Spring has sprung in full force in my neck of the woods, and wow, is the pollen ever thick!
Sounds of people sneezing and blowing their nose fill the pollen laden air. Boxes of tissue, allergy pills and bottles of eye drops are flying off the shelves fast and furious in pharmacies all across town.
While pollen does indeed make you sneeze if you get a noseful of it, is it really necessary to dread spring every single year knowing that Visine and allergy meds will be your constant companion to deal with watery eyes and congestion for at least a month or two? Is this something you just have to resign yourself to and live with?
The truth is that seasonal allergies are much more than a nuisance. They are one of the mildest forms of autoimmune disease. It is a gentle warning by the body that more autoimmunity problems are on the way if the dietary flaws and gut imbalance that is causing them is not dealt with effectively.
Hippocrates noted that “all disease begins in the gut”. This includes seasonal allergies like allergic rhinitis or hay fever.
Dealing with seasonal allergies using over the counter or prescription meds is like cutting the wire to the flashing oil light on the dashboard of your car and pretending that the car is no longer low on oil. Such an approach guarantees that the problem will get worse over time and most likely lead to more serious autoimmune problems in the future such as asthma, eczema, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, lupus, celiac, migraines, MS, diabetes, arthritis and the list goes on.
For example, it was recently reported that babies with eczema even if mild are much more likely to develop asthma. In fact, 40% of babies with eczema go on to develop this much more serious autoimmune disease later in childhood.
A healthy balance of beneficial gut flora in our colon is the ultimate gatekeeper of health. Gut flora is the major regulator of the immune system for better or for worse. When the gut environment is out of balance, a malfunctioning and overreactive immune system is the result.
How Seasonal Allergies Originate in the Gut
When the gut is out of balance, opportunistic and pathogenic microbes overgrow and take over dominance. These pathogens produce toxic substances which are the by-products of their metabolism. Some of these toxins actually play an important role in the body when the pathogens in the gut are controlled and kept in check by good flora. But, when the good flora is absent or not playing a dominant role, these pathogens can overproduce these toxins.
One such toxin produced by several types of gut pathogens (Proteus, E. coli, Staphylococci and others) is histamine which is actually an important neurotransmitter in the body.
When these microbes grow unchecked in the gut due to a lack of beneficial flora, they overproduce histamine. This causes many functions in the body that react to it to go haywire as excessive amounts pour into the blood.
Is Benadryl your best friend? If so, you know you potentially suffer from an overgrowth of pathogens in your gut that are overproducing histamine!
Parents Pass Gut Flora to Their Children
Conventional medicine likes to point to genetics as the cause of allergies. This is the case for only a small percentage of cases. The fact is that parents pass on their gut imbalance problems to their children. This causes gut dysbiosis to worsen with each successive generation. This and oversterilized environments that gives children little access to probiotics in nature is the main reason why seasonal allergies have skyrocketed in recent generations.
According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, children with autoimmunity issues almost without exception have a mother and most likely also a father who exhibit signs of chronic gut dysbiosis. Most women have been on the gut destroying birth control pill for years before having children. They also have taken many courses of antibiotics throughout their lives. Almost every single one has a health problem that is associated with chronic gut imbalance. The most frequent being digestive disorders, hay fever and other seasonal allergies, migraines, PMS, chronic cystitis (UTIs) and vaginal yeast infections.
Do you wish to have children free of allergies? If so, it is imperative as a mother to be to get your gut health in order before birthing them. Ensuring the infant microbiome at birth is properly seeded with a diverse population of beneficial microbes is another important step.
Gut Imbalance Can Develop Later in Life
Have you ever noticed that a lot of adults say that they developed seasonal allergies all of a sudden one year where they never had them before?
Well, the pollen hasn’t changed has it? The excuse that “the pollen is really bad this year” is not the reason either.
Development of seasonal allergies all of a sudden or those that get worse each year is a sign that gut health is deteriorating with age. At that point, steps should be taken quickly with the diet to rectify the situation.
The good news is that even if you or your children have seasonal allergies now, you can deal with it effectively with a change in diet!
Steps to Eliminate Seasonal Allergies From Your Life
Here are a few simple steps for combating seasonal allergies with diet:
- Eliminate pasteurized dairy from your life in all forms. Pasteurization of dairy denatures fragile milk proteins and renders then allergenic among other problems. Grassfed raw dairy would be an excellent alternative here. If you have problems digesting dairy, try healthy milk substitutes such as homemade coconut milk tonic.
