Spring is a time for rejuvenation and renewal. However, with spring in the air for some folks it may be a time of misery and torment due to seasonal allergies. Seasonal allergies may unleash unwanted symptoms such as puffy, watery, red and itchy eyes, or sneezing, stuffy and runny nose.

Whether its seasonal or year-round allergies there may be an underlying condition such as asthma, unmanaged stress, pregnancy, recent trauma, injury, surgery, illness, food sensitives or another condition triggering your symptoms. These conditions can affect your immune system and having a strong immune system is key in fighting seasonal allergies. At Gucciardo Specific Chiropractic and Natural Health Center we can help you uncover your seasonal allergies with one effective solution and that is proper Nutrition.

Allergy symptoms left untreated can make you feel awful and eventually wear your body down and affect your day to day life. Our approach at the office is to help you get a handle on your symptoms but most importantly address the underlying cause of your symptoms. Many sufferers may use over the counter drugs to control their allergy symptoms. The trouble with taking over the counter drugs is they mask the symptoms. It does not address the underlying cause and most often come with unwanted side effects such as drowsiness, heart palpitations, abdominal pain, dry mouth, eyes and nose.

Here are some more seasonal allergy symptoms sufferers may experience which include nasal congestion, loss of smell, redness, runny nose, post nasal drip, sneezing or stuffy nose. Eyes are itchy, puffy, red, or watery. Some may have trouble breathing or wheezing, coughing, fatigue, headaches, increased appetite, mood swings, insomnia, hives, eczema, itching, phlegm, or throat irritation.

As always, it’s important to address our diet and uncover the root cause of any symptom. Some of the foods we eat can initiate an inflammatory response which can potentially trigger seasonal or year-round allergies. Certain foods can make your symptoms worse or better. Most often these inflammatory foods come in wrappers, bags, boxes, and cans which are manufactured and processed before consumption.

It’s helpful to know some of the foods that may cause a cross contamination to prevent symptoms. The most effective way I know is to first look at your diet and find out what your potential food offenders may be. This can be done by keeping a food journal. We can then eliminate the offender from your diet and get a better idea of what the root cause of your allergy may be. The goal of eliminating foods, can help lighten the burned on your immune system and allow it to work more efficiently. For great results and long-lasting effects, we may need to eliminate certain foods from your diet for several weeks, months, or for good. But, guess what … we tend to crave the foods we’re most allergic or sensitive to. Interesting, huh?

Common allergies or food sensitives I find in my patients include gluten, diary, corn, soy, and food preservatives like sulfate and nitrate. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables raw, lightly steamed or sautéed can be beneficial to boost immunity. Raw local honey, bone broths, apple cider vinegar, grass-fed meat and wild caught fish are fantastic to include in your diet and boost immunity. In addition, organic yogurt and kefir can help restore proper balance of friendly and unfriendly bacteria in the gut which can aid in healthy digestion and reduce inflammation.

If you or someone you know has tried every over the counter drug and still have seasonal allergy symptoms … then maybe, it’s a good time to spring into an allergy free zone and uncover the root cause. If you have seasonal allergies or if you’re not sure about your food sensitives give our office today at 718.845.2323 to schedule a Nutrition Evaluation to effectively manage or eliminate your seasonal allergy symptoms using proper nutrition. We look forward to hearing from you.