Say So Long to Seasonal Allergies - Naturally

Take a Load Off

Pollen could be merely the tip of your allergy-provoking iceberg. Every day, we are all bombarded by numerous substances that red-flag our bodies' detoxification and immune systems: Volatile chemicals assault us when we're exposed to cigarette smoke, when we fill up our cars at the gasoline pump, when we inhale traffic exhaust fumes and when we use laundry detergents, household cleaners or furniture polish.

The water we drink, cook with, bathe in and use for cleaning is chlorinated and fluoridated. Our fruits and vegetables (unless they're organic) are grown with fertilizers derived from petrochemicals and liberal doses of pesticides. Not only are these toxic chemicals concentrated in animal products (meat, eggs, dairy products), in non-organic animal products, hormones and antibiotics have been added to the mix. In the majority of prepared foods, processing depletes nutrients while even more chemicals (food colorings, preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc.) are added.

An Over-Burdened Immune System

Our bodies must detoxify and eliminate everything harmful in everything we ingest. But we barely give ourselves a fighting chance. We over load our immune systems and under fuel them, skimping on fresh fruits and vegetables and fill up on sugars, refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats.

Now, it's spring and after being cooped up for months - houses closed tight against the cold, wet weather and furnaces re-circulating hot, dusty air - we throw open the windows, spend the weekend spring-cleaning (read: inhaling molds, dust, pet dander, plus lots of chemicals from household cleaners) and reward ourselves with our favorite alcoholic beverage, a candy bar or a pint of ice cream.

The next morning or a couple of hours later - Big surprise! Seasonal allergies strike. The runny nose; itchy, watery eyes, constant sneezing, and crummy headache are not the harbingers of spring. These symptoms are an indignant notice from an over loaded immune system that simply can't defuse one more offending agent before it instigates an inflammatory response. Once sensitized, our immune systems become excessively reactive to normally innocuous stimuli - like those daffodils blooming outside your window.

While living in a biosphere is not an option for most of us, there are many simple things we can do that together will significantly lighten the load on our immune system, enabling it to take spring in stride.

Become an Environmental Protection Agent

Wash your hands frequently with warm water and anti-bacterial cleanser. Small children are not the only ones who live hand to mouth. Whenever you reach out and touch someone or something, you're playing the germ lottery. Unfortunately, your chances of winning are high. Most of the time, your immune system eliminates potential pathogens before they cause any trouble. But why delegate this task to your immune police when you can so easily remove it from their To Do List? Use liquid soap containing the natural antibiotics Lavender or Tea Tree oil in kitchen and bathrooms. Not near a sink? Waterless formula anti-bacterial hand gels are available in tiny spray bottles that easily fit in your purse, jacket pocket or child's backpack.

Use Natural Cleaners, Health and Beauty Aids. Excellent environmentally safe, cruelty free laundry and dish soaps, furniture polish, glass cleaner, tub and tile cleaners, de-greasers, non-abrasive scrubs - any cleaning product you could possibly need is available at health food stores and enlightened groceries. Based on natural antiseptic agents such as lavender, tea tree and citrus oils, these products not only do the job, their fresh scents are far less likely to give you a headache or runny nose. Hypoallergenic natural cosmetics, Shampoos, Bath Salts, body lotions, Shaving Creams, and Toothpaste toothpaste keep you impeccably groomed without imposing artificial coloring, fragrances and petrochemicals on your detoxification and immune systems.

Eat Organic. In research comparing organically versus conventionally grown foods, organic foods had significantly lower levels of heavy metal pollutants and significantly higher levels of essential minerals. In other words, organic foods contain more of what you need and less of what you don't. (Smith B: Organic foods versus supermarket foods: Element levels. J Appl Nutr 45:35-39, 1993) In addition, growing organic foods does not add pollutants to the environment. It's true that organic produce generally costs more than conventionally grown, but not when long term hidden health costs are factored in. It's an agricultural proof of the law of karma: what goes around comes around.

