Allergy season is fast approaching and now is the time to prepare! First, it is important to identify what you are reacting to as well as its primary source. This could be anything from the food and water your drink to the air you breath. A qualified health practitioner will be able to offer a number of tests to aid in the identification process, though life experience remains the gold standard for allergy testing.
When it comes to treating allergies there are three primary goals of therapy. One, reduce the overall body burden of allergens by aiding the liver and kidneys in cleansing the blood supply. This is best accomplished with a combination of lifestyle techniques and specific botanical and nutritional supplements.
Second, reduce reactivity on the cellular level by stabilizing mast cells – the histamine releasing cells that ultimately lead to the symptoms of allergy including itchy, watery eyes, runny nose and sneezing. Again, a combined application of specific nutrients and hygiene techniques will effectively accomplish this.
Third, reduce systemic inflammation in the body as this is an underlying contributor to allergic reactions. The focus of treatment in this objective is often the gastrointestinal tract. The vast majority of the cells of our immune system reside in and immediately adjacent to the digestive tract. This is because the food we eat on a regular basis represents one of the largest sources of exposure to foreign material. Clinically, it is observed that often times the very food we eat may be initiating or promoting inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract that can then spread throughout the body affecting other systems.
To be most effective in treating allergies it is important to identify all the allergens that may be contributing to a reaction and construct a broad comprehensive approach to not only minimizing symptoms, but in some cases eliminating them altogether.