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Allergies bother lots of people and in Washington Michigan, it seems we have allergies year round. Because we don’t get too cold here, nothing freezes so some kind of plant or tree causes people issues through the year. If you are struggling with allergies, then this video can help you better manage them. Hello! I am Dr Kristy Mckendrick a Natural Medicine internist at Bliss Integrative Medicine in Washington, Michigan. I’d like to talk with you about why allergies happen and what you could do to reduce and manage your symptoms. Allergies are your immune system overreacting to an inert substance, such as grass or various trees. We should be able to walk outside and not have our body freak out with our eyes watering, nose running or congested, sinuses acting up or constant sneezing. When you are confronted with a possible allergen, you’re immune system over reacts and produces antibodies cause cells to remove chemicals that start an allergic reaction. The allergic reaction often starts in the eyes, nose, mouth, lungs or throat. These tissues get inflamed and that makes everything feel worse. Inflammation in the body makes everything harder for the body to do. The allergy symptoms sometimes seem like cold symptoms like aches and pains, sneezing coughing or runny or congested nose. Digestion is usually altered and thinking may be foggy and unfocused. You may also suffer with fatigue or exhaustion as your body is trying to fight off what it thinks is an invader trying to do you harm. Imagine the scene, your body is scanning your inner environment making sure you’re safe when it see what it thinks is a trouble maker, it could be a tree pollen like oak that is everywhere in the spring time and then causes inflammation in the nasal passages to seal off and reduce the damage. The cells all talk to each other and soon enough you have a slight sore throat, runny eyes and more. That reaction is good, your body is responsive. The reason for the reaction in this case a little over the top. So now that we’ve reviewed what’s going on, let’s look at what you can do to reduce symptoms. First, let’s make sure your diet isn’t making things worst, you may want to limit or cut down on corn, Soy, wheat, dairy, alcohol and sugar. Those are all things that irritate your body and cause inflammation. If environment allergens bother you, invest in a high quality air filter in your bedroom and run it while you sleep. Also, rinse the day off before going to bed, so that you are not introducing pollen to your sheets, especially pillow case and rubbing your face in it all night. Many people use a neti pot or nasal irrigation to cleanse and rinse their nasal sinuses. This can really help reduce congestion and sinus issues, additionally there is a variety of herbal and homoeopathic products that are helpful in managing each of the allergies symptoms. It is best to talk with your health care provider to figure out what would work best for you, including a combination of natural products and over the counter medication. If you know you have particularly bad time of the year for allergies then consider seeking acupuncture support for a few visits about a month before you know you normally react with symptoms. If you have year round allergies contact us for our recommendation of natural support products and therapies that can have a dramatic improvement in how you experience allergies. You don’t have to suffer through allergies, as we just reviewed there are many things you can do to support your body when it’s struggling. If you’d like nutritional support and guidance to reduce your allergy symptoms, contact us for a consultation.