Doylestown Chiropractor Offers Allergy Relief Tips



If you are a local Doylestown resident who is one of the nearly 40 million Americans-that's 25% of the total population- who suffer from asthma and other allergies, torture time is just around the corner. As spring blossoms, the pollen will flow and walk in the park or a play date with your dog or cat can result in red itchy eyes, nasal congestion and overall awfulness.  

However, sometimes a person's allergic reactions can go from just plain irritating to dangerous and life-threatening as the air passageway constricts and breathing becomes a problem.  This progression of symptoms can frequently produce a state of panic. Nor is it cheap — allergies and allergy-driven asthma cost the U.S. an estimated $32 billion a year.

Unhappily, if you are one of the many people who suffers from chronic allergies, it may even seem to you, on occasion, that your environment is quite inhospitable and alien!

You may question why it is that other people appear to be so unaffected by the environment, while your body reacts, or rather overreacts to it.  It's a valid question.  Allergic responses are caused by a hyperactive immune system that "freaks out" when confronted with commonplace foods and other products such as pollen, dust, dander, shellfish or nuts. 

Have you been wondering if a chiropractor can help with your allergies?  The fact is that many people have experienced relief from their allergy symptoms after receiving a chiropractic treatment.  The reason why, however, may surprise you because chiroprators don't actually treat allergies.  The reason for this is because chiropractic manipulation affects the complete nervous system, including the autoimmune system.  When there is an impedance in the nervous system, along with other problems, the autoimmune system, whose job it is to assist us in adapting and responding appropriately to our environment, can become under-active or overactive.  The problem is the latter when it comes to your allergies.  Because chiropractic manipulations lessen or remove disturbances in the nervous system and bring the body back into balance and harmony, the treatments provide that same balance and harmony to the auto-immune system as well. A healthy immune system reacts appropriately to supposed allergens in the environment.



Dr. Jeff McQuaite, of Azzatori Chiropractic,  recommends these simple ways to fight seasonal allergies naturally:

Keep allergens out — Pollen can collect on your clothes, skin, and hair, and be tracked into your home, where it mixes with household dust. A shower and change of clothes will cut down on the irritants you inhale. Keeping windows closed and turning on the air-conditioning can also reduce allergy symptoms by filtering out pollen (just be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning the filter).

Use a Cool-Mist Humidifier - You might be tempted to pack up the humidifier now that spring is here, but hold off. When it’s still a little cool at night and indoor humidity is low, using a cool-mist humidifier can help get allergens out of the air. Water droplets bind to the allergens, and they get heavy and fall to the floor so you don’t inhale them.

Air Purifier with a HEPA Filter - Using a HEPA filter—especially in the bedroom—is the best way to remove spores and pollen from the air.

Perk up puffy eyes — The histamines released during an allergy attack cause blood vessels to dilate, making eyes swollen and watery. For quick relief, try cold compresses or eye creams whose ingredients include caffeine; cold and caffeine both reduce swelling that can help people to look and feel better.

Go natural — Eat bee pollen and/or pure, raw honey. If you are familiar with the concept of vaccinations, this is Mother Nature’s all-natural, seasonal allergy vaccination. Consuming local bee pollen and/or pure, raw honey will allow your immune system to build natural antibodies to the pollens you are most frequently exposed to. Bee pollen is much more effective than honey and is also free of sugar. Be aware: honey that is not 100 percent raw will have limited benefits, if any. This is best to start before allergy season. Also try using Quercetin. This substance, which is found in the skin of onions and apples, is a natural antihistamine

Nasal irrigation — Nasal irrigation can wash away allergens (like pollen) and excess mucus. When you experience a flare-up, fill a neti pot (a small, spouted dish) with saline water, then tilt your head to one side and pour it into the upper nostril. The water will flush out of the lower nostril. Bromelain may reduce inflammation inside the nasal passages and may also be taken as a supplement.

See your Doylestown chiropractor — The next time you sneeze, it may be a good time to visit a chiropractor. Most people never think about it, but chiropractic care can help provide allergy relief by helping to temper an overactive immune system that can lead to bad allergy symptoms.

So, there you go, the "mystery" is solved: A chiropractor doesn't treat allergies and asthma, per se, but your allergy symptoms will likely respond, nonetheless. You could say, instead, that relief from your allergies is simply the by-product of a well-adjusted nervous system.  Make an appointment, today, to see a chiropractor and get back into harmony with your environment.