If your office is anything like ours you may be saying “bless you” a whole lot more often lately. Fall is in the air and so are allergens! Offices everywhere are filled with sneezing, sniffles, and the sounds of people clearing their throats due to fall allergies. While medication can help alleviate the most severe allergy symptoms there is something else you can do to help ease your itchy eyes and runny nose. Stay hydrated!
Some medical research suggests that there is a link between dehydration and the severity of fall allergies.
Allergies are conditions where the immune system overacts to a substance that is typically considered harmless like dust or pollen. When the allergen is introduced to your body your immune system begins to make a protein called IgE. This protein binds to the allergen and the body releases histamine and other chemicals into your blood. Histamines begin the process of removing allergens from your body. They increase inflammation, which then allows other chemicals from your immune system to step in and do the repair work. If you are allergic to pollen, mold, or dust, you breathe those in triggering a reaction in your nose. Histamines would then prompt the membranes in your airway to make more mucus leading to a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, and coughing.
Some studies suggest that a lack of water can actually cause the body to produce more histamine. Researchers theorize that if you are dehydrated and your body is releasing more histamine, your fall allergies could be stronger and last longer. A separate study suggests that dehydrated individuals also produce fewer allergy-blocking antibodies. When allergens come into contact with your eyes, or you breathe them in, your dehydrated body lacks the antibodies to adequately neutralize that allergen. With fewer antibodies in your system, the body also releases more histamine contributing to more frequent and more intense allergic symptoms.
Every single system in the body depends on having adequate amounts of fluids in order to function properly. Water flushes toxins from vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells, and provides a moist environment for ear, nose, throat, and eye tissues. Even mild dehydration can disrupt these systems causing serious side effects and negatively impacting the way your body functions and fights irritants. Hydration is not a cure for allergies, but it can ease the severity of allergy symptoms and help you breathe a little easier.
Give your nose a break! If you are feeling the effects of dehydration give us a call and make an appointment. IV Hydration therapy puts vital fluids directly into your system, hydrating you from the inside out. We can also customize intravenous fluids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to put back the nutrients your body craves. Try taking a whole body approach to fighting your fall allergies and add IV Hydration to you routine.
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