Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph

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And just like that, we are ending one season and transitioning into another, which means it is fall allergy time for so many folks out there. We’re going to focus on what you can do to support your immune system and respiratory system. Over 50 million Americans experience various types of allergies every year. Usually, this comes from both indoor and outdoor allergies, with common irritants such as trees, grass, weeds, pollen, mold spores, and dust mites. These allergies can wreak massive havoc in your life.

Throughout the midwest and the northeast United States, in particular, we start to see a lot of pollination occurring. This can start to drive up some of the symptomatic issues that people can experience. We can also experience the lingering of warmer weather, so as we’re transitioning to fall, oftentimes that unseasonably warmer weather can make things like rhinitis last even longer. Mold spores are very common during this time of year and they can be released into the air when the humidity is higher. Fall leaves can also trigger allergic responses, as can going back to school. 

HOW TO ADDRESS ALLERGENS

There are many ways to prepare your body for allergy season. You could go to your physician and receive a prescription for medication to treat seasonal allergies. There are also many over-the-counter medications that can dry you out and provide symptomatic relief. But ultimately, we really want to assist the body in terms of a more proper immune system response. We want to consider bolstering up our immune defenses during the fall.

Utilizing probiotics can help boost your immune system. This helps colonize good, healthy bacteria in the intestines to help enhance and support the overall immune system. The gut holds 70 to 80% of our immune system, so gut health is extremely important. You can support your gut by taking a simple multi-strain probiotic every single day or with a powder that is a comprehensive blend.

Citrus bioflavonoids are also helpful. This includes things like quercetin and vitamin C, which we already know can be very beneficial. You can sometimes find these in addition to probiotics in a comprehensive powder blend. Some people find that our Reds and Greens powders can be very helpful during this time because they give you antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and probiotics to enhance your immune system and a proper inflammatory response.     

We also want to consider how we can address issues when it comes to the sinuses and respiratory tracts. This is where many people see more significant symptoms, like sneezing, itchy ears, runny eyes, and wheezing. We want to address the inflammatory reaction that happens in the body that is triggered by these tree pollens, dust pollens, and mold. We can address these issues by looking at nutrients that we know support the respiratory system and the sinuses. This includes things like black seed extract, which works via means of the LOX pathway, one of the main pathways in the body where inflammation can occur. Targeting inflammation in this pathway can be good for the respiratory system and sinus cavities. Many people will find that if they start to incorporate black seed extract into their lives during times when seasonal allergies are at a high, they will see a tremendous difference in terms of their body’s response to irritants in the air.   

The Benefits of Probiotics for Allergies – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 124. Listen Now >>

Rosemary extract can also be beneficial. It contains a powerful active constituent known as rosmarinic acid, which helps the body have a normalized histamine response. Histamines are released from your mast cells when the body is overstimulated because of different pollens, oftentimes leading to an abundance in histamine being produced and released. This overabundance causes all of the issues and symptoms you experience. Rosmarinic acid can help regulate the production and release of histamines. Black seed extract and rosmarinic acid are beneficial in combination with cordyceps mushrooms. The cordyceps mushroom, which is a natural source of vitamin D, also helps to regulate the immune system response. 

We can also use nettle root extract. Stinging nettle root has been used medicinally for a variety of different health conditions. Findings indicate that nettle root extract is beneficial in helping the body with proper regulation of cytokine and prostaglandin release, as well as proper inflammatory response.

Our Immunity Hx formula is also a really good option to have during the fall because it contains important vitamins and minerals such as Zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D that are required for both innate and adaptive immune responses. It’s a little ironic to fight nature with nature, but there’s a balance. Certain things in nature, like trees and pollen, may cause us to have an inflammatory response, but others contain these powerful nutrients that can help diminish that response and help support the immune and respiratory systems.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can address your own allergies, please contact one of our InVite Health healthcare professionals for help in creating a personalized approach.

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