The Truth About Allergies

Allergic reactions are typically associated with a runny nose, bouts of sneezing, or a skin reaction after contact with an allergen. But what about the subtle silent reactions we can’t feel or see? These reactions go on for years until our bodies finally create a symptom. During those ”quiet” years, however, silent inflammation and the breaking down of our immune system is taking place. It is not by chance that so many of us are sicker at a younger age, and that a disproportionate number of children are experiencing allergies like never before.

The truth? We are ALL born with a pre-disposition to react to something. In essence, we are all born with allergies though we don’t all manifest a symptom. Oftentimes, our bodies don’t produce a physical response to our allergens until it is either over-exposed to that particular allergen, or unless our immune system is compromised and we simply can’t fight the allergen as well as the other physiological stressors in our lives. Allergies can produce symptoms in almost every organ in the body and can masquerade as other diseases.

Let’s walk through this together. A body reacts to allergens the same way it does to a virus….it tries to kill it. The immune system , which is our first line of defense, is on call 24 hours a day. It’s primary job is to defend the body from foreign substances, that create stressors within the body. The body doesn’t qualify what types of stress it is experiencing…it simply internalizes all stressors equally.

So when you expose yourself to an allergen the body reacts to this stressor. Antigens that are activated by the stressors stimulate the production of antibodies. This antibody/antigen reaction is followed by inflammation. Inflammation is caused by the release of histamine, prostaglandins, and other substances, along increased blood flow so that there are more white blood cells being taken to the area under “attack”. If the immune system is strong, chances are your body will not create much of a physical reaction. If the body’s immune system is weak, however, one more stressor can be all it takes to create a strong physical response.

Our bodies are resilient and can usually handle a few stressors, but when there are mutliple stressors in a day or over a long period of time, our bodies simply can’t handle the work load. We are then at a point of depletion.

National statistics prove that this is part of the growing health crisis. We are now looking at an “epidemic of allergic (60 million), asthmatic (30 million people), and autoimmune disorders (24 million). Autoimmune disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple schlerosis, psoriasis, celiac disease, thyroid disease”. All these are connected to overload on the immune system and inflammation. If we learn to reduce and/or remove the stressors we expose ourselves to, we can certainly re-route the energy in our bodies to serve as fuel to nourish and create health rather than to simply fight off a disease from years of compromised health.

Knowledge is power. Eliminate what doesn’t work in your life and take the time to add in what does.