How Allergies Are Linked to Chronic Illness

By: Marla Tenney Saturday August 1, 2020 comments Tags: allergies, allergy, allergic, inflammation, Immune System

For years, we’ve known that your allergies can make you miserable. Runny noses, congestion, and the dreaded sinus headache that makes your eyeball feel like it’s going to explode from your head all come with the arrival of pollen.

What makes it even worse is that allergies are a chronic affliction. They may go away for a little while, but then they will come back, often with the seasonal allergen. But what actually causes these reactions and how can they be put in check?

 

Let’s take a look at allergies and sensitivities and their link to chronic illness:

 

 

1. How Allergies Impact the Immune System — Generally speaking, if a foreign element enters your bloodstream, such as a virus, then your immune system begins creating white blood cells to help fight this invader off.

But with allergens, the story is a little different. Let’s say you have an allergy to pollen. If you get a lot of pollen in your system, your immune system goes into overdrive and produces something called Immunoglobulin E. This, in turn, sends the Immunoglobulin out to the other cells, which release chemicals to help fight off the allergen.

Instead, they cause the symptoms that we often associate with allergies, such as runny nose, difficulty breathing, a closed throat, and blocked or itchy ears. Even your stomach and skin can be affected by these chemicals that are actually trying to help you.

 

2. Signaling Molecules — In the past few years, research has begun to point towards signaling molecules as the culprit for chronic illnesses as well as some other major diseases. In this case, signaling molecules signal to other cells driving reactions and change in your body.

If you are hurt, then the cells signal to each other to begin fixing the situation, spurring on, for instance, your immune system. However, if the signaling molecules can be prevented from “over-reacting” and producing too much, then it may be possible to allay allergies and other chronic diseases.

 

3. Inflammation Cascade — This model can also be seen in other diseases and bodily ailments, namely inflammation. When a person suffers a physical injury, such as trauma from a car wreck, the result is something called inflammation cascade. This occurs when your immune system releases elements called leukocytes into the body. Too much of these and inflammation begins to set in. The problem here is helping your body regulate better so that “too much” isn’t thrown at the injury leading to even more pain and problems.

 

The fascinating thing about allergies and allergens is how much they can reveal to us about other diseases as well. Hopefully, by learning to treat these problems as they interconnect, we can one day treat all of these issues. To learn more about how you could eliminate many common issues you may be experiencing, schedule your complimentary phone consult today!