Posted on April 24th, 2009 by Craig Maltby, Editor
Histamines are your immune system throwing a hissy fit
Pollen - Up close and personal
Allergy season is starting up. Springtime is when trees and some weeds start pollinating, spurring sneezing attacks. All this when we just got over cold and flu season.
During this time of year, we hear a lot about “antihistamines,” the ingredients in over-the-counter medications that dry up your runny nose and watery eyes. Many people probably just think an antihistamine is a drug that smacks down the pollen or dust particles that enter your body and cause the allergy misery. As least for a few hours or a day. Until symptoms flare up again and you need to take another antihistamine. And, of course, you might feel drowsy when taking an antihistamine, but that’s just the price you pay to wean yourself off Kleenex for the day.
What do antihistamines do? As the name suggests, they fight histamines. But histamines aren’t allergy particulates. At the risk of oversimplifying this, histamines are proteins produced by your immune system to fight antigens, foreign bodies like pollen–and bacteria and viruses–when they enter the body. However, many times the immune system over-produces histamines when receiving messaging of a pollen intrusion, even though a little pollen is pretty harmless. This then triggers inflammation, mucous and fluid releasedin the tissues where the histamines are directed; nose, eyes, throat, even skin. Antihistamines work to counteract the function of histamines.
When your body is stressed and your immune system subseqently out of balance, histamine production can be even more pronounced, making an allergy episode that much more miserable.
So, taking some simple nutritional and lifestyle measures to synchronize your immune system can make an impact in allergy suffering, and possibly reduce the need for loading up on antihistamines all spring, summer and fall.
May 14th, 2009 at 8:34 am
I’m new here and I haven’t discovered your “simple nutritional and lifestyle measures” yet, but I find that time-release vitamin C helps a lot with pollen allergies, while regular vitamin C doesn’t do much for me at all.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Hello Dot:
Good to hear about your experience. If it’s working and safe, go for it, I say. The main message of Vit. C. that I’ve heard is that exceeding the daily RDA dose — 90 mg for men, 75 mg for women–is not backed by valid research regarding immune health or cold prevention. That’s what got the Airborne brand in serious trouble: no science behind their zinc/vit. C claim.
My philosophy is a healthy immune balance–through diet, supplementation, exercise, healthy lifestyle–will reduce the perceived desire for “boosting” through RDA overages of basic nutrients.
March 13th, 2010 at 8:23 am
I am now 50 and 50lbs overweight, is that why I have very bad algeries / mainly to oak,pine & orange trees. 10 years ago and 30 lbs lighter I don.t rember them. I get very light headed when I go outside for 2 months a year
March 15th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Couldn’t say, Jeff. I wonder if a visit to an allergist or a naturopathic physician with a deep understanding of allergies might be a good thing for you.
April 14th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
I’ve had allergies since I was 5. For years I was zoned out on prescription meds that caused drowsiness. I tried vitamin C for pollen allergies without any success, but I discovered EpiCor and have noticed a big improvement in my seasonal allergies as well as fewer sinus infections.