Testing For Seasonal Allergies: A Deeper Understanding

allergies allergy season fall seasonal allergies spring summer winter year round allergies Oct 07, 2024

Changes in weather can often wreak havoc on your immune system if you are one of the many unlucky people to suffer from seasonal allergies, which typically surge during these times. You’re not alone in your suffering. Allergies, particularly seasonal ones, rank as the sixth most common chronic illness in the United States. While it’s easy to head to the closest pharmacy for over-the-counter nasal sprays and antihistamines, there are alternative strategies, such as a functional medicine approach, that go deeper to address the fundamental causes of these discomforts.

Rather than address the symptoms alone, functional medicine can help identify the root triggers of your allergies and offer integrative methods to alleviate symptoms and potentially provide relief that lasts. We’re going to look more closely at seasonal allergies and examine how a functional medicine approach can offer comprehensive care.

Why Do We Experience Seasonal Allergies?

In short, we experience seasonal allergies because of histamines. Or, more specifically, how histamines react to specific elements our bodies, for some reason or another, reject.

Histamines are part of your body’s defense system. When you are allergic to something, the immune system jumps into gear, sending chemical signals to mast cells in your lungs, skin, gut, nose, and bloodstream and instructing them to release histamines. This then increases blood flow to the area affected by the allergen, causing inflammation. For example, if it’s pollen, it’s likely affecting your nasal passages, so histamines will prompt the membranes there to produce more mucus in hopes of flushing out what it sees as harmful invaders.

While the symptoms they cause aren’t great, histamines themselves are a good thing. These chemicals in your blood are protecting us from anything the immune system deems a threat to the body. They help your body get rid of whatever is irritating it. However, while those responses are good in the short run, continued histamine production can cause larger problems, which is what happens when you have allergies, unfortunately. Your body overreacts to something it sees as a threat, pumping out high levels of histamines to rid you of that threat. And that means heightened inflammation. Continued heightened inflammation is never good. That’s why it’s imperative that you address seasonal allergies (or any allergies, for that matter).

Common Triggers for Seasonal Allergies Throughout the Year

Molds, because they favor growing in damp, moist environments, thrive during the fall and winter months via decomposing leaves. If you’re already sensitive to mold, fall and winter may increase your symptoms.

Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies

While seasonal allergies typically affect the ears, nose, throat, eyes, skin, and respiratory system, on occasion they affect other body systems, like the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.

The following common symptoms of seasonal allergies are the result of inflammation in the body caused by histamines reacting to the allergen. They include:

Nasal congestion
Runny nose
Post-nasal drip and sore throat
Sneezing
Coughing
Irritated eyes (itchy, watery, red, puffy)
Hives
Skin rashes
Headaches

Addressing Seasonal Allergies with Functional Medicine

As we head into the fall allergy season, I wanted to share some of my favorite tried-and-true strategies for dealing with allergy symptoms.

First, I have some exciting new research about black seed oil (Nigella sativa) that could be a game-changer for those dealing with seasonal allergy symptoms. A recent randomized controlled trial found that black seed oil can significantly improve allergy symptoms by:

Reducing nasal congestion and irritation
Decreasing eye itching and watering
Shortening duration of allergy episodes
Improving overall quality of life for participants

These results are impressive, but not entirely surprising. In my functional health practice, I've seen firsthand how powerful natural compounds can be in supporting immune balance and respiratory health.

Black seed oil, particularly its active compound thymoquinone, appears to work by:

Modulating the immune response
Reducing inflammation
Supporting healthy airway function

What's particularly exciting is that this approach doesn't just mask symptoms – it helps optimize your body's natural functions.

Test, Don’t Guess

While black seed oil alone is promising, I believe in a more comprehensive approach to health. That's why I always recommend that my clients first “test, don’t guess” to determine their unique hidden stressors adding to the immune system challenges contributing to their allergy symptoms. To uncover root-cause contributors to seasonal allergies, the functional labs I recommend for most people are:

Gut zoomer & leaky gut https://katemotz.wellproz.com/patient/product/60682 to determine gut damage and imbalances (80% of the immune system resides in the gut!)
Food sensitivities https://katemotz.wellproz.com/patient/product/44539
Determine if there is mold, heavy metals and/or environmental toxicity https://katemotz.wellproz.com/patient/product/45886
Screen for genetic variants that could be contributing to the stress on the body: https://katemotz.wellproz.com/patient/product/60629
Uncover nutrient deficiencies https://katemotz.wellproz.com/patient/product/60629

If you need help deciding which labs are best for you, schedule a discovery call with me and I will guide you in the right direction.

And if you are not quite ready for testing, in addition to the black seed oil, go to my dispensary for some additional favorites for a holistic approach to managing seasonal allergies.