Evidence Climate Change is Making Allergies Worse There are now a number of studies linking changes in climate with increasingly long and severe allergy seasons. In fact, springtime is arriving 10 to 14 days earlier than it did 20 years ago, which results in higher pollen levels for longer periods of time. A new USDA study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Health Sciences confirms that hay fever season is becoming more intense and lasting longer. How do altered weather patterns contribute to allergies? Clifford Bassett, MD, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York sheds some light on this by using the example of ragweed, a very common allergen. Under normal circumstances, a single ragweed plant produces 1 million pollen grains. However, a CO2-rich environment boosts that number to 3 to 4 million grains. And ragweed is only ONE of the weed species making you miserable—there are many others that scientists expect to become supercharged by Earths warming climate. But here is something you probably dont associate with allergies: thunderstorms. Stanley Fineman, MD (president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) reports that quite a few studies have linked thunderstorms to a greater incidence of asthma-related hospitalizations. The phenomenon even has a name—its called thunderstorm asthma, and physicians believe it has something to do with all the pollen and dust that thunderstorms stir up. Thunderstorms appear to be increasing in both frequency and severity. These trends are not likely to reverse themselves anytime soon, so its time to arm yourself with some effective allergy fighters if you are one of the 60 million Americans afflicted. How and Why Do Allergies Develop? Allergies are your bodys reaction to allergens (particles your body considers foreign), a sign that your immune system is working overtime. The first time your body encounters an allergen, your plasma cells release IgE (immunoglobulin E), an antibody specific to that allergen. IgE attaches to the surface of your mast cells. Mast cells are found in great numbers in your surface tissues (i.e., those with close proximity to the external environment, such as in your skin and in the mucous membranes of your nose), where they help mediate inflammatory responses. Mast cells release a number of important chemical mediators, one of which is histamine. So, the second time your body encounters a particular allergen, within a few minutes the mast cells become activated and release a powerful cocktail of histamine, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins, which trigger the entire cascade of symptoms you associate with allergies: sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, hacky cough, itchy eyes, etc. Histamine can cause your airways to constrict, like with asthma, or cause blood vessels to become more permeable, leading to fluid leakage or hives. Leukotrienes cause hypersecretion of mucus, which you commonly experience as a runny nose or increased phlegm. Pollen is an extremely common mast cell activator, but other agents can trigger these processes as well. Mold spores, dust, airborne contaminants, dust mites, pet dander, cockroaches, environmental chemicals, cleaning products, personal care products and foods can all cause allergic reactions. Every person is different in what he or she reacts to. And, just because you havent reacted to something in the past doesnt mean you wont react to it in the future—you can become sensitized at any point in time. The good news is, many people outgrow their seasonal allergies by the time they reach the age of 60 to 70, when their immune systems become less reactive. Besides pollen, household chemicals such as triclosan and bisphenol-A (BPA) can aggravate or even cause allergies. Scientists from the University of Michigan recently found that people who commonly used triclosan products were more likely to suffer from allergies or hay fever. This is why it is NOT a good idea to use antibacterial soap—which leads us right into one of the theories about why allergies have become such a problem today. How a Cleaner Home May Actually WORSEN Your Allergies Could your meticulous housekeeping be making you and your familys allergies worse? Proponents of the Hygiene Hypothesis would say, Yes! Experts estimate that many allergies and immune-system diseases have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled in the last few decades. Some studies indicate more than half of the U.S. population now has at least one allergy. Many researchers suspect the increase in immune-related diseases is rooted in our preoccupation with germ-free, dirt-free environments. As society in general becomes more sterile, our immune systems have become increasingly unable to differentiate between real threats and harmless things like pollen and dust-bunnies. Meanwhile, youre exposed to antibiotics and pasteurized foods, which contain none of the bad or good bacteria that were once part of everyday life and helped stimulate robust immune function. Children dont play outside in the dirt like they used to, so are not being afforded the opportunity to develop healthy immune responses, and allergies and autoimmune diseases are the result. Numerous studies have provided very compelling evidence that your body actually benefits from regular exposure to dirt. Add to this the predominant junk food diet of the West, and you have a real recipe for a wimpy, confused immune system. Allergies may be far more predominant than is widely appreciated, and they may even underlie many common diseases. Doris Rapp, MD, a pediatric allergist and environmental medical specialist, believes theres a good chance that allergies of all sorts are to blame for the majority of unexplained illnesses. You could be allergic to just about anything, and it could be causing a dizzying array of symptoms that you might not even suspect are related. So, what can be done to ease your allergy angst? It turns out—quite a lot! Provocation Neutralization Allergy Treatment is Nothing to Sneeze At Addressing allergies takes a multi-faceted approach that involves optimizing your diet and avoiding potential triggers. Typically, people