"OH MY ALLERGIES…"

We have had a TON of rain lately and of course everything that comes back to life in spring is doing so in a VERY BIG WAY!!! Which is making the world so lush and beautiful…and bringing on allergy and “hay fever” symptoms. Many times each day I have people coming in to get their spines checked and talking about how miserable “allergy season” is. I have discussed this topic in the past however I always like to re-visit things when they are brought to my attention so frequently.

First off, YES “allergy season” sucks!!! It is hard to get through the day and have to deal with congestion, stuffy foggy head, headaches, nasal drainage, itchy eyes and scratchy throats. It is a total drag because usually you still have to deal with whatever you had planned for the day. So why does the body do this anyways? Let’s take a look.

This “hay fever”/allergy thing generally happens 2 times per year, spring and fall, though for some, it happens with every season change. Our sinuses are always filtering and responding to what is entering our bodies when we breathe in and out. It is a lot of work for them to do this with every single breath, however our body is very intelligent and has set things up this way for a reason. The air we breathe is filled with all kinds of particles from our environment and winter air and the summer air are very different. Winter outside air is usually quite clear because most things are dormant however our bodies have to deal with heated buildings and things trapped inside. In the spring, things start coming back to life and our sinuses are dealing with completely different particles and have to change. Then fall comes around and things die off and our sinuses have to change again to deal with filtering different particles…and the cycle continues. When our sinuses go through that change in season they have to slough off the old sinus cells and mucous linings and replace with new and different hence, nasal swelling and drainage, congestion, etc.

If you moved to a different country and your started eating a completely different diet, the linings of your digestive tract will initially be a little upset and then will gradually make a shift to accommodate this new diet. Same thing happens with the sinuses.

“OK doc, so what can I do about this? I am miserable!”

Ahhhh, great question! First off, boost your immune system by eating well, getting some exercise and lots of rest, drinking lots of water and steer clear of caffeine, sugar, and alcohol and stress management. Get on a good multi-vitamin and make sure you are getting enough omega fatty acids from flax seed, flax oil or fish oil. Try adding vitamin C and getting out in the sunshine to get your vitamin D. Our nerve system controls how our body reacts to the environment so coming in for chiropractic care helps a lot. In fact, some people have a noticeably easier time breathing immediately following an adjustment.

So realize the body is doing its best with what its got to work with. Let’s focus on getting a few more pieces balanced and start to enjoy springtime!!! …life is too short not to.