Install Water Filters for Kitchen Sinks and Showerheads. Constant exposure to volatile toxic chemicals in municipal water supplies is one more reason our immune systems seem to go down the drain in spring. According to Dennis Juranek at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, who spoke out in a July 22, 1998 article in The Seattle Times, "in a lot of cities, people are drinking somebody else's sewage from upstream." That potential health problem is treated by chlorinating the water to kill harmful bacteria, but chlorine residues are also dangerous (after all, it's chlorine as in chlorine bleach), and significantly alter the water's taste. In addition, chlorine combines with decaying plant matter to make chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Besides chlorine and chloroform, another highly volatile toxic chemical, trichloroethylene (TCE) has been identified in many municipal drinking water supplies. In an article in Science News (September 1986), Julian Andelman of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health pointed out that the National Academy of Sciences estimates that 200 to 1,000 people die in the U.S. each year from cancers caused by ingesting these contaminants in water; however, Andelman adds, the major threat posed by these water pollutants is from their inhalation, particularly in hot (43^o C) showers where these volatile chemicals vaporize in the steamy water. ("Toxic Showers and Baths," Science News, Sept 20, 1986, Vol. 130, No. 12, pp. 177-92; Brown HS, Bishop DR, Rowan CA: The role of skin absorption as a route of exposure for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in drinking water. American Journal of Public Health, May 1984, Vol. 74, No. 5, p.479-84.)

For information on carafe, faucet-mounted, countertop, under-sink and reverse-osmosis models, check the review in Consumer Reports, July 1997 issue, pages 27-31, entitled "Should you use a water filter?" See also The 1998 Consumer Reports Buying Guide for a detailed comparison/evaluation of the various types and models of filters available.

Breathe Easy-Put HEPA Filters in Bedrooms (Home Offices or any other room you live in). Improved building techniques aimed at energy efficiency have resulted in airtight housing in which indoor air (along with any contaminants) is re-circulated. Potentially harmful substances in indoor air fall into two groups: particles and gases. Minute airborne particles, including dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, mildew, fungus and pollen, penetrate deep into lung tissue, provoking allergic reactions such as runny nose, watery eyes, recurring headache, lethargy, even snoring.

Up to 500 gases or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are commonly dispersed from cleaning solutions, carpets, building materials and various chemicals used around the home. Formaldehyde, although now considered a carcinogen, is extremely common (it's used in the manufacture of carpets, upholstery and drapery fabric, pressed wood furniture and flooring). Formaldehyde toxicity initially presents as itching in eyes, ears and throat. Other indoor pollutants include acetone, ammonia, asbestos, benzene, fiberglass, toulenes, lead, nitrogen dioxide, PERC, radon, urethane. Who has time to think about all this? Don't get paranoid, get a HEPA filter.

HEPA filters trap all these particles and gases, leaving you with air your immune system won't need to purify. HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance) filters were developed by the Atomic Energy Commission during World War II to remove radioactive dust from their plant exhaust. They are now the primary filtration systems for electronic clean room assembly, surgical theatres, bioengineering, pharmaceutical processing, etc.

A quality HEPA filter cleans the air in a specified area (700 square feet for smaller units; 1500 square feet for larger units) twice each hour, releasing air that is 99.97 percent free of all particulate down to 0.3 microns (including bacteria, fungal and other opportunistic biologicals). And, it will maintain this rate of efficiency for two to five years without any cleaning or maintenance. The best HEPA filters contain a medical quality HEPA medium for particle removal plus activated charcoal and natural zeolite for gases. Cost averages $300 to $400 depending on the size of the area filtered. Amortized over five years, you're looking at $60 to $80 a year-less than the cost of one visit to the doctor.

Steam Clean Carpets and Draperies Every Six Months (or better yet, install formaldehyde-free wood floors and blinds). The goal here is eliminating hiding places for dust, mold, fungus, mold, bacteria and pollen in your great indoors.

Use hypoallergenic mattress covers, pillows, and sheets. Encase mattresses in allergen-proof plastic. Look for bedding made from Ventflex, a special hypoallergenic synthetic material. Permanent press sheets may be easy care, but polyester can put a wrinkle in your immune system. Ever ironed polyester? The scent you smell is escaping volatile chemicals. Switch to 100 percent pure natural cotton. Wash bedclothes in hot water with a natural laundry soap weekly. Run your washing machine through an extra rinse cycle to eliminate any traces of detergent. Throw in your mattress cover every couple of weeks - every week when pollen or stress levels are high. Doesn't your immune system deserve a rest, too?

