Seasonal Allergies: What You Need To Know

Sneezes, itchy nose and throat, red and watery eyes, swelling around the eyes, headaches. Some of you or your friends or family members have probably been suffering from seasonal allergies. You may be wondering how and where to find complete relief finally. In this article, I’m giving you an overview of seasonal allergies and sharing my personal experience. In a second article, I will share some measures you can take to keep seasonal allergy symptoms down.

What causes seasonal allergies?

We don’t know what causes seasonal allergies. However, if you also have many food allergies besides seasonal allergies, poor gut health, especially increased intestinal permeability, also known as “leaky gut,” might be involved. In this case, working with a professional who can help you address this issue can drastically improve your symptoms.

Nevertheless, for most people, including myself, there is no known reason why our bodies overreact to pollen. While trusting God for healing, we can also find effective ways to manage the symptoms.

Seasonal allergies rection is a protective mechanism

It might sound crazy, but seasonal allergies, also known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever, occur to protect your body. The body overreacts to the proteins in a particular type of pollen and develops antibodies against them. Therefore, exposure to that specific pollen triggers an inflammatory response where the body releases a chemical called histamine. It then causes swelling of mucus membranes and the flow of mucus.

When there is a real threat, mucus production is helpful because it aids in flushing harmful substances from the body and protects delicate tissues. The problem here is that pollen is not harmful; still, the immune system responds as if dealing with a dangerous invader.

Sadly, you can develop similar allergy reactions for multiple types of pollen and even for other things in the environment.

Some people are allergic to all pollens and react to indoor allergens, such as mold or pet dander. Therefore, they may have symptoms of seasonal allergy year long. Meanwhile, other people are only allergic to specific pollen, so they will only have symptoms when the plant blooms. Since plants produce their respective pollens at different times, you may experience seasonal allergies in more than one season, depending on your allergy triggers and where you live.

Also, you may not struggle with seasonal allergies where you live now but then start having issues after moving to a different area. That’s what happened to me, as we moved a few months ago to Houston. So let me share this painful experience with you.

My experience with seasonal allergies

In my many years of life on this earth, I hadn’t suffered from seasonal allergies so far. I am not talking about the occasional symptoms that we have once in a while, but long-lasting serious struggles, like the ones I have seen some people go through. And then, last summer, I moved to Houston.

Halfway through March, one morning, my throat started to feel itchy. I had headaches and red, watery, and itchy eyes. My nose was congested and running, and I had constant sneezing attacks. I thought it was just something for a day or two, but I was still struggling with all those debilitating symptoms and fatigue after a week. That’s when I decided to do something about it, for I felt so miserable.

Finally, after some research, I found out that my body is probably reacting to oak tree pollen which is very popular in Houston. I even have a big one in front of my house. After implementing some measures to address my symptoms, I can now enjoy the beauty of spring again.

Check out this article where I share some steps that you can take to also reduce your seasonal allergy symptoms.

Remember, Jesus’ heart is still moved with compassion when He sees his followers suffer, including seasonal allergy symptoms. Therefore, we always go to Him first and trust the Holy Spirit to guide us on what we can do to reclaim our health.