Are you miserable in the spring and fall? Are you dependent on Claritin, Zyrtec, or Allegra to get you through? Seasonal allergies are shrugged off as a pesky annoyance that some unfortunate individuals suffer from. However, the number of Americans with hayfever skyrocketed from one in ten in the 1980s, to one in three by 2000. This phenomenon is commonly attributed to global warming, with longer warm seasons and increased pollen loads, but is this really the whole picture? Did you know that allergies are in fact a sign of liver toxicity? Or that allergies are often connected to autoimmunity, the result of a hyperactive immune system? Did you know that you can, in fact, heal your seasonal allergy condition, and use symptoms as a way to monitor how healthy you are?
Allergies are the result of a liver overloaded with toxins. Even if we eat relatively healthy, our livers were not designed to detoxify the daily onslaught of environmental chemicals we are exposed to, from cleaning products and automobile or jet exhaust, to pharmaceuticals and flame retardants on our pajamas and mattresses. If the liver can’t get rid of all the toxins, it starts to store them. Toxic substances that aren’t detoxified fast enough, or stored toxins that leach into the blood over time, then cause the immune system to launch an inflammatory histamine response. This can show up as any type of environmental allergy, including mold, dander, seasonal pollens, and dust. Daily and seasonal liver cleanses, as well as regular use of saunas and far infrared saunas, will significantly lighten the load, and help calm your immune system’s response.
The condition of your gut will also dictate whether or not you have allergies. Did you know seventy percent of the body’s immune system resides in the gut? Due to multiple factors such as the overuse of antibiotics, NSAIDS and birth control pills, and ubiquitous glyphosates in our food, we have an epidemic of leaky gut. These substances weaken and stress the gut lining, trigger inflammation, and cause hyperstimulation of the immune system, leading to the epidemic of autoimmunity, food and environmental allergies we see today in both young and old. Cleansing, repairing, and optimizing elimination in the gut, while simultaneously avoiding as many insults as we can, will help to soothe and heal this overactive immune response that leads to seasonal allergies.
Acupuncture and correctly applied nutritional supplementation can be powerful tools in healing seasonal allergies. Acupuncture relieves allergy symptoms directly by reducing inflammation in the tissues, calming an overactive immune response, facilitating lymphatic drainage, and improving circulation in the liver, lung and respiratory tract. Targeted natural nutritional and herbal supplements can directly reduce histamine levels and support liver, lung, and respiratory function for both symptomatic relief and deeper healing.
If you suffer from seasonal allergies, don’t make it a lifelong struggle! We can help guide you to both temporary and permanent relief the natural way at Vital Health.
©2021 Darcy Greenwald, M.S.O.M., L.Ac. and Vital Health