- Source the best, raw, unfiltered local honey in your area and use a teaspoon or two everyday during allergy season. Note that heated honey does not confer any health benefits and is actually toxic according to Ayurvedic tradition. If you prefer creamed honey to liquid, be sure it is free from any additives and GMOs.
- Look to significantly reduce or eliminate grains and sugars in all forms from your diet. Many people with seasonal allergies report nothing short of miraculous improvement when they take steps to avoid gluten containing grains. Even more effective is avoiding all grains and sugars particularly during allergy season.
- Look at the GAPS Diet as a long term solution for rectifying gut imbalance. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MDs book Gut and Psychology Syndrome is a primer on this subject. She not only describes in detail how gut dysbiosis develops in the first place but outlines a comprehensive plan for rebalancing gut flora and putting autoimmunity into remission for good.
- While you are healing from the inside out, use herbs to find natural, nontoxic allergy relief instead of meds. This article details which allergy relieving herbs are most potent for this purpose and how to use them.
Bottom Line on Healing Pollen Allergies
Seasonal allergies need not continue to annoy you year after year during what should be one of the most beautiful and enjoyable times of the year.
Spend some time and energy fixing your gut environment and reap the rewards by breathing freely again no matter how thick the pollen may be!
I don’t think Sarah called grains the root of all evil. She has said repeatedly in many blogs how important they are in the diet when prepared properly. In this case she’s talking about avoiding grains for healing, and that healing wouldn’t be needed if our guts weren’t off balance. Even grains prepared traditionally can feed the bad stuff in the gut, so avoiding them for a period of time will make healing easier and faster. This is an excellent post, Sarah, and I’m so glad you’ve put all this information in one place. I’m going to pass this one on. Most people still don’t believe me about pasteurized milk and highly refined grains and copious amounts of sugar…yet they don’t understand how my doesn’t get sick or allergies. Thank you.
Thank you Mari. I am not an extremist about grains at all. Grains play an important role in the diet and I for one am soaking a huge bowl of waffle batter as I type this for a waffle fest with my family this weekend. There is nothing wrong with grains but sometimes a temporary respite for gut healing is necessary. Balance and wisdom in our approach and evaluation of our personal circumstances is always key to successful healing.
Sarah,
What product would you recommend as a “therapeutic strength probiotic”? We are starting this month as a family to work on our gut flora (we eat a very healthful diet already, but we want to take it up a notch). Are there different products you recommend for children and adults?
Thanks!
BioKult is the best one I have tried. Second best would be Garden of Life’s Primal Defense. BioKult is way better than GOL though in my personal experience. BioKult can be used for both children and adults. The dosage is different though so be sure to check for that. On my resources page under supplements is a company that sells BioKult and their website is quite good at providing dosage info and other useful info for using probiotics when traveling to ward off any intestinal illness etc.
I can’t find this on your resources page…maybe I’m overlooking it somehow?
This is very interesting.
I will say that I had a horrible gut condition and suffered terribly from allergies to the point that I was debilitated.
I have improved my diet, but I do think hormones are involved too. I had NO symptoms whatsoever when I was pregnant.
Also, allergy shots or drops are a great solution for those in dire need. I checked the adjuvants and found nothing problematic.
Pregnancy hormones suppress the immune system and while may provide temporary relief, it also gives pathogens in the gut an ideal opportunity to take over which is one reason why women tend to get more severe gut dysbiosis problems the more children they have. I know my Mom has an iron gut but after her 7th child was born, came down with severe IBS.
@Kenny that is great to hear. I notice that in the spring, I have to be careful about eating out or eating any treats much more than other times of the year or I will start sneezing etc from it. If I stay on the wagon with traditional diet, I’m good to go. Much less wiggle room in the spring with the constant pollen irritant which really sets off an immune system that might be imbalanced for whatever reason.
I have definitely seen an improvement in my seasonal allergies since changing my diet to a traditional diet and paying more attention to gut flora. I noticed it last year when friends were suffering thru what they called “the worst allergy season ever” and I was okay, for the most part.
Hi Sarah,
I do understand what you wrote and agree. I am just really wondering why is it that allergies flare up mainly when the pollen is abundant, when pollen is not the culprit? I may have missed that in the article?
The pollen triggers an immune system overreaction. When there is no pollen, the immune system is still just as whacked … the pollen just makes it more evident is all.
So, moving to a place where your allergies don’t bother you won’t fix the problem either. The problem is still there … the pollen is just not triggering it.
