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Does Organic Food Help Alleviate Seasonal Allergies?
Unfortunately, the nicer weather inevitably brings seasonal allergies with it, which means a runny nose, watery eyes, sleepless nights and more sneezes than we care to count. The worst part of allergies nevertheless, isn't the list of tangible symptoms. The worst part is the disconnected, "foggy" feeling that leaves you feeling completely detached from the world around you. Not fun. Unfortunately, I know these symptoms very well, because for most of my life I had miserable allergies every spring, to the point where I would hate going outside, always being afraid I'd find a yellow film of pollen that had accumulated on the hood of my car, as if to taunt me. I, like many other people, so badly wanted to be "Claritin Clear." It wasn't until just recently, when so many people around me seemed to be struggling with their allergies, or bumming allergy medications off of one another that I fully realized that I was much better off than I usually was this time of year. I thought back to the year before and remembered that I hadn't struggled much with allergies then either and had thought at the time it was just good luck... but two wonderful allergy free years back to back seemed to be too much of a coincidence to write off (not that I'm complaining!). My previously debilitating symptoms are now reduced to some mild sneezing and a slight tickle in my throat for 5 or ten minutes in the morning. Gone were the nights of having to switch sides every ten minutes so I could breathe and walking around in a fog! As thrilling as this change was, I couldn't figure out what had brought it on. We had moved, but we were only a few minutes from our previous address, living in the same town and quite frankly around more flowers and trees than our previous home, so that seemed to have nothing to do with it. I wasn't taking a different allergy medicine, heck I hadn't really taken any medications since we... ...and then it hit me all of a sudden. I had never been a fan of taking any prescriptions or even OTC drugs, and springtime was one of the few times I was willing to compromise and pop a pill for relief, but even that had tapered off a couple of years ago, when Lynne and I made a shift to a diet of predominantly organic foods. For the last two and a half years or so, Lynne and I have done our grocery shopping almost exclusively at Whole Foods, and at least 95% of the food we prepare at home is organic. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. There really is (to put it as simply as possible) a lot less garbage in organic foods, and not processing the extra additives and preservative in all the food I ate made allergy season a lot easier on my entire system. Think about it this way: if your body is constantly flooded with artificial flavors, dyes, partially hydrogenated oils, and other harmful ingredients, your entire body is going to feel fatigued and out of balance. An allergy is defined as "an abnormal reaction of the body to a previously encountered allergen introduced by inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin contact..." which ultimately means your body encounters something it sees as toxic (even if it isn't) and responds as a result. This leads me to two conclusions. First off, what would cause your body to react unusually to things like pollen? It stands to reason (especially considering my recent experiences) that the introduction of an assortment of substances that don't belong in your body (artificial ingredients in food for example) could disrupt the stability of your immune system, causing it to mistakenly perceive allergens as a hazard. Now, does this mean everyone who doesn't eat a natural, healthy diet is going to have terrible allergies? No, but for those of use who are susceptible to hay fever, it probably doesn't help! The other thing to consider is that when our bodies are damaged due to infection, our immune system is obviously somewhat depleted, making us more susceptible to infection from other sources. Wearing your body down with foods chock-full of a mixture of toxins is going to have an impact on your overall susceptibility to various issues, including allergens. If your body is previously damaged by consistent exposure to the preservatives and additives in your food, it's likely to be that much more susceptible to a impending allergen such as pollen, where if you are limiting your exposure to dangerous substances you will probably be less sensitive. Now, not all allergies are the result of food, and eating more healthful, organic foods isn't certain to eliminate them all together, but it certainly hasn't made mine any worse. Just some food for thought :) Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Once Lynne and Chad discovered a connection between organic food and hay fever, they felt it was important to share their experiences. They are passionate about holistic health and sharing their knowledge and experiences to help others. |
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