Although this year spring feels like it’s having a false start, pollens are still in the air and spring time seasonal allergies have arrived!

Seasonal allergies (also called hay fever or allergic rhinitis) affect around one of the 10 million Canadians. If you’re one of the 10million, you’ve probably started to get itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and all the other fun symptoms that come with the change in season.

What are allergies?

An allergy is classified as a reaction to a normally harmless substance, food or environment, for which there is an immune system response. This reaction results in an inflammatory response for which the degree of severity ranges. The IgE antibody must be identified for a true allergy to occur.

Seasonal allergies specifically are causes by the release of spores by mold or pollens from trees, grasses, flowers, and weeds. These spores and pollens can stimulate our immune system causing an immune reaction if our body sees them as invaders.

Through the release of antibodies, our mast cells from our immune system release inflammatory compounds like histamine which then create the symptoms of allergies we then experience.

Delayed Spring Allergies?

Although it feels like winter just doesn’t want to fully leave us this year, this delayed spring we’re having is going to create a double punch in the sinuses for allergy sufferers. 👊👃👊

A cooler spring means that there is a delay in the tree pollens like birch. As these tree pollens get pushed back, they start to overlap with the grasses giving allergy sufferers a rough time when the weather does start to warm up around mid-May.
According to the Weather Network, the current air pollens (end of April – beginning of May) are from the following trees: Boxelder, Maple, Cedar, Juniper, Aspen, and Poplar. By the end of the week we’re going to start to see Ash and Birch starting to bloom.

Year Round Allergies

Although it’s most commonly thought that seasonal allergies only occur in the spring time, people can suffer from seasonal allergies year long.

Spring Allergies

If you suffer from spring time allergies, you’re mostly reacting to things like trees, outdoor mold, fertilizers, barometric pressures, grasses, lawn cuttings, and flower pollens.

Common trees in the Great Lakes area that cause spring time allergies are: Alder, Ash, Birch, Cedar, Cottonwood, Elm, Hickory, Juniper, Maple, Mulberry, Oak, Pine, Poplar, Sycamore, and Willow trees.

Common grasses and weeds in the Great Lakes area that cause spring time allergies are: Bermuda, Fescue, Johnson, June, Orchard, Perennial Rye, Redtop, Saltgrass, Sweet vernal, and Timothy grass.

Summer Allergies

Those suffering with allergies in the summer time are most commonly from: grasses/pollens, lawn cuttings, common weeds, trees, outdoor molds, fertilizers, pesticides, heat, solar radiations, pollution, barometric pressures, and flower pollens.

Towards the end of August we start to see ragweed and goldenrod as well.

Fall Allergies

In my practice fall allergies are just as common as spring time allergies. Another spike in allergies happen as soon as ragweed and goldenrod start to flower around mid-august through till the first frost.

Fall allergies are most commonly from: Ragweed, Goldenrod, outdoor molds, grasses, pesticides, fertilizers, garden debris, and barometric pressures.

Winter Allergies

Allergies in the winter time are most commonly from: household toxins, dust, dust mites, latex, cold, fireplace ashes, barometric pressures, and poinsettias.

Because the cold temperatures and the inability to open the windows to allow fresh air into the home, winter allergies are most often due to poor indoor air quality.

Natural Solutions for Seasonal Allergies

Taking an antihistamine on the regular is not an ideal situation. There are various products available that help the body reduce inflammation in the body which in turn help with seasonal allergies.

However, it’s very common that when I have a client with seasonal allergies, there is also an underlying immune issue causing the immune system to be on overdrive creating multiple reactions. Often these imbalances stem in our gut – where 80% of our immune system resides!

So, although taking antihistamines or natural products can be helpful or give short term relief, healing the root cause is much more effective!

When our gut flora (the bacteria that control our entire health!) are out of balance, it forces our immune system to work on overdrive due to a process called Leaky Gut. This is when the inflammation in our digestive system causes holes to produce within our gut lining forcing our immune system to be on high alert due to a compromised digestive tract.

I put together an in-depth post on leaky gut and the connection with allergies which you can read here: Leaky Gut: The connection with digestive health to autoimmunity, mental health, and more!

Seasonal Allergies and BIE

As a BioEnergetic (BIE) Practitioner, I use muscle testing (also known as Biofeedback Analysis or Applied Kinesiology) to determine the “stressors” that cause the body to be imbalanced and create the symptoms you experience.

So in the case of seasonal allergies, I use muscle testing with all the various allergens to determine what specifically it is that your body is having a reaction with. I have various vials and kits that I use depending on the season such as plants and pollens, ragweed, indoor and outdoor molds, yeast and fungi, as well as a collection of environmental samples.

Once we identify what it is your body is having a reaction with, then I use the BioEnergetic (BIE) Process to help re-establish internal balance so you can self heal and alleviate any symptoms!

This testing process is non-invasive, painless, easy, and safe for your entire family – including children (>6months). Needles are not used in this process.

To read more on the BIE Process and how it can help you, you can read more here: What is BIE and how can it help?

Conclusion

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m all about getting to the roof cause of an issues so that your body can self heal, and you can life your best life!

Using the BIE Process to help with seasonal allergies is a very effective tool. Especially when we make sure your immune system and digestive health are working optimally as well!

Take it from my client Bill who sent me this text last fall:

After healing his digestive system and working on the ragweed and goldenrod plants, he has been symptom free! Even after a 5 hr walk in a conservation park!

If you want to know more information on how I approach seasonal allergies, how the BIE Process works, my testing methods, or if your health and allergy symptoms are potentially related to leaky gut, enter your name and email below to sign up for my free 30 min consultation.Book me in!

In this session I’ll go over your Whole Body Health Profile and see where the main imbalances are in your body and what can be causing your symptoms.

Much Love,

References

https://globalnews.ca/news/5206636/allergy-season-canada-2019/ 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27112/ 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573758/