The warmer weather makes us all want to be outside more, but when allergies hit, it can be a major buzzkill.
It’s strange though that while you’re sitting there sneezing every few minutes and feeling like you’re breathing through a straw, your friend Karen seems A-OK. Why is that?
Allergies do tend to run in families, so there may be a genetic component to which allergies affect you and where you grow up can also play a role. Studies have also indicated that being exposed to allergens as a baby makes you less likely to develop an allergy later on - this is called thehygiene hypothesis. It basically states that the lack of childhood exposure to microorganisms and parasites (dirt, dust, and pollen), and our insistence on cleanliness causes the immune system to over-eagerly attack harmless substances.
An allergic reaction is our immune system confusing harmless pollen and mold spores with something potentially dangerous like bacteria. The itching, swelling, runny nose, and tearing up of the eyes is our body’s defense mechanism.
So when you come across your allergy ‘trigger’, your immune system identifies it and launches a chain reaction. First it sends a signal to the mast cells in our skin, lungs, mouth, gut, and blood. This signal says ‘release histamines’ from the mast cells where they are stored.
Histamines kind of act like bouncers at a nightclub. They work to get rid of the allergen that is bothering you. They do this by allowing blood and proteins to pass through the blood capillaries to target the affected area from the allergy which, in turn, causes inflammation. (Source).
An example of this is if our nose was affected by pollen, then histamine will prompt the membranes of our nose to make more mucus, which results in a runny or stuffy nose and sneezing to help get ‘rid’ of the allergen.
Histamines also play a role in food allergies. When you eat something that your body is allergic to, different forms of histamine works in the gut to trigger the reaction.
Our body remembers what it is allergic to, so each time we have an allergic reaction and histamine is released, it allows more proteins to enter the affected tissues. The problem with this repeated process is that it can cause ‘hyper-permeability’ of proteins, and we can become allergic to more foods or allergens. Therefore, the reaction can become even more severe if the body is not breaking down histamine as fast as it is producing it. (Source).
This is where antihistamines can become very helpful with managing allergies and preventing further allergies to develop or current allergies to worsen.
If you are someone who struggles with a number of different allergies, you can start by simply reducing foods high in histamine to bring down your ‘histamine load’. High histamine foods include red wine, tomatoes, eggplant, spinach, sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, aged cheese or meats, and dried fish. (1).
Unfortunately, over the counter antihistamine drugs often cause nasty side-effects like dry mouth, sleepiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and moodiness. This is why we were determined to come up with an all-natural allergy relief includingnaturally occurring antihistamines.
Each of the ingredients in ourAllergy Relief are formulated to help reduce the allergic response you experience and process histamines so you don’t experience histamine build up. The ingredients include:
Moringa is loaded with antihistamine polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants and it even contains Omega-3, which we all know to be a potent anti-inflammatory.
Aside from being a potent anti-inflammatory, Moringa seed kernels posses amazing anti-asthma properties.
This is a natural antihistamine and has shown to help reduce symptoms of allergies when taken prior to being exposed. (Source)
This particular flavonoid has high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and works by inhibiting our mast cell activation, which lowers the levels of histamine produced. (Source).
Vitamin C protects your cells from damage, reduces the severity of allergic reactions and helps your body to fight infections. Vitamin C can slow down the overreaction of your body to environmental triggers by decreasing your body’s histamine production. (Source).
Bromelain is mainly found in pineapples and it’s shown to be effective at treating respiratory distress and inflammation associated with allergies.
NAC is an antioxidant which helps to relieve symptoms of respiratory conditions and allergies by increasing production of glutathione, which decreases inflammation and assists in loosening mucus in your air passageways. (Source).
We know when allergies strike, it can seem like finding relief is impossible, but by combining proper self-care with effective natural remedies, you can find a solution! As always, proper diet and exercise assist in improving our immune system function and if you pair that with our all-natural Allergy relief, you can avoid the drowsiness and other negative side effects of over-the-counter allergy meds while still getting your relief.
SOURCE LIST:
1 -Maintz L,Novak N. Histamine and histamine intolerance.Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 May;85(5):1185-96
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