I have also been reading Matt Stone’s ideas about problems with both GAPS and Paleo diets – especially when carried on for extended periods of time. Avoidance of all grains and carbs may give an initial feeling of wellness – Matt believes due to a surge of cortisol produced by the adrenal glands – overtime the thyroid gets stressed from lack of carbs and metabolism slows lowering body temperature which can lead to more infections and hormonal dysregulation. The adrenal glands may become fatigued from overuse and the our receptors for adrenal hormones may become desensitized. I think Allison’s right about staying safer with a WAPF diet of properly prepared grains rather than avoiding all grains.
GAPS is not supposed to be for an extended period of time. 3 years is the max for the majority of people. My husband and I only needed 6 months on it and that was all we needed.
Grains and sugars (all disaccharrides) need to be avoided temporarily to heal the gut. Period. This is not a life sentence however which is the great news.
The GAPS diet is NOT a low carb diet. It is an elimination of disaccharides. Please READ her book.
YES.
Neither is GAPS anywhere near in the same school of thought as the Paleo diet. Both are whole-food-based and eschew grains. That’s about where the similarities end.
As Sarah has reiterated, GAPS is intended to be a temporary healing protocol, not a “lifestyle” like the Paleo/Primal movement.
I believe Matt Stone is spot-on in his evidence-based thoughts regarding low-carb dieting. There is absolutely no reason to eat low-carb while on GAPS. It’s not recommended, it’s not necessary, and it’s not healthy. I’m on GAPS, and I actually am working on implementing RRARF with GAPS-legal foods to improve my body temps and hormones. But while my gut is healing, I’ll be staying away from grains. Again, like Sarah said, you cannot heal from gut dysbiosis while eating grains and disaccharides.
Yes yes yes!!!! It’s a healing diet, not Paleo.
Also, Paleo/Primal is NOT low carb. I do it and currently get about 30% of calories form carbs, including sweet potatoes, potatoes, white rice and fruit.
I have a question here for you Gapsters referring with the comment above about food allergies being hard to diagnose. My daughter went on GAPS at the age of 9 months for a little over a year to heal multiple food allergies. The last food that gave her eczema/hives was milk (raw of course, pasteurized made her throw up). Around 20 months, I began adding kefir and yogurt into her diet and joyfully noticed that she had no reaction. I tried raw milk and she took it just fine. We went off GAPS a few weeks after as her weight was good and she had no more eczema. However, a few days ago, I gave her a yogurt smoothie, and, being a messy two year old, she began rubbing it on her belly. A bunch or hives appeared. Does this mean she still has an allergy although there is no visible signs when she ingests it? Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks!
I don’t have an issue with grains at all. I eat them myself carefully prepared.
Avoidance of grains and starches is helpful and nothing short of miraculous for many as a short term dietary approach for healing the gut wall and repairing our best little microscopic friends .. the enterocytes that guard any baddies in the gut from making it through that gut wall into our blood.
Also, am I understanding you that on GAPS you didn’t take any supplements and ate buckwheat? You absolutely must take a therapeutic strength probiotic while on GAPS for it to work. The diet alone will not be sufficient. Also, buckwheat is best avoided also from what I learned from Nora Gedgaudas who says if I am remembering correctly there is a compound in there that is similar to gluten that causes problems in many people. Buckwheat is on the avoid list for GAPS.
I’m glad you’re feeling better. One month is not a long time though. I would also be careful as I hear that Matt Stone recommends soda and candy bars too. I would be very cautious about accepting dietary advice from someone who has these sorts of ideas.
I agree that GAPS in no way suggests low-carb eating. If it had made that suggestion there is no way I would have put my 2-year-old child on it. If the individual intentionally or unintentionally eats low-carb while on GAPS, then perhaps that is where all of the low-carb issues Matt Stone describes would come in. I have not read enough of Matt Stone’s work to know for sure (although I plan to read it). What I do know is that there is a reason the GAPS Diet excludes grains and gluten. It is a reason based in bio-chemical fact and having to do with the pathophysiology of intestinal hyperpermeability and the size of the sugar molecules, as Sarah has stated Dr. Campbell-McBride has written. The pathophysiology that Dr. Campbell-McBride states is also there for anyone to read in the immunology, neurology, and gastroenterological peer-reviewed literature. My child would not have been placed on the GAPS Diet unless what I read in the peer-reviewed literature corroborated with Dr. Campbell-McBride’s claims.
I also agree that Dr. Campbell-McBride never suggested staying on GAPS for more than 2-3 years. She actually states otherwise.
