William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2011-06-01 / 6. szám
Our Health Corner with Debbie Wolfe, rn Natural ways to fight allergies AAAHHCHOOOOO!!! Hurry up, summer! I love the hot weather and spending lazy days on our Florida beaches. With the end of spring here and summer fast approaching, everything is in full bloom. The flowers, trees and green grass are beautiful to the eyes but not so good to the nose. Our spring allergy season has been an active one. This has sent me, and some of you also, searching for some relief. There are an estimated 50 million Americans that suffer the misery of allergies to airborne triggers, like pollen, mold and animal dander. Airborne allergies happen when exposure to a particular allergen activates the immune system. This causes the release of histamine and other inflammatory compounds from mast cells. These mast cells line our air passages. Symptoms include a nose that is blocked and runny, as well as itching, sneezing and more. We try to avoid allergens by reducing our exposure to them, but no one likes to stay indoors during nice spring weather, which, unfortunately, is when pollens and molds are at their highest. And if you are an animal lover, like me, you are not giving up your pet. So, we need a strategy for attacking allergies. Many sufferers try to control symptoms by taking over the counter medicines. These drugs help temporarily, but they do nothing to affect a cure, may cause dependency and come with their own list of side effects. How about if we take a holistic approach? We could be offering our bodies several advantages, including building up our defense mechanisms that may reduce or eliminate reactions to airborne allergens. Start by considering the use of a "Neti pot" (a pot that looks like a cross between a small teapot and Aladdin's lamp) to cleanse the sinus passages. Use a solution of water and sea salt or xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol made from corn and has the ability to ward off bacteria and lessen reoccurring sinus infections. This mixture will help to wash out accumulated allergens and create mu an environment that reduces many nasal symptoms. If a neti pot is not your thing, a saline nasal spray with xylitol is available. You can also try the following: • Vitamin D. A recent study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, showed that low levels of vitamin D in children were linked to several allergens, including both environmental and food allergies. These tests were not conducted on adults but it would make sense to optimize your vitamin D levels. • Vitamin C. Everyone knows of the benefits of adding vitamin C. But, did you know vitamin C blocks the release of histamines? • Herbs. Aged garlic extract, nettles and green tea all seem to possess histamine-blocking capabilities. All three herbs are also known to provide benefits to the immune system as antioxidants. Unfortunately, strengthening our defenses against allergies is not easy. Trial and error is usually part of the equation. A holistic option may offer a safer, natural approach that may help minimize or end our dependence of potentially harmful drugs for controlling allergy symptoms. Until next month... stay Healthy - stay Happy - "fee Fit! egészségére! rabble rJäüish ii/liiS To learn more about seasonal allergies, airborne triggers and natural ways to fight them, log onto: O http://www.www.acaai.org/allergist/allergies (The allergy section of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology website) O http://www.webmd.com/allergies/sinus-pain-pressure-9/neti-pots (A WebMD article on how and why neti pots work) © Can Stock Photo Ine./gvictoria William Penn Life 0 June 2011 0 17 eamsf*me.Com
