Sickness and Digestive Irritation
Sickness and Digestive Irritation Related to Seasonal Allergies
Sickness and Digestive Irritation Overview
You would have known about many of the seasonal allergy symptoms that commonly include runny nose, sneezing, cough, wheezing, eye irritation, and respiratory irritation. These symptoms can be from mild nasal irritation to some life-threatening reactions known as anaphylaxis.
Outside allergens may cause seasonal allergies, but they are not the actual culprits, and neither are they harmful to many others. The real cause is the immune system that acts crazy when an outsider such as pollen, mold, dust, or dander invades a person’s body sensitive to it. To simplify further, 70% of our immune system resides in our gut!
Sickness And Other Conditions Related to Seasonal Allergies
Our gut, along with the immune system, is home to trillions of other microorganisms or good microbes. These little bugs protect your intestinal lining that controls by making a barrier to what is absorbed into the bloodstream. This barrier also helps to keep the external invaders out. If for any reason, your gut barrier is weak, substances such as pollen can get in and react with your immune system that it may consider harmful. This triggers our body to produce histamines and other chemicals that bring about allergic symptoms.
These substances may also bring about other symptoms that may not be considered as related to seasonal allergies, such as:
- Stomach disorder
Although these symptoms are rare with seasonal allergies, they can still be triggered if a person has a weak gut or there were some underlying prior health conditions.
You can work on making your gut and immune system stronger to prevent any seasonal related symptoms.
- Practice mindful eating: Maximize your digestion by chewing your food slowly and properly, which helps in the secretion of digestive enzymes and acid in the stomach that prevents the production of immune triggering proteins.
- Make your gut barrier strong: Protect your gut barrier by staying away from toxins, undigested food, and harmful microbes away from your immune system. Avoid foods that affect your gut, such as wheat, gluten, GMOs, alcohol, or smoking. Also, follow a healthy lifestyle to work with your stress levels.
Increase the intake of cruciferous vegetables that help in protecting your gut lining. Take Vitamin A, quercetin, and resveratrol and their probiotic lactobacillus reuteri that help combat allergy symptoms related to the gut.
- Invest in a healthy, microbe friendly diet: Avoid processed foods and GMOs. Try to eat organic as much as possible. Add plenty of fiber and probiotic food that contain resistant starch. Eat plenty of colorful fruit and vegetables—thyme spice and turmeric are also suitable for your digestive system.
Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, Kombucha, etc. It may be good for your bugs but keep in mind that they also contain histamine. People sensitive to pollens during allergy seasons should avoid this food during these seasons.
Digestive Irritation Related to Seasonal Allergy Sickness
Allergens can be inhaled, ingested or enter the body through the skin. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a widespread allergic reaction that comes with seasonal allergy symptoms. You can be diagnosed with IBS when all other stomach tests come negative. This can be a result of a food allergy or sometimes even pollen or seasonal allergy. The digestive irritation may bring various gut symptoms that include:
When pollen, you might be allergic to is inhaled in, move to the bowel and cause irritation in the digestive tract. Diagnosing IBS issue due to seasonal allergies is often easy because the symptoms will get worse during particular times of the year.
IBS can be a real issue and greatly affect a person’s life because there are no effective treatment options available. Many people tend to miss school, work or family get-togethers because of their prevailing symptoms.
However, some over-the-counter medicines can be used for temporary relief from pain, nausea, diarrhea, or constipation, depending on the situation. Home and Natural remedies can also be used such as, chamomile tea, ginger root, mint, apple cider vinegar or heating pad.
One solution to improve the quality of life for people who suffer from IBS due to seasonal allergies can be immunotherapy. After completing allergy testing and diagnosis, treatment can be started, and some work can be done towards allergic tolerance.
Anaphylaxis Due To Seasonal Allergy Sickness
Life-threatening severe allergic reactions are called anaphylaxis. These can be caused by an outer allergen from food, insect stings or even pollens attacking the immune system. The symptoms of anaphylaxis are seen with five to thirty minutes after being exposed to the allergen. The warning signs may include:
- Red rash with hives
- Passing out
- Swollen throat or other parts of the body
- Trouble breathing
- Trouble swallowing
- Changed body color
The best way to treat anaphylaxis is to get prepared for any emergency. People who are diagnosed with anaphylaxis or are in a risk carry epinephrine autoinjectors (adrenaline). This injection contains a single dose of medication that is injected into the thigh during an emergency anaphylaxis reaction. The patient should be then rushed to the hospital for further treatment.
Immunotherapy is also helpful in diagnosing the allergen and managing the reactions by avoiding exposure.
Seasonal allergies can bring about various symptoms in either one part or throughout the body. You can come to know about these symptoms when they occur at a specific time of the year and if other tests when undergone result negative.
Make sure to treat every symptom according to their specific treatments using both prescribed or some non-prescribed medicines. The best way to manage your seasonal allergy sickness is to avoid exposure to places and allergen you would be allergic to.
Written by: Madiha Ather Hashmi (November 30, 2020)
- Hopkins Medicine (2021). “Allergies and the Immune System”. The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System.
- La Crosse Allergy (2021). “Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) & Allergy”. Allergy Associates of La Crosse.
- Kristen Ciccolini (2018). “If Your Gut Could Talk: 10 Things You Should Know”. Healthline.
Medically Reviewed By
I have reviewed the articles on seasonalallergies.org and I would like to say that I was very surprised.
Over years, I have seen many different articles in the field of allergy, but these articles were very interesting.
These articles were really unique, they could help many people around the world to know more about seasonal allergy, symptoms, prevention and when to seek medical advice.
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Last Updated on February 1, 2021