Seasonal Allergies, Slow the Sneezing Down
Seasonal allergies affect more than 5 million Canadians, or 15 percent of the population with symptoms beginning in early April and finally ending in November. Ask any allergy sufferer and they will tell you the symptoms are not life threatening, however they are down right annoying. Allergy season brings about the familiar symptoms of runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing. Allergies are also poorly understood and inadequately treated by conventional medicine. Medicine’s arsenal against allergens includes antihistamines, which merely block the action of histamine at receptor sites. Antihistamines suppress the appearance of physical symptoms but do nothing for the underlying cause.
With more than 80,000 chemicals already circulating in our environment, our bodies face a biochemical challenge where by our immune system is hypersensitive. Allergy is the result of your immune system's over-reaction to pollens, grass, airborne fungi and many more. The allergen is introduced to the body and the body fights back by producing an excess of inflammatory chemicals, known as histamine. The bodies attempt to find and destroy the allergen brings on the familiar symptoms of runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing.
Bioflavonoids are compounds found in many fruits and vegetables that give them their color. Quercetin is one bioflavanoid that effectively inhibits leukotriene and histamine release from mast cells. In addition to getting enough raw fruits and vegetables in the diet, you may take quercetin in supplemental form. Truly treating the cause of allergies requires a series of liver and body cleanses that remove the toxic burden from the body. This is the only way to restore the immune system to its original state and stop all allergies.
By: Elias Markou, ND
OAND Patient and Supporter Political Action Campaign
Last week the OAND launched a patient/supporter campaign to encourage NDs and patients to get involved in sending a strong message to the Premier that changes are needed to the current regulations that have been submitted to the government for approval. The campaign includes over 10,000 patient campaign postcards which are being sent out this week to OAND members across the province. The OAND has also launched a parallel email campaign this week. We need as many NDs as possible to get engaged and help patients and supporters deliver a clear message to the government.
Click HERE to get involved!
Naturopathic Doctors are:
regulated in Ontario
highly trained primary care providers
covered by most extended health insurance providers
Naturopathic Medicine
Promotes health and addresses the root cause of disease using natural therapies.
