Have you been diagnosed with seasonal allergies? Or did you recently just start waking up with some symptoms that are screaming either allergies, cold, or flu? Chances are, if you’re reading this, you have symptoms that just don’t fit the cold or flu or you’ve been diagnosed by a medical professional and are looking for ways to prevent or, at minimum, mitigate the symptoms you have. Before we get into how to help your allergy symptoms, let’s take a look at exactly what causes seasonal allergies and the common symptoms associated with them.
What are seasonal allergies?
Seasonal allergies are also referred to as allergic rhinitis or hay fever and affect millions of people. They typically happen at a certain time of year and are usually associated with the release of spores from particular plants or mold. When we breathe in these spores and our nervous system detects them as an invader, or foreign substance, our body overreacts to try to get rid of them. This is why we have symptoms like a runny nose – our body is trying to get rid of it.
Some of us show more symptoms in the Spring and some in the Fall, it just all depends on what our bodies identify as an invader. For instance, flowers blooming in the Spring and releasing pollen can cause some people to be symptomatic while others may be when the grasses and weeds are at their peak in the summer.
Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies
There are several symptoms associated with allergies. Some may experience all of them or just one. Each person usually has a different severity of symptoms as well. Here are some of the most common symptoms:
- Itchy mouth, nose, or throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Drainage from the nose down the back of the throat (postnasal drip)
- Temporary loss of smell
- Snoring (due to congestion)
- Itchy, watery, or red eyes
- Circles under eyes
- Headache
- Sneezing
- Dry cough
- Tiredness
As you may have noticed, these symptoms are very common for other conditions. If you go to your primary care doctor, they can perform an allergy test to see exactly what you are allergic to after ruling out any other conditions like the flu, sinusitis, etc.
How Chiropractic Helps with Spring Allergies
The best way to help prevent all of the symptoms that can come with Spring allergies is to keep your immune system healthy year-round.
Seasonal allergies are an overreaction to additional environmental stresses like pollen. Your immune system may be hypersensitive due to underlying inflammation in your body. Inflammation is important because it helps eliminate germs and toxins and repair injured tissues. It should be a short-term thing (hours or days) to clean up the damage or get rid of invaders. In many people though, it’s a continuous process when they are constantly exposed to substances – foods, mold, or other environmental toxins – that keep your immune system in constant overdrive.
Our immune system is at the core of preventing or making our allergies less severe. Since Spring is a time of the year in the Maryland area when there is so much pollen in the air, adding that to an already stressed system is like adding a few drops of gas to a smoldering fire – it all blows up, and we end up with excessive congestion, mucus, and all of the other gunky stuff we experience.
So how can chiropractic care help when you have allergies?
- Adjustments can help you breathe better by decreasing tension and improving mobility in the neck, ribs, and abdominal muscles.
- Better muscle movement means better lymphatic drainage – your lymph nodes and lymphatic system are what carry the gunky crud to your digestive system for elimination. But they require active muscle movement to work.
- Stress management. Since chronic stress has a significant effect on your immune system, we always integrate stress management tools and techniques as part of your treatment.
- Nutritional support is often helpful when you are healing. It can calm inflammation, and give your body the extra materials it needs to repair itself. We can make specific recommendations, or refer you to knowledgeable, trusted professionals for additional guidance.
Seasonal allergies can be managed, and you don’t have to be miserable! Please give us a call so we can help you move better and feel better!