Allergies
Allergies
If you've ever had a sneezing fit in the midst of housecleaning, you probably blamed it on all that stirred-up dust. But an allergist or immunologist would disagree. It's not the dust that causes the sneezing, they've found. It's your body's reaction, and the chemicals it releases, that prompt your sneezing. It's true that some people are more sensitive than others to the dust, dust mites and mold spores that float through the air. But that just means that their bodies go a little overboard in the process of reacting to the free-floating invaders.
Stress, Dust and Annoyance
Allergies are abnormal reactions to everyday substances. They are caused by the immune system's overreaction to histamine, a chemical that the body releases to fight microbial invaders. But in allergies, the invaders are not viruses or bacteria. They are harmless substances: pollens, dust, mold spores or harmless microscopic bugs called dust mites that live in carpets, clothing and bedding.
Hay fever, one of the most common allergies, is triggered by pollens. Ragweed pollen reportedly accounts for about 75 percent of cases of hay fever in the United States. Some 25 to 30 million Americans suffer from hay fever every year. Another 12 million are allergic to things other than pollen (bee stings or certain foods or drugs).
Standard medical treatment for allergies involves taking decongestants and antihistamines. Decongestants open clogged nasal passages and have drying action. Antihistamines suppress the body's release of histamine.
In severe cases, doctors prescribe immunotherapy, popularly known as allergy shots. The shots contain tiny quantities of the substances (allergens) to which the person is sensitive. Over time, with exposure to slowly increasing amounts of allergen, the body becomes desensitized and stops reacting with allergy symptoms.
Decongestants, antihistamines and allergy shots work well for some people, but I'm not a big fan of them. These approaches treat only the symptoms of allergies, not the cause, which is a confused immune system.
Decongestants can cause insomnia and raise blood pressure. Antihistamines may cause drowsiness. Both may lose effectiveness after a while. They also interfere with--and according to some experts, weaken--the immune system. Allergy shots don't work for everyone, and when they do, they often involve years of treatment.
Allergy Emergency Writing about herbal treatments for allergies reminds me of a woman I met in the early 1970s. She was an attractive, energetic young lady from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. She came out to my office in Beltsville, Maryland, one December to borrow a lengthy report that I'd prepared on the poppy plant. We discussed collaborating on a revised version of the report and then parted, assuming that we'd talk again after Christmas. But I never saw her again. This woman, I later learned, died from a very rare allergic reaction to peanuts. (On average, two people each year are known to die from this allergy.) Knowing that she was deathly allergic to peanuts, the woman had always shunned them. But, I was told, she inadvertently ate one Christmas cookie that contained powdered peanuts, and that was enough to kill her. Such fatal reactions are not what most of us refer to when we say "allergy." More often, allergic reactions are merely annoying. They involve things like sneezing, itching, watery eyes and hives. Allergic reactions that are life-threatening, on the other hand, are in a class by themselves. The medical name for this kind of allergic reaction is anaphylaxis. If an allergic reaction is a firecracker, then anaphylaxis is a stick of dynamite. Everyone should be aware of what an anaphylatic allergic reaction is, because a person who is having this kind of reaction must receive medical treatment within about a half-hour. Anaphylaxis develops suddenly shortly after ingestion of a substance that a person is extremely allergic to. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, collapse and convulsions. If these develop, call 911 immediately, and say "Suspected anaphylaxis." In fact, if you know that you're severely allergic, you might want to discuss injectable epinephrine with your doctor. She might agree that it would be a good idea for you to have this emergency treatment on hand. |
Green Pharmacy for Allergies
You won't be surprised to learn that I prefer "greener," more natural approaches. Some of these approaches help with allergy symptoms. Here are the helpful herbs.
Garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (A. cepa). These may be beneficial because of the high concentrations of compounds such as quercetin found in these plants. These compounds retard inflammatory reactions. If you have allergies, I'd suggest adding generous amounts of these foods to your menu.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). The leaf extract of the stately ginkgo tree contains several unique substances (ginkgolides) that interfere with the action of a chemical that the body produces--platelet-activating factor, or PAF. PAF plays a key role in triggering allergies, asthma and inflammation. My own allergies have never been severe enough to make me reach for ginkgo, but if they got bad, I would probably try it. You can try 60 to 240 milligrams of standardized extract a day, but don't go any higher than that. In large amounts, ginkgo may cause diarrhea, irritability and restlessness.
stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). Some good research shows that nettle preparations may effectively treat allergic nasal symptoms. Every spring, visitors to my herb garden dig up roots from my nettle patch to treat their hay fever. We shouldn't be surprised that nettle does, in fact, help relieve allergy symptoms. For centuries, cultures around the world have used this herb to treat nasal and respiratory troubles: coughs, runny nose, chest congestion, asthma, whooping cough and even tuberculosis. At a Columbia University Workshop on Botanical Medicine for Physicians, herb advocate Andrew Weil, M.D., professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine, said that he knew of nothing so dramatic as the allergy (hay fever) relief afforded by freeze-dried nettle
leaves.
Camomile (Matricaria recutita). Aromatherapists, especially in Europe, recommend massaging with camomile preparations to treat skin allergies such as hives and itching. That sounds reasonable to me. There are compounds in this herb that have significant anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties. You can buy camomile essential oil and creams containing camomile at many natural food stores.
If you have hay fever, you should use camomile oil and herbal products cautiously, however. Camomile is a member of the ragweed family, and in some people, it might trigger allergic reactions. (Documented cases are extremely rare.) The first time you use camomile, watch your reaction. If it seems to help, go ahead and use it. But if it seems to make the itching worse, simply discontinue use. (For other herbs that can help relieve the itch associated with skin allergies, see Hives on page 261.)
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium). Feverfew is best known these days for its proven effectiveness in treating migraine headaches. But this herb may also help relieve allergies. If you use it, take capsules or some other commercial preparation. I've tasted the leaves, and the experience is not pleasant. If I developed sufficiently annoying allergy symptoms and had no other medication, I would likely use feverfew.
Pregnant women should not take feverfew because of a remote possibility that it might trigger miscarriage. And women who are nursing should not use it because of the possibility of passing the herb to infants via milk. Finally, long-term users often report a mild tranquilizing or sedative effect, which may be welcome or unwelcome, depending on your temperament.
Horseradish (Amoracia rusticana). There's nothing like a bite of fresh horseradish (or a spoonful of prepared horseradish dressing) to clear the sinuses. Or if you like Japanese food, try Japanese horseradish, called wasabi. This recommendation comes from the good book, Natural Health Secrets from around the World by Glenn W. Geelhoed, M.D., professor of surgery at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Robert D. Willix, M.D., a cardiac surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Boca Raton, Florida. They report that "a daily dosage is necessary only until the symptoms of your allergy subside. Thereafter, you need only a few teaspoons of horseradish each month to prevent another allergy attack."
I enjoy horseradish as a spice, so I would not hesitate to try it for allergy relief. You should be aware that while horseradish is hot, wasabi is even hotter. If you don't enjoy hot, spicy food, you'd best opt for a different treatment.
Vitamin C. Not too long ago, C. Leigh Broadhurst, Ph.D., stopped by my office to talk about allergies. Dr. Broadhurst is geochemist with expertise in nutritional medicine. At the time of our conversation, he was working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
To prevent and treat allergies, Dr. Broadhurst recommends taking 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C with bioflavonoids three times a day. This sounds fine to me. One review of some 40 vitamin C studies showed that people who took vitamin C regularly had fewer allergy problems, respiratory infections and asthma attacks. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antihistamine with no known side effects, except diarrhea. Some people develop diarrhea after taking as little as 1,200 milligrams of vitamin C a day, but this is rare. If you'd like to try this therapy, cut back on the amount of vitamin C if you develop diarrhea.
Don't confine yourself to supplements, either. Plants that are rich in
vitamin C include Chinese bitter melon, bell peppers, cayenne pepper, pokeweed shoots, guava and watercress.
