I thoroughly enjoyed a few weeks of snow in my typically rain-sodden Vancouver, but before the snow has fully melted I’m already seeing buds on trees start to swell. And that means that my patients with allergies are about to begin their no-fun seasons of sniffling and sinusitis as the days get warmer and brighter.
The saying goes that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” so while it may feel premature to prepare for allergies now, doing so may help to ease impending symptoms in the next few weeks or months!
Options for Allergy Symptoms
Depending on the nature of the allergies themselves – the triggers (tree, weed, or grass pollens, cats or dogs, dust mites, or moulds) and the symptoms experienced (watery eyes or nose, itchy eyes or palate, sinus congestion, asthma, skin reactions) there are specific herbs and nutrients that are typically helpful and make the offending months more bearable.
Immunotherapy is an option for some people, either in the form of allergy shots (SubCutaneous ImmunoTherapy or SCIT administered by an MD in their office) or a liquid taken under the tongue (SubLingual Immunotherapy or SLIT administered by the patient in their home). Both operate on the same principle: a very small amount of the actual antigen delivered to the body either under the skin every week, or under the tongue every day, that exposes the immune system to the trigger at a level too low to cause a reaction.
Over time (LOTS of time, 3-5 years usually!) the immune system gets accustomed to having that antigen around and is re-trained to no longer react to it. Some maintenance may be required to prevent the immune system from lapsing into its old over-reactive ways, but for the most part previous allergy sufferers are free to mow the grass, scratch the ears of a friendly pet, and breathe deeply and comfortably all year round.
Stay tuned for my coming webinar on allergies. Follow my Instagram account or Facebook page for more details.