If a child can eat foods to which they were previously allergic within a month of starting any plan (GAPS included), then I would suspect an error in the allergy testing process, rather than a healing from the new diet. I have a child with food allergies and have read a few immunology textbooks. The pathophysiology of true food allergies is such that one month is simply not long enough for a true food allergy to resolve (nor does it seem long enough for even a true non-immune mediated food intolerance to subside). Blood food allergy testing is notoriously inaccurate–ask any immunologist. That is why food challenges (a.k.a., in vivo challenge) are the gold standard in allergy testing. Similarly, food reactions detected with blood allergy tests that measure immunoglobulin G (IgG) are notoriously inaccurate. Unless there is an IgE-mediated reaction, it is not a true immune-mediated food allergy, and is instead an intolerance. Again, it seems unlikely that any diet could cure even a food intolerance in a month’s time. I would expect testing error.
A child whose allergies are getting worse at first on GAPS would actually be a sign of healing according to Dr. McBride. She notes that as the gut begins to heal, the body tends to communicate better regarding what it does and does not want during the healing process. I have experienced this myself on GAPS. Perhaps if a child stops showing food allergy symptoms within a month’s time off of GAPS it would be a sign that the body is once again picking its battles carefully, and only choosing to react to those foods to which it is severely allergic out of a sense of being overwhelmed by a background/baseline level of inflammation that is again heightened. It is also possible that die-off reactions (a major part of the healing process during GAPS) were mistaken for allergic reactions to foods. My daughter and I have rashes anytime we increase our doses of probiotics. The rash looks just like a food allergy rash. How do I know it is not a food allergy? It happens every time we increase the probiotics, regardless of what we have eaten that day.
I have done strict GAPS for the past 5 months. My seasonal allergies have been less severe this year than ever before. Is the fact that I am not yet cured of my allergies a sign that GAPS is not working? I don’t think so. I think it is a sign that I need to stay on it longer. Years of damage cannot be undone quickly.
As for GAPS (as it is written by Dr. Campbell-McBride) causing hormonal dysfunction, I do not agree with that line of thinking. Also suggesting that increasing ones carbs, to the levels I have read about Matt Stone’s followers doing on other blogs, will fix one’s hormones does not make good sense when one considers the pathophysiology of insulin resistance and the effects of excess insulin on hormone production. Whether or not these folks are accurately following Matt Stone’s advice, I do not know. As an anecdote, my PCOS symptoms have never been more in check than they are on GAPS. As most women with PCOS can claim, I have laboratory results showing precisely how messed up my hormones were off of GAPS when I was having symptoms. As for adrenal stress and increased cortisol potentially giving me a false feeling of healing, I can say that my adrenals were so fatigued prior to going on GAPS (thanks to two years of unrelenting stress) that there is absolutely no way they had the functional capacity to crank out enough cortisol to make me feel a false sense of healing (and that is assuming that cortisol could actually produce such a feeling, which is debatable). It is, however, a medical fact that excess insulin (produced when one eats too many carbs) can cause a false sense of well-being–especially, if the person is already insulin resistant (as many folks with imbalanced hormones are). This is why carbs are so addictive. Dr. Campbell-McBride touches on this.
There are many reasons hair can fall out besides thyroid down-regulation. Consult any endocrinology textbook, the literature on heavy metal toxicity, and the literature on vitamin and mineral deficiency (remember vitamin deficiency can be caused by gut dysbiosis). Additionally, if you were breastfeeding as you mentioned, then you could have just been having the normal post-partum shed that would have resolved on its own anyway. Similarly, it is normal for you to feel hormonally imbalanced while breastfeeding. You are supposed to be progesterone dominant (which is far from a woman’s normal hormonal state) while breastfeeding. If you weren’t progesterone dominant, you would not be making milk. This is why breastfeeding women lose their milk supplies when they take birth control pills containing estrogen.
In a gluten-intolerant individual, resumption of eating gluten would further disturb the absorption of nutrients and possibly lead to cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. So if your daughter was truly gluten intolerant, per antibody testing or intestinal biopsy, I would think twice (actually I would think 100 times) before resuming gluten consumption, even if they she seems to be tolerating it all of a sudden.
Lack of libido while breastfeeding is in fact normal. It serves an evolutionary function. It is mother nature’s way of preventing you from getting pregnant while your body is recovering from the nutritional depletion it experiences during pregnancy. If you were to become pregnant immediately after a pregnancy, then the fetus would be at a nutritional disadvantage due to your body’s nutrient stores being depleted. It is also mother nature’s way of ensuring that the child you are nursing gets nurse longer, without competition from another child. If you have stumbled upon a way to increase your libido while nursing, then that is great if that is what you want . . . just don’t forget that you evolved to have no libido during pregnancy to protect your health, the health of the child you are nursing, and the health of your next child.
