San Diego is known as being an environment that is full of allergens. I have many patients in my chiropractic practice that specifically come to the chiropractor (me) for neck or cervical adjustments that help their allergies.

As it is, millions of Americans alter their summer activities because of allergies. For some of us, allergies mean having to limit outdoor activities during some seasons. Having the ability to do yard work, play golf, horse around with the kids or take a walk around the park should all be part of summer-time fun. For a few of us allergy sufferers, it can mean complete misery.

We typically use anti-histamines (both prescription and over the counter) to help to reduce the severity of our allergy symptoms. These anti-histamines are not without side-effects, especially in children whose allergies may be treated with a lifetime of medication. The downside of long term anti-histamine use is that they do not resolve the cause of the allergies, but merely reduce to symptom severity.
For this reason, many people consider natural alternatives to anti-histamine medication as they are concerned about long term effects of the medication. Allergies are caused by exaggerated immune responses therefore reducing allergies requires improving the health of the immune system.

There are several ways to naturally boost immune system function:
Nutritional support is vital for a properly functioning immune system. Without essential nutrients, the body cannot produce the cells need for immune function. The body expresses inadequate immune system function with allergic reactions. A good initial approach is to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water. Eating whole grains and fresh fish will help you consume complex carbohydrates and essential fatty acids which are essential for a healthy immune system. If food seems to be a source of your allergies, you may want to consider supplementing your improved diet with vitamins and minerals.

Exercise is also important in boosting immune function. Aerobic exercise has been proven to help stimulate proper immune cells (Igg), and suppress histamine-producing immune cells (Ige). Both of these cell types play critical roles in the immune response.

Another critical way to improve immune system function is to improve nervous system function. The nervous system regulates the immune system, therefore a properly functioning nervous system is better able to coordinated immune cell activity. Chiropractic adjustments have helped many allergy sufferers by improving the health of the nervous system.

The bottom line is that allergies are a response that we think we have no control over. However, through diet, exercise, and chiropractic adjustments you may be able to control your allergies the healthy way.

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