03/29/2016
Hello Everyone,
Since everyone is coming in with coughs and runny noses, I guess it's time to start talking about allergies. After the interesting winter we just had you just know this allergy season is going to hurt. So with this post we will briefly talk about what you can do to help make it better for you without running to the medicine cabinet every 10 minutes.
First step is to limit your allergy symptoms is to minimize the exposure to whatever it is your allergic too. I know the weather is starting to get warmer but driving around with the window open is not going to help you. Your just asking the pollen to swirl around your car causing uncontrolled histamine release in your body.
Same for sleeping at night with the window open. I know it's cool out but the pollen is at its worst at night and the constant exposure to outside air will make it hard to get a good night sleep. Take a shower before you go to bed and keep the clothes you have been outside in out of the bedroom. At the very least, you want to keep your bedroom allergen free. If you don't sleep, that's when you will get sick. Secondary infections like sinus infections, colds, and bronchitis can take advantage of an allergy sufferer if their immune system becomes compromised due to lack of sleep so it's important the bedroom stays as allergen free as possible.
As far as over the counter medication to help your allergy symptoms, here are a few suggestions that have limited side effects. The first is your standard antihistamines like Benadryl, Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec. All of these will help reduce histamine levels produced by allergens and will help keep your symptoms under control. Other then making you a bit sleepy most don't have any side effects. WARNING: Men should avoid using Benadryl and nasal decongestants like Afrin. They can effect the
prostate in older men. Stay away from psuedoephedrin. They have a long list of side effects that could really effect your health.
Some over the counter remedy that has zero side effects is Simply Saline and Breath Right strips. Arm and hammer makes Simply Saline and it's basically salt water in compressed air ( see picture on the bottom of the post). The salty mist will irrigate the nasal passages and the salt will dry you out and help you sleep at night. The trick to using it is that you need to use it nightly. It does have a cumulative effect so get a bottle and try it nightly for a week. I personally find its easier to use then the Neti-pot. Not only is it less messy but you won't subluxation your neck trying to use it. Breath Right strips uses a bandaid like apparatus with a rigid insert to help open up your nasal-passages allowing more air to be drawn in. Both work great, especially together, and aside from the Breath Right strips making you look a bit goofy, will help you sleep at night.
Finally lets talk about what chiropractic can do for our allergy suffers. One of the worst parts of allergy symptoms is the stuffy nose and congested sinuses. This happens due to uncontrolled histamine release in your body. It can get so bad that it can tighten the muscles under the skull and around the upper neck which is we're the sinuses drain in the first place. If it gets to tight it will keep you sinus from draining causing more pain. Upper cervical and skull adjustment help release this area so the sinuses can drain. In particular the anterior skull adjustment really works the best to stretch this area and it usually lasts a week to 2 weeks so most patients only need 1 or 2 adjustments to get them through the season.
If you or a loved one is suffering from allergies share this article with them. Thanks again for your support and feel free to post any questions for us.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Mike