I do not find Dr. Campbell-McBride’s recommended supplements expensive. They are far cheaper than prescription drugs or surgery. As a bonus they actually treat root causes rather than symptoms.
Why can I not find any information regarding Matt Stone’s educational preparation? Has he been to medical school of any sort, or does he have a degree in orthomolecular science? Does someone who has been to medical school or to school for orthomolecular science review the advice he is giving? I am becoming more and more interested in reading what Matt Stone has written. So far, the interpretations of his work being given by his followers do not seem to align with physiological, endocrinological, gastroenterological, and immunological realities.
Nicole,
Thank you for such detailed information! Going to your site now to have a look around!!!
Taking raw local honey helps with seasonal allergies. The thing that cured me was TBM done by someone who was trained in it kinda like a chiropractor. Even though my allergies had been less than they were I was starting to get the itchy inner ears and the same day she worked on me it was gone. She cleared me for the basic allergies of mold and bee pollen. I wish more people knew about this amazing technique. It can help people with every sort of ailment out there. My son got a an ear infection and within 5 minutes of being adjusted and cleared of the bacteria he was back to normal and hasn’t had another since. Sometimes using food as thy medicine isn’t enough in our messed up world! Though I do agree with what is said in the article about working on the gut for allergies.
Hi, Janelle:
What does TBM stand for? Thanks.
It is called Total Body Modification, it uses the energy of your body through muscle testing and pressing points on your body to basically and very simply put- tell your body what to do or eliminate. Its kind of like tapping into your body’s electrical ‘computer’ system, but without using any machine or medicine. I have no connection with this website, it might help to explain what it is, but even I don’t fully understand how it works.
We go to a local practitioner/friend who does this out of her home. It has been amazing and is always spot on, nothing short of miraculous, really! She will find every single thing amiss in your body, even before symptoms appear, at the cellular level. Then you can take care of issues before they get too bad. Nearly all of our friends go to her, here.
Nickole
I use raw local honey too. My allergies have much improved since starting that. I think it’s also that we’ve started to eat healthier around the same time as the intro of honey. I’ve got a long ways to go to improve our eating habits but we’ve made great strides.
Jerilea,
I’ve had inner ear itching for many years now along with tinitis. This started right when I quit taking Zyrtec (long story) This was the beginning of my journey in health, but so irritated by this problem and I can’t seem to find what is causing it.
If anyone has any ideas on this, I would love to hear it!
That is so interesting, Ann–I have the same problems after coming off taking Zyrtec sometime last year. Particularly the ear itching. The tinitis is not regular, but I noticed it earlier this afternoon. I use ear candles and a garlic oil in my ears to help with with itching. Tinitis, not so sure what to do about that.
And Brook – just a thought, but look into the power of helichrysum at doterra.com for your tinnitis.
I’ve had itching in my ears for years. Recently, I started rubbing a little coconut oil in my ears. Also, a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the ear when it hurts/ feels like it might be infected from itching too much. I’m sure it’s a yeast thing, though. The ear itching didn’t start until after I had whooping cough and antibiotics for it at 13 years old.
Sarah, this article was really helpful. I’d never thought about seasonal allergies being a harbinger of other autoimmune diseases. I’ve always had some kind of allergies, seasonal and otherwise. Now, I have some sort of skin issue, either psoriasis or eczema, on my hands. Of course, it doesn’t help my hands that I have small children who need diaper changes and help wiping and then wash my hands multiple times a day. =) I’ve been trying to better my gut health, before reading this; here’s hoping that my allergies back off! Thanks!
Ann, have you looked into the possibility of yeast (candida) in your body?
I suffered from horrible seasonal allergies for years and years. Changing to a traditional diet that is also grain-free has made a huge difference. Another hint is bee pollen. I get bee pollen from my local bee keeper and take 1 Tblsp a day. It desensitizes you (much like allergy shots but in a more natural way). The key is to get bee pollen from your local area as that would have the pollens that you need your body to “get used to” and to start small. Bee pollen can actually trigger an allergic reaction if too much is taken too soon, so start off at 1 or 2 grains the first few days and build up from there. I take it year round to keep my resistance strong. It’s full of protein and digestive enzymes and very good for you even if you don’t have allergies!
Bee pollen is great stuff, my husband loves taking it. Unfortunately I am severly allergic to honeybees and get hives when I take pee pollen. Maybe that is a gut issue, not sure.