Allergy Season, are you ready for it?

After a long coldwinter we welcome the warmer and sunnier days. For many allergy sufferers, however, this is the beginning of tissueseason.  But does allergy affect everyonethe same way?  Not everyone with allergyhave runny nose, watery eyes, tickling cough, or itchy ears.  Read on, and you may discover just how widespread allergy problem exists.

Allergy meanshypersensitivity or a bad reaction to any substance.  Allergic reaction occurs when the immunesystem reacts by releasing antibody (they come in different forms IgE and IgG,for example).  An allergic reaction canbe caused by dust, pet dander, mold, food, pollen of plants, metal, cleaningagents, etc. 

An IgE type allergicreaction can happen within minutes or hours of exposure.  Chemical compounds such as histamine andleukotriene are release by your immune cells. These immune compounds help mediate the reactions we are so used toassociating with IgE reaction: itching, watery eye/nose, asthma, hives, andeven anaphylaxis.

An IgG type delayedhypersensitivity reaction occurs over several hours or days after your immunecells meet with an allergenic substance. With IgG type reaction, the IgG antibodies attach themselves to theallergenic substances and create an antibody-allergen immune complex.  These immune complexes are usually removed byspecial cells called macrophages.  But ifthere are more antibody-allergen complexes than there are macrophages, then thecomplexes end up depositing in various body tissues (organs).  Depending on the location of the immunecomplex deposits, the antibody-allergen immune complex can cause headaches,high blood pressure, mood disorder, asthma, recurrent respiratory tractinfection, eczema, psoriasis, acne, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease,irritable bowel syndrome, and much more. Many IgG related conditions are connected to food sensitivities orintolerances.  Flu-like symptoms aretypical manifestation of the delayed immune reaction.  Many say the just feel unwell all over.  These delayed immune reactions tend toproduce recurrent or chronic symptoms. Because IgG and IgE are different antibodies, a typical skinprick/scratch test for IgE cannot detect a IgG type delayed hypersensitivityreaction. 

You may know someonewho is much more reactive regardless of the season.  The person’s skin may turn pale or bright redwith the lightest touch, has tendency to develop hives and flushing, is proneto diarrhea/ constipation/ cramping, almost always have a cough or sniffle, andis more likely to have anaphylactic type reaction.  These are potential symptoms of Mast CellActivation Syndrome (MCAS).  MCAS wasonly identified about 10 years ago and we are not entirely sure the cause.  We know that mast cells are a type of immunecells that release histamine.  Individualswith MCAS can have more histamine and other immune chemicals released whentriggered.

There are different pharmaceuticals prescribed for these allergic immune reactions.  There are also many natural substances that can be used on their own or in conjunction with pharmaceuticals.  Some are made from the lining of eggs, some are natural herbs.  My favorite is still Vit C at a high oral dose.  Not only does it help prevent histamine release, it also ensures your immune system healthy.  Too often anti-allergy medications will also suppress normal immune responses.  I also favor plant sterols or omega 3 fatty acids.  They keep the cell membranes of mast cells less reactive.  If you are someone who is highly reactive, it also does not hurt to try out a low histamine diet.  A quick google search will tell you which foods are high histamine and which foods are safer. Eliminating food sensitivities is an integral part of reducing allergy symptoms on its own or with some of the above mentioned nutrients.