Sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes and itchy ears - it’s all enough to make you feel pretty miserable. Even if your symptoms of seasonal allergies are very mild, they're an annoyance that you’ll want to get to the root to ease your symptoms or, better yet, eliminate them for good.
What Causes Seasonal Allergies
Your immune system is responsible for differentiating between friendly and harmful substances to keep you safe and healthy. Allergic symptoms occur when your immune system mistakenly identifies a harmless substance, like pollen, as dangerous to the body. Your body responds by releasing histamines and other immune substances into the bloodstream causing allergic reactions, such as sneezing or runny nose. You may notice that your symptoms change from season to season and this can be due to a variety of factors such as the type or quantity of pollen in a given season or your own health status.
Even though typical allergy symptoms tend to include congestion, runny nose, watery eyes and the like, this increase in histamine can also worsen symptoms of rosacea or acne since histamine is a potent inflammatory mediator and inflammation is at the root of many skin disorders.
So is that birch tree in your backyard that’s spewing tons of pollen the problem? Nope. The excess production or the inability of your body to break down histamine is causing all your symptoms. Histamine isn’t bad, it has many important roles, but how your body deals with it is what matters. This is why antihistamines work so well on seasonal allergies, but this is a band-aid solution and with long-term use can actually make things worse.
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What is Histamine?
Histamine is an organic nitrogen compound that occurs to various degrees in many foods and is produced in your body by immune cells called basophils, eosinophils and mast cells in response to allergens promoting inflammation. In the gut it regulates physiological function and acts as a neurotransmitter too.
Once histamine is produced, it’s broken down by two primary enzymes - N-methyltransferase and diamine oxidase (DAO). In healthy people, dietary histamine can be rapidly detoxified; however, someone with low DAO activity is at risk of histamine toxicity or intolerance.
Why does histamine become a problem for some people?
There could be two issues happening either together or separately. One is that there may be an overproduction of histamine and the other is that someone is not breaking it down properly due to a lack of enzymes mentioned above, which can be genetic or can be related to overall health status.
The cause of overproduction of histamine could be a gut issue. We know that certain types of bacteria produce histamine while others degrade it. (Side note: I learned all about this when I had rosacea because I noticed some probiotics made my skin worse due to the histamine connection). So if you have an imbalance of gut bacteria in theory this could be causing allergies since you’ve got too much histamine.
Why might you have an imbalance of gut bacteria? Well, if you’re eating the Standard American Diet high in processed foods, refined carbs and sugar with relatively few prebiotics, it would make sense that you may be more sensitive to histamine since your gut may not be breaking it down efficiently and you’ll be more likely to have allergies due to your toxic load and already elevated inflammatory status. Or if you’ve been on antibiotics recently or in the past, this disrupts the delicate balance of bacteria in your gut and if you’re not taking active steps to nourish your gut microbes, then allergies may be the result. It all comes back to the gut!
10 Natural Remedies for Seasonal Allergies
Some of these natural remedies work because they inhibit the release of histamine, while others support gut health or reduce inflammation within the body. It’s important to discuss with your natural healthcare practitioner when it comes to supplements and herbs to find the best source and dosing for you.
Quercetin
Quercetic is a phytonutrient that is a naturally occurring plant compound found in onions, broccoli, fruits (apples, berry crops, and grapes), some herbs and tea. It is known as a natural antihistamine and has anti-allergic properties because it inhibits the release of histamine, has antiviral activity and supports the immune system. It’s also known for its antioxidant activity and its ability to decrease pro-inflammatory chemicals. When choosing a quercetin supplement, it’s best to look for one with high bioavailability such as this one.
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NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)
NAC is the supplement form of the amino acid cysteine. NAC bonds with glutamine and glycine to form glutathione, a powerful antioxidant important for detoxification. Glutathione performs many functions throughout your body, such as helping to maintain your immune system. NAC also has excellent expectorant capacity which means it can help break up mucus as well as being a potent antioxidant for the body. When choosing a NAC supplement, look for reputable brands like Can Prev or AOR.
Vitamin C-Rich Foods
Vitamin C supports the immune system and can help to lower histamine levels. Choose foods that are rich in vitamin C such as: bell peppers, dark berries, citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, pears, or acerola. Be mindful that vitamin C is destroyed by heat and light. It’s a good idea to include some raw foods in your diet and eat them at their peak ripeness to obtain the most vitamin C.
Stinging Nettle
Nettle has been used traditionally in herbal medicine to relieve allergy symptoms for hundreds of years due to its anti-inflammatory action. Studies have shown symptoms of nasal congestion, sneezing and itching relieved with nettle and 48% of people found it to be more effective as allergy medication. You’ll find nettle in our Pure Radiance Tea.
Limit Certain Foods
Foods that can increase inflammation and tax the immune system including sugar, gluten and dairy should be reduced while you’re trying to address the root cause of allergies. In fact, any food you are even mildly sensitive or allergic to should be avoided especially during allergy season. Peanuts are a very common allergen.
Even though I’m not severely allergic, if I eat PB on toast for a few days in a row for breakfast, my skin will become itchy and I will get a rash. Remove it from my diet and it immediately goes away. So any food, healthy or not, that you are sensitive to can promote an allergic reaction and can add to your overall allergic load.
Eat an anti-inflammatory whole foods-based diet
Eating a diet rich in a variety of colourful whole foods has numerous benefits that extend beyond reduction of allergies including increased energy, healthy skin, better digestion, a more diverse microbiome and more. I have hundreds of free recipes right here, on my YouTube channel and in my three cookbooks - Joyous Health, Joyous Detox and The Joyous Cookbook.
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Avoid fermented foods (at least for a little while)
This one may only be temporary during allergy season or while you’re getting on top of everything else I’ve suggested but it’s one to be aware of and that is limiting or avoiding fermented foods. Since histamine is derived from the amino acid histidine, which is found in many different foods, especially fermented foods, if you have allergies, it’s best to avoid fermented foods for a while.
Get outside into nature (when reasonable)
Google search allergy relief and you’ll come across dozens of articles that tell you to stay inside, close the windows, have a shower and wash your hair if you’ve been outside in nature. Essentially, you’re being told to see nature as the enemy and sanitize yourself from any molecule of nature. This approach will backfire as your microbiome needs exposure to foreign particles like pollen so it develops a healthy response.
Of course at the height of pollen season you may not want to be jogging through a forest until you get your allergies under control, but my whole point about this is that nature is necessary for a healthy robust immune system. This point is particularly important if you have children. Get them outside as young as possible so their immune system develops a friendly response to foreign particles, this has lifelong benefits.
Make adaptogens part of your routine
There is a connection between stress and immune system function. Make adaptogens part of your routine if you have moderate to severe stress. Why? Adaptogens improve the body’s resilience to stress whether that be environmental or physiological stressors as they can cause imbalances in immune function. When your body is resilient it is less likely to overreact to a harmless substance, like pollen. Some of the best adaptogens are reishi, maca or ashwagandha.
There is a Canadian herbal brand I love and they have an amazing adaptogenic blend called Deep Immune. They also have a line of herbal tinctures for allergy relief.
Clean out your nasal passages
A daily saline spray can help rinse the pollen out and prevent you from being dependent on allergy medication. You can also use a Neti pot filled with a saline rinse to help achieve the same effect.
I realize there is a lot of information I've just shared to digest. Take your time with it. Try a few things at a time and see how your body responds. I hope this helps you get to the root of your allergies and relieves your symptoms so that you can enjoy the spring and summer season!
Joy
