DISCLAIMER: The following commentary is based on opinion, and should be considered as such. Since it cannot account for your specific physical situation or medical condition, information presented in either the video or written formats of this commentary is not intended to substitute for individualized medical advice from a physician, or other qualified health professional.
Seasonal Allergies and Food Sensitivities: Part 1 of 2
By John H. Biggs BSc, NCP - Owner Optimum Health Vitamins
When someone mentions that they have allergies, particularly at this time of year, what comes to mind is the type that most of us are familiar with involving itchy, puffy, droopy red eyes, running nose, and sneezing, accompanied by a look of fatigued annoyance….followed by another sneeze. In addition to the usual symptoms, things like hives, asthma, localized swelling, and in extreme cases, closing of the airways or anaphylaxis can also result.
Such histaminic reactions are what characterize a classic rapid-onset allergy, which involve the body’s manufacture of an antibody called Immunoglobulin E, (IgE). Once these antibodies are in place, and you come in contact with the allergen (or “antigen”) that you are sensitized to it is actually not only histamine that is released, but a whole cascade of other inflammatory molecules and substances as well. [1]
As many of you have heard me talk about, when you get inflamed you don’t use your oxygen properly, and you get tired. Fatigue and adrenal strain are classic effects of allergy, as your body tries to compensate with its stress response, and release of hormones like cortisol. Unfortunately the stress response is associated with its own inflammatory mechanisms, as the body tries to rebalance and protect itself, and the cycle feeds forward, picking up momentum until it is properly counterbalanced. In some cases this is never achieved, and people remain in a perpetually reactive state, which is a miserable place to be.
Classical histaminic IgE allergies are usually tested for with a Patch or “prick” test from the doctor. Yet many people are also surprised to learn how far-reaching delayed-onset immune responses can be. Here, the antibodies that are created, (called IgG antibodies), may take up to several days to be created, and therefore are much more difficult to pin down, since there is no direct symptom association. This type of immune response can cause or contribute to many seemingly unrelated problems, such as leaky gut, eczema, migraines, IBS, and many, many others. [2] Because of the way in which inflammation feeds on itself, often both histaminic and delayed-onset responses occur together, where both types of antibodies are present in excessive amounts, and the sensitivities that each type causes “feed on” the other. After observing such reactions in people for over 25 years, I would say that identifying and eliminating these deeper underlying immune responses to food, along with the more obvious reactions, is absolutely essential to achieving vibrant health. This topic will be focused on in part 2 of this series.
So, for those of you looking for immediate relief from seasonal allergies, although everyone’s an individual and different things work for different people, if you are a little bit patient, chances are excellent you can find something natural that helps you.
Firstly I would try probiotics, particularly the DDS strain of Acidophilus with Bifidus, called “DDS Plus”. Ever since 1990 I have suggested this product for allergic rhinitis, and observed it to be successful in a very high percentage of those who try it. To be effective, it must be taken on an empty stomach, 3-4 capsules at a time. Good times to take it are when you get up, and/or at bedtime.
The anti-inflammatory effects of probiotics are being increasingly validated. [3] [4] [5] [6] Like water on a fire, these dampening effects start in the gut, and since this is where many inflammatory immune responses originate, which can then spread throughout the body, likewise I believe that probiotics will also ultimately be shown to be helpful for a broad range of inflammatory conditions.
Other products that I have seen work quickly to attenuate seasonal allergies and immune responses to food include several anti-inflammatory herbal combinations. Opti Immune C&F is the formula I would recommend first, and I have gotten loads of feedback that it works very effectively. But it doesn’t work all the time…nothing does. So, if it doesn’t produce adequate results, there are several formulas containing classical allergy aids such as quercetin and nettle, and resveratrol. In addition, several of these formulas, such as Opti A.I. Extra, also contain other anti-inflammatory herbs such as Curcumin, Rosemary, and Boswellia. Since one of the outcomes of allergic reactions is a downstream cascade of inflammation, obviously reducing the body’s production of these substances can be helpful. (For references on any of these botanicals, please consult the volume of monographs compiled and published in Alternative Medicine Review, available from our Info Centre in Edmonton.)
