How To Deal With Allergies

What's an allergy?

Allergies are common. In the Netherlands about 15% of the population suffers from one or more allergies and about 10% of the population has hay fever complaints.

Heredity plays a major role: if one of the parents is allergic, the chance that a child is allergic is about 30%. If both parents are allergic, this chance is about 70%. With allergies such as hay fever, there is an undesired reaction of the immune system to an external substance.

The substances to which the body reacts are called allergens. We come into contact with some of these allergens via the respiratory tract (inhalation allergens), with others via the food (food allergens) or via the skin (contact allergens).

Implications of an allergy

In case of an allergic reaction, the immune system reacts with an inflammatory reaction. The symptoms of this inflammatory reaction can manifest themselves in the skin (eczema, itching, swelling), the airways (sneezing, coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing) and the intestines (abdominal pain, diarrhoea, in more serious cases blood and/or mucus in the stool).

The mucous membranes of the eyes may also react, for example with hay fever and other inhalation allergies. The substance histamine is then released into the body. This causes the blood vessels to dilate, so that, among other things, more white blood cells can reach the site of inflammation.

As a result, the tissues build up. This is expressed, for example, in the swelling of the nasal mucous membrane. Histamine is the substance responsible for the complaints associated with allergies: redness, swelling and itching.

Advice

The first advice in case of allergy is to avoid the substance that causes the reaction, the allergen. Because the period that "the pollen is in the air" is quite long, this is almost impossible for hay fever sufferers.

That is why they are usually advised to take anti-histamines. These drugs inhibit the release of histamine. Anti-histamines come in many shapes and sizes. In case of acute complaints, naturophatic specialists mainly advise the herb Scutellariae and the bioflavonoid Quercetin.

Scutellariae is an herb that inhibits the release of histamine. Research has shown that substances from this herb also inhibit the release of arachidonic acid from cells. This fatty acid is the raw material for the production of inflammatory substances. The herb is very suitable for acute hay fever complaints (3 capsules per day). 

Scutellariae is available in full potency plant capsules, where the whole herb is combined with a concentrated extract. This guarantees an optimal presence of active substances. Scutellariae has no side effects. However, use during pregnancy or lactation is not recommended.

Vegetable Quercetin (from pods of a bean species) also helps to inhibit the release of histamine. Moreover, it reduces the production of pro-inflammatory substances. It is recommended to take quercetin in combination with vitamin C and the enzyme bromelain, to strengthen its anti-inflammatory properties. This combination can be taken several times a day.

Preventive measures

With hay fever complaints - and also with other allergy symptoms, the only thing often considered is to combat the symptoms. But other measures are possible to help prevent allergic reactions.

Strengthen immunity

The immune system, also called "the resistance", has the task of protecting the body and "regulates" the body's response to substances, such as allergens. The skin and mucous membranes form an important initial barrier against the penetration of allergens.

In addition, the skin and mucous membranes are an "own" part of the immune system. This immune system is important, among other things, for tolerance of allergens. In order to maintain this tolerance, the intestinal mucosa plays a crucial role.

The fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is widely used to inhibit inflammatory reactions. High doses (300-600 mg) are then often essential. GLA is extracted from teunis flower oil or from borage oil (from borage seeds), with borage being the richest source. When purchasing a GLA preparation, not only the dosage is important, but also the quality.

A good fatty acid preparation comes from cold pressing, which preserves the valuable substances in the oil. Moreover, contrary to certain extraction methods, no substances such as hexane are used. It is also important that the source of the oil is grown without the use of herbicides and pesticides, because residues of these can also be found in the final product.

A probiotic preparation can make a good contribution to a healthy intestinal flora. Here too, quality is of great importance. The starting point is that the bacteria must be body specific and viable in order to actually make a positive contribution.

In addition, it is important that the bacteria are gastric acid resistant. After all, they have to survive the stay in the gastric acid and the exposure to bile. Good bacteria that have been checked for genetic properties are, for example; L. rhamnosus GG, LGG® and L. casei 431®, L. paracasei, These strains have been the subject of well-documented scientific research.

The strains are considered to be very effective, especially when applied in combination. Extra protection is provided by the addition of a specific, natural carbohydrate complex to a probiotic preparation; this can further reduce bacterial attack by gastric acid and bile.

Antioxidants

In case of an allergy, additional antioxidants (such as vitamin C, vitamin E, carotene, zinc and/or selenium) are always recommended. Antioxidants play an important role in the immune system. In addition, many aggressive free radicals are released during inflammatory reactions.

In order to limit the damage caused by these radicals, intake of additional antioxidants is recommended. A wide-formulated, high-dosed multivitamin/mineral preparation often already contains a lot of antioxidants.

Summary and advice

Symptoms of an allergy, such as rashes, sneezing or watery eyes, can be combated with natural anti-histamines such as Scutellariae or Quercetin. These inhibit the release of histamine, the substance responsible for redness and swelling in the immune system, causing allergic symptoms.

In order to influence these reactions in the long term, it is necessary to follow a healthy diet, avoid the substances that cause or exacerbate the allergic reaction and thereby improve the condition of the mucous membranes and the intestinal flora.

Preparations with good intestinal bacteria (probiotics), essential fatty acids (especially gamma-linolenic acid, GLA) and antioxidants can provide important support in this respect. The combination of GLA with probiotics can significantly strengthen the barrier function of mucous membranes, making it less easy for allergens to enter the mucous membranes.

From: https://healthnewsrss.blogspot.com/