Allergies Out Of Control? Here's What's Causing All That Inflammation

Itchy eyes, scratchy throat, and sneezes that nearly knock you off your feet over and over (and over!) again: Most of us have experienced the telltale signs of dreaded seasonal allergies at some point in our lives. But for many of us, allergies are a year-round affair—and when you consider the ragweed and mold in the fall; pet dander and dust mites in the winter; and tree, grass, and flower pollen in the spring and summer, allergies can feel like a never-ending season of misery.

So where do allergies come from in the first place? Simply put, allergies happen when your immune system overreacts (in varying degrees) to an external substance. It’s not something everyone experiences, but it’s indeed a sign that there’s some imbalance in your immune function. When this important system is weakened or suppressed, your first line of defense might not adequately defend you from bacterial attackers, which leaves you susceptible to all the detrimental germs that surround us. That being said, if it's too sensitive, your immune system can overreact, producing antibodies to attack what it perceives as a "dangerous" substance, even if it’s just a fragrant flower. This is when you’ll find yourself with a runny nose, watery eyes, itchiness, skin reactions, and other traditional allergy symptoms.

From the moment we’re born, we’re exposed to an endless number of microbes—from our mom’s birth canal, in breast milk, from skin-to-skin contact, and from our environment—that begin to form our microbiome. In fact, the microbes we encounter in our first few years are crucial to determining how well our immune system functions for the rest of our life, and researchers are finally beginning to understand why.

It turns out that the more microbial exposure we have at a young age—and the more diverse our microbiome—the healthier we are long-term, because all those microbes we encounter in our early years train and challenge our immune system to respond appropriately, whether that means taking action against toxins and harmful microbes or laying low when confronted with harmless allergens.

In one study, scientists discovered that a lack of bacterial diversity in the guts of 3-month-old babies was associated with a high risk of developing asthma, which is often triggered by an allergen. In another6, babies without certain gut microbes at just one month of age had a three times higher risk of developing allergic reactions by age 2 and asthma by age 4!

The implications on immunity, allergies, and lifelong health of not having a diverse microbiome as a small child are huge—and all the more reason to do all you can to support your baby’s microbial health from the get-go. But what can you do as you age to keep your immune system from overreacting to every little thing?

Fortunately, research shows that beneficial bacteria have a regulating effect on your immune system throughout your life, and replenishing your microbiome with probiotics now can ward off and treat annoying seasonal allergies. In a trial7 of 173 adults suffering from seasonal allergies, eight weeks of probiotic supplementation led to improved quality of life and fewer allergy-related nose symptoms. Other studies show that probiotic supplementation can reduce nasal congestion8, prevent and treat atopic eczema, and lessen symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

There’s no doubt that probiotic exposure very early in life—primarily from a vaginal birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months—helps to seal the "open guts" of babies, thereby preventing foreign substances like food particles from escaping through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream and stimulating allergic immune reactions that can last a lifetime.

But exciting new research is showing that by modulating the immune response, probiotics may be able to lessen allergic responses to foods later in life as well! In a randomized trial10 conducted in 2013, researchers gave 62 kids with peanut allergies either placebo or probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus combined with increasing amounts of peanut protein for 18 months. At the end of the study, more than 80 percent of the children in the probiotic group were able to tolerate peanuts, compared to less than 4 percent in the placebo group. Even better? The researchers completed a follow-up study11 and found that nearly 70 percent of the probiotic kids were still able to eat peanuts four years later, and almost 60 percent showed long-lasting tolerance to peanuts. (And this is several years after stopping probiotic treatment.) Keep in mind that you should always talk to your doctor.

The alarming and epidemic rise of allergy and asthma rates in the United States can be explained by one relatively simple concept (aka the hygiene hypothesis14): Our environment has become far too clean. Remember how our immune system needs the challenge of microbial exposure to learn how to respond to both perceived and real threats? As the obsession with sanitizing and antimicrobial everything has become ingrained in our society, we have much less exposure to those all-important immune-challenging microbes that teach our immune systems how to behave. So do whatever you can to get a little more dirty—refrain from using antibacterial cleaners, get a pet15, spend time out in nature, hand wash your dishes, and garden in the mud. By adding a little more dirt (and many more microbes) to your life, you may just be giving your immune system the exact provocation it needs to become more balanced!

When you look at them from an immune perspective, allergies are just like an overly sensitive, hypervigilant child who hasn’t yet been taught how to respond to all the stimulation that comes his way. With patience, guidance, and a lot of prebiotic and probiotic love (and don’t forget, a healthy dose of dirt!), your childlike immune system can begin to mature into the wondrous, intelligent foundation of health it was meant to be. Now bring on those summer picnics in the grass!