Feeling allergic to the planet? Tips for managing environmental allergies

It’s springtime and the flowers are blooming, the grass is green, and the trees are budding. For many, this signifies the start of allergy season. While pollen may be the most well-known environmental allergen, there are many other everyday substances that can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. We’re offering some tips and can help overcome this feeling of being allergic to the planet.

What are environmental allergies?

At our allergy and environmental medicine clinic, we see patients who experience symptoms from things like dust, moulds, artificial fragrances, smoke, paint fumes, pet dander, and cleaning chemicals. Known as environmental allergies, these reactions can lead to symptoms such as congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, headaches, and fatigue. There are many medical papers that link more frequently occurring conditions, such as asthma, eczema, multiple chemical sensitivities and chronic fatigue, to common substances which surround us at home, at work and as we go about our daily life.

Often people don’t notice the effect of these environmental allergens until the cumulative effects cause a variety of symptoms to show up – this is what we call the Load Phenomenon. The Load Phenomenon can be likened to a scale of things such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, impure water and food. By lightening the burden of numerous allergens, symptoms can be reduced.

Tips to reduce your symptoms

The good news is there are steps you can take to pinpoint your triggers and find relief.

Here are some tips on how to help your body deal with environmental allergies:

• Limit your exposure to irritants. Dusting and vacuuming frequently and using air filters can help reduce allergen load in your home. There are many different things you can do to make your home a safe haven.  Ask for a copy of our booklet, Improving your home environment.
• Becoming scent-free is an easy step to help with treatment of environmental illness and is one of the most important lifestyle changes we recommend to those looking to reduce their load. We kindly request that all our patients and visitors practise ‘scent-free’ when visiting the clinic. To learn how, read: Becoming Scent-free
• Keep a symptom journal. Track when your allergies flare up and see if you can identify any patterns related to your surroundings. This can help you and a member of our Clinical Team determine the possible culprits.
• Get tested. We offer pathology testing that can identify specific environmental allergies. This allows us to customise treatment accordingly. For many, low-dose immunotherapy (LDI) can lessen hypersensitive immune system reactions to allergens. It works like a vaccine to build tolerance over time.
• Address other factors. Issues such as poor gut health or nutritional deficiencies may exacerbate allergies, so we look at the whole picture for underlying causes.
• Make dietary changes. Eliminating inflammatory foods and adding gut-healing nutrients can support the immune system.  Our Clinical Team can provide guidance on how to do this.
• Detoxify to help eliminate toxins in the body, including drugs. Fever is the body’s natural defence system that raises its temperature above normal in an attempt to destroy invading organisms and sweat impurities out of the system. We offer hyperthermia treatments to raise the body’s core temperature, which can have a major therapeutic effect.

We’re here to help you

Relief from environmental allergies is possible. Find out how to book a consultation to explore personalised solutions tailored to your unique medical needs. We’re here to help you breathe easier and live healthier.