| To keep your immune system from over reacting, | | | | once a week, the heat is what kills them. Now here's |
| you will first need to figure out just what is causing it | | | | a trick I didn't know about, if you have stuffed |
| to go into overdrive. Here are five immune system | | | | animals, and who doesn't, every six weeks you will |
| stressors that may be contributing to the release of | | | | need to wash them in hot water or you can stick |
| histamines in your body. | | | | them in plastic bags and freeze them overnight to kill |
| Your diet: Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet is one | | | | off the mites. |
| of the first steps to take during allergy season. If | | | | - Animals: Pets are one of the largest contributors to |
| you eat foods that are high inflammatory foods, | | | | household allergens, including proteins found in their |
| your seasonal allergies can be worse especially if | | | | dander, dead skin flakes, urine, and saliva. Cats are |
| you're already sensitive to a particular food. For me | | | | actually worse than dogs because their dander is |
| that would be sugar, and that can be a big problem, | | | | lighter and it clings to everything, which makes it |
| because I love my sweets. There are two types of | | | | more likely to breath in and cause your immune |
| foods that can cause an inflammatory reaction that | | | | system to "attack" it. The thing about your pets |
| will exhaust your immune system. The first type are | | | | dander is that it can linger a lot longer, so by |
| the foods you can't digest well; ones you may not | | | | swapping your carpet for hardwood, keeping your |
| even know you have a problem with. The most | | | | pets off upholstered furniture, and investing in a |
| common food allergies are wheat, milk, eggs, and | | | | HEPA air filter, which reduces dander in the air and |
| peanuts. When your body is sensitive to a certain | | | | can make a difference |
| food it puts your immune system into a fight mode | | | | - Mold: One of the best ways to reduce mold in your |
| so that when seasonal allergies come along it over | | | | house is to keep the temperature around 68 degrees |
| reacts because it's still in that heightened state from | | | | and the relative humidity about 35 percent; you can |
| trying to fight off the food allergies. This will cause | | | | pick up a humidity gauge to monitor this. Mold tends |
| your allergies to spiral out of control. If you follow a | | | | to grow in potting soil, especially if it's too moist, |
| diet that minimizes inflammation in your body and | | | | keep all indoor plants on the dry side and ban plants |
| creates little or no stress on your immune system, | | | | from the bedroom, where you spend up to a third of |
| then your body won't react so violently to external | | | | your time. You might want to place a dehumidifier in |
| allergies. The second type of inflammation causing | | | | damp basements or crawl spaces during the summer, |
| foods affect everyone and you don't have to have | | | | which can improve overall air quality throughout the |
| food sensitivities, and these include saturated fats, | | | | entire house. Now for the last of the household |
| processed foods, and heavily refined carbohydrates. | | | | allergens that can send your immune system into |
| Daniel Monti, MD, director of the Jefferson-Myrna | | | | overdrive. |
| Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Thomas | | | | - Airborne chemicals. Try using natural cleaning |
| Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and author | | | | products or better yet make your own. Here are |
| of "The Great Life Makeover", says to cut out all of | | | | some of the homemade products I use: for my |
| these products, especially during allergy season, and | | | | furniture I mix 1/4 c. of vinegar to 3/4 c. oil (olive, |
| instead eat lots of fruits, veggies, and whole | | | | vegetable, or lemon), for a general cleaner I will |
| (gluten-free) grains. So how can you tell if there are | | | | sprinkle plain baking soda on the surface and use a |
| underlying food allergies that are making your | | | | wet sponge or cloth to clean, after cleaning, rinse out |
| seasonal allergies worse? Eliminate one food at a time | | | | your sponge or cloth and wipe the surface until all |
| that you think is causing the problem, let's say for a | | | | baking soda residue is gone. I use this on my tubs |
| week or so. Then, on the eighth day, bring that food | | | | and sinks as well instead of soft scrub. For my |
| back into your diet and watch for things like | | | | windows I mix 1/2 c. rubbing alcohol with 1 c. of |
| increased mucus, asthma-like symptoms, skin rashes, | | | | vinegar in a spray bottle and then I fill the bottle with |
| gas, bloating, heartburn, headaches, fatigue, or mood | | | | water until it's full. You will also want to avoid |
| changes. If you see any of these symptoms, or you | | | | synthetic fragrances in scented candles, detergents, |
| just don't feel as well as you did when you were off | | | | and deodorant; and if you smoke or live with |
| of that food, eliminate that food from your diet. | | | | smokers, this would be a good time for everyone to |
| Keep repeating this process with any other foods | | | | stop. |
| you think is causing your problem. You won't see | | | | Antibiotics: You use antibiotics to treat bacterial |
| immediate results once you've eliminated a food from | | | | infections like strep throat, urinary tract infections, |
| your diet, and two to four weeks may pass before | | | | and some sinus infections, antibiotics succeed when it |
| you do notice any relief. Also, if you are allergic to | | | | comes to fighting bacteria, but they can wreck |
| the food, you may be able to add it back into your | | | | havoc on the good bacteria that live in your |
| diet once allergy season is over. | | | | intestines. Did you know that 70% of your immune |
| Stress: Research has linked overwhelming stress | | | | system is stimulated by the good bacteria in your |
| from work, family, money problems, and just the | | | | intestine? If you have taken antibiotics any time for |
| stress of life in general, to numerous chronic health | | | | anything there is probably a good chance that your |
| problems and diseases. But, they have also | | | | immune system is imbalances. Taking a probiotic daily |
