Allergies and Histamines my Nemesis
Allergies and Histamines my Nemesis
What is a histamine you ask?
his•ta•mine
ˈhistəˌmēn,-ˌmin/ noun, Biochemistry, noun: histamine
1. a compound that is released by cells in response to injury and in allergic and inflammatory reactions, causing contraction of smooth muscle and dilation of capillaries.
Histamine Chemical Compound.
2. Histamine is an organic nitrogenous compound involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter. Histamine is involved in the inflammatory response
Living in Texas all of my life I seem to have had allergies but they seem to be getting more severe as I grow older. I am not sure why my immune response is getting weaker every year. You would think that the longer I am exposed I would gain immunity from my allergens, and not increase exponentially each year. I have spoken to many different people about their allergy conditions because I am curious, “as if” I am the only one, or how many others are suffering like me. I want to try to find a solution to my severe allergy to Cedar Pollen (Juniper), Oak and now molds, and I do not want to make doctor visit’s more frequently and then immediately be put on an antibiotic. Surely there has to be a better way! I am not against Western Medicine but you would think they would have a cure for this by now. So many of us are now suffering from allergens and of many different varieties it seems.
When I last visited my doctor for my “hay fever” or known clinically as “Allergic rhinitis” it was because I thought I had a severe cold or even possibly the flu. I was prescribed anti-biotics and nose spray to help me relieve my symptoms but they are very persistent and not completely gone. So, I have also tried many other options with tinctures, herbs and belladonna homeopathic tablets for allergies. I am going to try and find a solution that works for me so that I do not have to stay indoors for the first month of the year. And I also struggle in the Summer too and I prefer the outdoor to being indoor, so I am about to do detailed research on herbal remedies to help combat my severe and now chronic allergy problem. Wish me luck!
I have lived in Texas most of my life, I am a native Texan and of course very proud about that as most of us “Texans” are! I moved to Austin in 2005 and living in Central Texas I have found that there are many others that are suffering from cedar fever allergies along with me. Myself and many others have started venturing out to local Health and Organic Food Stores to try and find and additional ways to treat allergies with Organic or Herbal and/or Homeopathic Remedies. Well what does that mean…. you say!?! Well, what Homeopathic Remedies are basically, they are beliefs based on the body can heal itself with a “Like with Like” I am sure that might be a little confusing but I will have a site for you to check out to make more sense at the bottom of this article. Organic and Herbal Remedies are also in my opinion based on the same principle.
I am allergic to juniper or better known as cedar pollen as we call it here in Texas. I am going to try and add it in small doses to try and create an immunity over time to see if this will help me. Many hippies aka tree hugger’s here swear by it, (The Natural Approach) so we’ll just have to wait see about that. With my allergies off the charts I am now willing to try just about anything!!! So, I am going to venture into the juniper arena and the likes of it and try to develop an herbal recipe/tincture that works for me to help relieve me of my burden of “CEDAR FEVER” I have absolutely had it!
Okay back to the Histamine part of it and how it works. Histamine is the chemical in the cell that makes you sick or causes the allergic reaction, for me it is cedar pollen, oak, mold and bees. So if you are have an allergen to something, or an allergic reaction or an allergy attack you have a histamine. You are having an immune response that will take an anti-histamine to fix basically. An Anti-histamine comes in several forms such as inject-able, pills, herbal remedies or tinctures that are designed to help block, or stop the histamine. It goes much deeper into the medical and science part of it but in a nutshell this is it. The scientific/medical part goes into describing the neurotransmitter part of it and that takes me back to psychology in college and I start to get very sleepy!
In my case, and many others living in Central Texas that have cedar allergies it involves itchy eyes, runny nose and/or congestion and that ever-long persistent cough, to me the cough is the worst! You can also develop allergy related conjunctivitis during this period, which I have had this year and it was a first for me it has been super painful., and I want to make it the last time too! It is pink eye related to allergies and it is very painful due to itching and after sleep your eyes are kinda yucky….We will leave it at that. I have taken about 5 different kinds of eye drops/wash to try and find relief but have not found it yet! So this has been the driving force to figure out how to combat and stop this yearly event for me. And if I can help others that would be a bonus! I think the best option for me going the homeopathic way will be to help build an immunity or make it tolerable for me to live without all of the pain associated with my allergies. I just would like to live pain free without having to take a whole bunch of medications to keep it at bay.
