THE WHY BEHIND ALLERGIES + ASTHMA
Have you ever wondered WHY asthma and allergies happen?
We are going to dive in on just that, why we see such a prevalence of both in kids and adults alike, and how we can help get the body back on track!
The first thing we need to know is the role of the IMMUNE system in regard to asthma and allergies. It plays a MAJOR role in these, so the more we can understand about the immune system, the better understanding we can have about how they affect it!
The presence of asthma and allergies tend to mean that there is some sort of suppression or imbalance (or both!) within the immune system. Oftentimes we see a suppressed or imbalanced immune system because of the internal environment we are creating or because our nervous system is not working the best it can.
This just might have something (actually, everything!) to do with GUT HEALTH. When looking at how our internal environment impacts our immune system, we can see the impact that the things we surround ourselves with and take in can have.
Our gut health makes up roughly 70-80% of our immune system and each food decision we make has an impact on that! When we make choices that make our bodies feel good (we love whole foods, fruits + veggies, etc), our gut flora can flourish! When we choose things that don't make our body feel quite as good (think an excess of over-processed foods, etc), the flora in our gut might suffer. Taking care of our bodies the best we can sets them up to thrive!
Another thing that might impact our immune systems is the tendency to accidentally kill good bacterias, along with the bad, when sanitizing and ensuring things are clean around us. Especially in our homes, we might inadvertently get rid of the healthy bacterias that can help build up our immune systems! It's absolutely not a bad thing to clean and sanitize, but it's like throwing the baby out with the bathwater – it's not great when everything goes!
If we take a good look at our environments and what we're putting into our bodies, it is likely apparent how much stress we are putting on our immune system (especially via our gut health). We can start to see why we are seeing more and more people with asthma and allergies!
Our immune system isn't the only thing that plays a role in asthma and allergies, however. The other piece of the potential for suppression and imbalance of the immune system relates to our NERVOUS SYSTEM. Within our nervous systems, we have two basic autonomic (automatic) modes. We've talked about these before! The fight/flight mode (sympathetic) is the one we like to call your gas pedal, while the rest/repair (parasympathetic) mode we refer to as your brake pedal! When we (or our bodies) are stressed, the gas pedal of our nervous system ramps up. This (the gas pedal) side of our nervous system relates to the part of the immune system that is responsible for acute response and elimination: think classic allergy or asthma symptoms. It creates mucus and runny noses, makes runny and itchy eyes, coughing, sneezing, and all those fun symptoms. It does this because the body is trying to get rid of the allergen (what it considers an intruder!) that it came into contact with. When we (or our bodies) are stressed, the gas pedal of our nervous system ramps up.
When your gas pedal is stuck to the floor, it makes it hard for your brake pedal to work properly! The brake pedal side of the nervous system is related to the memory of the nervous system. It helps recognize what is coming into contact with your body, assesses it, and stores that information for next time you come into contact with it. When this is suppressed and your gas pedal is going full throttle, you might be out of balance – because it is overstimulated, it struggles to maintain memory of allergens you've already come into contact with, thus making the possibility of having big responses to allergens over and over again all the more real.
This is why it is important to take care of the systems that run your body! An out of balance nervous system makes for an out of balance immune system, which might make for some symptoms and struggles we just don't want to deal with!
Chiropractic can help BALANCE your autonomic nervous system by taking your foot off the gas pedal and hooking your brakes back up to work optimally! By taking care of your nervous system through chiropractic care, you can help support your immune system and bring more balance back to your body. We have seen incredible results from consistent chiropractic care in lessoning the symptoms of asthma and allergies…. which means that people can live FREELY.