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Everywhere across the country when we talk to people they report that their region is the allergy capital of the world. Allergies are increasing in developed nations by up to 30% annually. Why is this and what can we do about it?
There are lots of suggestions. The hygiene hypothesis suggests that we are too clean and shows that children exposed to more pollens and germs in their early life, like before 6 months, have fewer allergies. Having brothers and sisters, or pets, or a barn on the other side of your bedroom are all protective.
Some think it is related to air pollution. But the air in East Germany was very polluted before the wall fell and Germany united. Since unification the air has cleaned up, but allergies and asthma have increased. The authors of a study on asthma discharges from the hospital in Charleston showed dramatic increases beginning in 1970, but could not find any environmental change that correlated with this time period.
Certainly there is a genetic component. If parents are allergic, their children are more likely to have the problem as well. But, as in most cases, genes are much more likely to influence rather than determine a person’s allergic problems.
As much as pondering over its causes, we should also be pondering over what to do about our allergies. Medicine has taken a view that the symptoms are the problem and have concentrated on turning off allergic symptoms with drugs. But researchers are showing us two things that we need to pay attention to that are ignored in this approach:
- The irritants that cause allergies often look like dangerous toxins to our immune systems.
- The nasal problems of congestion and runny noses are our immune system’s attempts to wash out the irritants.
When we recognize these two facts, we can better understand that the allergic response is our body’s defence against nasal irritants and germs — it’s trying to wash them out. We can also realise that the use of drugs to block this defence may be short - sighted. If we hobble the defence of our favourite team, they are likely to lose the game, and it’s the same with our noses.
Supporting your defence is a much wiser choice when it’s available. And now there is a way to support our defensive nasal cleaning.
Concentrated solutions containing sugar-like substances that cannot be absorbed have been shown to stimulate a runny nose. Used regularly in small doses, such treatment washes the nose of the irritants that trigger most allergies. One such sugar-like substance is xylitol, which has also been shown to decrease the ability of many harmful bacteria to hold on to the tissues in the back of the nose.
A concentrated solution of xylitol is like soap for the nose. Sprayed regularly into the nose, it not only keeps the nose clean and reduces allergens, but also reduces the number of bacteria there as well. This results in fewer respiratory infections.
A few months ago our post lady brought a package to our door and took the opportunity to thank us for this spray. Her husband had severe allergies and asthma that resulted in hospitalisation at least once or twice a year. He began using the spray almost 6 years before and his asthma and allergies were gone. He was taking no medication and had not been in the hospital since. It turned his life around.
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