Allergies and Gardening

The long dark days of winter are slowly being replaced by the sunshine, warmth, and beauty of spring. While this seasonal shift is a welcome change for most people, those suffering from allergies gear up for a fight. Seasonal allergies are one of the most rapidly growing health concerns today, affecting 50 million people in America each year. Studies show that 25 percent of the population suffers from spring and fall allergies when mold, tree, grass, and flower pollens are carried in the air.

The traditional medical view is that allergies are a result of patient exposure to an innocuous substance. Treatment under this model focuses on reducing the body’s exposure to the allergen. Natural medicine, on the other hand, views allergies as a result of the patient’s weakened immune system. Treatment focuses on improving the immune system, allowing the body to better differentiate between what is dangerous and what is inert.

The Immune System and Your Gut:

80 percent of your immune system is housed in your gut. An attack on the environment of the gut acts as an insult to the immune system, resulting in allergies. The largest insults to the gut are sugar and refined grains. They sway the natural balance between healthy bacteria and yeast by enhancing the yeast. This consequently reduces the production of immune boosting products by healthy bacteria and reduces the effectiveness of the immune system. L-glutamine is the key supplement for healing the gut and improving the immune system. L-glutamine is an amino acid that is widely used by the immune system as a fuel source. It can help boost the immune system during times of stress and prevent it from becoming weak and ineffective.

Strengthening Your Immune System:

Since most of your immune system is housed in your gut. The following are pointers to keep your gut healthy:

Eliminate refined sugars from your diet – sugar feeds bacteria.
Reduce your use of antibiotics – they unintentionally kill your helpful bacteria.
Use natural unprocessed honey- it helps to desensitize you to pollen and other allergens.
Use Olive leaf extract – a natural immune booster.
Use a netti-pot – it can help keep the nasal passages free of allergens and pathogens.

Fit more honey into your diet during allergy season with a recipe for our delicious No-bake peanut butter HONEY energy bites!

Ingredients:

1 cp dry oatmeal

⅔ cp toasted coconut flakes

Directions:

½ cp peanut butter Mix all ingredients together, form into 1 inch balls, and refrigerate.

½ cp ground flaxseed

½ cp semisweet chocolate chips

⅓ cp raw local honey

1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)

1tsp vanilla extract

Enjoy!

Practical Tips to prevent allergies:

Never let exposed clothes come into the house
Shower after working in the house
Netti-pot (spring cleaning for your nose!)
Change your air filters in the home regularly
Find a good quality air purifier
Take Olive Leaf Extract
Use ear candles
Get a chiropractic adjustment
Start a garden

A garden can be a great way to strengthen your immune system. Simply working out in the dirt can be a great training ground for your immune soldiers. The produce is also a fantastic source of antioxidants, which are important for fighting off pathogens.

Keys to a Successful Garden:

For your first gardening experience, don’t bite off more than you can chew…or hoe. Start off with a garden no larger than 8’x10’. It is important to choose a location that receives as much sun as possible throughout the day, is relatively flat, and away from large trees.

What should you plant?

It is important to plant foods that you enjoy eating. Focus on the healthiest vegetables and the “dirtiest” vegetables. Dirty vegetables are those that are most commonly sprayed with cancer-causing fertilizers and pesticides (kale, spinach, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, etc)

Easy to Grow Vegetables:

Broccoli, peas, beans (especially dry beans), Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, red bell peppers, beets, leaf amaranth, carrots, and leafy greens are easy to grow.

Companion herbs:

Chamomile, chive, cilantro, dill, garlic, mints, rosemary, sage, and tarragon will grow well alongside your vegetables.

Organic Gardening Ideas:

Beer Fertilizer:
- 1 cup Epsom salt
- 1 can of beer
- 1 cup of ammonia

Dissolve the Epsom salts in 2 cups of warm water. Add the Epsom salt and a can of beer into your garden sprayer or 3 gallon watering can. Add the ammonia right before use to maximize its effectiveness.

Homemade All-Purpose Insecticide Spray:
- 15 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 3 cayenne peppers
- ½ tsp liquid Castile soap
- 4 cups water

Blend in a blender and use with a spray bottle

Don’t Forget!

Please remember when working in the garden to bend with your legs and hips and not through your back. Don’t turn a healthy activity into one that sacrifices your spinal structure.

Stop in our chiropractic office in Roanoke, Virginia to schedule an appointment with Dr. Rich!