| discovered that stress can make your allergies | | | | will help in countering any loss of healthy flora, but be |
| worse, because the hormones and other chemicals | | | | sure that you find a brand with self-stable |
| released during long periods of stress, causes | | | | lactobacillus, while you're on antibiotics and for at |
| damage that triggers the immune response. Your | | | | least three months after you finish your prescription. |
| body uses nutrients, including antioxidants and | | | | There is research that supports this regiment: A |
| vitamins, to keep your bodys' defenses up against | | | | study published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy |
| stress. But, when stress becomes a constant thing, | | | | found that people with grass pollen allergies who |
| the body will need more nutrients to keep it going. | | | | took probiotics experienced fewer allergy symptoms |
| The more stress we have, the more likely we are to | | | | than those who didn't. You might even want to |
| make very poor food choices and not get the sleep | | | | consider taking a probiotic year round for your overall |
| we need. When you look at all these factors, it's no | | | | gut health, especially if you're middle-aged or older. |
| wonder our immune systems are off balance! Getting | | | | The outdoors: I don't know anyone who has |
| regular exercise, enough sleep, and practicing | | | | seasonal allergies, who spends much time outside |
| mind-body techniques like yoga and meditation, will | | | | during the allergy season. There are many different |
| help you to manage the stress you face every day. | | | | types of pollen that are the obvious offenders but |
| Taking a daily multivitamin and eating five to nine | | | | there are also other irritants like pollution and diesel |
| servings or more of fruits and veggies a day will also | | | | fumes, that can act like a chronic irritant on the |
| help your immune system to build up the supply of | | | | mucous membranes of the nasal passages and the |
| nutrients it needs to fight stress. | | | | body has to work harder to eliminate them. To deal |
| Your home: Just like you, there are many of the | | | | with these outdoor irritants, reach for your saline |
| things that trigger your allergies that consider your | | | | nasal rinse. Here's something to think about if you are |
| home a sanctuary. There are an unbelievable 52% of | | | | wanting to get out of the house during the seasonal |
| US households that have at least six detectable | | | | allergy time. Most plants pollinate in the morning, |
| allergens, all of which can find their way into your | | | | which is why the pollen count is higher during the first |
| body, this is stated in a report from the Journal of | | | | part of the day. So the best time to do that |
| Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Some of those | | | | gardening, running errands or exercising would be in |
| allergens that can be detected include animal dander, | | | | the afternoon. But better yet, a good time to go out |
| dust mites, mold, scented candles, cleaning products, | | | | is right after a storm. After all, I'm sure that many of |
| and cigarette smoke. I rather imagine these allergens | | | | you have been told that rain cleans the air and not |
| don't spark much of a histamine reaction in a healthy | | | | only that but the pollen count is almost zero. While |
| immune system, but if your immune system is | | | | you can't expect it to rain every day to wash away |
| hypersensitive, like it is when you have an | | | | the pollen, the next sure way to get your seasonal |
| autoimmune disease, they'll set off a number of | | | | allergies under control is to tend to your immune |
| alarming symptoms. Luckily, you can eliminate those | | | | system. Strengthen it with good healthy food and |
| possible reactions by doing a few simple things. The | | | | plenty of sleep, but the most important thing is to |
| first thing you can do is to use a saline nasal rinse | | | | give it a rest. If your immune system isn't always |
| once a day, maybe twice if you're have a rough day. | | | | rushing around trying to keep you healthy, there is a |
| A saline nasal rinse will flush out any allergens in your | | | | good chance it won't care about a little nose full of |
| nasal passages. You can purchase a nasal rinse in any | | | | pollen and mold spores. |
| drugstore or you can make your own by adding a | | | | I know from experience just what it's like to have |
| teaspoon of salt and a pinch of baking soda to a | | | | allergies and a compromised immune system. I had |
| quart of boiling water. Let the solution cool to body | | | | never had allergy problems until I was in Austin, |
| temperature before you put it in a neti pot to flush | | | | Texas and got what they call cedar fever, another |
| your nose. If the rinse burns, then you should add | | | | words I was allergic to the cedar pollen. I became so |
| more baking soda. There are four other common | | | | sick that I was taken to the hospital because I had |
| household irritants that can compromise your immune | | | | stopped breathing because I was so congested. |
| system. | | | | Anyway, after I got over that I ended up having |
| - Dust Mites: The key to controlling this little | | | | allergic reactions to everything that pollinates, trees, |
| microscopic creatures is to give them fewer places | | | | flowers, bushes. I also found out that my |
| to live. If it is possible, you might want to consider | | | | fibromyalgia will trigger sinus infections and what feels |
| replacing your carpet with hardwood and you also | | | | like an allergic reaction to something. Because I have |
| might want to think about limiting upholstered items | | | | four autoimmune diseases my immune system is in a |
| and fabric hangings like wall tapestries or drapes. To | | | | constant state of alert and rarely gets a break. It |
| kill dust mites you will want to enclose your pillows, | | | | takes me several months to get over an allergy |
| mattresses, and box springs in allergen proof covers, | | | | attack where it would take someone with a normal |
| wash bed sheets, mattress pads, and blankets in 130 | | | | immune system a couple of weeks. |
| degree water every week. I also put all my pillows, | | | | I hope you find this information helpful. |
| bed and throw, in the dryer for about 45 minutes, | | | | |