Ferret Out Food Allergies (or Intolerances). Top foods on the immune system's Most Frequent Offender List include dairy products, wheat (bread, cereal, cookies, cake, pastry), eggs, peanuts and other nuts, shellfish, oranges, and strawberries. When a person is unable to digest and process a food properly, usually due to a lack of a certain enzyme or enzymes, it's called food intolerance. If particles of undigested food leak from the gut into the bloodstream, they can cause an allergic reaction. In an allergic reaction, your immune system targets the food as an invader and generates an antibody to destroy it. Sometimes the antibody is made immediately, so you get a fast, easy to identify reaction. Sometimes, however, the antibody response takes hours or even days, making it much more difficult to identify the instigating food. Regardless, your immune system is activated, and if the culprit food is one you consume frequently, immune defenders will be constantly in alarm mode. The end result? Your worst spring nightmare - a hair-trigger immune system that's downright irritable. Sad to say, the foods you eat most frequently - your favorites - are prime suspects. To identify your food felons, James Balch, M.D. and Phyllis Balch, C.N.C., authors of Prescription for Nutritional Healing (New York: Avery Publishing Group, 1997, p.111) recommend the following simple test. Developed by allergist Dr. Coca a half century ago, this test isn't accurate for everyone, but may provide you with very helpful clues.

Food Allergy Self-Test. Sit down and relax for a few minutes. Using a watch with a second hand, take your pulse at the wrist, counting the number of beats in sixty seconds. A normal pulse reading is between 52 and 70 beats per minute. Now, consume one food you wish to test. Use the purest form of the food possible. For example, to test for a wheat allergy, try some plain cream of wheat (made with water, no milk added) instead of a slice of bread since bread contains several ingredients besides wheat. Wait fifteen to twenty minutes, then take your pulse again. If your pulse rate has increased more than ten beats per minute, omit this food from your diet for one month, then retest yourself.

Limit Consumption of Simple Carbohydrates (refined flour products, sugars, fruit juices). Ingesting a mere 100 grams (3 ounces) of sugar at one sitting causes a significant suppression of immune function which starts less than 30 minutes after consumption and lasts for over five hours. Typically, a 40 percent reduction in neutrophil activity occurs in two hours. Neutrophils constitute 60 to 70 percent of circulating white blood cells, the immune system's first strike force against invaders. The average American consumes 150 grams of sugar every day. For the allergy-prone American, this is like wearing a T-shirt that says, "Open for Allergens." (Joe Pizzorno, N.D., Total Wellness, Rocklin, CA: Prima, 1996, p.39-40)

Eliminate Meat, Eggs and Dairy Products (Eat Fish Instead). Meat, eggs and dairy products contain arachidonic acid which is used by your body to produce the inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes involved in the allergic response. Replace these inflammatory foods with cold water, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and herring. These fish provide omega-3 fatty acids, the type of essential fats used in the synthesis of non-inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes.

Eat onions and garlic. Members of the allium family, onions and garlic contain several substances that inhibit the production of inflammatory prostaglandins.

Already Suffering from Seasonal Allergies? Natural Remedies for Relief

Nutritional Supplements for Immune Support

Antioxidants. When mast cells are exposed to free radicals and pro-oxidants, they become fragile and much more likely to release histamine and other inflammatory compounds. Protect your mast cells with the antioxidants Beta Carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, and the mineral co-factors needed for antioxidant defense mechanisms-selenium, Zinc and Copper. In addition their antioxidant activity, carotenes and vitamin E inhibit inflammatory leukotriene formation. Selenium is necessary for the production of glutathione peroxidase, an antioxidant enzyme that dismantles leukotrienes.

A good Multi Vitamin and Mineral supplement should contain 10,000 IU Vitamin A, 15,000 IU beta carotene, 400 IU of vitamin E, 15 mg of zinc, 200 mcg of selenium, 3 mg copper, and at least 500 mg of vitamin C for basic immune support. Also check your multiple for the B complex including 100 mg pantothenic acid (B5), 50 mg pyroxidine (B6), 300 mcg (B12)-B vitamins which help the body handle all types of stress, including stress on the immune system.

