Your thoughts on allergies related to emotions

[Farnaby]

Hi!

Now that it's spring, my seasonal allergies are through the roof. I've learned to live with them, but the constant nasal congestion, sneezing and sometimes skin hives and a little asthma interfere quite significantly in my life.

As a kid I didn't have any allergies, but as a teenager I lived in another country and started getting seasonal allergies. That's also when my insecurities started to be more present. I did a desensitization treatment for a couple of years and that worked quite well but when I moved back to where I live now, the allergies started slowly coming back and I would say they are worse than before. 

I've noticed my emotional state has a huge effect on my symptoms, as well as smoking weed vs. not smoking it (when I smoke it usually clogs my nose and makes me sneeze sometimes). If I feel ungrounded, tense and insecure, I tend to get much worse symptoms than when I'm relaxed and confident. What I want to ask you is if you think these kind of allergies could mainly be of psychological nature. 

When I got tested for allergies, there is a physical reaction to almost all allergens they tested me for, but it seems really weird to be so sensitive to something that isn't dangerous at all. 

I have to add that I have a decent diet (vegetarian), not super healthy but I don't abuse unhealthy food either, and I haven't noticed any difference in terms of allergic symptoms since I'm a vegetarian. My symptoms stayed the same. What I do get is digestive problems and I read they are usually related to allergies. 

Any help will be greatly appreciated  

[Commodent]

I think that when you feel ungrounded, tense and insecure it puts your immune system out of balance. It becomes less efficient in preventing disease and it might confuse things as harmful which are really not. In short, it becomes less effective and less precise. A lack of sleep does also severely impact the immune system as well as emotional regulation and many other things.

I also think it can be due to some faulty association. I got an eye infection in the middle of the pollen season, and I think it led my immune system to associate pollen with eye infection. Because after that I was allergic to pollen.

You might want to check out the Wim Hof method.

Edited May 26, 2019 by Commodent

[Farnaby]

4 hours ago, Commodent said:

I think that when you feel ungrounded, tense and insecure it puts your immune system out of balance. It becomes less efficient in preventing disease and it might confuse things as harmful which are really not. In short, it becomes less effective and less precise. A lack of sleep does also severely impact the immune system as well as emotional regulation and many other things.

I also think it can be due to some faulty association. I got an eye infection in the middle of the pollen season, and I think it led my immune system to associate pollen with eye infection. Because after that I was allergic to pollen.

You might want to check out the Wim Hof method.

@Commodent Thank you! I think there's definitely a correlation between how I feel and how strong my allergic symptoms are, but there's no way to tell if that's just a subjective perception 

Could you elaborate a little more about faulty association and how the Wim Hof method could help with this issue? Have you had good results with it? 

[Commodent]

@Farnaby Faulty association is just an idea I have, based on the fact that I became allergic to pollen after my eyes were exposed to a lot of allergens (pollen) at the same time as I had a bacterial infection in my eyes (an actual threat). I suspect that led my immune system to associate pollen with bacterial infection, but that's just my idea so I would take it with a grain of salt.

The Wim Hof method has through studies been shown to drastically improve immune system response. I've also heard stories of people who basically had their allergies and autoimmune disorders cured using the method. The Wim Hof method is a powerful grounding technique, and I think that's why it works so well at strengthening the immune system.

I have never really tried the Wim Hof method in the pollen season, so I'm not really sure. Nevertheless, whether it helps on allergies or not it's still very refreshing and grounding, although quite uncomfortable at times. I haven't been sick for years and the allergies doesn't really bother me anymore, so I'm doing it mostly in order to get more in touch with my body.

[Farnaby]

On 26/5/2019 at 6:28 PM, Commodent said:

@Farnaby Faulty association is just an idea I have, based on the fact that I became allergic to pollen after my eyes were exposed to a lot of allergens (pollen) at the same time as I had a bacterial infection in my eyes (an actual threat). I suspect that led my immune system to associate pollen with bacterial infection, but that's just my idea so I would take it with a grain of salt.

The Wim Hof method has through studies been shown to drastically improve immune system response. I've also heard stories of people who basically had their allergies and autoimmune disorders cured using the method. The Wim Hof method is a powerful grounding technique, and I think that's why it works so well at strengthening the immune system.

I have never really tried the Wim Hof method in the pollen season, so I'm not really sure. Nevertheless, whether it helps on allergies or not it's still very refreshing and grounding, although quite uncomfortable at times. I haven't been sick for years and the allergies doesn't really bother me anymore, so I'm doing it mostly in order to get more in touch with my body.

@Commodent Oh Ok, thanks, it makes sense but we will never know for sure. 

My guess is that there are many contributing factors to allergies and it makes sense that our psychological state has an impact on them since body-mind is just one. 

I will continue researching this and maybe try out the Wim Hof method, although the idea of exposing myself to extreme cold doesn't sound appealing at all 

What's your usual routine?

[Commodent]

@Farnaby  Yes I definitely think our psychological state affects our immune system and thus may lead to allergies. But I think proper sleep might be even more important, as it is shown to have a profound impact on both psychological state and immune system. So make sure you get enough sleep

It's not very appealing no, but you build up a tolerance and get used to it. I usually start the day with warm shower, and on the end I turn down the temperature and stand there for maybe 2-3 minutes. I also wear relatively little clothing when outside and trust the body's ability to warm itself. We have a tendency to pack ourselves in excessively much clothing, leading us to become pretty much isolated from our environment. By wearing little clothing I feel very much in touch with my body. Also note that breathing work is very important in the Wim Hof method. It goes something like this:

1. Breathe in deeply
2. Release the breath. Don't use force to breathe out, just release.
3. Repeat approx. 30 times until you feel kinda dizzy and lightheaded.
4. Release the breath like previously, and hold it.
5. Finally, trust your body's (and not you mind's) instinct when you feel like gasping for air.
6. After doing so, hold your breath for 30 seconds.
7. Breathe out all the air.
8. Repeat the whole process 3-5 times.