anticipating the misery of allergy season arm themselves with a variety of antihistamine pills, nose sprays and eye drops. But these drug treatments come with their own set of side effects, and relief is short lived. And its been my experience that conventional allergy testing, whether done through the blood or skin, works for only 20 to 30 percent of patients. It is also quite inconvenient, as you need to go to the doctors office every week for months or years, and it can take several years to be effective. Provocation neutralization (PN) allergy testing and treatment offers many allergy sufferers permanent relief without adverse side effects. The success rate for this approach is about 80 to 90 percent, and you can receive the treatment at home. Provocation refers to provoking a change and neutralization refers to neutralizing the reaction caused by provocation. During provocation-neutralization, a small amount of allergen is injected under your skin to produce a small bump called a wheal on the top layers of your skin, and then it is monitored for a reaction. If you have a positive reaction, such as fatigue, headache, or a growth in the size of the wheal, then the allergen is neutralized with diluted injections or with drops that go in your mouth of the same allergen. If you are interested in pursuing PN, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) has a list of physicians and offices that are trained in this technique. Natural Treatments: Dietary Friends and Foes About one-third of seasonal allergy sufferers have something called oral allergy syndrome, in which your immune system is triggered by proteins in some foods that are molecularly similar to pollen. Your immune system looks at the protein molecule and says, Close enough! and attacks it. If you are allergic to ragweed, for example, you may have cross-sensitivity to melons, bananas, tomatoes, zucchini, sunflower seeds, dandelions, chamomile, and echinacea. If you have a grass allergy, you may also react to peaches, celery, tomatoes, melons and oranges. Besides avoiding foods that may trigger your allergy, there are a number of foods that can be helpful for calming down allergy symptoms. Consider the following: Omega-3 fatty acids: According to Mother Earth News, a German study published in the journal Allergy found people who have diets rich in of omega-3 fatty acids suffer from fewer allergy symptoms. A second study in Sweden found that children who regularly ate fish prior to age one had much lower allergies by age four. My favorite sources of omega-3 fatty acids are grass fed meat and eggs, and krill oil. (Fish has become too contaminated to rely on as a staple.) Probiotics: In a 2008 study, researchers discovered that people who took probiotics throughout allergy season had lower levels of an antibody that triggered allergy symptoms. They also had higher levels of a different antibody (IgG), thought to play a protective role against allergic reactions. Other researchers found evidence that giving probiotics to newborns and mothers-to-be may help prevent childhood allergies. Vitamin D: Insufficient vitamin D levels have been linked to more severe asthma and allergies in children. Vitamin D has also been found to reduce allergic responses to mold. Hot peppers: Hot chili peppers, horseradish, and hot mustards work as natural decongestants. In fact, a nasal spray containing capsaicin (derived from hot peppers) significantly reduced nasal allergy symptoms in a 2009 study. Locally produced honey: Many believe that consuming locally produced honey, which contains pollen spores picked up by the bees from your local plants, can act as a natural “allergy vaccine.” By introducing a small amount of allergen into your system (from eating the honey), your immune system is activated and over time can build up your natural immunity against it. Just be careful to consume honey moderately as it’s high in fructose. Below are several other foods and herbs you might want to try: Quercetin: Quercetin is an antioxidant that belongs to a class of water-soluble plant substances called flavonoids. Although research is sketchy, many believe quercetin-rich foods (such as apples, berries, red grapes, red onions, capers and black tea) prevent histamine release—so they are “natural antihistamines.” Quercetin is also available in supplement form—a typical dose for hay fever is between 200 and 400 mg per day. Butterbur (Petasites hybridus): Another natural antihistamine, this herb has been used since ancient times to treat a variety of conditions, including migraines. In a German study, 40 percent of patients taking butterbur root extract were able to reduce their intake of traditional asthma medications. A British study found butterbur as effective as the drug Zyrtec. A word of caution is needed, however. Butterbur is a member of the ragweed family, so if you are allergic to ragweed, marigold, daisy, or chrysanthemum, you should not use butterbur. Also, the RAW herb should not be used because it contains substances called pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can be toxic to the liver and kidneys and may cause cancer. Commercial butterbur products have had a lot of these alkaloids removed. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica): Another natural antihistamine, stinging nettle has a long history of use for seasonal allergies, without the drowsiness and dry mouth associated with many pharmacological antihistamines. Nettle inhibits your body’s ability to produce histamines. The recommended dose is about 300 mg freeze-dried nettle extract daily. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis): Goldenseal may be helpful for seasonal allergies. Laboratory studies suggest that berberine, the active ingredient in goldenseal, has antibacterial and immune-enhancing properties. Eucalyptus oil: This pure essential oil can be healing to mucus membranes. You can apply a drop on a cotton ball and sniff it several times a day, add a few drops to water (or to a nebulizer, if you own one) for a steam treatment, or use a few drops in your bathwater.umm.edu/altmed/articles/allergic-rhinitis-000003.htm
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 10:27:56 +0000