Dragonfly Thrive Health

Alive & Thrive Blog

Tips, research, and anecdotes about nutrition, health, and habits - helping you get the most out of life.

Calm Your Allergies With 3 Natural Ingredients

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Spring is a great time to be talking about allergies when many of us are suffering from seasonal symptoms. Unfortunately, the beautiful flowers and fresh smells of spring may need to be enjoyed between sneezes or with a tissue stuffed in your nose.

What causes seasonal allergies?

This extreme and unpleasant experience is triggered by a histamine response in the body. As the pollens or other offensive particles enter through your eyes, nose or mouth, your body mounts an attack. The more histamine present in your body, the more exaggerated the reaction.

Histamine is a useful messenger in the body – a neurotransmitter (signalling between the brain and body) and an inflammatory mediator. This means histamine queues physiological responses in the body, based on information received – like an unwanted protein/particle entering the system. To allow the body to respond or manage these intrusions, histamine can evoke a range of responses: vasodilation of vessels, bronchoconstriction in the lungs, tachycardia – changing your heartrate, or increased secretions – like the mucous in your nose. All these actions are meant to block the unwanted particles from further access to the body and/or to flush these offenders out.

You can probably see how histamine would be a valuable defense mechanism for the body. Where many of us are suffering is when the histamine accumulates, and the body is hypersensitive. This translates to exaggerated reactions to allergens or being reactive to ever more innocuous components in our environment or food. You may feel, or have heard others complain, that they were not so sensitive or allergic to so many things in their past. This heightened or worsening allergic response can likely be attributed to accumulation of histamine.

What Are Some Other Common Allergy Sources?

You may be allergic to certain proteins – and your body will always consider them foreign and unwelcome visitors if you are exposed. It can be as simple as itchy eyes, a mild rash or slightly constricted breathing for a short time. Or it could be much more extreme and present as anaphylaxis. Here the body throws everything it has into the fight, and the result can be life threatening, with constriction of the airways or uncontrolled heart rhythms.

While I’m not about to claim there is a one-size-fits-all solution to allergies, I would like to encourage you to try a few simple, naturally found micronutrients. These will require little effort to find and are not especially expensive - but they could have a positive influence on calming your allergies and possibly alleviating some of them all together. A simple protocol can be found here.

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Antihistamines are available at any pharmacy. They work to calm allergic reactions by blocking the receptors on the cells that the histamine would attach to – thereby inhibiting the histamines ability to trigger the cascade of inflammation. What antihistamines fail to do is reduce the amount of histamine floating around in the first place. If elevated histamine is contributing to your hypersensitive or exaggerated allergies, antihistamines will provide only temporary relief. Couple that with the known and common side effects of antihistamines: drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, depression, confusion and more, and there seems to be a lack of compelling reasons for use of antihistamine, in most cases.

3 Natural Allergy Remedies

Natural choices are available to support allergies and elevated histamines. These can come from foods or plants but when trying to get on top of a situation that has become exaggerated or pervasive, it will help to use concentrated or supplemental options so your body can find some more immediate relief. I would like to bring your attention to a few nutrients that can be easily found in food and your local nutrition store or pharmacy. If you have further questions about anything you see here, email me at christina@dragonflythrive.com or book a free 15-minute consult.

Allergy Buster #1 - Quercetin

Quercetin can be found in many foods, including apples, onions, tomatoes, kale, berries, broccoli, tea and even red wine. Supplemental forms of quercetin allow for you to ingest a concentrated amount of this bioflavonoid.

Flavonoids are antioxidants found in plants and give fruit and flowers their colour. When we ingest these antioxidants, they can act as anti-inflammatory agents which, in turn, may provide protection against conditions like heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cancers and allergies. The other way in which the antioxidant, quercetin, can benefit allergy symptoms is by stimulating the immune system.

Quercetin is well-tolerated with few possible side-effects. If you are taking blood thinners or currently on antibiotics, you may need to check with your practitioner before using quercetin in supplement form. And quercetin should not be taken along with antihistamines as it may increase the drug’s absorption and risk of side effects.

When using quercetin for general health, the recommendation is 100-250mg, 3 times a day. This could be taken with meals. To find relief from allergies, quercetin should be taken between meals (on an empty stomach), twice a day, around 400mg per dose. You can increase the dose if you are not finding relief from your allergies within 5-7 days. Do not take more than 1g/day for an extended period (beyond 2 weeks), as there has been some evidence that higher doses of quercetin can put strain on the kidneys.

You will find that most quercetin supplements include a low dose of Vitamin C or ascorbic acid as the vitamin helps the body to absorb the quercetin ingested. But even more vitamin C can be included in your day to support allergies and high histamine/allergy symptoms.

Allergy Buster #2 - Vitamin C

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Another wonderful antioxidant that mitigates allergic reactions in the body is vitamin C. As opposed to blocking the histamine receptors, the mechanism of antihistamines, vitamin C lessens the amount of histamine produced. Studies have used ascorbic acid (the purest form of vitamin C) in high doses, many ways – including intravenously, by nasal spray or simply taken orally. Doses of 2 grams (2,000 mg) were shown to reduce histamine levels in the blood by nearly 40%.

Vitamin C, as we often hear, is great for overall health, including bolstering the immune system and improving collagen production in the skin. This water-soluble vitamin is a bit delicate, and though it can be found in many foods, like berries, bell peppers and cruciferous vegetables, it is also easily lost or denatured during transport or food preparation. Fresh and local foods are best, for this and many other reasons.

Allergy Buster #3 - Niacin

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Sometimes referred to as vitamin B3, niacinamide or nicotinic acid, niacin is a small molecule that can be made from the amino acid, tryptophan. Since it is made in the body, it doesn’t technically qualify as a “vitamin” (vital mineral) but it certainly is important as it is involved in over 500 reactions in the body.

Niacin also works in the body as though it were an antihistamine by fixing the histamine to another molecule, lowering blood histamine levels. Niacin is used in higher doses to help with a number of conditions from schizophrenia to high cholesterol and of course, allergies.

Niacin can be found in many foods, including meats and dairy, nuts and seeds, beans, wheat and green leafy vegetables. When supplementing with niacin, even at a low dose, a flushing or reddening of the skin can occur. This is a result of dilation of the blood vessels and usually subsides within 20-30 minutes. There are forms of niacin, including niacinamide, that help to avoid the flush, but the flush is harmless, and with continued use of niacin, the flushing lessens or abates completely. It helps to increase your dose gradually and get acclimated. Starting as low as 50mg, 3x a day, and working your way up over time will increase your tolerance gently.

How to use natural allergy remedies

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For more clarity on how to put these 3 supplements to work - and get relief from your seasonal allergies, book a free consult with me, or send me an email at christina@dragonflythrive.com.

If you are wondering whether your own histamine levels are currently elevated, you can check with a simple scratch test – histamine triggers inflammatory reactions in the upper levels of the skin. On the inside of your forearm, use a fingernail to scratch a line, firmly but not too rough (don’t hurt yourself or break the skin, please). If you see a red welt begin to form within the next few minutes, this is often indicative of elevated histamine. In some cases, it can be a more extreme condition called dermatographia (“skin writing”). Take a picture so you can compare. After you try the natural vitamin protocol for a week or so, scratch again and see the difference.

References

Christina Wiltonallergy, allergies, seasonal, histamine, antihistamines, quercetin, niacin, vitamin C, sneezing, sniffling, sniffles, alternative, spring