Allergies and congestion have been a hot topic around our office over the past 4 weeks, especially as the weather in the Midwest has been changing so drastically (fingers crossed that the warm weather is here to stay). As a family and pediatric chiropractic office, our mamas want to do everything possible to keep their little ones healthy and comfortable. Let’s dive in together to better understand why allergies happen, and ways to either heal them or be more comfortable experiencing them.

**What are allergies anyways?!**

Allergies are your body’s response, when your immune system overreacts by producing antibodies. The cells that enter the body that are often attacked are these like pollen, dust, mold, etc. Then the antibodies travel within your body to attack those cells with chemicals known as histamine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes which creates an allergic reaction that most people refer to by their symptoms.
The severity of the allergic reaction is dependent on how much of a threat the body perceives that substance as. Some of those allergic reaction symptoms include: a runny nose, itchy eyes, watery eyes, a sore throat, scratching sensations in the throat, tingling in the throat, sinus pressure, congestion, fluid in the ears, pulling at the ears, pressure in the ears, trouble breathing, redness of the skin, itching of the skin, or even digestive changes due to inflammation in the lining of the stomach.

Classes of an Allergic Responses:

It is important to understand the 4 different types of allergic responses to understand exactly how quickly you need to act for yourself or a child based on what is happening internally.

Type 1 (Immediate) - Symptoms appear within a few seconds to minutes after the body perceives the incoming cells as needing to be attacked: a bee sting, insect bite, pet dander, pollen, dust mites, or certain foods like peanuts or tree nuts. This is typically one of the most dangerous or concerning for parents because these are life-threatening symptoms that affect breathing, skin color (blue), a drop in blood pressure, and possibly shock.

Type 2 (Cytotoxic) - Symptoms appear within minutes to hours after the body perceives the incoming cells as needing to be attacked: reactions to medications such as penicillin, chemotherapy treatments, Grave’s disease responses, and some autoimmune responses. The IgE antibodies and another antibody called IgM act together to bind to antigens of healthy cells and destroy them. This reaction is also serious because this allergic reaction leads to rapid destruction of blood cells, healthy tissues, vital organs, and can cause life-threatening complications. A common example to explain is when someone takes penicillin and that drug binds to their red blood cells and causes the body to recognize it differently by decreasing platelet counts in the blood.

Type 3 (Immune-complex Mediated) - Symptoms appear within several hours, days, or weeks after the body perceives the incoming cells as needing to be attacked and often creates inflammation in the joints, skin, or blood vessels. The IgE antibodies and another antibody called IgG act together to bind together in an antibody-antigen complex recruiting inflammatory cells called monocytes and neutrophils that release free radicals and enzymes that cause tissue damage. The most common cause associated with this allergic response is serum sickness that we more commonly call fever, rash, joint swelling, or joint pain that occurs after being exposed to a medication, antibiotic, vaccine, or antivenom. This also occurs with conditions like Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Group A Strep Infection that causes kidney malfunction known as post streptococcal glomerulonephritis.

Type 4 (Delayed Reaction) - Symptoms appear more than 12 hours after exposure, with many occurring between 48 and 72 hours. This is often known as “contact dermatitis” from certain jewelry metals, poison ivy, perfumes, rubber products, chemicals like formaldehyde, and after certain medical procedures like allergy skin testings or a response to anesthetics put on the skin. This is also the response that can occur when an individual has a viral infection and is exposed to certain medications, the virus and the medication react such as: cytomegalovirus with antibiotics, Epstein Barr with amoxicillin, and/or Herpes 6 with anticonvulsant medications. This response happens after the exposure when the individual’s T-cells (immune supporter cells) provoke an inflammatory response against the substance exposed to, like the examples listed above.

Now that you know the different types of an allergic reaction, how quickly or slowly the body responds, and how to identify the seriousness of the reaction, let's dive into a few things you can do to help your body respond appropriately to these exposures.

**How to Naturally Rid/Fight Allergies:**

**Nervous System Chiropractic Care:** Did you know that misalignments in the spine can disrupt the nervous system's ability to regulate the immune response? By restoring proper alignment through chiropractic adjustments, you can support your body's ability to defend against allergens and reduce allergy symptoms.

