NATURALLY ALLEVIATING ALLERGIES
NATURALLY ALLEVIATING ALLERGIES
It is generally agreed that a combination of lifestyle, environmental factors, and genetic tendency produce allergic reactions. Prescription and non-prescription drugs merely mask the symptoms and usually have undesirable side effects. Most importantly they do nothing to heal the underlying imbalance which produces the allergic symptoms. The good news is that natural healing methods are quite effective in strengthening the constitution while relieving symptoms. Herbs, because of their subtle effects, are an excellent way to handle the symptoms associated with allergies.
An allergy is the immune system's inappropriate response to a substance that is not normally harmful. When the immune system's white blood cells mobilize to fight the perceived toxic invader, they produce a number of symptoms which range from annoying to life-threatening. For the majority of allergy sufferers, the sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, and wheezing symptoms brought on by exposure to an allergen is no more than a nuisance. However, many asthmatics and some hay fever victims find themselves quite debilitated by their allergies.
Allergic reactions are complex bodily responses. Although hay fever and asthma result primarily in respiratory symptoms, their cause lurks in the major bodily systems. Stagnant lymph and overly-acidic blood create the conditions for allergic reactions. "A body that is less congested is less allergic," states Elson Haas, M.D. in Staying Healthy with Nutrition.
The annoying symptoms of allergy result from an elevated level of antibodies in the bloodstream. These are formed as the body's defense against the toxic invader. Histamine is then released to ensure swift elimination of the enemy through the action of the mucous membranes, which line the nasal and bronchial passages. This response, intended to move mucous out of the body, produces the characteristic swelling, redness, and itching of allergies.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE -->Written by: by Gloria St. John
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