All About Seasonal Allergies + Our Botanical Allergy Relief Injection!

You may have noticed all of the pollen in the air, meaning that it's that time of year again - seasonal allergies are kicking in and we wanted to share a Naturopathic approach to seasonal allergy relief and introduce you to our Botanical Allergy Relief Injection!

W H A T  A R E  A L L E R G I E S ?

Allergies or allergic reactions are when your immune system comes in contact with + identifies a substance that’s usually harmless as dangerous. This causes the body to release a compound called histamine, which produces allergy symptoms.

More specifically, histamine is released from degranulation of mast cells. Mast cells are immune cells in our bodies that when triggered to degranulate and release histamine, cause allergies by releasing these histamine compounds into our bloodstream. The result of this degranulation is what we know as classic allergy symptoms like runny nose, itchy eyes, skin rashes + hives, sneezing + wheezing!

P O L L E N + A L L E R G I E S

As trees bloom, they release pollen grains that are scattered by the wind. Did you know that pollen can actually be influencing allergies through the food you eat? This is known as oral allergy syndrome, or pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS).

PFAS is caused by a cross-reaction of allergens found in both pollen and raw fruits + vegetables. Because certain foods contain proteins that are similar to that of pollen, when these foods are eaten the immune system recognizes the pollen and proteins, and elicits an allergic response to it! 

Three common types of pollen and foods that can correlate with PFAS are:

• B I R C H. Apple, pear, plum, peach, kiwi, celery, cherry, carrots, almonds + hazelnuts
  
  • Birch is one of the most common pollens released in the springtime!
• G R A S S. Celery, oranges, tomato, peaches, melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon)
• R A G W E E D. Bananas, melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), zucchini, sunflower seeds

TIPS: 

• An easy way to tell if this is happening to you - if you experience an itchy mouth after eating the same raw fruit or vegetable, PFAS may be affecting you!
• Those affected with PFAS can *most of the time* consume these fruits + vegetables in COOKED form. This is because the proteins are degraded during the cooking process (heating) and the immune system no longer recognizes the food in that same way!

N A T U R O P A T H I C  A P P R O A C H

As ND's, we look to work preventively against allergies to support your immune system as well as get to the source of the allergies to reduce symptoms! Supplementation that our ND's consider in the treatment of seasonal allergies are quercetin, vitamin C, and bioflavonoids, and we've sourced a vitamin C formula that contains all of these to incorporate into treatment plans of those with allergies! 

• Vitamin C: with it's high antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory properties, Vitamin C is a great support for allergies because it reduces histamine levels while increasing epinephrine release which potently combats allergic symptoms. 
• Bioflavonoids: bioflavonoid compounds such as hesperidin, catachin, and rutin contain anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties, and reduce allergies by strengthening our capillaries. With strong capillaries, histamine compounds have more difficulty getting into our tissues to trigger allergic responses!
• Quercetin: another bioflavonoid with antioxidant and several anti-allergy properties such as inhibiting histamine release, and decreasing pro-inflammatory signals that can cause congestion.

Other supplementation and interventions that we look at are:

• Vitamin D: with immunity, we always circle back to vitamin D! Allergies require a lot from our immune systems, and vitamin D has the ability to influence multiple of our immune system cells. Low levels of vitamin D and/or inability for it to be utilized by our cells is associated with an increase in allergies - so we certainly look into vitamin D levels to support overall immune function with respect to allergies! Specifically, research shows the form vitamin D3 can naturally support the functionality of our immune system, and strengthen respiratory health!
• NAC: N-acetyl-cysteine is an amino acid that has mucolytic properties, meaning that it has the ability to break mucous down. This is helpful because there will be less mucous that is congesting your nose + throat. It is also an antioxidant that is very supportive of the immune system!
• Probiotics: a large portion of our immune system exists in our gut - around 70%! Knowing this, we absolutely take a look into probiotics to ensure healthy bacteria levels and diversity in the gut
• Adding eucalyptus + menthol oils in the shower or your diffuser is very gentle but very helpful to release congestion! They serve to loosen the mucosa (inner lining of the respiratory tract) to bring blood flow to the area which helps to encourage decongestion!

BOTANICAL ALLERGY RELIEF INJECTIONS

We know that it can be frustrating for those who experience allergies, so we're here to offer a natural support for alleviating allergy symptoms. Enter our botanical allergy relief injection! It is:

• Safe + Effective
• Well-tolerated
• Non-drowsy

WHAT IS IT + WHO CAN USE IT?

It is an excellent alternative to taking prescribed medications, and is a combination of botanicals & vitamin B5! B5 has been shown to reduce allergic reactions, and often quickly reduces nasal congestion by reducing histamine. This injection is useful for seasonal allergies and many others, including skin and food allergies. It provides effective relief of symptoms associated with allergies, such as: