Allergies
According to the American Academy of Asthma and Immunology, approximately half of the adult population in the United States lives with known sensitivities to allergens. The AAAI also estimates that up to 30% of Americans are affected by seasonal allergies such as hay fever. The most common allergens identified in North America include mold and fungi spores such as Aspergillus and Alternaria.
Mold allergens are airborne fungal spores responsible for a wide range of human health problems including allergic disorders such as allergic rhinitis, which is what we commonly know as hay fever. Asthma, allergic conjunctivitis and allergic dermatitis are all conditions exacerbated by the transition from winter to spring.
Common allergic reactions can result in chronic inflammation of the airway and non-specific respiratory symptoms if they are not treated adequately. Symptoms can lead to reduced lung function, which, in severe cases, may manifest as shortness of breath or wheezing. These reactions typically involve an immunological response to a particular allergen, but it can be a hypersensitive or exaggerated immune response that can sometimes devolve into more serious symptoms. This exaggerated response is what makes life difficult for patients who deal with seasonal allergies, which can in turn be ameliorated with chiropractic therapy because of the nexus between the nervous and immune systems.
Allergic reactions can range from simple irritation of the skin to anaphylaxis, which is a fatal allergic reaction in a person with an underlying systemic allergic disorder such as hay fever. To a certain extent, the physiology of immune responses to allergens is well-known, but there are still fundamental questions of whether allergens play a causal role in the initiation of a protective response, or whether they serve only as a marker of disease. This is exemplified by the fact that the mechanism by which early exposure to allergens leads to asthma is unknown. Current research suggests that a particular subset of cells are recruited to the airway in response to allergens. However, much remains to be learned about the phenotype of these cells and the mechanisms that induce their recruitment. These issues are relevant to both basic and applied aspects of respiratory research, particularly with respect to allergy vaccines and drug development.
Allergen immunotherapy is an effective treatment for asthma in some cases. Truly Effective allergy vaccines are still under development. The discovery and study of asthma and allergy is complicated by the fact that much of the early response is not accompanied by symptoms. This difficulty has impeded the development of therapies based on the early response. Moreover, all patients do not develop asthma, and most people never have allergies. To distinguish the group at risk of developing a disease, the identification of an objective marker of disease is necessary. Accordingly, the study of asthma and allergy is hampered by the need to distinguish a state of sensitivity from the development of a clinical disorder.
The most relevant disease marker is airway hyper-responsiveness. This is a symptom that is used to identify patients with asthma but is not itself a clinical disease. Thus, airway hyper-responsiveness is typically present in patients with known asthma, and it is absent in patients with other allergic conditions. Nevertheless, even in the absence of hyper-responsiveness, the presence of allergy markers in the airway is a sign of asthma and the development of other allergy-related diseases.
Upon the detection of allergens, the immune system starts generating biochemical particles known as histamines, which are produced by white blood cells and released into the bloodstream. This physiological process happens around the clock, but only when your immune system is working optimally and balanced with your nervous system. For the most part, medications prescribed to reduce the intensity of allergic reactions stimulate or regulate the production of histamines; however, they are not guaranteed to work for all patients, and this is when chiropractic care should be considered.
- Sneezing
- Skin rashes
- Localized and general itching
- Watery eyes
- Mucous secretion
- Inflammation
- Headaches
- Nausea
- General discomfort
Chiropractic Care and Seasonal Allergy Relief
One of the most common questions we get at our office when we discuss using chiropractic care is how well does it work for seasonal allergies. For many patients, seasonal allergies, such as those related to pollen, are their most triggers. It makes sense that seasonal allergies would cause more allergy symptoms, as the body would be subjected to the same allergic substances year after year.
Although seasonal allergies are the most obvious allergies to treat using chiropractic care, it is a treatment option that has been shown to be effective for just about any allergic trigger. For this reason, patients with a number of different allergies can be successful using chiropractic therapy. While most patients with seasonal allergies do achieve noticeable relief using chiropractic care to manage their allergy symptoms, some of the treatment’s benefits have been shown to last much longer.
The chiropractic discipline uses no drugs or medicines yet can effectively relieve a great deal of the pain and discomfort that comes with allergies. Chiropractic is an all-natural treatment method that emphasizes spinal health and the body’s own robust healing systems. How can you determine whether this established, respected form of medical treatment can deliver allergy relief for you?
As previously mentioned, if your hay fever symptoms only occur when you are also feeling musculoskeletal pain, there is a good chance that your immune system is under stress, thus making it less prepared to generate the histamines you need to get through the season. Let’s say a woman lives in an area where cotton or sugar cane are harvested in the spring; if she suddenly starts experiencing hay fever symptoms, she should also evaluate if she feels:
- Stiffness
- Persistent headaches
- Lower back pain
- Localized swelling
- Ear infections
- Dizziness
The symptoms above suggest that the patient may be suffering from a spinal subluxation that is impacting specific nerve clusters. When the nervous system is under this kind of undue stress, erroneous or less efficient signals are sent to the brain, which in turn results in the inadequate production of histamines. Allergy medications may bring some relief, but symptoms will likely persist until spinal adjustment and focused exercises are completed.
