ALLERGIES
AND CHIROPRACTIC
By Dr. Jennifer L. Franz
This
time of year is much anticipated, however, dreaded by those who suffer
from allergies. People who have allergies to pollen, often are
sensitive to other things as well, such as certain foods or household
products. Thus, the entire body becomes hypersensitive and irritated.
An allergy can present itself as a digestive disturbance or can affect
the eyes, nose, throat, and skin. Depending upon the severity,
it can sometimes be debilitating. Unfortunately, most people
believe that all they can do is cover up their symptoms rather than
correct the problem. What is causing these life altering allergies?
In
the body, when allergies occur, the body is in a hypersensitive state,
as we mentioned earlier, irritated and inflamed. The body recognizes
normal conditions, such as Spring pollination, digestion of certain
foods, etc. as an allergen or something foreign. When your body
is under long periods of stress, it weakens the immune system and
normal processes of the body. Some of these processes are digestion,
mucous secretion, hydration of the eyes, and many more. Stress
affects allergies directly, by keeping the body in this hypersensitive,
irritated state. Cortisol, the main stress hormone weakens your
adrenal glands that are involved with other hormones that are anti
and pro inflammatory. When the body has an allergic reaction
it is having an increased inflammatory response, such as excess mucous
secretion. The medulla oblongata, housed within your spine,
sends messages from your nose for example, to determine how much mucous
to secrete in response to the hormones. By chemically
dealing with the mucous, such as continuously using a decongestant,
we are only further stressing the body and in turn causing more mucous.
So
what can we do naturally to help these unpleasant allergies and their
symptoms? Firstly, to often correct the problem and directly
affect our nervous system, we can see our Chiropractor. When
the body is under stress, either physical, emotional, or chemical,
a normal healthy spine that is meant to have motion, misaligns or
subluxates. Your Chiropractor will through a thorough examination
and x-rays, detect and correct these subluxations. By removing
the interference to the nervous system, the information can be properly
sent to your mucous membranes for example. Many people who are
under Chiropractic care have either eliminated or lessened their allergy
reactions. In addition to Chiropractic, you can also exercise
regularly to not only combat stress, and in turn allergies, but to
also get motion into the body, and make a more healthy spine and nervous
system. I highly recommend exercises that anyone can do, such
as walking, swimming, and yoga. As mentioned earlier, diet often
plays a part in the hypersensitive individual. Completely eliminating
refined and processed foods such as white flour and sugar help those
suffering from allergies. The most common food allergies are
usually to wheat, dairy, corn, and peanuts, try eliminating all or
one at a time and monitor your responses. Increasing your immune
supporting foods such as green leafy vegetables and good fats, ones
that are not hydrogenated, will help combat stress and eliminate or
reduce allergies. Supplementing with A, C, E, Zinc, Selenium,
and taking adrenal support often help as well. Sleep also is
important; many Americans are often sleep deprived for long periods
of time that causes many health issues such as allergies. Sleep
allows us to repair from the stresses we incur on a daily basis.
As
you can see, there are many things you can do naturally to help the
body eliminate or reduce hypersensitivity and allergies. My
truth is that Chiropractic is an essential part of a healthy individual,
as are the other components I mentioned.