Magnesium can also be extremely helpful for antibody-mediated immune responses, because of its ability to stabilize mast cells, i.e. reducing their tendency to “degranulate” and release their histamine [7]. And I would be remiss not to mention the important roles played by the water soluble vitamins of the B-Complex, particularly pantothenic acid (B5), as well as Vitamin C in supporting adrenal function, and maintaining this gland’s anti-inflammatory roles.
Overall, it’s the body’s tendency to react at an appropriate balanced level that determines whether our response to immune stimuli become problematic. Therefore, a strategy often employed with natural supplements is to balance immune function, i.e. between two arms of immunity (antibody and cell-mediated immunity). The three natural substances I usually recommend for this purpose are Vitamin D, Beta-sitosterols, and the herb Astragalus.
The necessity for adequate Vitamin D to promote balanced immune function has been validated extensively, as have the role of Omega-3 essential fatty acids. Along with probiotics, magnesium (with added calcium and zinc) and a good multiple vitamin, these constitute the pillars for basic supplementation.
Also, the ability of Sterols and/or sterolins to balance and fortify immune function has published evidence in a large range of conditions and situations. [8] In this regard, the two products we suggest most often are Immunocare, and Moducare. Over the years Immunocare in particular has produced seemingly miraculous results for countless sufferers. (For a good review of Th1/Th2 Balance see reference [9].)
And regarding Astragalus, perhaps it is its presence as a principle herb in the Opti Immune C&F that accounts for this formula’s high rate of effectiveness to calm exaggerated immune responses, or stimulate immunity as the situation requires. Or perhaps it is the other anti-inflammatory and immune supportive herbs. Or perhaps it is the synergistic effect of all of them together !!! (Note: this is a property that hundreds of herbal formulations are losing as Health Canada forces ever more companies to reformulate their products into simpler versions, yielding them less effective.)
One way or another, it is a rare individual that will not be able to find something that helps them in one of, or a combination of the supplements mentioned above.
Next month we will review what I see as an extremely important topic: How to begin determining your hidden food sensitivities.
REFERENCES
- Hansen I, Klimek L, Mosges R, Hormann K: Mediators of Inflammation in the Early and Late Phase of Allergic Rhinitus; Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004;4(3)
- Meletis C, Barker J: Delayed Onset Food Allergies; Alternative & Complementary Therapies; April 2003 pp61-65
- Prisciandaro l, Geier M, Butler R, Cummins A, Howarth G: Review- Probiotics and Their Derivatives as Treatments for Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Inflamm Bowel Dis; Volume 15 Number 12, Dec 2009; pp 1906 -1914
- Spiller R, Campbell E: in Post Infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Anti-inflammatory Effects of Probiotics; Current Opin Gastroenterology. 2006;22(1):13-17
- Haghighi HR, Gong J, Carlton LG, Hayes A, Sanei B, Parvizi P, Gisavi H, Chambers J, Sharif S: Modulation of Antibody-Mediated Immune Response by Probiotics in Chickens; Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, Dec.2005, p 1387-1392
- Baroja ML, Kirjavainen PV, Hekmat S, Reid G: Anti-inflammatory effects of probiotic yogurt in inflammatory bowel disease – summary online: Clinical &Experimental Immunology; Volume 149, issue 3, p 470-479. Sept, 2007
- Bichara MD, Goldman RD: Magnesium for treatment of asthma in children; Can Fam Phys; Sept 2009; Vol55, no9, 887-889
- Bouic PJD: Review: Sterols and Sterolins: new drugs for the immune system?; Drug Discovery Today; Vol 7, Iss 14 Jul 2002, p 775-778
- Kidd P: Review – Th1/Th2 Balance: The Hypothesis, its Limitations, and Implications for Health and Disease; Alternative Medicine Review; Vol 8, No 3, 2003. p 223-246