Allergies in the Air
Hello everyone! We have been busy at the office and it’s been a while since I wrote a blog post, but it’s allergy season! This is one of my favorite things to work on at the office. When Dr. Flaim joined our team last year I noticed that she was very congested and was not able to breathe and eat at the same time. I remember our Kutztown days eating team dinner together after rugby and never have I seen her struggle with allergies. I asked her if I could adjust her sinuses and at first, she was apprehensive:
“At first I thought, ‘what on earth is that going to do?’. Afterwards, I noticed a difference and was able to breathe through my nose, but by the end of the day I was congested again. With continued treatments, I started to notice things like ‘hey, I’m eating with my mouth closed’ or I’d be laying in bed at night and realize that I’m not mouth breathing. These subtle changes started to happen about 3 months into getting my sinuses adjusted and now it has been a full year and I barely ever breathe through my mouth now. I don’t even have seasonal allergies at all anymore!” - Dr. Flaim
Almost 10 million people in the U.S. suffer from allergies and they spend over $16,000 on OTC medication during their lifetime (1). No wonder we treat a large number of patients at the office specifically for allergy complaints! When we ask patients if they suffer from allergies, we like to specify what kind of allergy response they have. Allergies occur when the body comes in contact with a foreign body or allergen that causes the immune system to respond by producing immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE, MAST cells, and histamines all work together to attack the foreign invader (2). Sometimes, our body sees harmless items as hazardous material, which causes an unnecessary immune response. For example, pollen is harmless, but the body may react to the pollen and cause allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Most people have mild allergy reactions, while others can have severe or chronic allergy responses. Common allergies include drugs (medicine), food, insects that sting (bee, wasp, fire ant), bite (mosquito, tick), household pests (cockroach and dust mite), latex, mold, pets (dog or cat urine, saliva, and dander), and pollen (3).
Treating allergies is difficult because everyone's immune system is unique and responds differently. There are also hundreds of different immune pathways that are effected by things we are not even aware of yet. What everyone does have in common is a central operating nervous system (CNS). The brain and immune system work together constantly, and a misfire in one usually results in a misfire in the other.
In our office, we always start with assessing for supplication. This is a place in your body that has a joint misalignment that is associated with a neurologic deficit, which is affecting your body‘s ability to function. Once we find incorrect supplications, we use a very gentle chiropractic known as the Arthrostim tool to percuss and adjust the sinuses and sutures of the face. We also align and release the eustachian tube followed by gentle lymph drainage at the neck. Many patients experience immediate relief, including the ability to breathe through their nose, and many continue to experience the release of sinus pressure for the next 24-48 hours. The benefits of increased white blood cell and antibody function following an adjustment last 3 to 4 weeks which is why we recommend once a month adjustments for your immune system (4)!
We also have patients at our office who suffer with high inflammation, Mast Cell Activation Diseases (MCAD’s), or other auto-immune issues. While treating the discomfort associated with these conditions, many patients also note improvement in their ability to manage these chronic illnesses, and some have resolution of these symptoms within a year. Whether the healing is owed to the adjustment, lifestyle changes, or other treatments, we don’t care! All we care about is providing our patients with relief and education on their condition so they can make the best care decisions for themselves and their family (p.s. I always believe in the power of the adjustment to heal the body, so I am not without my own personal bias!).
For at home recommendations, here are a few things we tell our patients to do so they can better support the immune system:
Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables! The micronutrients they provide are essential for your body to operate appropriately.
Sleep! Adults typically need 7-8 hours of sleep to feel refreshed, but new studies show women may need more sleep than men. (5)
Stay physically active and walk outside! Exposure to your environment throughout the year can help your body become accustomed to the allergens in your area. If you spend most of your time in doors, no wonder your body is shocked by the exposure of thousands of pollen particles on your walk to the car. Not only can regular exercise reduce your inflammation, but your cancer risk as well (6).
Minimize stress. “Excessive inflammation plays critical roles in the pathophysiology of the stress-related diseases” (7). This means that the more stressed you are, the more inflammation your body produces. The more inflammation you have, the more allergy response you will have! If you have questions about how to handle stress, please ask your doctor or healthcare professional (or therapist is even better!)
Avoid or drink less alcohol. Alcohol specifically produces increased inflammation in the brain and gut, which are important organs that work with and control the body’s immune responses (8)
Quit smoking or vaping. Not only does it increase your risk of allergy responses, but also those around you who are exposed to 2nd or 3rd hand smoke. (9)
Get adjusted! (10)
Chiropractic research published in 2004 linked allergies to subluxations of the spine. With manual adjustments by a chiropractor, allergy symptoms improved in more than 70% of patients. Other results included:
98% of patients with dermatitis, allergies and asthma had subluxations of the spine
Correction of subluxations improved itching symptoms by 88% and skin appearance of dermatitis patients by 72%
Dermatitis patients receiving no adjustment experienced no improvement (11)
Curious about how we can assess your spine for subluxations and possibly relieve those pesky allergy symptoms? Give us a call (610-601-9011) or email us at drsupershouse@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you!
ADIO,
Dr. Super
References
Nielsen Allergy Sufferer Survey. (2016, July). Assessing-consumer-benefits-of-allergy-rx-OTC- ... www.chpa.org. https://www.chpa.org/sites/default/files/media/docs/2020-10/Assessing-Consumer-Benefits-of-Allergy-Rx-OTC-Switches-03012017.pdf
Tanaka S, Furuta K. Roles of IgE and Histamine in Mast Cell Maturation. Cells. 2021 Aug 23;10(8):2170. doi: 10.3390/cells10082170. PMID: 34440939; PMCID: PMC8392195.
Allergies. Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America. (2024, June 3). https://aafa.org/allergies/#:~:text=Allergy%20Information-,Allergies%20are%20one%20of%20the%20most%20common%20chronic%20diseases.,harmful%20and%20overreacts%20to%20it.&text=The%20substances%20that%20cause%20allergic%20reactions%20are%20allergens.
Pero R. “Medical Researcher Excited By CBSRF Project Results.” The Chiropractic Journal, August 1989; 32
Burgard SA, Ailshire JA. Gender and Time for Sleep among U.S. Adults. Am Sociol Rev. 2013 Feb;78(1):51-69. doi: 10.1177/0003122412472048. PMID: 25237206; PMCID: PMC4164903.
Beavers KM, Brinkley TE, Nicklas BJ. Effect of exercise training on chronic inflammation. Clin Chim Acta. 2010 Jun 3;411(11-12):785-93. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2010.02.069. Epub 2010 Feb 25. PMID: 20188719; PMCID: PMC3629815.
Liu YZ, Wang YX, Jiang CL. Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017 Jun 20;11:316. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316. PMID: 28676747; PMCID: PMC5476783.
Wang HJ, Zakhari S, Jung MK. Alcohol, inflammation, and gut-liver-brain interactions in tissue damage and disease development. World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Mar 21;16(11):1304-13. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i11.1304. PMID: 20238396; PMCID: PMC2842521.
MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Tobacco allergy: Symptoms, diagnosis, and prevention. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/tobacco-allergy#allergic-rhinitis
Super, T. (2023, November 9). Improving immune function. Dr. Super’s House of Health, putting your family’s health first! Chiropractic, Medical Massage, and Reiki. https://www.drsupershouseofhealth.com/blog/improving-immune-function
Y Takeda, S Arai. Relationship Between Vertebral Deformities And Allergic Diseases. The Internet Journal of Orthopedic Surgery. 2003 Volume 2 Number 1.