How to Beef Up Your Body Against Allergies

6 Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System to Fight Allergies

You may be able to minimize the impact of seasonal allergies by building your body's defenses against them. Find out more about your immune system and allergies.

Reviewed: November 11, 2013

If you have seasonal allergies, chances are you've spent plenty of time cruising drugstore aisles looking for relief from allergy symptoms. You know just how wide a variety of medications there are — both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription — for seasonal allergies. What's less well known is that you may also be able to get allergy relief by building up your defenses against them. Check out these tips to enhance your immune system and send allergies packing.

Fight Allergies With Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is the only way to truly change the way your immune system and allergy response to allergens like pollen and ragweed, explained Michael Mardiney, Jr., MD, an allergist at MD Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. People who are treated with immunotherapy receive injections containing the substances they are allergic to, in increasing amounts once or twice a week. This desensitizes the immune system over time. Immunotherapy is usually the best treatment when your seasonal allergy symptoms occur year-round or when you don't have enough success with allergy medication.

Fight Allergies With Meditation

Research has shown that high levels of stress can worsen existing allergies, possibly by upsetting the balance of substances in your body that control immune response. "If you're under stress, allergies are going to be a bigger problem," said Joseph Leija, MD, an allergist with Loyola University Health System in Chicago. Some studies have found that meditation has a positive effect on stress levels and can even reduce anxiety and pain. So go ahead and give it a try — even if it doesn't improve your allergy symptoms much, you'll probably feel more relaxed, and that's never a bad thing.

Fight Allergies With a Pro-Health Lifestyle

Logging hours at the gym and eating your vegetables aren't going to cure or completely prevent seasonal allergies. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can certainly minimize the effects of allergy symptoms though, as well as a host of other conditions. "If someone is in great shape, exercises, and does all these great things, they can withstand the impact of allergies better than someone who's got all kinds of other problems," Dr. Mardiney noted. One word of caution, though: If you are sensitive to outdoor allergens like pollen, you may want to take your exercise routine indoors when levels are at their highest, or take your allergy medication before you start out.

Fight Allergies by Controlling Your Surroundings

While it doesn't necessarily help your body fight off seasonal allergies, creating an environment to minimize allergens is a good, medicine-free way to keep allergy symptoms at bay. This could include using an air conditioner for temperature control instead of opening a window or wearing protective gear when you must be outside. "When you're gardening, use a mask to protect yourself as much as possible," Dr. Leija advised. "Then when you come inside, wash your hair and change your clothing."

Fight Allergies With a Laugh

The results aren't definitive — more studies need to be done — but research indicates that humor may increase immune function by increasing levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), a protein found in your eyes, ears, mouth, throat, and nose that protects against infection. (Many people who have a condition called selective IgA deficiency seem to be more susceptible to allergies than others.) So go ahead and rent a funny movie or visit a comedy club with friends — anything that gives you the giggles may help you feel better.

When All Else Fails For Allergy Relief…

Sometimes, even the strongest immune system falls victim to seasonal allergies that leave a trail of mucus in their wake. When this happens, you may find the most surefire way to fight allergy symptoms is through good old-fashioned allergy medication, either prescription or over-the-counter. "The proper drugs can diminish and block the expression of allergic disease," Mardiney said. "There's a lot you can do for allergies."

farrisgrespear.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com/allergy-pictures/ways-to-strengthen-your-immune-system-to-fight-allergies.aspx