will ‘cure’ what ails us. Simply put, these medications are might temporarily relieve some suffering but doesn’t resolve the increasing prevalence of allergic conditions.

You can test your allergies either by blood evaluation or by individual allergen injection.  Allergy tests determine how your immune system responds when you’re faced with various allergens.  An inappropriate immune response to an allergen results in a positive test or a hive development of a specific size after allergen injections. We then try to eliminate positive allergens from the environment or create hypersensitivity injections, acting as vaccines to hopefully quiet the immune response down.  We hope that will resolve the allergy . In most cases, however, allergy testing and hypersensitization injections yield little results for the person.

Other therapies that address clinical signs more than the root cause include use of anti-histamines, corticosteroids, topical skin creams, eye medications and bronchodilators to open airways.  These medications only address clinical symptoms and do very little for the underlying problem.  As a result, the allergy condition often continues to worsen from year to year. This then requires more medications or higher doses which creates more damage to the body.

What about overall health?

Isn’t that what we’re all looking for anyway?  An allergy is a sign of an improperly functioning immune system and also the presence of unbalanced inflammation.  One can influence the other, creating the other.  An immune response that is over-reactive, triggers damaging inflammation. However, if someone has a higher level of inflammation due to stress, diet, injury or other factors, that can also trigger an inappropriate immune response.  This is why it is not uncommon to have a person that seems to be ‘falling apart’, coming down with multiple problems then on top of it, this year developing allergies.

In seeing this, hopefully, we can also see that the presence of allergies should be a sign of general health imbalance in that patient.  Through this, we should see that health is not optimal and allergies could just actually be a symptom of yet a bigger problem.  If we put everything together, seeing the bigger problem, our success rate increases.

Managing Allergies for Optimal Results

That is the key question on everyone’s mind…how to best manage allergies?  How can I make them go away? Unfortunately, there is no specific answer because the underlying cause or contributors can be different from one person to the next.  Each requires an individualized approach for best outcome. In all cases, we have to keep in mind two factors; inflammation and immune response. If we balance both we feel better and maybe eliminate the need for medications.

First step…modify the diet

Diet is one key area to better management of allergies. First, most are not eating the right foods, but more so consuming high fat, processed diets full of additives, dyes and preservatives.  So, not only are we not providing proper nutrition to keep our body balanced, but also we may be feeding into it chemicals that could stir the pot. REAL FOOD is the only thing that truly provides what we are seeking and this includes herbs.  The GI tract recognizes synthetic based nutrients in some cases as a foreign invader, which contributes to inflammation and immune problems locally.

The additives, preservatives and other fillers are invaders that we shouldn’t normally encounter which adds to the problem. Couple that with more advanced leaky gut syndrome and these foreign proteins and chemicals can now potentially enter the blood circulation. This triggers a systemic inflammatory response in that person contributing to more harm, than providing good.  We need more whole foods in our diet, full of nutrient value, and less high fats and processed foods.  We also need to implement the right herbs, not only for nutritional purposes, but also for medicinal value.

Second step…modify the inflammatory and immune response.

We can do this partially by changing the diet.  We feel healthier when we eat whole or real foods and our inflammatory levels are reduced and immune response is more balanced.  Through dietary changes, we are reducing a contributory factor.  Herbs have many medicinal properties to help balance the inflammatory response, immune response and promote cellular healing. They are very beneficial when used properly, healing underlying damage and promoting overall health.  The herbs chosen can impact inflammation as a whole concept. They can target specific areas such as the gut, promoting health and balance in that region.

Third step…modify stress

Stress, mental and physical, play a huge role in the immune response.  An exaggerated stress response results in excess cortisol production and changes in other hormones along the HPA axis, which can then influence immune response and inflammation.  There are many contributors to stress, not just the obvious.  An improper diet also can create stress internally, cellular stress.  A concurrent health problem or even injury recovery also creates stress, internally.  We have to support that stress response, reduce it, and control it better.  This can be through reduction of the ‘stressor’, but also through dietary changes, exercise, and proper use of herbs.

Through all of these steps, we have two primary goals; restore/balance health and also reduce contributors.  If we can eliminate a contributor, an allergen, then we will be able to better manage the process.  We can manage our health better on a cellular level when our body is balanced because then it can do its job by fighting off allergens that we cannot eliminate.

Formulas to Assist in Health Balancing

Nouvelle Research provides several options to help improve overall health, balance inflammation and the immune response, while improving gastrointestinal function.  These are key areas to focus on if we want to improve our situation.

Final Thoughts

Through the use of proper diet, herbal formula use and stress reduction, a high percentage of people respond readily.  Remember, there are many contributors to a problem, and sometimes we gain improvement but desire more.  In those cases, we need to further evaluate, make sure there is not a contributor still in play.  In other cases, we have to remember that the health imbalance has been present for a long time, sometimes years.  There is a tremendous amount of damage that needs repair and re-balancing, which may take more time.

Unfortunately, we fool ourselves into thinking the problem is ‘cured’ when our clinical signs improve or resolve.  First, we are not seeking a ‘cure’, but re-balancing of health.  When we support our bodies, we feel better, but if we stop, many times the symptoms return, sometimes worse.  Health is not just gained…but maintained. Weather and seasons influence allergies strongly, making them more readily apparent, making the pot boil over.  Just because the season has changed and condition has improved, does not mean your body is balanced.  The imbalance is still there…just not being pushed to the maximum.  We should use daily regimens throughout the year, from diet to stress to herbs, for the best possible outcome.

When we use the right approach, we can manage allergies. When we see the bigger problem, the approach may seem complex, but in reality, it is simple.  In the end, we can not only improve the allergies, but overall health and quality of life.

 

Author: Tom Schell, D.V.M., CVCH

 

 

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