This method strengthens your cardiovascular system by "stretching" it in both directions, as well as being a powerful way to oxidize your body. This is not woo-woo, by the way. Wim Hof has proven its effect in several studies.

[Michael569]

On 25/05/2019 at 11:59 AM, Farnaby said:

As a kid I didn't have any allergies, but as a teenager I lived in another country and started getting seasonal allergie

This is it and was same for me when moved to another country. Your immune system is not adapted to airborne and other environment allergens in this country. There are some ways to help balance your adaptive immune system. Some of them you can do on your own or work with a specialist. 

• Adaptogenic herbs (try working with a herbalist to support you best) - thiese help balance and overreacting nervous system and may provide some help. Herbal treatment generally takes much longer then other but benefits are usually long term. 
• Medicinal mushrooms - finding a nice (more expensive) blends including Chaga, cordyceps, Reishi, Maitake, Shitake and Lion's Mane may be very helpful, the Beta-Glucan pollysacharides in mushrooms are "training" your immune system and helping create additional T-cells. A balance of Th1 and Th2 immune cells is often what causes these hypersensitivity reactions. This worked beautifully for me as well. 
• Foods and intolerance - you may genuinely be reacting to some foods such as dairy or gluten. If there is anything you are eating now that you haven't before, perhaps look into that. Try to work with a naturopath or a functional doctor on an elimination diet if you think this is the issue. 
• Leaky gut or Dysbiosis - often these conditions come down to bad balance of intestinal bacteria or the tight junctions of your intestines being a bit wobbly so stuff penetrates inside and this causes immune reactions. If you get a lot of bloating, this may be it. Again, there are some functional testing that can be done. Your doctor probably won't be happy to do any stool testing but perhaps if you exaggerate your situation a bit more such as "I think I saw mucus in my stool" they may be willing to do some stool testing which can give you some hints. Or finding a functional medicine practitioner to assist you. 

Edited May 28, 2019 by Michael569

[Farnaby]

18 hours ago, Commodent said:

@Farnaby  Yes I definitely think our psychological state affects our immune system and thus may lead to allergies. But I think proper sleep might be even more important, as it is shown to have a profound impact on both psychological state and immune system. So make sure you get enough sleep

It's not very appealing no, but you build up a tolerance and get used to it. I usually start the day with warm shower, and on the end I turn down the temperature and stand there for maybe 2-3 minutes. I also wear relatively little clothing when outside and trust the body's ability to warm itself. We have a tendency to pack ourselves in excessively much clothing, leading us to become pretty much isolated from our environment. By wearing little clothing I feel very much in touch with my body. Also note that breathing work is very important in the Wim Hof method. It goes something like this:

1. Breathe in deeply
2. Release the breath. Don't use force to breathe out, just release.
3. Repeat approx. 30 times until you feel kinda dizzy and lightheaded.
4. Release the breath like previously, and hold it.
5. Finally, trust your body's (and not you mind's) instinct when you feel like gasping for air.
6. After doing so, hold your breath for 30 seconds.
7. Breathe out all the air.
8. Repeat the whole process 3-5 times.

This method strengthens your cardiovascular system by "stretching" it in both directions, as well as being a powerful way to oxidize your body. This is not woo-woo, by the way. Wim Hof has proven its effect in several studies.

@Commodent Thank you, I'll give the cold showers and breathing a try

2 hours ago, Michael569 said:

This is it and was same for me when moved to another country. Your immune system is not adapted to airborne and other environment allergens in this country. There are some ways to help balance your adaptive immune system. Some of them you can do on your own or work with a specialist. 

• Adaptogenic herbs (try working with a herbalist to support you best) - thiese help balance and overreacting nervous system and may provide some help. Herbal treatment generally takes much longer then other but benefits are usually long term. 
• Medicinal mushrooms - finding a nice (more expensive) blends including Chaga, cordyceps, Reishi, Maitake, Shitake and Lion's Mane may be very helpful, the Beta-Glucan pollysacharides in mushrooms are "training" your immune system and helping create additional T-cells. A balance of Th1 and Th2 immune cells is often what causes these hypersensitivity reactions. This worked beautifully for me as well. 
• Foods and intolerance - you may genuinely be reacting to some foods such as dairy or gluten. If there is anything you are eating now that you haven't before, perhaps look into that. Try to work with a naturopath or a functional doctor on an elimination diet if you think this is the issue. 
• Leaky gut or Dysbiosis - often these conditions come down to bad balance of intestinal bacteria or the tight junctions of your intestines being a bit wobbly so stuff penetrates inside and this causes immune reactions. If you get a lot of bloating, this may be it. Again, there are some functional testing that can be done. Your doctor probably won't be happy to do any stool testing but perhaps if you exaggerate your situation a bit more such as "I think I saw mucus in my stool" they may be willing to do some stool testing which can give you some hints. Or finding a functional medicine practitioner to assist you. 

@Michael569 Thank you! Yes, living in another country probably messed with my inmune system, but after coming back to my home country the allergies are still there and I would say they are getting worse. 

Leaky gut makes sense because I have digestive issues that aren't related to a specific food as far as I have observed. Sometimes it's melted cheese but other times it's something like an apple or rice which shouldn't have that effect at all. I'll see if I can get tested for this. My allergy doctor tested for parasites in stool and everything was OK, but maybe there are bacteria or other things that shouldn't be there. 

I'll have a look for those herbs and mushrooms you mentioned  

[Commodent]

@Farnaby  No problem. And it's approx. 15 seconds on step 6 by the way, not 30.