Which has made me think about all of the possibilities that might make a difference for me as well. I am also going to start first with my diet and go completely organic for starters. I have always heard; “You are what you eat”. I am a chef and I cook with fresh ingredients day in and day out and I have a great knowledge of foods that are good for everyone, so why not do that for myself! Herbs make a meal so very tasty and after reading a few books they also have awesome healing and medicinal powers too. Which took me down a road of thinking about my life and where originally I came from and my lineage. My aunt has said many times “We came from good stock”. I believe that my grandparents all of them had great qualities and that is a big part of who I am, and I guess it might be a Texan thing too but I am super proud of the people I came from, they were Good Hearted People!
I can remember as a child my Great Grandparents using mud/dirt and tea leaves, or menthol cigarette tobacco to help with a bee sting. Or my Mamaw (Southern Thing) would add some honey in a spoon with what tasted like whiskey but I am assuming it was possibly a tincture, or might have actually been whiskey. She was Pentecostal so still a mystery to me, I hope to find out one day. My Mamaw was from Arkansas and her family was of Native Indian origin so I am sure they used poultices, and tinctures in their medicine cabinet. I wish I would have asked more questions, sometimes I get mad at myself because I had so much knowledge, a gold mine really and never took advantage of it. As a teenager and then 20+ year old I was not in the mind frame to seek it I guess I just had the mindset they would always be around….Kicking myself!!!
Some history of my lineage. They were very poor, living in South Dallas aka The River Bottoms in the best Sandy Loam dirt available…to them. They were good friends, met in church, and that is how my family from both sides connected and how my parents met. They parents were all farmers whether for themselves, their family, and just to live/survive on, my Great Grandparents did it for their living. They grew wonderful vegetables, and were wonderful people (THE BEST EVER in my opinion) and they were extremely rich in that aspect! It was the sole purpose for their livelihood, and to sustain themselves and raise their children. They had to succeed no matter what I respect them so much for that.
I cannot remember any of them really ever being sick or ill until they were much older. I was fortunate to have my Great Grandparents into my late teens and early 20′s. I remember my childhood visiting them down on their farm for weekends, holidays and summer vacation. I am going off of what I remember about them and their health and until they were up into their 70-80′s+ they were pretty healthy. They were sickly in their late age but it was time for them to go I guess. I am attributing their health at that time to living a life of hard work, and in the Texas blistering sun and heat. They worked long days in the elements, year end and year out and then of course old age. Looking back it was probably because they could not afford routine medical care because they were not sickly and then for the most part but when they had ailments they treated themselves. They did not have much in the way of riches, big house or even air condition, and in Texas that is a big deal, but they survived just fine.
They grew farm to table with organic sustainable farming, each crop they saved seeds and took care of their land. I think that says something about the way past generations lived. They lived off their land and ate organic foods they grew. That is a different topic, but I think it is all intermingled and more will be revealed as time goes on with GMO foods. I can only recommend you do your own research and it will make you more the wiser. Something to think about it is just recently in the last 10-20 years plus that so many people have started having chronic new illnesses and allergies, diabetes and cancer.
With all of this being said I have decided to go out on my own and try a different approach with organic food, herbs and natural remedies. I am reading many books, and contemplating taking an herbalist course to see where this takes me. I am a chef here in Central Texas growing totally organic produce that I plan to consume from now on and completely stay away from GMO vegetables and all processed foods to see if that will help my allergies in any way. Once you do your own research on GMO foods and products that contain you will be surprised how many items in your market contain them. I have also started making herbal tinctures to try and combat my allergens. I will definitely be doing more research and sharing my findings on the cedar fever epidemic that haunts me yearly. Wish me luck!
Info on the start of D.S.R. We are starting “Deep South Remedies” to promote health and well being. I am sure it will morph along the way and pretty sure it will be interesting. It should be a super-duper fantastic journey.
Homeopathic Medicine Origination and Information: http://www.homeopathy-soh.org/about-homeopathy/what-is-homeopathy/
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