Why Allergies May Be Worse This Year and What To Do About It

More “Achoos” than normal?

Excessively itchy, watery eyes?

Tickle in the throat waking you up at night?

Yes, it’s allergy season in Colorado which means these symptoms are common any given year, however, 2021 may be bringing on more intense reactions than ever before.

And one major reason why may surprise you.

 

Whether you’ve always had allergies and this year seems to be worse than usual or you typically don’t suffer from environmental sensitivities and now, out of nowhere, it’s hitting you, the cause may not all be due to typical pollen counts and weed blooms but rather…

the pandemic.

Why?

Face masks, social distancing, and acute cleanliness lowered our exposure to natural and regular sickness such as colds and flus over the past 18 months.

And wasn’t that a good thing, you may ask?

Well, yes…and no.

No one wants to deal with miserable symptoms of an illness, but contrary to what we may think, infections actually help drive our immune system. They stimulate the making of TH1 cells that go on to create antibodies that help defend against future sickness and strengthen our immunity.

This means that because many of us did not get sick a few times throughout the year (like we may have in the past), our immune system is on overdrive looking for any little thing to react to. So when we are exposed to environmental allergens right now, our immune systems can go overboard in responding to them.

Most likely, if you did not have a regular “sick season” of a few colds and/or viruses, you may be experiencing an extreme reaction to allergens this year.

What can you do about it?

There are a multitude of options for finding relief from allergies, but first and foremost, it’s important to control symptoms so your foundations of health (such as sleep, digestion, and mood) can stay intact.

Many times, I recommend a combination of lifestyle modifications (stemming from knowledge of what the root causes may be), supplements, and at times, over-the-counter medications when necessary.

For lifestyle adaptations in dealing with allergies, it’s important to remove and eliminate as many allergens in your home environment and daily living as possible. To do this try:

               – avoiding inflammatory foods (especially those you are sensitive to)

               – taking off shoes at the entryway

              – showering before bed each night (including shampooing hair)

              – not laying down on your bed after being outside unless you have showered

             – swapping your pillowcase each day

             – using an air purifier throughout your house, but especially in your bedroom

             – cleaning dust regularly

 

In addition, supplements such as:

    – quercetin

             – stinging nettle

             – bromelain

 

can also support the immune system.

Nose sprays and decongestants may help temporarily, however, stay mindful of the amount of use as they may become addictive and cause rebound symptoms.

Overall, it’s important to reduce as much inflammation in the body as possible, freeing up space and energy for the immune system to react to allergens with the least amount of symptoms. If inflammation is already high in the body, environmental and food sensitivities will overwhelm the defense system, resulting in unwanted symptoms (one of these being anxiety due to too much histamine).

So eat well, hydrate, move, manage your stress, and get plenty of good sleep to keep that inflammation down!

If you are experiencing an overactive allergy season and are in need of a reprieve, please call me at (720) 340-0193 or contact me here. Together, we can put together a naturopathic plan to help alleviate your symptoms.

Harmony Naturopathic Family Medicine provides naturopathic education and care for Boulder, Denver, and the surrounding communities.