6 Ways to Battle Spring Allergies This Season - Starting With Your Oral Health
Just when we’re all starting to enjoy the singing birds and warmth of the sun, the pollen from the beautiful blooming plants induces a new wave of seasonal misery: spring allergies.
While there are myriad ways to treat hay fever symptoms — such as coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, and a running nose — it may prove more helpful to tackle the issue at its source.
The first consideration is why you experience seasonal allergies in the first place. Seasonal allergies occur as your body’s response to such stimuli as pollen or mold. Although these ‘allergens’ are inherently harmless, your immune system responds abnormally. Ideally, your immune system would recognize the pollen or mold as benign and filter it out. Instead, the immune system produces symptoms threatening to ruin every moment you spend outside your air-conditioned home.
Naturally, the most effective approach to dealing with seasonal allergies is to protect and boost your immune system.
Check out these six ways to battle your spring allergies this season:
1. Avoid Allergy Triggers, When Possible
Part of boosting the immune system is to protect it from factors that trigger responses. While you might not be able to avoid going outside, you can avoid subjecting yourself to many allergens to reduce your system’s overall burden. Among these triggers may be latex, BPA (commonly found in plastics and food can linings), and gluten. Most people are unaware that even a trip to the dentist’s office can trigger an allergic response, as plastic and latex are often present in various instruments and materials, and gluten is found in some dental products. For this reason, a handful of dentists have stopped using materials with BPA, latex, and gluten in their clinics — among them is Studio Z Dental, which has prioritized protecting your immune system, starting with your oral health.
2. Protect Your Gums
All infections that occur within the body affect the immune system. Some wreak more havoc than others. The worst of all infections, though, accompanies gum disease. Why? It involves the proliferation of extremely toxic bacteria, which have easy access to the bloodstream and lungs around the clock. The longer the infection persists, the more and the faster the immune system is weakened. Not to worry, though — gum disease can be easily prevented by keeping on par with your oral hygiene, such as visiting your dentist for regular teeth cleanings to remove plaque (the primary source of gum disease) from your teeth and brushing your teeth twice a day.
3. Eat for Health
It’s no secret that consuming foods high in sugar or fried foods can harm your health. Even if you don’t feel sick after eating junk food, it doesn’t mean the food is good for you. Particularly in the spring, when you need your immune system in top shape to fight off spring allergies, it’s best to eat a cleaner diet full of foods that boost the immune system — like nutrient-rich vegetables and healthy oils — so you’re helping to replenish your resources instead of starving for them.
4. Address Your Stress
Stress is a powerful force and can ruin not only your mental health but your physical well-being, too. Especially in the case of chronic stress, sufferers can experience any number of physical symptoms, including inflammatory conditions and a lowered immunity, both of which greatly influence susceptibility to allergens. Even if your life is hectic, there are ways to decrease stress. For instance, consider incorporating even 10 minutes of meditation or yoga into your daily routine. Both are popular methods for calming the mind and have been proven effective in reducing stress.
5. Exercise Daily
Of course, if you’re concerned about seasonal allergies, you’ll probably want to exercise indoors. Among the numerous benefits of regular exercise are numerous advantages for the immune system, including changes it affects in antibodies and white blood cells — the immune system’s primary disease-fighting cells. Exercise stimulates the circulation of these entities, which causes them to detect illnesses much earlier on, so that they can sometimes even be dealt with before you have a noticeable reaction to them.
6. Another Use for Vitamin C
It’s common for people to turn to vitamin C as a natural remedy for colds and flus. But how about allergies? With the knowledge that a weak immune system gives way to both illness and seasonal allergies, it makes sense to turn to one of the most well-known immune boosters out there: vitamin C. Available in supplement or food form, vitamin C will not only build up your immune system and help it fight off anything your system perceives as a threat, but it will also address allergy symptoms on the spot.
If it appears that seasonal allergies will plague you throughout the summer, take action by strengthening and protecting your immune system. There’s nothing like another reason to bump up and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Avoid and cope with diet and stressors as much as possible, and pay particular attention to your oral health. If you want to learn more ways to protect your immune system, talk to your dentist — after all, your mouth is the gateway to your body.