Allergies - Fish Oil And Stress Reduction Can Help

I was an allergy sufferer for many years. Over those years of trying anything I could get my hands on to find some relief, I noticed that there were two key things I had to do if I was to make myself feel better.

Firstly, I had to reduce the amount of inflammation in my body. I had to change my diet and I knew it. I was eating too many foods high in omega six fatty acids, like junk foods, seed oils and low quality meat. The solution to this was to stop eating the bad foods and at the same time start taking molecularly distilled fish oil capsules high in DHA and EPA. This helps the body rebalance its fatty acid profile, decreasing inflammation and strengthening the immune system.

DHA and EPA, also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids, or omega 3 fatty acids, play a crucial role in decreasing inflammation in the body, which in turn strengthens the immune system and helps keep allergy symptoms under control.

Secondly, I had to look at stress-reduction. Stress has a negative impact on practically every aspect of our lives. Stress increases cortisol levels in our blood. In fact, cortisol is sometimes known as the stress hormone and it is produced in our adrenal glands, two small glands right beside the kidneys. The effect of increased cortisol on allergies is that cortisol decreases immune function while at the same time increasing inflammation. Exactly the opposite of what allergy sufferers need!

Prolonged stress can cause and a condition known as adrenal fatigue, in which the adrenal glands can't cope with the extra weight placed on the immune system by things such as pollen allergies or even the common cold.

I have found, in my life, that the combination of a diet high in concentrated fish oil, including large amounts of DHA and EPA, combined with stress reducing techniques such as tai chi, chi kung or yoga, had a profound impact on how I felt during the pollen season. And although it took about six months to be completely free, the effort was definitely worth it!