If you are someone that experiences allergies, congestion, frequent sinus infections, or frequent ear infections it can be a sign that your body is not responding properly to common invaders due to tension in your nervous system that is not allowing your immune system to function optimally. Making sure to balance your nervous system is a great way to help your body naturally, and our preferred method of doing this is through nervous-system based chiropractic care using the Torque Release Technique.

Other natural ways to rid/fight allergies:

Nutrition: Opt for anti-inflammatory foods rich in antioxidants, such as fruits, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids (think salmon and fish). Foods that contain higher amounts of inflammation are processed oils like vegetable oil, sunflower seed oil, peanut oil, safflower oils, canola oil, and margarine. Other foods that contain a lot of inflammatory properties include: Packaged foods, deli meat containing nitrates, carrageenan, MSG, and convenience foods found at gas stations or fast food restaurants. It is important to remember that it is hard to be perfect with nutrition 100% of the time, so we like to live our lives by the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time we eat clean and are not exposed to toxic chemical or products in our home and then 20% of the time we enjoy things that aren’t the healthiest or that provide convenience during family outings or during travel.

Hydration: Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water helps your body flush out toxins through your urine (yup, you will pee more). The other thing to mention here is that water alone often does NOT provide enough hydration to the body, as water is only water and can dilute your body’s natural balance of sodium, potassium, and magnesium which are all needed for optimal kidney and heart functions. We love adding a clean electrolyte drink or powder into your daily routine to help balance your sodium, potassium, and magnesium levels to best help your body stay hydrated. The electrolyte of choice in our home is LMNT powder that we add to 16-30 oz of water. Being hydrated helps thin your mucous membranes to clear out congestion.

Reduce Stress: Stress can increase allergy symptoms by weakening the immune system. Practice stress-reducing techniques such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises to help keep stress levels in check and alleviate allergy symptoms.

Humidifier: Having a humidifier in your bedroom at night can help provide moisture to your mucous membranes that prevent your body from making mucus due to dryness. This is especially important during the fall and winter months when most of our homes are heated by gas, propane, or wood burning heat sources. The moisture from a humidifier also filters the dust and pollens from the air.

Air Purifier: Having an air purifier in your home helps much more than just allergies or congestion, but they are great with decreasing allergic responses to invaders by trapping molds, odors, and other pollutant airborne irritants. The quality of an air purifier matters to ensure it is doing what you want and think it is doing. It is also important to get an air purifier big enough to properly filter your home based on the square footage you are trying to clean the air from.

Homeopathic Remedies: Homeopathy is an ancient method of using naturally occurring plants and herbs from the Earth that aren’t highly diluted. This method works by having the person take a substance that responds within the body similarly to the reactive agent treating “like with like.” A good example of this is the homeopathic product called “Rhus Tox” that is used to treat contact dermatitis from poison ivy. The Rhus Tox is the scientific name for poison ivy and it is made from the plant itself. Dr. Cody’s body has a severe reaction to poison ivy, so when he is working outside when poison ivy is blooming, (spring and summer) he takes Rhus Tox and has found it to be incredibly beneficial in giving his body that diluted and slower exposure from the homeopathic remedy. There are homeopathic remedies for many allergen agents, as well are other illnesses. One of the companies that we use and trust is Boiron. Another one that we have on hand in our home is Histaminum Hydrochloricum which we use as an antihistamine instead of something like Bendryl, as we don’t have a medicine cabinet in our home for various reasons to give our body the best chance to heal naturally. Other forms of homeopathy include tinctures of many naturally occurring substances put together into a diluted liquid form to be taken using ancient remedies. A tincture that can be helpful for allergies and sinuses is the “Sinus Saver” from Earthley Wellness which contains: elderberry, turmeric, nettle leaf, dandelion root, and black pepper.

Essential Oils: Essential oils from reputable brands like Young Living, Plant Therapy, or DoTerra can be beneficial aromatherapy healing. Essential oils are often placed with water in a diffuser (which also acts as a small humidifier), or combined with water in a steaming shower, placed on the skin with binding agents like fractionated coconut oil. Some go-to essential oils for helping with congestion are eucalyptus, peppermint, basil, lemon, and/or tea tree.