Vitamin C is a top contender for MVP on the natural antihistamine team. Not only is vitamin C the primary antioxidant in the airways, it helps keep mast cells Arnold Schwartzenager-strong, so they don't secrete as much histamine. (1,500 to 3,500 mg per day, at least some of it from whole citrus fruit for a dose of bioflavonoids. Avoid juice; the fruit sugar's too concentrated.)

Quercetin, a bioflavonoid, stops allergies via two actions. First, it's a powerful anti-inflammatory, preventing lungs, nasal passages and eyes from swelling in reaction to allergens. Second, it's a potent natural antihistamine. A member of the Vitamin C antihistamine team, quercetin prevents histamine's release by stabilizing the immune cells (mast cells and basophils) that release it. Quercetin also inhibits inflammatory enzymes like lipooxygenase (part of the inflammatory chain that causes allergy symptoms), and decreases the number of leukocytes released (leukcocytes are immune cells triggered by allergens which then trigger allergy symptoms). (300-600mg/day.)

N Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), an amino acid, is a powerful anti-oxidant that also works synergistically with vitamin C. Defensive immune reactions throughout the respiratory tract result in the production of lots of free radicals. NAC neutralizes free radicals, soothing inflamed lungs and nasal passages. In addition, NAC is one of two primary building blocks (the other one is selenium) for glutathione, the body's most important internally produced antioxidant. Glutathione strengthens the immune system; is critical for liver detoxification of numerous chemicals, drugs and heavy metals; and neutralizes free radicals throughout the body. (For general health, 100 mg/day; for bronchitis, asthma 500-2,000 mg/day.)

Omega-3 Fatty Acids. In addition to (or instead of) eating cold water fish, supplement with Fish Oil or Flax Seed Oil, both of which contain EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexanoic acid)-omega-3 fatty acids which your body uses to produce the non-inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes. (2-3 6-oz. servings of fish a week or 1 Tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily.)

Magnesium. No time for a massage? Try magnesium. Nature's very own bronchodilator, magnesium relaxes bronchial muscles, prevents overreaction to allergic stimuli, and has a calming, soothing effect on the whole body. (200-400 mg/day.)

Herbal Allergy Quenchers

Ephedra (Ma huang) is the original herbal source of the decongestant pseudoephedrine, (probably familiar to you as Sudafed). Ephedrine is just one of the alkaloids found in ephedra, and the crude plant, plus several of its other alkaloids, are effective antihistamines. Peak effect occurs one hour after ingestion and lasts about five hours. Ephedra can produce the same side effects as Sudafed - increased blood pressure and heart rate, insomnia and anxiety - so it should not be taken by persons with heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, diabetes, or difficulty urinating due to an enlarged prostate. Nor should ephedra be used by patients on antihypertensive or antidepressant drugs. Ephedra should be taken two to three times per day, and each dose should have a standardized ephedrine content of 12.5 to 25.0 mg.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is an effective traditional anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy agent whose actions have now been well documented in the scientific literature. Its primary active component, glycyrrhetinic acid, inhibits prostaglandin and leukotriene manufacture similarly to corticosteriods like prednisone. In addition, licorice does double duty as an expectorant, modifying mucus secretions so that they are more readily expelled. Take licorice three times per day in any of the following forms: powdered root (1-2g); a 1:1fluid extract (2-4 ml); or a 4:1 solid extract (250-500 mg).

Ginkgo Biloba contains several active components called ginkgolides that compete for the same binding sites as those used by platelet activating factor (PAP). When PAP attaches to platelets, it instructs them to cluster and secrete inflammatory chemicals. The ensuing inflammation alerts the immune system, which sends in the troops to kill whatever pathogens triggered the cascade. In chronic inflammation such as occurs in asthma and allergies, PAP itself becomes part of a cyclical ongoing war. By filling up PAP's binding sites, Gingko prevents PAP from giving the inflammatory command, so your immune fighter troops can go home. Gingko also contains flavonoids, powerful antioxidants that further reduce inflammation by quenching free radicals. Gingko biloba extract (80 mg) should be taken three times per day.