Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Be aware that some foods cross-react with pollen. That means the immune system cannot always tell the difference between pollen and a related food. For example, if you have an allergy to a specific type of pollen and you eat a cross-reactive food, it could trigger the same hay fever symptoms caused by the pollen itself. As many as 60% of all food allergies in adults can come from cross-reactivity between foods and pollen. You can do a trial elimination diet of suspected foods to see if it helps your symptoms.
| Pollen | Foods that Can Cross-React |
| Birch | Apples, Hazelnuts, Celery, Carrots, Soy |
| Olive Tree | Peach, Pear, Watermelon, Kiwi, Banana, Cantaloupe, Honeydew |
| Ornamental Ficus | Pineapple, Avocado, Papaya, Fig, Kiwi |
| Bermuda Grass | Cantaloupe, Tomato |
| Ragweed | Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Zucchini, Cucumber, Echinacea |
| Mugwort | Parsley, Peanut, Caraway, Fennel, Garlic, Onion, Leek, Paprika, Pepper, White Mustard, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Almond |
| Plane Tree | Hazelnut, Celery, Banana, Peanuts |
| Japanese Cedar | Oranges |
| Timothy Grass | Wheat |
| Orchard Grass | Oranges |
Everyone has barriers in the body that keep harmful substances from getting into areas where they don’t belong. The gut, sinuses, and skin have barriers that protect you as most of us are aware. One of the most well-known barriers is the gut barrier and when this fails the condition called Leaky Gut developes. If left unchecked Leaky Gut can lead autimmune diseases! When the gut barrier is strong and healthy it protects you from Leaky Gut. By keeping the gut healthy you’re more tolerant to allergens. Probiotics may not be enough to fix an unbalanced gut and a natural or Functional Doctor (like Dr D) may be needed to create a specific plan to regain your gut heatlh. Having a healthy gut lining with more “good” bacteria than “bad” reduces inflammation and teaches the immune system to stay calm.
Our skin and sinuses have a barrier and a unique microbiome. When pathogens disturb these barriers, you can become more vulnerable to the effects of seasonal allergies. For example, if your immune system is constantly triggered by mold or yeast overgrowth in your sinuses, it won’t have enough strength to defend against an allergen onslaught. This is another good reason to use a neti pot or sinus irrigator (super syringe) with xylitol, saline, and silver. This solution helps defend against fungal and bacterial over growth.
Suffering from hay fever symptoms all season long puts a huge strain on your body, which in turn only makes your immune system weaker. In my patients with allergies, I work on the immune system directly to figure out what nutrients or other things are missing as well as what the specific triggers or stressors to the person are. In doing this I can help the person stay in balance and healthy making them less suceptable to hyper immune response. Good nutrition is an important way to defend against seasonal allergens but if unknown other stressors are not dealt with your results may be less than you need. For some people, their immune systems are overactive because they’re missing key nutrients that regulate the immune system like vitamin D, omega-3s, or glutathione. These nutrients help with a specific type of T-cell called, T-regulatory cells, (T-reg cells). T-reg cells are the “mistro” to your immune system’s orchestra. T-reg cells help balance out the immune response so it doesn’t overreact to normally harmless allergens. Many allergy suffereirs will need professional holistic health like Dr. D offers in his sesssions (online and in person).
Other people are not necessarily deficient in nutrients, but have a tough time breaking histamine down. The immune system makes histamine when you have an allergic reaction, causing skin rashes, swelling of limbs, redness of face, breathing difficulty, and more. People who can’t break down histamine will have a bigger reaction to allergens than those who can easily get rid of extra histamine.
In these people, making sure that diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme, the primary intestinal enzyme involved in breaking down histamine is in plentiful supply. Some people may lack the genes to create optimal amounts of DAO and supplementation and herbal stimulation may help. By replenishing DAO in their GI tract, they can metabolize histamine better, stopping histamine from building up to excessive levels in the blood.
Botanicals like , buckwheat, quercetin, bromelain, and stinging nettle, as well as vitamin A-C combo, serve as natural remedies for seasonal allergies. They soothe the allergy response so people can better handle allergen exposure.
Buckwheat, quercetin, bromelain, and stinging nettle all have a different mechanisms than OTC allergy medications, which just block the histamine response, rather than helping the body handle the reason the person is suffering from allergies. Natural solutions for pollen (and food) allergies can help fix the problem instead of just covering it up.
As a functional medicine and Nutrition Response Testing, Doctor, Dr. D can work with you to customize your seasonal allergies treatment. Ordering specific lab work ups to find out how your immune system is working and he will work directly with you on strengthening your gut, sinuses, and lung barriers. You will look forward to Spring and Summer instead of dreading their approach and be able to enjoy the outdoors again! I invite you to get in touch with Dr. D at our office in Ruckersville, Virginia. He does TeleNutrition visits via Zoom, phone consults and In-Person Nutritional consultations. All our patients can breathe easier during pollen season!