The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that over 40 million Americans suffer from indoor/outdoor allergies (seasonal/perennial allergies; hay fever; nasal allergies). Their website goes on to state: “There are no cures for allergies. Allergies can be managed with proper prevention and treatment.” For those who suffer with seasonal allergies the symptoms of coughing, itchy and watery eyes, nasal congestion and running nose are often an annual event. It can cause suffering and loss of work and school.
But wait, didn’t I just name a symptom that we have all had during the spring at one time or another?
When you have one of those symptoms, you are acclimating to the change of season. Anyone who has flown in an airplane or hiked a higher elevation is familiar with the acclimation process as your body adapts to the change in pressure due to higher elevation. The process is not only natural and normal; it is perfectly safe, harmless and necessary! “Allergies” are simply you acclimating and adapting to the seasons.
During the autumn and winter months, nature goes dormant in the Northeast, the air thins and cools. You adapt by thickening the mucous lining in your nasal passage and sinuses so you can breathe the thinner, cooler air with ease. Your eyes become moister so they can properly function for vision and movement. This adaptation process is healthy in preparation for winter. Lack of the process is unhealthy.
The same is true for the spring and summer. As the air warms and thickens, you adapt by shedding the thick mucous lining in your nose and sinuses, hence nasal congestion and then running. Your eyes shed their “winter water” because you absorb water from the thicker air. (Just like a water balloon with too much water, they’ll “pop” if they don’t shed.) As they do, they initially become dry, therefore itchy. This adaptation process is healthy in preparation for summer. Lack of the process is unhealthy.
The beauty of the acclimation process is that you do it without even thinking about it, its non-conscious. Whether you are in a plane or on a mountain and regardless of season, you and your body are always adapting to the environment for a healthy you. Folks in our office generally report back to me that it takes them one season without medication to readapt to seasonal changes. Trust in the acclimation processes this season and next season you’ll see that the cure for allergies is already inside of you.
