Allergies and Upper Cervical Care
Introduction
They’re very common actually – in fact, two out of every 10 people suffer from some form of allergy. Allergies are unnatural immune system responses to a common substance (e.g., dust, mold, pets, pollen, trees, or food). When an allergen enters the body, it responds by producing histamines, which cause most of the symptoms associated with airborne allergies, including watery eyes and nasal stuffiness.
Allergy medications and injections may help to relieve symptoms, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re back. That’s because medications address symptoms, not causes. The cause is still there. Upper Cervical care can help to get rid of the cause.
Allergy Symptoms
There are many different types of allergies and plenty of symptoms that go along with each type. Some people suffer from seasonal allergies, such as being allergic to pollen in the spring. Others may have serious allergic reactions to insect stings. Still others break out in rashes when they eat certain foods, such as nuts, eggs, milk, wheat, strawberries or shellfish. And some are even allergic to the pets they have in their homes.
Allergy conditions and symptoms differ from person to person and by allergen (the substance that is causing the unnatural immune system response). Some of the more common allergy conditions and their related symptoms include:
Allergic Rhinitis
This is the type of allergy that people think of most often – seasonal allergies that are commonly called hay fever. Symptoms include stuffy/runny nose, itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, post-nasal drip and scratchy throat. The most common allergens for this type of allergy include pollen, dust, mold spores, dust mites, animal dander and ragweed.
Hives
Hives are swollen red bumps that may appear on many areas of the skin in response to the body’s contact with an allergen. Hive can be quite itchy and they may burn or sting as well. Hives can be an allergic reaction to foods, bug bites/bee stings, exposure to sunlight, and medicines. They can last from several hours to several days.
Plant Allergies
The most typical types of plant allergens include poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac that contain an oily sap that produces a rash when it comes into contact with a person’s skin. The rash is usually red and itchy. It ultimately turns into red oozing blisters that pop and drain. The rash usually lasts from five days to two weeks.
Allergic Eczema
Especially common in children, allergic eczema is a skin rash that is itchy with a scaly appearance. Many things that come into contact with the skin including jewelry, perfumes, medications, cosmetics, creams and lotions can trigger a reaction. It may appear once or repeatedly, throughout one’s lifetime. This condition tends to run in families who have a history of allergic reaction conditions, including asthma and hay fever.
Allergic Conjunctivitis
Allergic conjunctivitis is severe inflammation of the membranes that cover the eye brought on by an allergic reaction. Symptoms include itchy, watery eyes and redness in the eyes and under the eyelids. Allergic conjunctivitis should not be confused with conjunctivitis caused by bacteria or a virus and it is not contagious.
Food Allergies
This is a very broad category in terms of allergies because there are so many foods that have the potential to cause allergies. Common food allergies are to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, eggs, milk (dairy products), shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster, snails, clams, etc.), soy and wheat. Allergies often begin in childhood, and while some children may eventually outgrow food allergies, others carry them into adulthood.
Causes of Allergies
Allergies are caused by an oversensitive immune system that reacts to substances that are generally not harmful to people in the same way that it reacts to viruses and bacteria. When a person with allergies is exposed to a particular allergen, their body produces chemicals (histamines) which trigger allergic responses, such as sneezing, itching, rashes and hives.
While many people have allergies to specific substances, such as foods, medications, plants and insects, others experience allergic reactions to changes in weather and exposure to sunlight.
Allergies are believed to be triggered by both environmental and genetic factors. If both parents have allergies, their children are more likely to have them as well. If only one parent has allergies, a child has a 50% chance of developing them, particularly if it is the mother who has them. Environmental factors, such as pollution and smoke, can also influence the development of allergies.
Allergy Treatment (Conventional)
Conventional allergy treatment usually involves one or more of the following:
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as antihistamines and decongestants, which are available in several forms, including pills, liquids, creams (for rashes) and sprays.
Anti-inflammatory medications (corticosteroids) – often used to reduce inflammation in the nasal passages
Allergy injections (immunotherapy) – administration of injections that contain only a small amount of the offending allergen. The hope is that the immune system will become less sensitive over time to the allergen that produces the allergic reaction. Allergy injections are not effective when allergens are food products or insects.
Elimination diets, which seek to eliminate foods that are thought to cause allergic reactions until there are no symptoms. Then these same foods are reintroduced slowly to determine which ones cause allergies. These can then be eliminated from the patient’s diet entirely.
Upper Cervical Care for Allergies
Upper Cervical care is designed to correct imbalances in the nervous and immune systems, which can alleviate many allergy conditions in their entirety, or at least decrease the severity of the symptoms. By adjusting the atlas, the top vertebra in the spine, allergic reactions can be prevented – without the use of drugs or allergy injections!
Many health conditions, including allergies, are the direct result of trauma to the upper cervical spine, including whiplash, accident or injury (e.g., sports-related injuries, falls, skiing accidents, the birth process, etc.), and chronic poor posture.
Using diagnostic testing that includes precision x-rays and thermographic scans, Upper Cervical Chiropractors can locate the area of misalignment and apply a series of gentle, hands-on or instrument-assisted adjustments to the upper cervical spine. These adjustments correct the misalignment, which helps to relieve the cause of the allergic reaction, rather than just caring for the symptoms through the use of prescriptions, OTC medications and immunotherapy.
Post-adjustment x-rays and thermographic scans are taken after the first Upper Cervical correction to ensure that the misalignment has been properly remedied.
This all-natural approach is far safer that drug therapy or immunotherapy, which can have risky or undesirable side effects and don’t address the cause of your allergies.
