Experts have determined that higher temperatures and increasing levels of carbon dioxide contribute to more intense and longer-lasting allergy symptoms. “We have higher temperatures and increasing levels of carbon dioxide,” Dr. Jeffrey Demain, a board-certified allergist and immunologist, said at the March meeting of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. “The allergy seasons throughout the year are getting longer, as much as 27 days longer than they were even seven to 10 years ago increasing the opportunity for exposure to allergies”, Demain said. “A staggering 25 percent of our population has some form of allergic disease. These issues are going to affect a vast number of people throughout the world.”
Before rushing to the medicine cabinet to hush the body’s response to allergens, important information provides a safer alternative to treating allergies. People need to understand the cause of allergies and why certain people suffer from symptoms and others do not. Pollen gets most of the credit for causing allergies, but that assessment provides only a partial explanation. Pollen represents a stressor to the body. Adaptation remains the critical element in avoiding or overcoming allergies. If ten people walk into a room filled with pollen, only half or fewer will experience allergy symptoms. The difference rests in the body’s ability to recognize and adapt to the pollen. A lower ability to adapt will trigger an allergic response to the stressor of pollen. Itchy eyes, congestion, a runny nose, and sneezing soon follow.
An adaptation analogy involves filling a bucket with water. The bucket (body) possesses a capacity to withstand the presence of water (allergens). Allergens like pollen populate the bucket but the bucket houses the contents without issue until the quantity of water exceeds the capacity of the bucket. The body’s ability to adapt represents the size of the bucket and how much water can be held before overflowing. People unaffected by allergies possess a larger adaptation bucket that does not reach the body’s capacity to deal with allergens.
The body can adapt and combat most allergens. Many other factors also help the body fight allergens by improving adaptability. Chiropractic and postural care serve as a powerful ally. Results of a 2010 study has shown people under Chiropractic care experienced higher levels of immune-producing antibodies in the blood. Specific antibodies help minimize effects of allergy-inducing agents. Diet, exercise, and emotional health also play important roles in minimizing the effects of allergies.
Medical doctors recommended anti-histamine drugs as a primary allergy solution. Those drugs produce harmful side effects and never resolve the core cause of the problem, meaning people continually ingest these drugs without hope for permanent resolution. Allergy sufferers need a drugless solution to combat allergy symptoms. Chiropractic provides a safe and drugless solution to help address the cause of dysfunction which contributes to so many symptoms. Chiropractic helps the body adapt and fight back.
Support the body’s ability to combat pollen and other allergy-inducing agents with these tips:
- Regular chiropractic care and good posture at computer desks or work stations
- Reduce the consumption of sugar and refined processed carbohydrates (grains, etc.)
- Reduce stress through mind-body practices such as yoga, breathing, and meditation
- Increase activity – walking, jogging, high intensity interval training, and resistance training
- Increase clean water consumption – general rule is to drink 50% of your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water – so if you weigh 150 pounds, then drink 75 ounces of water per day
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